Book Reviews

“Spellbinding.”

Best-selling YA author Legrand’s first novel for adults is full of high stakes for her characters and detailed fantasy worldbuilding with interesting mythology for readers.

Legrand’s adult debut is the kind of lushly magical romance we need in a world of thorns and ghosts, real and imagined. As someone who also suffers from mental illness and chronic pain, I’ve never felt so seen as through the heroine Gemma, and I felt her journey so deeply. Legrand also does a fantastic job with her setting, a magical Regency-esque period with the whimsy of beautiful ballgowns and clandestine meetings balanced by the inherent darkness of the power of magic. I truly adored this book and hope for so much more in this world.

Words can’t describe how I loved A Crown of Ivy and Glass! I had been for something that scratched the fantasy romance itch that was a bit more mature than the normal YA. . . . I was absolutely riveted. The chronic pain representation along with female friendships was a balm to my lonely soul and I cannot wait for the next volume!

A Crown of Ivy and Glass features a queer, chronically ill, chronically anxious main character and a beautiful, lush world that reaches out and pulls the reader in. Like a moth to a flame, Claire’s words are deadly and beautiful, and so, so worth the pain you’ll suffer once you’ve been consumed. Lovers of high fantasy, slow burn, stinging spice, and enemies to lovers relationships will delight in this story, and come begging for more.