In "The Crowns of Croswald," D.E. Night tells a tale of magic, adventure, and self-discovery. This book is perfect for fans of fairy-tale-type writing and the magical boarding school trope. Set in the enchanting world of Croswald, this book follows 16-year-old Ivy Lovely, whose life takes an unexpected turn when she discovers her true heritage.

I enjoyed the magic system. Magical stones are nothing new, but I loved the idea of magical quills instead of wands. What a unique twist on "wizards." From the very first page, Night captivates readers with vivid descriptions and intricate world-building. I loved Ivy's determination and courage. Her biggest quest is to discover her identity and uncover just who she keeps seeing in her dreams and visions. The answer will explain who she is and who she must become.

I did feel the plot jumped around a bit. One whole school year went by really fast without much to represent the passage of time. Certain character traits and plot points seemed thrown in at the last second, like Ivy's fear of heights. I felt like big events happened without as much buildup as there should be. Additionally, some of the dialogue fell a bit flat to me, or was used to "tell" the plot too much rather than "show" it. The friendship between Rebecca, Ivy, and Fyn didn't seem to come together naturally enough.

The tone of the writing voice was really well done, especially at the beginning. It had that fairy tale, magic feel to it that makes me nostalgic for stories of my childhood. Overall, I think the story is a delightful read for all ages, especially middle grade readers. I look forward to reading the next installment and discovering more about Ivy's destiny.

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for providing me with this review copy. I don't usually DNF books but unfortunately I just couldn't get into this one at all.

Thank you Netgalley and Stories Untold Press for gifting me a copy of this book for my honest review.
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Crowns Of Coswald by D.E. Night is a coming of age story about a girl named Ivy. Ivy, who believes she is the only non-magical being in a fantastical world, must unlock her own powers and uncover her true identity before it's too late. As she explores a realm of enchantment and makes lifelong friends, she uncovers her magical heritage and the power of Croswald's mystical stones. However, an evil Queen poses a threat. Will Ivy's courage and intelligence prevail?
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I rate this book at least 4 stars. It is definitely worth a read if you're a fan of Harry Potter, Narnia, or Percy Jackson as a kid. It's very adventurous, fun, and has a good mystery to it. I really enjoyed Ivy's character and the friends/enemies she made along the way. At first when I began reading it, I couldn't help think of other young fantasy stories but once you get into the world, you quickly forget about them and only focus on Ivy's world. Definitely check this one out!

A school for children with magical powers. A girl who has been hidden behind a boundary between ordinary and magic. Ivy, the girl, is learning to master her magic but her life is threatened by the Dark Queen. For young and older fans of Harry Potter. A delightful story. Love the magical creatures! Their descriptions are powerful. I would love to read the rest of the series. Thanks #Netgalley and #Storiesuntold for the eARC in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are mine.

The Crowns of Croswald is a very creative story. The plot and characters were brough to life with the way they were described. I had a joy reading this.

Loved it! This book is full of magic and adventure and I was hooked. A must for Harry Potter and ACOTAR fans.

Unfortunately, as hard as I tried, I just could not get into this book. Perhaps I'll give it another try at a later date!

The publisher (Untold Stories) reached out to me offering the book for free in exchange for a honest review.

This fantasy middle grade novel is perfect for anyone who loved Harry Potter. Readers will enter a world of magic and meet a protagonist they’re sure to love: Ivy.

Ivy is living among all sorts of magical creatures, and much like Harry Potter, she is shockingly sent off to a school to learn more about how to practice this magic. While Ivy is uncertain about why, it soon becomes clear that there is something different about her, and it might be in a good way!

While the world building was well done it not a bit too similar to Harry Potter, the plot was a bit slow moving and didn’t really build until more than half way through. It was quite enthralling for a good bit, and then it seemed like information was left out. This information was clarified later, so it all came together to set itself up nicely for the next book.

Overall, this would be a good fit for a fantasy loving middle grade readers.

Ivy Lovely has been hidden for sixteen years behind a boundary that was an enchantment so when Ivy crosses the boundary to go the school Halls Of Ivy her magical powers are awakened. Before long the Dark Queen threatens Ivy’s life and she has to save herself and Croswald.

This is very reminiscent of Harry Potter which isn’t a terrible thing because it will be enjoyed by the same demographic. There are some cute sounding creatures and it’s a good book. I will be honest though I really felt that it is more for the younger end of the age range that it is aimed for. Overall a good book.

This book was very cute! It's definitely more middle-grade than YA but the story was fun and had a lot of twists and turns to keep you engaged. The world building was great and created a whimsical world for you to imagine! I liked the creativity and the very enthusiastic characters. I would highly recommend this book for any young kids!

**2.5 stars**

This middle grade fantasy follows Ivy Lovely on a Harry Potter type journey as she goes from maidenly rags to adventurous, powerful magic student in a castle where she is called to study.

I didn’t love this, but to be 100% fair, I didn’t think I was going to. I didn’t care for Harry Potter because a child learning magic and for several hundred pages and then miraculously defeating evil with no skill at the very end is simply not entertaining for me. This story in particular was difficult for me to get through because I could not keep track of all of the fantastical names that were given to both commonplace and magical objects.

I don’t think this would be the worst story for a middle schooler who really enjoyed Harry Potter and wanted something similar, especially for a girl who wanted to better connect to the main character, but I was just not the correct audience.

As someone who grew up reading Harry Potter, this book made me feel nostalgic. It was such a fun read, worldbuilding was unique, and those characters had my heart from the very beginning (especially Ivy<3).
I would recommend it to anyone who is in a need of cozy and whimsical story.✨

This book. What a surprise!
I was sent a copy of this book through Netgalley to review, and it sounded right up my alley. I love a good, magical middle grade novel. When I began reading this book, I wasn't digging the writing style. I was thinking...I'm not sure this author got the editing that she deserved. Some of the phrasing was strange to me, and certain lines didn't flow well for me. But! (and there IS a "but") The writing got better as I continued reading, and I fell in love with Ivy and this story. The writing wasn't perfect, but this was such a creative and wonderful story, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I thought the magic was really unique and interesting. It was such a surprise! I loved discovering the magic of this world alongside Ivy, and I DEFINITELY want to read the other books in this series. If you decide to pick up this book, be patient. It's fast paced, so you won't need to wait long. The beginning wasn't perfect, in my opinion, and when I discovered that the majority of the story took place at a magical school, I thought it would be unoriginal. But I was so wrong. It's a really fun and unique story, and I would definitely recommend it.

This book was incredible! I loved every minutes of it and I can't wait to get my hands on the rest of the series. I gave me Harry Potter vibes but with awesome girl power and amazing world building. I would totally read this out loud to 2nd grade and up but it would also make a good independent middle grade fantasy read. I love the characters. They are so interactive. Ivy, the main character, really shows her strengths and weaknesses and I think that is essential for children to see. I love the ideas in the book on how the world is made. It makes it super engaging. The ending was intense. I love the battle of good versus evil. You can't go wrong with a story like this one!

I really enjoyed reading this book. The atmosphere of the book and world building is just amazing. I cannot wait to read more by this Author. While reading the book you will enter the world of magic and so much more. Lyrical writing that will make you fall in love with the book even more. Thank you so much Netgalley for the copy!

This was good! It read a bit younger than I would have expected. I went in thinking it would be more YA but it felt more like Middle Grade. Nothing wrong with it, it's just not what I typically read. I enjoyed the magical nostalgia and think younger readers would have a great time with it.

D.E. Night has put together a beautiful world for us to fall in love with. The world building was fantastic, and very creative. My children and I enjoyed this magical story together, and we truly loved getting to follow along with Ivy Lovely on her adventures, where we got to experience the magical creatures and watch as she discovers the magic that has been hidden inside of her.

This was such a fun read and I am definitely moving on to the rest of the series! The world building was beautiful, the characters were easy to love, and the magic was just chefs kiss!

**I received an ARC of this fantastic read in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and to Stories Untold for reaching out and offering this fun opportunity! I thoroughly enjoyed the experience!

I was so honored when @storiesuntoldpress reached out about passing along an ARC of an exciting middle grade fantasy 🪄 Crowns of Croswald was truly a joy to read!

Ivy Lovely is an orphan who spends her days as a castle servant. In her very limited free time, she sketches the scene that appears in her dreams each night - the interior of a foreign castle and the face of a man she does not recognize. When Ivy escapes the slurry fields surrounding the castle, her life takes a sudden and unexpected turn. She is invited to attend a prestigious boarding school where students learn to hone their magic - which comes as quite a shock, as Ivy has never thought herself to wield magical powers of any kind. During her time at school, Ivy is finally able to piece together the puzzle that is her life, discovering that her destiny is far more important and dangerous than she ever dared imagine.

A lovely, fantastical middle grade read! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

@author.denight

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I unfortunately didn't have the time to get to reading it before it archived! Though I will pick it up in the future.
So please disregard the low rating as Netgalley forces me to put one down with my review.

I was told "its full of magic and adventure!" And "readers have described it as Alice in Wonderland meets Harry Potter!"

And you know what..... it checks out!

We've got hidden powers, magic school, prejudice, social class, fate and prophecy, coming of age, mystery, adventure, magical critters and friendship.

We have a kooky, magical world, and a creative magic system, glorious descriptions and wonderful characters. It also touches on some heavy topics in a very age appropriate sort of way.

It was a lovely read, I thoroughly enjoyed it and I WILL be reading the rest of the series to find out what happens to my new book besties!

I'm gonna give this 5 stars for being the perfectly charming escape from reality that coaxed me out of my reading