Week 10 Review: A Crown of Ivy and Glass

From Goodreads:

Lady Gemma Ashbourne seemingly has it all. She's young, gorgeous, and rich. Her family was Anointed by the gods, blessed with incredible abilities. But underneath her glittering façade, Gemma is deeply sad. Years ago, her sister Mara was taken to the Middlemist to guard against treacherous magic. Her mother abandoned the family. Her father and eldest sister, Farrin—embroiled in a deadly blood feud with the mysterious Bask family—often forget Gemma exists.

Worst of all, Gemma is the only Ashbourne to possess no magic. Instead, her body fights it like poison. Constantly ill, aching with loneliness, Gemma craves love and yearns to belong.

Then she meets the devastatingly handsome Talan d'Astier. His family destroyed themselves, seduced by a demon, and Talan, the only survivor, is determined to redeem their honor. Intrigued and enchanted, Gemma proposes a bargain: She'll help Talan navigate high society if he helps her destroy the Basks. According to popular legend, a demon called The Man With the Three-Eyed Crown is behind the families' blood feud—slay the demon, end the feud.

But attacks on the Middlemist are increasing. The plot against the Basks quickly spirals out of control. And something immense and terrifying is awakening in Gemma, drawing her inexorably toward Talan and an all-consuming passion that could destroy her—or show her the true strength of her power at last.

My Review:
Oh, this was such a wonderful book! I've read most, if not all of her YA books, but I think this is her first adult. And it sounded like it was going to be a great time reading it, and it was! I loved the story, and oh, the world was so compelling! 

This world where the gods died, but gave their gifts to people, on purpose or by chance, and with the Middlemist that divides this continent in half was so interesting! When you add in demons and the inhabitants of the Middlemist, it was rich and detailed and I loved it! 

It was just that sometimes Gemma just would make awful decisions that sometimes it was a bit frustrating following her perspective. I understand why she was doing it, because she was in pain, and I get that, on a minor way with the amount of pain that I'm in on a daily basis. But still, wrong choices were deliberately being made! Bah! 

Oh, but the way things came together in that ending? That was so fantastic! I'm pretty sure that I read that each book in this series was going to follow a different sister, and I can't wait to see what's going to happen next! 

This was a fantastic read, and I can't wait to read the sequels! 

Author: Claire Legrand
Series: The Middlemist Trilogy #1
Read: March 8th, 2023
Source: NetGalley 
Reason Why: Love her writing and it sounded really great, and it's a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2023 Book and a WoW Book! 
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca 
Expected Publication: May 9th 2023

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars