3.5 stars. This was a fun middle grade read, with dragons, fairies, pirates and princesses. And a magic school (which is always a plus!).

It’s about a kitchen maid named Ivy who finds out she has somehow secured a coveted place at the prestigious magic school, The Halls of Ivy. She leaves her hum drum life and meets new people, learns new skills and discovers that there may be more to her mysterious birth and heritage than she thought.

I enjoyed the initial world building and character development- but I feel it stopped with Ivy. I didn’t really know the other characters (these may develop in the second book). The mystery element was ok but the conclusion felt a bit rushed and confused at the end.

All in all, a fun and entertaining read - and may be just the thing for the child (or young at heart) who is pining for Harry, Hermione and Ron.

I was very kindly gifted a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

What a whimsical, fantastical, and magical family read!

Our protagonist Ivy Lovely works as a lowly Scaldondry maid (a keeper and carer of a castles Scaldrons; colourful Dragons that cook the food and need considerable attention), for Castle Plum, a Royal's home located in the middle of the magic repelling, Slurry flower field (say that five times fast!)

Whenever she can, Ivy sneaks off to a hilltop to sketch the magical places of her dreams by moonlight and meet her only friend, Rimbrick, an ancient woods dwarf that regales her with stories and gifts her books, and knowledge.

She believes she is destined for a life of drudgery with her only happiness being her moonlight getaways on the hill, but on her 16th birthday her life changes in a way she had only ever wished for. She is suddenly thrust into the world of her dreams as she attends The Halls of Ivy, a prestigious school of magic.

There she learns about a history she never knew and begins to unravel a dark plot.


This is the first book in what promises to be a wonderful series for young readers and their families alike. Compared to Harry Potter and Alice and Wonderland, The Crowns of Croswald brings such a mystic and magical setting, with a cast of characters and storyline that will keep you on your toes.

I really enjoyed this book, it took me a little bit to get into, but once I did I was lost in this story. It's an onion plot, with so many layers that just keep building and building, creating connections throughout the book and keeps you guessing as to where it's going to go.

Ivy is an honest, impulsive and kind character that has you rooting for her from the very start. She sticks up for what she believes in, helps her friends and those in need, fully accepting whatever the consequences of those actions may be. She is driven by her need to know the truth about who she is and the desire to help others. She is an iconic, young heroine who goes on the journey of a lifetime.

There are some really clever details in this book, that I won't give away, but absolutely LOVED. They brought a whole other element to this book and really added to the magic and world.

If you're looking for something the entire family can enjoy, this is definitely a good choice!

All her life, Ivy Lovely has been pushed aside, hidden away as a maid in the castle kitchen. But after her sixteenth year, Ivy is cast out and discovers the magic just outside the castle walls that the land of Croswald has to offer. Awakening to a new world of possibility, Ivy enters her first year at the Halls of Ivy, ready to learn spells, make friends with her fellow first year classmates, and interact with magical creatures like hairies. Of course, nothing has ever seemed easy for Ivy, and her first year at the Halls isn’t any different. There’s something dark brewing on the horizon, dark magic from a Dark Queen, and Ivy’s introduction to the magical world of Croswald is going to be anything like the mundane life she was used to.

Wow! This young adult fantasy novel is a great start to this magical series. D.E. Night brought Ivy’s world to life with vivid descriptions of both these new magical locations as well as the magic itself. It was very easy to imagine all these new experiences that Ivy was having; Night writes as if the reader is experiencing this new world right alongside Ivy and that magical wonder (and sense of danger) comes through on the page. I found the overall idea - young person discovers they have magic, goes off to a magical school, and encounters remarkable, dark threats - very reminiscent of a certain, famous boy wizard, but The Crowns of Croswald has so many unique details that it is easy to forget any comparisons to other young adult fantasy series. I found Ivy to be easy to empathize with, which made her journey that much more engaging as a reader. There is plenty of magic, adventure, and villainy to satisfy all young adult fantasy fans. The Crowns of Croswald is a fantastic foray into a new, magical world and I recommend it to any fans of magic and fantasy and will pull both younger and older readers in.

The crowns of croswald review

The Crowns of Croswald by @author.denight

Book review :
4⭐️/5⭐️

As soon as I received this book, I was looking forward to starting reading it. At first, this story seemed a little stretched to me: the action went very slowly until finally little by little everything accelerated.

The writing style was light, easy to read, I liked the fact that the author put a lot of effort into describing in details, in what was going on around and it helped to imagine everything better.

In some places, there was a lack of action, and there was too much detail. the book was reminiscent of the books of harry potter - full of magic and adventure, but it definitely wasn't replica of JK Rowling.

Also I really liked that in the book I found some illustrations in begging of chapters - which helped me to imagine things even more and it added unique feeling about book.

In overall I would say that this book is for more younger audience as teen books or YA rather than New Adults. Anyway if you enjoy reading magical books full of spells and mystical creatures - I would definitely recommend this book to add to your reading list.

What a fun, magical story for middle-grade readers!

The world building and magic system were great! The story started off a little slow for me, but picked up about 1/3 of the way through.

I always love magic school stories! The writing was easy to read and understand, allowing me to fall into the story. I’ve already recommended this book to my cousins entering middle school. I hope they enjoy it as much as I did!

**Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

This story is good, like really good. I enjoyed Ivy and the mystery as to who she is and why she's been having these mysterious dreams for so long. However, this is a middle grade and maybe that's why I struggled. The details were incredibly lacking. It was like reading Harry Potter if they didn't explain Hogwarts, how they learned their magic or even what Diagon Alley is. The story would only scratch the surface of something that could be so much more.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for this fun read! It has been a while since I have read a young, children's fantasy.I really enjoyed the book and it was incredible.
First of all, It really gave me Harry Potter Vibes which is one of my favourite childhood books which made this book even harder to put down. I really enjoyed the world building and loved the main protagonist as she was fun, strong and did not let people get her down basicallyI love in my heroines. Overall this was a great read and for it’s focused audience of middle graders would do really well. The only problem I had has to do with that as I am an older reader and often found the pace to be slow but for the target audience it would be perfect.

I really loved this book. It was really easy to read and keep interest. I loved everything about it and will keep reading everyone that comes out!

Thank you Netgalley and author D.E. Night for the review copy of this book.
I really enjoyed the book and it was incredible.
First of all, It really gave me Harry Potter Vibes. It’s like Harry Potter, Alice in wonderland, Cinderella, fantastic Beasts and all the fairy tales I’ve ever read but all elements in this book is very unique and once I started reading it was hard to put down. 😍📚
This is a middle grade fantasy book. So the main character is 16 year old  Ivy Lovely. She has magical powers  but she herself  is not so aware of her abilities .She is really curious to know about her life and her past so she ends up going to a magic school known as “Halls of Ivy”. There she gets to learn the skills of a Scrivenist. Scrivenists have photographic memory and they can remember their dreams clearly and sketch very well. Princes and princesses of various royal families go to Halls of Ivy in order to learn magic and enhance their magical abilities. While Ivy is in the school, mysteries start to unfold and the story continues from there. I’m not going to go through too many details. It’s more enjoyable if you do not do too much research. 😊
It was a bit slow paced but that wasn’t a problem for me cause I wanted to read about this world more and more. I would definitely want to read the other books from this series. Overall it was a fun read and the story was beautifully crafted.

Overall Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨/5
Short Chapter Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5


Overall I thought it was cute. A young girl who discovers magic and a world she never knew about - very Harry Potter-esque but less dark. Think more whimsical and light. At times I was a bit lost in the dialogue and had trouble following all the Crownswald terminology, but it kept me interested and so I looked forward to reading and seeing what would happen next.

Is this book for you? If you like magic, fantasy, female leads who are the chosen one, Harry Potter, middle grade series, you will enjoy this.

The cover is gorgeous too!

Such an awesome book! I'm being honest here I really thought I wasn't going to be into this type of book!
But I was so write. It grabbed me and had me hooked!
Great characters and story. It has some magic and Royals and princesses.
The Characters in this books are amazing and very unique.
Their you NetGalley, Stories Untold Press and Author for this copy!
I truly enjoyed this book!

I really like this kind of book : the feel good, full of magic, strong protagonist, quick paced type. The story itself it's interesting and engaging, the characters are fun, although, being a short book, leaves some aspects of secondary characters a bit undeveloped (perhaps the second and third book helps with that).
The only downside for me was the big reveal: there was so much going action wise (I loved the scene, it was very gripping) that the revelation fell a bit flat and got lost. Otherwise, a really entertaining book, I will definitely read the next ones!

I received this book for free from the publisher for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book! Especially the world-building and the pacing, I had trouble putting it down. It’s about a 16-year-old girl named Ivy Lovely. Suddenly she is thrust into a whole new world with magic in it. I have to say, I am a sucker for chosen one tropes and for magic schools. My favorite character would have to be Rebecca. I feel like friendships where the two people didn’t start off on the right foot can be some of the best. I also absolutely love characters that start off a bit mean or snobby but once the main character gets to know them they turn out to be really nice.

I know others have said this too, but I would definitely recommend this book for people who like books like Harry Potter.

*I was sent this book to give a honest review *

I think if I was a middle grader I would of enjoyed this book a lot more then I did now.
It took me a lot longer to read this book then I thought it would because I just couldn’t get into it properly.
It definitely reminds me of Harry Potter in some ways.

I did enjoy the world building and the ending ended with you wanting to know what happens next !

What a nice nostalgic feel this fantasy had. I think some of the characters could use more development but overall it's a perfect book for young readers. You can't go wrong with this imaginative, creative magical world. Thank you so much for allowing me to review it. I liked it.

Have you ever wished someone would whisk you away from your current life? In the first installment of this middle grade fantasy series, Ivy Lovely is an orphaned teenage scaldrony maid working in the dark recesses of Castle Plum, her only friend an elderly dwarf. When she is unexpectedly expelled from the castle, she begins a journey of a lifetime as she is swept away to a new adventure in self-discovery in the Halls of Ivy.

This tale has it all: magic, mystery, and adventure! Why has Ivy been chosen to start a completely new life? Who is trying to contact her and why? What is behind the door in the Selector’s office? Ivy’s new friends Rebecca and Fyn join her on her quest for answers to these questions and more.

Overall, this is a fun read! There is lots of magical action throughout the book to move the story forward. There are some very creative elements, and I enjoyed visualizing what was going, which was so easy thanks to the vivid descriptions.

I did find the prologue to be a bit tedious and must admit that it almost turned me off the book, but the first actual chapter reeled me into the story. Honestly, though, I ‘m not sure how many middle graders would persevere. The plot at times did remind me of some more well-known magical tales, so in terms of originality, the basic story arc is a familiar one. As far as the details of the book, however, it is highly imaginative and entertaining!

If you enjoy magic, adventure, and mystery, this read is for you! When you finish it wishing for more of Ivy’s adventures, there are currently three books in the series with the fourth installment on the way soon!

2.5/5. Unfortunately, this book was just not for me. I usually like fantasy books, but this was just a little too magical for my taste. The story packed a lot into a short 250 pages, and it almost seemed a little cluttered. I found myself trying to remember who certain characters were and their relevance to Ivy. The last 20 pages or so really caught my interest, so I was disappointed that it was at the end of the book! This seems like a really great YA series, and I think if these would have come out when I was in middle school I would have eaten them up.

All reviews are my own unbiased opinion. Thank you to D. E. Night, Stories Untold Press, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy of this book. I will be posting my review on NetGalley, as well as my Good Reads, Instagram @volabookclub, blog, and Amazon.

I really enjoyed this book! There was definitely HUGE Harry Potter influence that was made obvious in several elements of the world the author crafted here, but the storyline itself was still unique.

The book follows the character of Ivy, a teenager who has lived her life so far as a scullery maid, always yearning for something more. Her life is forever changed when she crosses the border of an enchanted boundary to attend the Halls of Ivy and awaken the magical powers she never knew she had. She makes new friends, learns about her family history, and is threatened by the Dark Queen, in a story full of adventure and whimsy.

I have read other stories set in a magical boarding school and (apart from Harry Potter, of course), this one is probably my favorite. I found the characters to be loveable and interesting, and the plotline was also creative and fun to explore. The relationship between Ivy and Fynn went at an appropriate pace, and I am excited to see it flourish even more throughout the rest of the series.

I will say I was a bit confused with some of the plotline and what was actually going on, specifically toward the end of the story, but perhaps it could be cleared up with a reread - or in future books of the series. There were a lot of details crammed into a relatively short book and I think it was overall well done.

Thank you to the publisher for gifting me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I want to thank the author and her publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read this book! This is a great first book in a new middle grade series! The book is about a young girl who is an orphan and not a very happy life! However, one day when she least expected it she receives an opportunity that allows her to attend a magical boarding school to improve her magical abilities! While attending the school she makes friends and becomes more brave along the way. But there is an evil Queen who has some malicious plans! Will Ivy be brave enough to stop the evil Queen? This book was so much fun! This book reminded me very much of Harry Potter but in the best way possible I always did resent the fact that the main character should have been Hermione! Ivy is a great main character and she was very likable. She is a good person through and through! The book was not boring whatsoever and I couldn’t get enough of it and I just wanted to keep reading! My only complaint is that I wanted more world building! But I’m hoping in the next book there is more explained! I look forward to reading the next book!

Thank you to the author for sending me this digital copy in exchange of an honest review. I found this book to be a really magical read, that I believe young readers and adults alike will enjoy. Reminiscent of Harry Potter and yet unique enough in its own right.