So, now that Claire Legrand has finished the Middlemist Series… it’s time to dive in. Claire has been one of my favorite authors for several years now, looking back to my first physical ARC of Furyborn arriving via Fairyloot in December 2017? So here is to nearly a decade of loving Claire!
I had received the ARC of A Crown of Ivy and Glass, right before she went on tour in 2023, but that was in the middle of starting a new job, buying a house and I while I started the book. I petered out about 100 pages in. I was in the middle of a big transition and I wasn’t connecting with Gemma like I wanted to. I loved the world, I was really enjoying the magic system, and I’d been looking forward to this series since she’d been teasing the premise of it all. So allowing myself the grace to realize I wasn’t in the headspace for this book at that time. I set it down.
Flash forward to Claire going on tour for the final book in the trilogy earlier this year and I am bound and determined this time to finally get to read the trilogy and fall back in love with Claire’s writing… and I succeeded.
I started from the beginning and with several more years of dealing with life, having other friends who have also gone through chronic illness beyond things that I have dealt with for years, seeing their resiliency and strength, and truly just finding joy when you can Gemma spoke to a part of me that I could understand and cherish better. I never need to be able to see myself in the character, but I think that I found Gemma when I did because I had watched one of the most important people go through one of the worst times in her life and come out so much stronger on the other side and reading Gemma’s story was like celebrating that all over again, and living through the small set backs. It was a balm to my soul.
I truly did fall in love with the story, and while it starts off with mystery and intrigue, the horror elements of Claire’s background does shine in this from the evil they fight, to how Middlemist and the land of fae are represented. There is so much there, and it felt both like a fever dream and a nightmare all at once, I hope we dive into that more in the next books! If you know the ballet it’s inspired by, you’ll not be surprised by the group that shows up part way through the story, an it was so interesting to get to see how Claire represented them and depicted the story of female resilience and rage in such a strange and beautiful way.
One of my favorite things was the relationship between the sisters, loving and strained. Their messy relationship with their father. It was so wonderful to see that they would do anything for each other and yet their differences also made them so at odds. It is one of my favorite and most realistic depictions of siblings and family, and I can’t wait to follow this journey as they grow along.
I also can’t wait to see how the cast of characters continues to develop as we move along, because the long time family enemies, their childhood best friends, and all of the Roses truly are some of my favorite parts of the tale and I love that Claire draws us in, and I know we will get more because she does so well with a big cast of characters. They were each so individual and the perfect addition to the story that I need to learn more about them.
This book will not be for everyone, it may not be the right book for you until the right time of your life. I was frustrated and unable to connect in with Gemma the first time I read it, but one of my best bookish friends immediately found her and resonated with her. My recommendation, is if you like the weirdest things that Claire has written read this, you’ll find the same elements in here. If you struggle with mental health or chronic illness, read this you will be seen. And if you aren’t sure if this is the right book for you, it’s okay to set it down and come back when these words will be here to comfort you. I really truly have a soft spot for Gemma in my heart now, and I am so glad that I read this book when I did. She’s not for everyone, and that’s rather the point. The people who need Gemma and her story are going to find them, and if my review made you pick it up (or up again) let me know!
Looking to find A Crown of Ivy and Glass? Here you go:
Bookshop.org ~ Libro.fm ~ Goodreads ~ Storygraph
As a side note, I was originally gifted this book as an ARC by Netgalley, I have gone on to buy it on my own and my thoughts are my own. Some of the links to Bookshop.org or Libro.fm will either provide me or an indie bookshop I support a portion of the affiliate sales if you use them to buy a book I recommend! And as of today when this review goes live it looks like the audiobook is on sale for $3.99!
my way by Starlight 
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