Derwin is sent to a royal family and his excited for what he will find, he dreams of a gigantic library to organize and lose himself on reading. But something terribly wrong happened and he must find a way to save and change the history. I enjoyed the writing in the book I felt that the story is very compelling and fast pace.
This book evolves around Ivi lovely, she is alone works at the kitchens and draws on her free times, at her birthday she receives a letter that takes her to a magic school to become a scrivener. Ivi starts to see hope on her future, but strange things always happen to her and she must find a way to discover why.
This book gave me very warm and nostalgic feelings I loved ivi and her strength, between funny and dangerous situations she finds true friendships and fights to uncover her unknown past.

Ivy pulls us into her magical world from the first chapter. There is a good balance of world-building and action in the beginning of the book, and it does not take long for Ivy to be kicked out of her miserable life of servitude and taken to a magic school. Details and strange events give clues about her important powers and the important role she will play in the book.

The books seems unsure about whether it is middle grade or YA (the main character is 16, which means it is YA, but the tone, content, and readability are more appropriate for the middle grade crowd). However, for middle grade readers, it will be difficult to keep track of the world-specific vocabulary and characters. A few parts seemed rushed--why wouldn't Ivy rush to meet with Winsome after returning from her adventure in the Loch-and other, mundane parts drag (like the lunch scene with ghosts). That said, the story is fun and magical, with a great sense of adventure. Fans of Harry Potter will notice LOTS of similarities (from the plot to characters) but there is fresh, creative originality here too. I think the book will appeal to younger fans of magical fantasy fiction and there are others in the series for readers who wish to continue the adventure with Ivy.

I received this book for free from the author and publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Ivy Lovely works as a scaldrony maid managing the fire breathing cookers for the House of Plum. She day dreams of one day becoming a scrivenist and attending the Halls of Ivy, the renowned school of magic. Unfortunately, Ivy possesses no magical blood nor is she part of the royal family: the only two ways of which you are chosen to attend. Ivy's luck suddenly changes though during the Moonsday festivities when a sick squaldron gets her thrown out of the castle. Finally away from the magic shielding slurry fields Ivy is found by Lionel Lugg, who delivers Ivy an official invitation from The Selector of the Halls of Ivy. Once at the school, Ivy realizes there are many truths she doesn't yet know and she is more magic than she could have ever imagined. This is a story about the quest for truth, the use of magic, and the love of friendship and family.

I received this ARC from StoriesUntoldPress in exchange for an honest review. This is the first book in a four book series and I have to say it has quite a Harry Potter type of feel to it. The descriptions are unique and the world is very original. I enjoyed the descriptions and names of the places and people. The characters are likeable, and the action and language is appropriate for middle grade children. 3.5/4 🌟

#thecrownsofcroswald
#NetGalley

Thank you to NetGalley and Stories Untold Publishers for letting me read this middle grade fantasy novel in exchange for an honest review!

As a long-time Harry Potter fan, I immediately felt that this novel was heavily influenced by JK Rowling's Harry Potter series. Ivy Lovely, 16, not only discovers her own powers but also learns more about who she is. We follow her 1st year of school at the Halls of Ivy as she grows more into herself, learning to better control her magic.

The plot of this was enjoyable, especially for fans of Rowling's Harry Potter series. Ivy displays a determination typical of the heroine/main character. Once she has a goal set in her mind, Ivy pushed through whatever obstacles were in her way to achieve it. The intertwining storylines - Ivy's learning of her powers as well as of her identity - made this middle grade book more complex, which is an ambitious task. I think the author did a pretty good job with it, since they didn't always overlap.

What I didn't like was how inconsistent the pacing was, as well as the dialogue. While this book is marketed as a middle grade book, I can't help but picture a girl younger than Ivy's 16 years of age. Once in a while, I was reminded that she is 16, but her dialogue (as well as that of subsequent characters) constantly made me forget that fact. The pacing as well made certain unimportant events more important than they actually were, and vice versa.

Overall, I would give The Crowns of Croswald: Book 1 a 3.5/5 stars. As a teacher, this is something I would absolutely recommend to my middle school students.

Thank you to the author for letting me read and review your book!
This is a mesmerising story about a girl named Ivy Lovely, a scaldrony maid who gets summoned to a magical school which she’s only ever seen before in her dreams. There, she will learn more about who she is and why she is there.
I really enjoyed reading this book as it isn’t a genre I would normally choose!
Both the characters and the setting were described in so much detail that it made you imagine you were there, and the story telling was incredibly imaginative!
This book is perfect for anyone who wants to try reading fantasy for the first time!
Overall, I’d give this book 4 out of 5 stars!

I was contacted by an agent to read this and honestly was apprehensive as the book was described as middle grade.

I am so happy to have been proven wrong- I loved it!

This is a fantasy following Ivy as she discovers she is a  Scrivenist and starts at a magical school to learn to harness her powers. More mystery is revealed about Ivy and her background as the story goes on.

The magical world created was breath taking, there were so many elements squeezed in and the story was entirely captivating! I'm envious of the imagination it takes to write something like this.

I've seen some comparisons on GoodReads to Harry Potter, honestly having read both I wouldn't say they were that similar and I think any book written about a magical school would draw the same comparison!

Also I really want to shout out Humbolt- he's Ivy's little pet, a scaldron dragon. The Book explains these dragons are bred to be flightless and used as ovens to cook things. They sound adorable and I really want a Humbolt!

Really recommend this book, a joy to read.

This book was full of whimsical and magical elements, and I loved it! The magical beasts introduced were my favorite, and now Iw ant my own scaldron. Ivy was an interesting heroine, and I enjoyed learning about this fantasy world through her eyes.

While the writing and dialogue meets the needs of a middle school reader, I do think the intertwining plots would be hard for them to follow. Even Rowling’s Harry Potter series, a series I believe heavily influenced this one, didn’t expand into multiple arcs and plot points until book 4 when the targeted readers aged up with the characters. Starting with a more basic plot line would’ve more easily hooked readers for this book’s age group.

A good 5-star read! (I only give this if I really enjoy the book so much)

This is an enjoyable and enchanting read on a magical world. It felt the same vibe as Harry Potter but was still different. I think that I'd still pick up the next books on this trilogy when I have spare time.

So so soooo good. I feel in love with this book. Wow I really love everything thanks for the chance guys to read it

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ivy Lovely is a sixteen years old scullery maid working at Castle Plum. Her days are filled with looking after the scaldrons and sketching at night, until one day she gets thrown out of the castle she works at and meets someone that has been waiting for her. Ivy can't believe that from the kitchens she gets to live and attend the most famous magical academy in Croswald, the Halls of Ivy. With new friends, she will have to face new secrets that will change everything.

I think the premise of this book got me very excited and then didn't deliver in my opinion. The magical worlds have always appealed to me, but I think that overall the pace was slow and at times events and things were not well explained. Ivy is a great character and promised to be great, as well as the secondary characters, but they then were not explored much.

On a positive note, the ending was packed with action, which I hoped I could find all through the book.

“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?”

I want to say a big thank you to @storiesuntoldpress for giving me a copy of this book! I liked it more than expected!

This book is full of magic and takes you to a whole other world. The writing style is whimsical but also very smooth. I liked that the chapters were quite short as I always dread long and too descriptive ones.

The character of Ivy is charming right from the start and it makes you want to follow her through her journey, one we know we’ll be full of adventures!
The friends she makes along the way all have an important and specific role and bring a new energy to this fantastic world.

This book took me back to this feeling I had when first reading the Harry Potter books. It made me crave for more and made me want to be a part of it✨

If you are a fan of books about magic, friendships, strong characters and wonderful creatures, I recommend you pick up The Crowns of Croswald✨
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As a well known Potterhead, I'm always on the look out for a new magical, fantasy read and so was delighted to be invited to review this by Stories Untold Press through Netgalley.

I loved the first one that much that I immediately downloaded books 2 and 3 as I just had to read more!! I haven't even stopped to review each one as they are INCREDIBLY good!!! So much so that I've literally just finished reading book 3 tonight and I'm like 'Noooooo!! How can it end like THAT?!'

D. E. Night has skilfully created such an imaginative, magical world. I wanted to be right there inside the Halls with Ivy Lovely (the main character who is immediately likeable) and the rest of the QQC as they learnt how to wield a quill. There were so many new elements to magic introduced that I've never read anywhere else before and I so enjoyed building it all in my mind's eye.

I think what I liked the most was that D.E.Night herself was present in the story - albeit in the form of a royal scrivenest...it just added to the appeal of the world inside the book.

I would highly recommend this if you're looking for a new magical adventure!

The Crowns of Croswald is a fantastical and magical story that will keep you entrapped in hours of entertainment. I couldn't help but imagine that Harry Potter was an inspiration for this book, but that would be the normal thinking when you mix kids, magic, and a magic academy.

If you like magic, schools, and are looking for an alternative to the infamous HP, this is the perfect story. I love how the author used different elements to create a whimsical environment of light fairies in light lamps and scaldrons (dragons that work in kitchens), and magical quills that will take you to magical places. The world-building is incredible and grows as you keep reading!

The cover of the book is simply stunning and it is what captured me! Also, as with any book for middle graders or children, the illustrations in the book (at the beginning of the chapters) were really nice and helps you imagine the story. Nice Read and totally recommend it!

Wow! What a creative story. The story of a young girl that goes from basically living in the dungeons as a slave to living out a dream! I typically don’t read fantasy stories but I am so glad I picked this one up! It kept me on my toes throughout and now I’m just dying to read the rest of the series. As a teacher, I am adding this to my classroom library ASAP!

This book is great for middle graders—I struggled to get interested and ending up not finishing, but from what I read I think it fits the age it’s geared toward and doesn’t have much universal appeal. Thank you for the opportunity to review!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review! All thoughts and opinions are my exclusively my own.

This was a beautiful and whimsical middle grade novel that I loved. I really enjoyed being emersed in the world as it was built so well. The main character Ivy was so well written and I can’t wait to see where her story goes.

This book gave me all the Harry Potter and Nevermoor feels, and I couldn’t be happier about it.

Ivy Lovely believes that she is a mere scullery maid from Plum Castle. She spends her days making bread with the scadrons and seeing her only friend, Rimbrick the dwarf. Her life had not changed much in the sixteen years living there in the slurry fields. Until one day her friend the dwarf, gifts her books by D.E. Night and she is forced to run from her home. Ivy Lovely did not know that those slurry fields had been hiding her from the wider world all her life.

She ends up taking a journey to the capital and enrolling in the school to become a Scrivenist. Where mysteries abound, friends are made and miraculous magics are learnt. She explores the school with her transforming friend Rebecca and the help of her mentor Winsome, all to discover the mystery of D.E. Night.

I loved the level of detail in this book and how everything tied in together. The world building is so whimsical and imaginative. I love the idea of a book filling up with everything a person has learnt and discovered in their life, and eventually bound at their death.

I’m excited to see what happens next in Ivy Lovely’s adventure and her fight against the dark queen.

Thank you to Stories Untold and Netgalley for the copy of this book.

This novel is the first book in 'The Croswald Series", it is a middle-grade fantasy novel that takes place in the magical world of Croswald. The protagonist is a girl named Ivy, who is a simple kitchen-maid living among greater magical beings. Everything changes for Ivy on her sixteenth birthday, Ivy is forced to leave the only home she knows and soon becomes aware that she is of magical blood. Ivy travels to the Halls of Ivy, where she will learn to master her magic and learn a few things about herself and the family she never knew.

Excerpt from the novel: "For the first time in her life, she truly felt like a princess. Yes, Ivy: the same girl who spent her days below the grimy ground that royals walked upon. Rather than mingling scaldrons, Ivy would soon be mingling with royals and soon-t0-be srivenists. Standing in front of that mirror, Ivy felt more alive than ever before. She hadn't smiled like this in a very long time."

This novel is my first read from the author D.E. Night. This book definitely captured my attention from the start! Night did a great job with the imagery surrounding the magical creatures like hairies, and scaldrons. I loved the idea that descendants of royal families were entrusted with a bejeweled crown as a conduit of their power, and each and every stone was a source of a different magical wielding.

Ivy's character was well established, I loved her curiosity and her adventurous nature. I quickly fell in love with her character! The secondary characters (Ivy's friends: Rebecca and Fyn) were slightly less defined. I felt their personalities lacking and I would have liked to understand them better. They sort of had a mysterious air that, in my opinion, didn't appeal to the overall friendship Night was trying to create.

There were a few tropes that were similar to other popular titles such as the rags to riches trope like Cinderella. One aspect that I am critical about is how closely it related to Harry Potter, I LOVED Harry Potter, I think it was one of the best YA fantasy series ever written. This novel was extremely comparable to HP. I don't mind the similarities, but I found some parts to be so similar that I started to picture the scenes from HP rather than the creative world of Croswald. For example, I would picture Ivy walking around Hogwarts rather than the Halls of Ivy.

I would rate this book 3.5 stars. The ending had me wanting more! I would definitely pick up the next 2 books in the series.

This book was gifted to me on Netgalley on behalf of the author D.E. Night for my honest review.

I haven't spent much time reading middle-grade fantasy, and I was looking for something a little lighter to balance out some other reads. Enter in... The Crowns of Croswald.

This book follows Ivy Lovely as she escapes from a sad and abusive household and attends a magical school. Sound familiar?

I won't drag it as a Harry Potter knockoff, though it had some similar elements. This story had its own unique flair and characteristics. It was whimsical and fun. But it still didn't have much depth to it. The characters felt pretty static. When the author tried to build out the world, it felt clunky. It just didn't really work well for me as a grown adult. Nevertheless, I think this book is perfect for young readers who are looking for an adventure.

Thanks to Netgalley and Stories Untold for giving me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My thoughts



Narrative and Plot


I have only recently started reading middle grade fantasies and let me take this moment to let you all know what an absolute delight it has been so far. The overall theme in these novels is the sense of wonder and The Crowns of Croswald was no different. The wild and creative magical worlds with endless possibilities and adventure is what I am looking forward to reading in a middle grade fantasy. This one exactly had that tone with elaborate world building and mystery.


The plot was the one low point in the whole scheme of things though. It was supposed to be woven into this tangled tale of mystery. However, things seemed a little bit muddled here and there. The ending is predictable to the point that I hoped it would be some kind of red herring. However, it does not take away the entertainment value of the book. It is still quite enjoyable. These are really minute details if one wants to be nitpicky.




Characters and Conflicts



Ivy Lovely is an inquisitive child as children should be. She has never shied away from an adventure and that makes her a character you can route for. However, actions do have consequences. Often Ivy seemed to act despite being warned about the consequences. One would think she would be careful knowing the risks but she isn't. And then she comes out unscathed on the other side for the most part. She seemed to never learn from her impulsive decisions and somehow managed to get everything back in order despite a few delicate consequences.



The conflict in the story was well masked in the beginning. The ending however, was predictable enough as mentioned earlier. The ensemble of cast was delightful to read. Rebecca and Fyn in particular. Their friendship had the innocence and tenderness of the age. However, some characters randomly disappeared and never came back. Hopefully we get to see them in the next book.




Conclusion


Overall , The Crowns of Croswald was a jolly one time read for me. If middle grade fantasies are your thing, give it a go. You might end up adding the sequels to your reading list, after all , like me.