I was contacted by the author to review this book, but I haven't been in a mood to read middle grade fantasy recently. This book sounds like it would be great for those looking for a magical adventure story!

Good middle school book set in a magical world. It's great for young readers or anyone wanting a fun read. It's similar to a Cinderella storyline with a young maid who discovers she has magical powers. It would have been nice had the author spent more time with Ivy learning how to use her but there is character growth throughout the book.

In Croswald, the only thing more powerful than dark magic is one secret...

The Crowns of Croswald by DE Night

Personal Rating: 4/5 ✨

DISCLAIMER: Big thanks to NetGalley, DE Night, and Stories Untold Press for providing me the eARC of this book. However, all of these are my personal and honest opinions. It has not impacted my review, at all.

Ivy Lovely was 16 and she had never known her parents, more so her past life. She was basically a maid and had only a dwarf named Rimbrick as a friend. So, one day, Rimbrick helped her to escape from the castle she was working at and all of a sudden, she was accepted to the Halls of Ivy, a magical school in Croswald, where she was going to study to become a Scrivenerist. Little that she knows that her story is entangled with the town Croswald itself.

Personally, this was a ride for me. I was on the verge of a reading slump and this book helped me to get through that. It was an enjoyable read especially because it's right up in my alley which is fantasy and middle grade lol

Characters: 4/5✨
There are a few important characters in this book like Ivy, Rebecca, Fyn, and Derwin Edgar Night himself. When you read the book, you will feel that they have no connections whatsoever with Ivy being....well, Ivy. But all of them seemingly have interesting chemistry with one another. Ivy herself is a well-developed character. She did not know that she had this underlying strength within herself and I can foretell that in the next book that she will grow into a very complex, well-written main character.

World Building: 5/5✨
If you want detailed, super amazing, mesmerizing world-building descriptions of a middle-grade book, look no further. Some would actually compare this book with Harry Potter and I can kind of see that but honestly, the author wrote a very complex world that just immerses you into it that you can just get lost in the words. I honestly was taken by surprise because I did not expect a middle-grade book can actually make me feel enthralled while reading it.

Magic System: 4/5✨
If you are into light academia, this book is for you. One of the main setting of this book is a library and there are so many stories to tell in this setting alone. There are a lot of interesting elements when it comes to writing a fantasy book, and as a young reader, you would tend to be confused. However, that was not the case with this book. It does well in explaining to the readers in their dialogues among the characters. We're talking about The Forgotten room, bearded clouds, cloaked guards, queens with magical crowns, and of course Scrivenerist with their magical quills. It's so well thought out that I felt like it was an element of surprise for me.

Story Plot: 3/5✨
I think, that because this book is the first book of a series, that the writer emphasizes a lot on the world-building and magic system, and somehow she kept the story plot simple and predictable. However, there was this plot twist that I did not see coming. So I'm giving her props to that lol

Writing: 4/5 ✨
For a middle-grade book, it was quite hard to understand. I can imagine 14-year-old me would find it hard to understand and might not even finish this book. And even the pace is quite slow, I would say. However, I feel that once they read the first 15% of the book and with all the world-building, it is easier for them to understand. With this, I feel that the book was definitely a page-turner for me.

Final thoughts:
It was an enjoyable read, though at first, I felt like it was a bit pretentious. However, I feel that this book has an interesting premise with likable characters, a very interesting world-building, and a magic system that is well thought out. I would definitely recommend this to any of my friends who has a teenage child back home who would love reading fantasy books.

- thanks to the publisher for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review-

Tl;dr: a whimsical world with a magical school and a scary evil queen🪄 - thanks to the publisher for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review-

Tl;dr: a whimsical world with a magical school and a scary evil queen🪄

So it has a whimsical world and for some reason I was expecting to hate it but it was alright. the world-building is confusing at time and creative at others, but my favorite is the floaty upside down island.
So basically you either have scrivenists that have magical quills or royals with their magical stones.

The illustrations in the beginning of each chapter were nice.

Overall it just wasn’t for me but I can see why someone might like it.

*oh and if you DID read this book, holy shit the last two chapters! I was reading it in the middle of the night and that was fucking terrifying

Let’s start with the whimsical world! For some reason I was expecting to hate it but I was honestly surprised by it! This book swept me off my feet and took me to its world. seriously the world-building is one of the most creative worlds I have read in a long time, there’s a floaty upside down island that I really liked, the creatures and the magic system is amazing too where you have either scrivenists that have magical quills or royals with their magical stones. I saw some people compare it to a certain book with a boy who has a scar on his forehead and I can see why they’d say that… but the world is a lot more whimsical and has nothing to do with our world unlike Harry Potter. Am I saying whimsical too much? Yes, yes I am.
There’s a magical school and that’s the only similarity to that certain book I talked about, otherwise the subjects are so much fun to read about, trust me.
I loved the feel of nostalgia reading it and the illustrations are *chef’s kiss*
If you liked Harry Potter then you might enjoy reading this but don’t expect a HP copy because I can’t emphasize how creative this world is enough!
*oh and if you DID read it, holy shit the last two chapters! I was reading it in the middle of the night and that was fucking terrifying *

The part of me that loves Tuck Everlasting but wants to shy away from the fall of JK Rowling typically doesn’t read a lot of YA fantasy. Still, there is something about The Crowns of Croswald to love: magic school, dragons, mystical stones.

The first series installment by D.E.Knight is great for middle-grade readers. In fact, I found myself thinking about how my kiddos would definitely like it in a couple of years. Ivy is such a kick-butt MC and really starts to come into her own power as more is uncovered throughout the novel. And Fyn makes for some adorable banter.

If YA fantasy and magical creatures are your thing, you’ll definitely adore this one. Check it out for sure!

What a charming story, very whimsical. Ivy Lovely is a young orphan who doesn't know how important she is.
She works hard and dreams about a mystery castle until one day she is invited to study at a magic school (this part reminded me of Harry Potter)

Ivy is smart and cute, soon she makes friends ... and enemies. She will learn about the royal family and their curse, also about the evil queen who still terrifies the community.

The story and writing style feels a little old fashion, like a fairytale, the world-building was amazing, magical creatures and magic with words, how lovely, I love the idea of Scrivenists, people who do magic using an enchanted pen.

Ivy is a loveable character, a bit naive, fun and loyal, she is delighted with the school, she wants to learn (the classes are so interesting) and make friends. Through her eyes, we will know a magical world.

The pacing is fast, there is action and mystery, young readers will love it.

I, unfortunately, did not enjoy this book. I found it to be too similar to Harry Potter as if someone took Potter's story and changed just enough of it to make it seem like it is a new story. But that didn't work on me. There were way too many similarities between this book and Harry Potter. When there are stories that are too similar, I do not enjoy them. I am sure there are some children who will enjoy this book but for me, this was an extremely disappointing copy of the Harry Potter story.

I was reached out too, and asked to read this book so I wasn't quite sure what to expect... I loved it!
It did take me some time to get into with all the names of things, places and characters but once I started to visualise it all I was very much in the world of the book.
Following Ivy on her journey of self-discovery of her powers and self made this a really lovely read. It had a sort of Harry Potter-esque feel to it that brought back all the nostalgia and happy memories in me to be back in a world of magic.
Very much looking forward to reading the second book in this series.

First of all, I've seen this book be compared a lot to Harry Potter, and while I definitely see a LOT of similarities between the two (Ivy's upbringing, magical school, even a Diagon Alley-esque place) the whimsy and wonder of the book reminded me more of Jessica Townsend's Nevermoor series. Crowns of Croswald is very atmospheric and just delightfully immersive. I dunno if this is just my soft spot for middle grade books, but I just simply love books like this filled with a comfy sense of magic and childlike wonder, especially with the gorgeous illustrations before every chapter. A small, childlike part of me was eager to turn every page of a chapter's end just to see what breathtaking illustration was waiting for me in the next.



Some things I didn't like:

-I know the book's aimed at a much younger end of the spectrum in the middle grade genre, but at times the writing felt extremely choppy. Stilted. Sometimes it tells you outright what the character is thinking and feeling, instead of showing it.

-The side characters felt forgettable. I don't even remember half of the names of Ivy's friends are.

-The big reveal that Ivy's the heir to the throne felt a bit too cliché for me. And there was no buildup to that at all.



The twist at the end that Rimbrick was the one who cursed her family definitely surprised me, as he was one of the few characters who I've grown to lightly care about (the first few chapters with him telling Ivy stories helped won me over) and now I'm told he was actually against our heroine all along. I loved the scene during the Ball when the Dark Queen was slowly drowning everyone and her standoff against Ivy (though I winced a bit at some of the Dark Queen's dialogue); it was really compelling, and not a bad way to lead up to the end of the book.

Overall, the Crowns of Croswald was a pretty enjoyable read. It definitely helped rekindle my appreciation for middlegrade books (as I've been reading nothing but poetry and grimdark scifi for the past few days) and a sense of wonder at the world I've lost up until now.

Thank you so much to the author, D. E. Night, and the publisher, Stories Untold Press for sending me the first two books of The Crowns of Croswald series in exchange for honest reviews.

The Crowns of Croswald by D.E. Night is the first in the The Crowns of Croswald series. It's a middle grade fantasy novel that follows the main character Ivy Lovely at a magical boarding school and a completely unique magical system.

This book drew me into the series from the very first page and I could not get enough of it. These books will be perfect for my seventh grade students. It is the perfect blend of Harry Potter and Disney which I know that my students will love!

I love traveling to new fictional worlds via books. Who’s with me? 📖😊💭
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Thanks to author D.E. Night and Stories Untold Press, I visited the fantasy world of Croswald this summer! Here’s what I loved about it:

✨ Full of magic
🐉 Mythical creatures
🪶 Intriguing characters
👑 Costume descriptions
📖 Emphasis on magical books
🔮 A twist of fate and more to come

I stumbled across another review of this book that described it as Harry Potter meets Alice In Wonderland. Such a perfect description that I just had to repeat it! Book your visit to Croswald in this fantastic middle grade series! I’ll be heading to the next installment, The Girl With The Whispering Shadow, soon! 👑✨🔮

Firstly, thank you so much to @StoriesUntoldPress for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

What a delight The Crowns of Croswald was! We follow Ivy, a kitchen maid tasked with controlling dragon ovens. One day she is thrown out of her castle, and is picked up by a man riding a giant beast who tells her she has a place in a magical school. (As soon as I read magical school I got so f**king excited).

There was some really unique concepts in here which helped to flesh out an entirely new magical school. E.g there are bottles called glanageries that contain part of the creators imagination, which people can go inside and interact with without any consequences. I had a few issues with the logic in certain scenes, e.g Ivy literally misses breakfast and lunch for 2 days straight, but the book states in the beginning that she’s always hungry - just didn’t add up! However it is aimed at children so I could overlook it.

What I loved about this was how charming it was. It was pure magic throughout and was an absolute joy to read. Looking forward to continuing the series!

𝘽𝙪𝙯𝙯𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙨: Magical school, royalty, evil Queen, dragons, mystery

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐲 @author.denight
𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 : 𝟒 🌟
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞 : 𝐌𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐥𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐅𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐲 ✨
*
📌 𝗔𝗧𝗧𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗣𝗢𝗧𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗗𝗦 !!!!
This BOOK is dedicated to all Harry Potter enthusiasts because it has a similar feel to it 🔮
• Magic classes at the boarding school of magic
• The primary character's secret narrative
• The genuineness of their friendship
• The chosen one
*
The amount of adventure you'll have with Ivy Lovely, our primary character, is 𝗜𝗠𝗠𝗔𝗖𝗨𝗟𝗔𝗧𝗘. From the first page to the last, I was physically traveling with her through the adventure.
*
It's a huge amount of fun to witness the banter between Ivy and her love interest, Fyn. Their bond is akin to Tom and Jerry's. They irritate and taunt one other, but they can't live without one another 🤍
*
It's also the author's debut novel. For crafting such a fantastic novel, she did a phenomenal job because in this storyline, the world-building was Miraculous ✨
*
Last but not least, Thank you to @netgalley and @storiesuntoldpress for providing an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Stories Untold Press and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

All quotes are taken from The Crowns of Croswald by D. E. Night.

// Content warning: mentions of death, violence //

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// Quick Statistics //
Overall: 4/5 Stars
Plot: 4/5 Stars
Setting: 3.5/5 Stars
Characters: 5/5 Stars
Writing: 3/5 Stars
Memorability: 3/5 Stars

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// Quick Review //
Think Harry Potter but with a female main character and a mixture of many different tales from that of Percy Jackson and the Olympians to the Tales of Pixiehollow.

The Crowns of Croswald is a nostalgic yet new spin on magic, mysteries, and chosen-ones.

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"Trust the magic in you and know I will forever be in the shadow of its light."

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// Other Information //
Publisher: Stories Untold Press
Page Count: 249 pages
Release Date: July 21, 2017
Series: The Crowns of Croswald #1
Genre: Fiction, Middle grade, Children’s, Young adult, Adventure, Fantasy, Magic, Mystery

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// Book Description (via Goodreads) //
This is a page-turning fantasy in the tradition of fairy tales, whimsical worlds, and coming-of-age stories.

The Crowns of Croswald invites young readers to explore themes of stepping into their own magic, discovering their true selves, and battling evil head-on. Hailed by Kirkus Reviews as “an action-packed treat […] with a relatable heroine facing challenges in a vivid world of magic and mystery,” and called a new classic by readers, The Crowns of Croswald series is a magical romp through a fully formed universe with dragons, magical quills, potions, and mythical creatures.

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?

Curious and whimsical, both shy and brave, Ivy is a hero that connects with readers of all ages. For those who wished that Narnia, Harry Potter, and Alice in Wonderland could go on forever, Croswald opens a whole new world of magic. Recommended as a read-aloud for families and a first middle-grade fantasy read, The Crowns of Croswald is a four-part series that will carry readers to a whimsical world that they won’t want to leave.

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// Characters //
The Crowns of Croswald boasts a moderately sized cast of characters, most of which I liked.

The main character, Ivy Lovely, is a girl whose life is less than fortunate. Living as a scaldrony maid for Castle Plum, Ivy is unable to do what she loves most, draw and read. Ivy dreams of attending the Halls of Ivy, a school where royals learn to control the magic stones in their crowns and where sqwinches practice to receive quills as scrivenists. I found Ivy to be a very powerful and unique main character.

One of my favorite characters was Humboldt, the dragon (mini-one, I believe) that Ivy is forced to take with her when she is fired from Castle Plum. Adorable and always there for Ivy, Humboldt is just one example of the fantastic creatures that The Crowns of Croswald exhibits. If I had to choose a creature from the novel as a pet, I would most definitely choose a dragon.

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"You are she, the one all of Croswald has been searching for. Waiting for, whether they knew it or not."

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// Writing and Setting //
A large issue that I had with the novel is that while its content is most definitely juvenile/middle grade, the information and writing is more young adult. As an older reader, it was difficult for me to keep track of information and storylines at some points, so I can only imagine how frustrating that would be for younger readers.

Nevertheless, I did love how D. E. Night brought their novel to life; it was vibrant, magical, and thrilling.

I admired how much homage The Crowns of Croswald seems to pay to Harry Potter. For example; a magical boarding school; the main characters don’t realize yet that they’re the chosen one; an evil magic being. All of these aspects were things that the series had in common with Harry Potter. I loved the nostalgia this novel gave me, but only to a point. About halfway through the novel, there were a lot of similarities between the two series, and I began to see the novel as a Harry Potter fanfiction type novel. This eventually changed for me, but I can only imagine that this might be off-putting for many.

Still, I did love the magic and world that Night created, no matter how similar it might be to Harry Potter.

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// Plot //
I thought that the mystery aspect of this novel was perfectly executed. As Ivy attempts to navigate her newfound life, she stumbles upon various fishy things that the school’s headmaster (the Selector) attempts to hide. Odd occurrences change Ivy’s outlook on the Halls of Ivy and cause her to investigate.

The one criticism that I have of the plot is that it was very slow-moving for me in the beginning. Some of the most perilous and dramatic scenes occur in the last few chapters of the novel, while the rest is primarily buildup and backstory. It’s just a personal preference of mine, and I know not everyone will agree, but I generally like novels that have an equal spread of action, mystery, etc. over the entire story.

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"You’re alive… You are Croswald’s only hope. This is your destiny."

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// Overall Review //
The Crowns of Croswald is perfect for tweens who love Harry Potter, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, and Tales of Pixiehollow. I adored the nostalgia and magical feeling of finding a world to escape in. This novel brought me back to my childhood and my discovery of my love of reading.

Before I begin my review I feel as though there is something I want to mention for anyone planning to read this book. It was clear to me while reading this book that the author was inspired somewhat by Harry Potter. There were plot points throughout the book that were very similar, from the letter offering Ivy a place at a magical school to the mysterious carriage that appeared and found her in her time of need. The inspiration is clear.
Ok, onwards!
From the outset of this book the magical elements of the story were charming and the detailed descriptions of both the characters and the settings made it easy to picture. The language used was complex enough that it would be great to use for teaching to develop children’s understanding of language.
Let’s talk about characters. Ivy is a likeable character overall and her development throughout the book is clear and positive. Rebecca and Fyn are also incredibly likeable. They are supportive and are great examples of what friends should be which was precisely what Ivy needed! It’s a great example for the intended audience.
Our villain was equally enthralling and terrifying which kept me wanting more from her!
The ending (which I won’t spoil) left me satisfied with how the whole storyline had played out and leads me to believe that the books that will follow will be epic continuations. I look forward to carrying on with this magical journey of friendship and overcoming hardship!

I struggled to get into this one at first. So I walked away for a few months, and when I came back with fresh eyes I was finally able to give it a go.

Pros: the world building is fun, the storytelling is well paced, and it’s an enjoyable read. Overall I really liked it and I’ll read the sequel if/when it comes out!

Cons: it has MANY similarities to other big name middle grade fantasies. All books book down to the same 7 or so tropes so obviously they all have similarities l, but sometimes this felt more than similar. It was hard sometimes to get my head out of comparing. It got easier as the book went on though.

“The life of a captain, while interesting, does not compare to my true calling,” he said, shaking water out of his ear. “Now would it be possible for a gentleman to get a bubble bath?”
The Crowns of Croswald is a fantasy novel that follows Ivy Lovely, a girl who works as a ‘scaldrony’ maid alongside the most mystical of creatures, dragons! She leads a boring if lushly described life alongside her friend the dwarf Rimbrick who feels like a father figure to her, and brings her books on the ancient and arcane study of ‘scrivenry’, (the form magic takes in D.E Night’s whimsical world) and here she is introduced to the famed scrivenist Derwin Edgar Night, (the very author of the Crowns of Croswald themself?) A mysterious stranger, a prophecy and the twisting threads of fate in the whimsical and Ghibli-esque world D.E Night creates leads Ivy to a school of Magic where she learns that nothing is what it seems!

I adored this book. It brought me back to the days of reading Harry Potter for the first time and both the way setting were described and the characters in it were absolutely charming. Some might say that the Crowns of Croswald could be a little derivative, as the genre has been entirely saturated by ‘Magic School’ novels, but I feel that it is with the author’s voice whereupon the task of distinguishing the book from its peers lies, and D.E. Night’s storytelling is reminiscent of a warm summer’s day in childhood; cheery and bright and full of magic!

If you are looking for a rich new fantastical world then this is a delight. Even if it is sure to be a hit with a younger audience, it’s fast-paced enough and has enough exciting twists to make it a fun quick read for older readers too. It’s also surprisingly funny, and characters like the Captain or ‘Ivory Lucky’ – who is especially excellently imagined, are easy to connect with because of it.

I really enjoyed Winsome as a character, and the tension leading up to the Ball was especially fun. One detriment to the Crowns of Croswald I would say, as I can see it intends to be an action packed series building up to a thrilling conclusive battle against the villain introduced in this book, is that some parts seemed a little bit rushed. The book could have perhaps stayed longer in some parts, just to really explore the cast of characters and the setting. I hope Damaris, Rimbrick and Fyn’s characters are delved into in the next book, which I will definitely think about reading!

Thank you to the publisher Stories Untold for supplying me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 stars!

Thank you to the Publisher for an e-copy in exchange for an honest review!

This book is so cute and such a great middle grade read. The world is full of Magic and going along on Ivy’s journey is a fun adventure. The story is so well developed it makes it truly feel like an adventure that keeps you on your seat wanting to know what happens next. It also touches on good themes like independence, bullying, and curiosity which I think were very appropriate for young readers.

One of the best things about fantasy is a world created from scratch and new creatures to learn. D.E. Night does a great job at building a world you want to read about. I think this is a great way to introduce young readers to fantasy stories. It is also a really fun read! I am going to have to pick up the next one to find out how the story continues.

I’d like to thank the publisher and author for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really did enjoy reading this. D. E. Night has painted such a vivid world, rich with magical creatures galore and interesting characters. I will admit I felt worried I wouldn’t connect with these characters well, due to me obviously not being the age of the intended audience, but they surprised me with their charm and the way in which their personalities developed as the story went on.

There was enough detail given to the magic system used that I felt comfortable diving into this whole new world of magic, but I didn’t feel bombarded with explanations on how every tiny little thing worked.

I also absolutely loved the pacing of the story. Slow and steady at the start to allow the reader to adjust to this enchanting new place, and then as soon as Ivy finds her place in school things absolutely sky rocket into action central. There are so many highs and lows, I never knew what was coming with every turn of the page.

Thank you Net Galley and the publisher for giving me a free ARC in exchange for a honest review. From the start of this book D.E. Night did a great job of creating a magical world that was enjoyable to read about. Ivy was a good main character to follow throughout this book. I felt that this book was similar in many was to Harry Potter however I felt it would appeal to a younger audience. Throughout the book Ivy is pulled from working in a castle to a magical school where she learns more about who she is and more about the powers she has. Ivy runs into many obstacles along her journey into finding out about her family however these obstacles lead her right into the answers she is looking for by the end of the book. Overall I really enjoyed this book!