A superbly written fantasy world that completely immersed me in the sounds, smells and sights of the world of Croswald. I felt like this book was a cross between Harry Potter and the Morrigan Crow series, both of which I adore. I felt the character of Ivy written younger than 16 and so would classify this as a middle-grade as it did not have the features of a YA book. The story was evocative and had me wishing that they would just tell me already what I had suspected. The book rushed a bit at the end to answer these questions, but understand that it was leading up to the next book in the series. Overall really enjoyed the reading experience and look forward to finding out what happens next to Ivy.

This has a great premise and a beautiful cover. I think this is a book that I’d need a physical copy to actually have the motivation to pick up as I can’t seem to find myself gravitated towards it. This isn’t a problem from the book that’s just that my interests aren’t swayed towards it anymore.

This book was so fun. It started out little bit slow. Not in the sense that I was bored but in that I felt a little lost, almost like I started a series in the middle. It took me a little bit to get a handle on it but once I did, I fell in love with Ivy and her friends. I got quite emotional at the end and I would love my children to read this book.

Initial thoughts:

The Crowns of Croswald was a magical read. It’s the perfect fantasy book for younger readers - I can imagine myself at that age wishing to attend the Halls of Ivy and be a royal or a scrivenist! The magic system was interesting and I loved the idea of the gems in the crowns having different powers - I thought that was really unique and fun. I liked all of the characters, I think Ivy was a very strong protagonist, and I enjoyed her interactions with the other characters.
All in all, this is a fantasy book that is perfect for middle grade readers.

Full Review:

Overall: 4/5
Overall, I enjoyed the book. I wish there had been a glossary of some of the magical terms, as it took a while to understand some parts, which could be a struggle for younger readers. The world building was solid and believable, and I loved all of the little details sprinkled throughout.

Plot: 3/5
I thought the plot was very steady throughout, with some interesting twists and turns along the way. I spaced out my reading of this book more than I usually would, and each time I read more it was easy to get back into the plot and what was happening. I wish we could have seen more of Ivy's time in classes as I felt those scenes were really strong and dove into the magic system more. I also would have liked to get to know some of her classmates better.

Characters: 4/5
The characters in this book are all interesting. Each character has their own unique backstory and motivation. I really enjoyed Winsome as a character, and the mystery surrounding Derwin Edgar Night from the first chapter.

Writing: 4/5
The writing was a lot of fun, and I enjoyed some of the more lighthearted scenes a lot. I found the dialogue to be slightly stilted in places, but overall that wasn’t a major issue. I really loved the world of Croswald, and I’m sure I’ll be recommending this book to my younger relatives!

I really wanted to like this book. I liked that it promised a strong female lead and a fun-and-peril-filled fantasy world. Several reviews I read before agreeting to review it assured that all "lovers of Harry Potter" would enjoy The Crowns of Croswald. And while I am sure some Harry Potter fans have also enjoyed this book I found that the similarities were so great that, rather than enjoying this book on its own merits, I was constantly comparing and contrasting it to J.K. Rowling's magical world. I also sometimes found that the nuances of this magial world were difficult to follow. Because D.E. Night thrusts readers directly into this world of scrivens and scaldrons, rather than slowly building a magical world from the regular human world (as Rowling does) I found as a reader I was playing catch-up to the characters and their environment. While this was challenging for me (I don't read a lot of fantasy) for die-hard fantasy fans this may not be a concern.

What I did like about this book, however, was that it delivered on the strong female lead. Ivy was a delightful character, and I found myself cheering for her from early in the story.

This was the first fantasy novel I have read in a long time and I really enjoyed it!

The Crowns of Coswald by D.E Night (the first in a series) was a completely magical and whimsical adventure that followed Ivy’s journey with her two closest friends. With its own uniqueness, this story was about the realisation of the possibility to be more than people say you are.

A HUGE thank you to Stories Untold and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book to read in exchange for an honest review and following of the author’s account!

I was offered a copy of this book on NetGalley by a publicist in exchange for a review and for follows on social media sites. I was excited to be asked and excited by the book’s description, as well as a glowing review left by a Goodreads account that I follow.

This is the first in a series, with three books already published and a fourth and final book expected in January 2022.

D. E. Night is both the author’s name and the name of an important character in this fictional world. I struggle, I admit, with this seeming self-insertion because it is so frowned upon by those who think that they write “better” fanfiction, but I endeavor to look past my biases. Self-insertion has a long and glorious history, and while we might laugh at, we still revere Dante Alighieri as a writer.

There are many parallels to be drawn here between the Harry Potter series. I KNOW and am perpetually annoyed that people say that so often in reviews, but in this case, I actually think the comparison is warranted. There is a hidden village beside a large castle for magical education, hidden from the eyes of the general non-magic, un-invited folk by magic and reached by a caravan of flying carriages, hidden too by magic, the insides of which resemble houses (as with Rowling’s Knight Bus). There are unusual, magical animals, tamed and used by magical people and non-magical too, and fairies for lights (here called “hairies” but conceptually very similar to the live fairy lights seen at Hogwarts over Christmas). There is even a small, aged, male professor so short that he must sit upon a pile of books to see his class (Professor Filbert Fenix and Professor Filius Flitwick) and a Jester who wears clothes similar to and fills the same role in the castle as Peeves the poltergeist (although the Jester seems also to be part of the kitchen staff). I am trying not to be too nitpicky in pointing out that the Keeper of Keys and Grounds of Hogwarts is Rubeus (meaning “red”) and at the Halls of Ivy the locksmith is Ivory. Most of the characters in similar roles are gender-swapped though, with a female protagonist, a female head of the school, a female locksmith, and a pompous, rich, female bully.

I am currently reading Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger, and finding similarities between these two books as well. Adults around Ivy, protagonist of The Crowns of Croswald, and Sophie are obviously hiding information about the girls themselves from Ivy and Sophie. Ivy crushes on Fyn, a class facilitator in charge of helping first years. Sophie crushes on Fitz, an older student who excels in his classes and who introduces Sophie to the world of elves. There were moments reading these two books simultaneously that I got confused whether a misadventure had been Ivy’s or Sophie’s.

Really, “special” child at a magic school is its own genre of literature, and obviously a subgenre that I enjoy, and these three all fit in there nicely.

Unique to this world is the magic system, and that is immense and likely to be covered in even greater depth in later books in the series. Scrivenists have natural photographic memories that they hone in school while learning to control their quills (porcupine quills it seems rather than feathered ones, “porcupels”). Alongside the budding scrivenists (“sqwinches”) in school are the royals, whose magic comes from the crowns that they receive when they turn 16 and specifically from the stones set into those crowns. Scrivenists are eventually assigned to castles to live and study and aid the royals.

Night struggles with pacing, and I empathize because I struggle with exactly the same. There are elements of her story, introduced fairly early, that the author knows are significant, and Night keeps reminding the reader about these elements, though these mentions, these paragraphs of Ivy’s thought straying to those objects and ideas seem forced and unnatural and out of place. Night, this is SUCH a struggle for me too! I really, truly do empathize!

The POV is mostly limited to Ivy, but slips several times into omniscient or to another character without warning. Usually, I was able to quickly correct my POV to match the story’s though, and I know that I am biased towards a single, limited POV because it is so important to my story that I stick to that single POV to preserve the secrets that the protagonist doesn’t know.

I find that I struggle to keep the vast cast of characters in The Crowns of Croswald straight and that the wider cast is not as fleshed out as I would like them to be. This is another common struggle, a mark often missed in even the most lauded writers who try school fiction (I am thinking particularly of Delia Sherman). The characters that I do feel familiar with after reading The Crowns of Croswald are extremely likeable or unlikable as the story calls for them to be. Rebecca is one of the more fleshed out characters, having her own family and struggles with her identity. I would like for Fyn to be more than a tool for Ivy’s story, but I like him quite a bit. Damaris the bully I dislike as I am supposed to do. The Dark Queen was a nebulous threat until she was inches from Ivy, and then I was properly repulsed by her intentions even as I found her an intriguing villain, a more fleshed out character than I was expecting frankly.

But the story is exciting, with several turns, although I saw at least one of those coming from very near the beginning of the book.

I am interested in the larger story of this world, of the Dark Queen’s transformation, of how she will be vanquished, of Rimbrick, the Wandering Family, and the murdered Isabella. I wish to learn more about glanageries and how the different scrivenist and royal magics work. I want to know more about the world. I need to know more about the Selector and the Forgotten Room.

I do recommend this book, especially if you’re looking for another “chosen one” in a magic school story, unique magical beasts, or a story of curses and curses broken. I enjoyed the magic, the creatures, and the invented words especially, and I enjoyed the plot that let me explore such a clever, unique world.

I loved this book. I haven’t read a fantasy book in a while, and this book was exactly what I needed. It’s magical and whimsical world was a delight to read.

The book is about a girl named Ivy, who is thrust into the world into the world of magic, whereupon she realizes her true potential, her history and heritage. The magical creatures, the secondary characters and the plot are all so intriguing.

This is a definite re read for me. What a spectacular read!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read and review this novel. This was a fun magical world and I enjoyed the storyline and the characters, there were magical creatures which all middle grade books need.
Ivy’s story is one of learning who she is and what she can do, friends she makes along the way and her history she may or may not learn about. Fans of magic schools, friends and foes will enjoy this book.

✨Hi Friends✨
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Synopsis: Ivy Lovely is 16 and she has no idea who she is—or what her powers could be. When she crosses a magical boundary, she discovers a whole new world of enchantment and mystery. Making friends that will last a lifetime—and save her life—she steps into her own abilities and discovers more about her hidden past, magical blood, and the power of Croswald’s mystical stones. But all is not well: a dark history and an evil Queen threatens all that is good. Will Ivy’s bravery and wit be enough?
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My thoughts:
•This is a mid grade fantasy book so its intended for readers 8-14 years. Because of this, I had a certain level of nostalgia while reading because it reminded me of the books I read at that age.
•This book is very similar to Harry Potter. Because of this, I think anyone who likes books with a magic school storyline would enjoy this book as it feels like an extension of a super similar world that also has its own spin.
• I thought Ivy Lovely was just as her name suggests… lovely! I thought she was a fun female protagonist and I was interested to see how her story progressed. I also think it would be super empowering for a little girl to be able to see herself in such a strong character.
•I will say that at times parts of the story felt a little slower, or awkward than others but this also very well could be because I’m an adult reading a children’s book.

Overall: I think this would be a book that would be a fun read for a younger audience who loves fantasy! I thought the scrivenist aspect was really unique and made for an interesting story!

✨Thank you to the publisher @storiesuntoldpress for gifting me a copy of this magical book in return for an honest review✨

(3.5 bumped to 4)

This is a magical and whimsical story filled with adventures and endeavours. We start by meeting our main character Ivy who is suddenly thrust into the exciting Halls of Ivy. A major difference from her usual day to day life of a caretaker and maid in the kitchens.

The plot is fast paced and greatly described which enhances the reading experience. D.E Night is fantastic at world building this universe with creative and unique creatures, names and descriptive designs.

The characters of this book are written well. The characters who we are meant to favour are charismatic and charming characters. The characters who we are not meant to like contain elements of classic dislike aspects, such as rude, vain and mean. This added to the reading experience with the descriptive scenes and feelings.

Overall, I would recommend this book to perhaps middle-grade or younger teen readers who are into magical, adventurous and exciting tales.

I was asked to read this book by the publicist. These are my opinions and my opinions only.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

I absolutely loved this book even though I prefer YA books, it was totally amazing! The plot was unique and so much better than Harry Potter. One of the many reasons I liked this book is because of the found family trope! The author did an amazing job and I cannot wait for more!💖
4.5 stars!🌟

Wow such an amazing read! I could definitely feel a Harry Potter vibe and yet it still had its on uniqueness. I would actually give this book a 4.5 star because it was a little slow for me at the beginning but once the story got going it was really exciting. And at times, it was hard for me to imagine exactly what was happening maybe because of too much detail but I did get the overall gist of things. Overall, I think this is a very exciting fantasy for readers to immerse themselves in the magical world of Croswald.

The Crowns of Croswald - D.E. Night

Ahh, what a lovely fantasy book this was, filled with magic and mystery!

Right from the start, I was hooked on the story of Ivy and her journey in this magical world.

The world-building was incredible and I fell in love with how the world is described, it sounds incredibly beautiful and whimsical. We follow the journey of Ivy and her time at a wonderful magical school, however, Ivy has no idea who she even is, or what her powers could be. She enters a whole new land of mystery and enchantment and makes exciting discoveries about her past.

I loved how the magic system was set up in the book and the whole royalty scene as well! The Dark Queen storyline was 100% my kind of vibes as well and this was really well written.

The start of the book was a little slow however I feel this was more to set the book up for the amazing middle/end, and the rest of the series as well!

This book reminded me of my childhood and Ivy is a badass character who is brave, smart, and incredibly sassy! Can't wait to read the rest of the series!

Thank you to Netgalley/Author/Publisher for an advanced copy of this book!

Do you want to read something that reminds you of that beloved magical series, but without the problematic aspects? Then this is for you! I started this read not knowing much about the plot overall, except the major points, and I was amazed at how good this book is. The plot is strong, we have a very clear idea of what is happening and how is happening and the world building is well-developed. The magical system definitely exudes that cozy and magical feeling that we´re used to loving, and it was, without any doubt, my favorite part of the book. The characters are lovable but I think that some of them could be better developed. With this said, i´m aware that this is the first book in the series, so i can´t wait to see how the author develops them in the later novels. Overall I really liked this book and will definitely be recommending it! Can´t wait to read the rest of the series!

As someone that is outside of the age range for this book, it's slightly difficult for me to accurately rate and review it. I do think readers within the appropriate age range will enjoy it, however it felt too familiar and similar to other fantasy books for me.

It had been a long time since I had read a magic story aimed at a middle grade audience, however, it was just what I was looking for on this occasion.

The Crowns of Croswald lets us meet Ivy, an orphan who has spent her 16 years working as a scaldron maid, not knowing who she really is and the capacity of her powers (which she also doesn't know she has). Undoubtedly, Ivy dreams of a different life and a castle beyond her reality. As fate would have it, she is invited to attend Halls of Ivy to begin her magical studies and eventually become a scrivenerist.

What can I say about that book other than it's what I needed? It felt like a journey and, like Ivy, I had no idea what was going on at many points. But it's okay, it's the first book and it does the job of building the world and explaining its magic to you. You slowly learn about the school, its creatures, the magic and the world of Croswald.

It may sound similar to Harry Potter because of the theme of a school of magic and an orphan girl, but beyond that... I couldn't find any similarities.

The Crowns of Croswald is very cute, it feels soft. Hopefully my niece will want to read it in English, as it isn't in Spanish.


ESP

Llevaba mucho tiempo sin leer una historia de magia dirigida a un público middle grade, sin embargo, era justo lo que buscaba en esta ocasión.

The Crowns of Croswald nos permite conocer a Ivy, una huérfana que se ha pasado sus 16 años trabajando como scaldron maid, sin saber quién es realmente y la capacidad de sus poderes (que tampoco sabe que tiene). Sin duda, Ivy sueña con una vida distinta y un castillo más allá de su realidad. Por azares destino, es invitada a asistir a Halls of Ivy para iniciar sus estudios mágicos y finalmente convertirse en scrivenerist.

¿Qué puedo decir de ese libro además de que es lo que necesitaba? Lo sentí como un viaje y, como Ivy, no tenía ni idea de qué estaba sucediendo en muchos momentos. Pero está bien, es el primer libro y hace muy bien el trabajo de construir el mundo y explicarte su magia. Poco a poco vas aprendiendo sobre la escuela, sus criaturas, la magia y el mundo de Croswald.

Puede sonar similar a Harry Potter por el tema de una escuela de magia y una niña huérfana, pero más allá de eso… no pude encontrar similitudes.

The Crowns of Croswald es muy lindo, se siente suave.

“Your visions, your dreams… there’s magic in you.”

The Crowns of Croswald by D.E. Night is an incredibly fun and whimsical coming-of-age story full of magic, myth, and realizing the possibility that you can be more than people say you are.

Ivy Lovely has spent her 16 years on the other side of a barrier that separates the mundane from the magical. As a lowly scalondry maid, she didn’t think she was made to be more than that until she stepped over the boundary. Suddenly Ivy is thrust into the enchanting world of scrivenry where she will attend the Halls of Ivy to master the powers she never knew she had. With vivid dreams of mysterious strangers and familiar places plaguing her mind, she has to discover the history behind her new school and its magical gems, before the Dark Queen sets her sights on all of Croswald.

Ivy is naturally curious about the world around her but finds that her curiosity constantly gets her into all kinds of trouble. She is joined in her adventures by her two closest friends, Fyn and Rebecca. Throughout the book, they form a great dynamic that seems to always get them into difficult situations: the curious troublemaker, the friend who asks to join in the trouble, and the one who tries to keep them in check. I absolutely adored the characters and their friendship and got attached to them very easily.

Above all, I admire the magic system and world-building of the book. There are two classes in the Halls of Ivy: the royals, who get their magic from the gemmed crowns they receive when they come of age; and scrivenists, those who have magic in their blood and use quills in place of wands. Upon their graduation, scrivenists will be assigned to a royal family to whom they will serve for the rest of their days. I also loved how the story gave special appreciation to the arts, like drawing and writing. The different magics, original creatures, and unique realm where a book is literally someone’s life is such a new take on what you usually find in a magical academy.

Would definitely recommend this book to anyone who:
- Would love to try their hand on the middle-grade genre,
- Want to start or would like to fall back in love with fantasy;
- Really want to go to a magic boarding school;
- Think that maybe wands are a bit overused;
- Want to read about new creatures;
- Love the trouble trio trope;
- Like pie :>

The Crowns of Croswald by D.E. Night really brought me back to my childhood. There are no other words to describe it but it reads to me like a good dream. It gave me a wistful sense of nostalgia and affection for the fantasy and middle-grade genres. I highly recommend anyone of any age to pick it up! Its magic and the idea of attending such a fantastical school would make anyone want to cross an imaginable barrier and be a scrivenist (or at least wave a quill around in the air as I did hahaha). It captivated me from start to finish with every detail added to the plot that answered questions little by little. I admittedly had no idea where the story was headed, and although I could get a clue of the ending, I didn’t know how it would take me there--which is thrilling in itself. Granted this is the first book in the set, I definitely suggest the whole series if you're in a magical, whimsical, nostalgic mood!

A million thanks to author D.E. Night for writing this gem and publicist Daniela for reaching out and sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review.

The Crowns of Croswald was a very fun and magical reading experience. The world building was spot on and I liked the unique magic system. I am very much looking forward to continuing with this series in the future!

I received a free copy of The Crowns of Crosswald from the publisher, Stories Untold, in exchange for an honest review.

The Crowns of Crosswald follows Ivy, a scullery maid, to a magic school where everything is not what it seems. Ivy starts to question the actions of those around her, leading her to strange discoveries, new friends, and risky adventures.

The world-building in this book is beautiful. The magic system is well set up, and I like the idea of the royalty and the scriveners. The Crowns of Crosswald is middle grade, even though the main characters are 16, so a bit of the characterization fell a little flat. However, it is the first in a series, so hopefully now that the world is established, the characters can flourish!