The Crowns of Croswald - Review

When we started reading the Crowns of Croswald, we were pretty confused. We were immediately introduced to the main character without some backstory or explanation to how the world was. For example, there was a constant talk about the “scrivenists”, and it was assumed that the reader knew what that meant, which didn’t help us get into the story right away. However, some of the bigger questions and doubts we had at the beginning were answered as we kept reading, and especially at the end of the book. Still, others remain a mystery. We guess they will be solved in the next books.

The moment we started reading, we noticed details that fondly reminded us of “Harry Potter”, like the fact that the main character is an orphan, that she doesn’t know she has magic or the challenges she has to face in her new school.

Regarding the characters, we absolutely fell in love with Humboldt since his first appearance. Although he doesn’t have the relevance we thought he’d have, he is still very cute, and we found very funny the idea that dragons are used like an oven.

Ivy is kind of naive since she does not connect some of the most obvious clues that are given, but that might be for the sake of the plot. However, she is also very brave and kind, helping her roommate Rebecca; as well as extremely curious, which leads to some troubles (obviously).

As for Rebecca, she is a Royal, which means she has a crown with a magic stone that gives her the power of turning into whatever she wants, a pretty cool and useful power (if you read it you’ll know what happens at the end of the book). Her relationship with Ivy is so pure and adorable, and their hatred of Damaris is just hilarious (we don’t like her either, just so you know).

Finally, we have Fyn, who is quite charming but also a bit shady. We didn’t know if we wanted him with Ivy because of that, but at the end we changed our mind (we’ll keep an eye on him though).

We feel like we should mention The Dark Queen, Rimbrick, Derwin Edgar Night and The Selector. Even if there was almost no information about them until the end, they are still very important characters. We hope to get to know them better in the next books.

What really surprised us was the ending because it was packed with action and we finally had the answers to some of the questions we were looking for since the beginning. But we really need to read the next books to fully understand this magical world.

Thanks to the editor for letting us read this books and for reaching out to us!!!

You can check out our blog where we do book reviews in spanish or our instagram where we post photos of the books we’ve read!!

Cuando empezamos a leer The Crowns of Croswald, estábamos bastante confusas. Se introduce a la protagonista directamente, sin tener un contexto previo ni explicación de cómo es el mundo en el que vive. Por ejemplo, se habla constantemente de los “scrivenists” y se asume que el lector sabe lo que son, lo que no nos ayudó a meternos desde un principio en la historia. De todos modos según íbamos leyendo se explicaron algunas de las preguntas y dudas más importantes que teníamos al principio, sobre todo hacia el final. Aun así, otras siguen siendo un misterio. Suponemos que se responderán en los siguientes libros.
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Nada más empezar a leer, nos dimos cuenta de lo mucho que nos recordaba a Harry Potter. Por el hecho de que la protagonista es huérfana, que no sabe que tiene magia o los retos a los que se enfrenta en su nueva escuela, por poner algunos ejemplos.

En relación a los personajes, estamos completamente enamoradas de Humboldt desde su primera aparición. Aunque no es tan relevante como pensábamos que sería, sigue siendo muy mono y nos hizo mucha gracia que los dragones se usaran como hornos.

Ivy es un poco ingenua pues no relaciona muchas de las pistas que se dan, pero seguramente eso sea por el bien de la trama. Sin embargo, es muy valiente y amable (como cuando ayuda a su compañera de piso, Rebecca) así como extremadamente curiosa, lo que le causa algún que otro problema (obviamente).

Por lo que respecta a Rebecca, es una Royal lo que significa que tiene una corona con una piedra mágica que le concede el poder de transformarse en lo que le de la real gana, un poder muy guay y útil (si lo habéis leido, ya sabréis que pasa al final del libro). Su relación con Ivy es pura y adorable, y su odio mutuo por Damaris es sumamente divertido (a nosotras tampoco nos gusta, para que lo sepáis).

Finalmente, hablaremos de Fyn que es bastante cautivador pero un poco sospechoso. No sabíamos si le queríamos con Ivy precisamente por eso, pero al final nos hizo cambiar de parecer (le estaremos vigilando de todos modos).

Sentimos que tenemos que mencionar a The Dark Queen, Rimbrick, Derwin Edgar Night y The Selector. Incluso aunque no había mucha información sobre ellos hasta el mismo final, siguen siendo personajes muy importantes. Esperamos llegar a conocerlos mejor en los próximos libros.

Lo que más nos sorprendió fue el final porque estaba lleno de acción y por fin tuvimos las respuestas a muchas de las preguntas que nos habíamos hecho al empezar. Pero necesitamos leer los demás libros para entender por completo este mundo fantástico.

¡Gracias a la editora por dejarnos una copia de este libro y por contactar con nosotras!
¡Os animamos a que visitéis nuestro blog para ver otras reseñas y nuestra cuenta de Instagram en la que subimos las fotos de los libros!

The Crowns of Croswald by D.E. Night
Original Publication Date: July 21, 2017 - Get it today!
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Description from NetGalley...
“In Croswald, the only thing more powerful than dark magic is one secret… 
For sixteen years Ivy Lovely has been hidden behind an enchanted boundary that separates the mundane from the magical. When Ivy crosses the border, her powers awaken. Curiosity leads her crashing through a series of adventures at the Halls of Ivy, a school where students learn to master their magical blood and the power of Croswald’s mysterious gems. When Ivy’s magic—and her life—is threatened by the Dark Queen, she scrambles to unearth her history and save Croswald before the truth is swept away forever.”

Thank you to @NetGalley, @storiesuntoldpress for the digital ARC in return for my honest review.

My thoughts...
This is considered a middle-grade fantasy book. As an adult, I found it entertaining and a fun read. A great debut novel. The language is neither childish nor simple. The world-building was so fun. The story’s world, places and objects were described so well. I really appreciated the character development and I found the characters endearing. The book had a dusting of Snow White, Sleeping Beauty and Harry Potter all mixed into one and still a unique world. It was simply magical. I wanted to learn more about the world and the creatures in it. It’s a story of friendship, acceptance and believing in yourself. I adore the “hairies” - lantern fairies that gives light through their glowing hair. How wonderful is that?! And, as an added bonus, every chapter starts with a great illustration. Looking forward to reading the next one in the series.

A big thank you to the author and Netgalley for letting me read this one!
Middle grade is usually not something I reach for, so I wasn't sure how this reading experience would turn out, but the premise was so cool, I wanted to try!
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Ivy Lovely is a young scaldrony maid, which means she tends to the tame little dragons who are used for baking goods at the castle. She's an orphan who just wants to do well at what she does, but keeps ending up in trouble!
One day everything changes and she's caught up in a whirlwind when she gets invited to the magical school of Croswald. Once at the school, Ivy meets new friends and learns to use her magic. She turns out to be a fast learning, curious student, finds the secret lair of a kind mage (one who is so old, he was supposed to be dead) and who ends up being her mentor. Pretty much everything that could go awry does exactly that and soon Ivy finds herself and her friends in mortal danger when the evil mage Queen pays a visit to her school because of something Ivy doesn't even know about herself.
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The story did remind me of the world of Harry Potter, but of course, every magical school does. I feel like this is much more suited for middle age readers, more whimsical in it's writing and all the events that we learn about throughout the story. It was also very entertaining for me as an adult reader, I found myself immersed in it's magic!
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I already started the second book in the series! Can't wait to see what Ivy's up to next!

Summary:
Ivy Lovely is an orphaned scullery maid whose jobs is to look after the Scaldron dragons who is thrown out of the castle she works in and thrust into the magical world of Scrivenists and the Halls of Ivy, a school where students learn to master their magic. When Ivy’s magic and her life is threatened by the Dark Queen, she has to unearth her past and save Croswald before the truth is forgotten and removed forever.

Review:
I’ve been on a real fantasy reading kick for a while now, and I am so glad I was approached to review this series! Wow! This first book in the series was such a magical read and I cannot wait to continue reading this series. I loved the magic system and the world building of the novel, with the Scrivenists and Royals! I definitely want to be a scrivenist after reading this, even though I am not that artistic, and have a scaldron (a dragon that cooks food in their mouths!) like Ivy.

I was not expecting the ending of this book and I definitely am excited to follow Ivy’s journey in the next book. I cannot wait to see how her story, as well as Fyn and Rebecca’s stories unfurl. These characters are well-rounded and make me want to be a student alongside them in the Halls of Ivy.

This book is perfect for middle-grade readers, but it is a great read for older readers, that will remind you of the magic in books such as Harry Potter and other great fantasy reads, yet stands on its own as unique and inspired. Princesses, Queens, magical stones and quills are just the surface of this incredible read.

Thank you to the author and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

This book was such a fun adventure! The setting of the school felt so magical and I loved all the little details that really brought it to life. The magic was really interesting too with the students being split into royals - those who use the power of gems - and the scrivenists - those who use quills and the magic in their blood. There was a huge amount of different powers like ice, shapeshifting, super speed and so many more!

Ivy was a great character who was intelligent, curious and really kind. I loved following her on her adventures! The side characters were, for the most part, all really interesting. There could have been a bit more character development but maybe that comes in the next books. I still loved reading about them though and I really enjoyed Winsome who acted as a teacher to Ivy.

As for the plot, it was all very fast paced with lots of action which I loved! It was great getting to constantly discover more secrets about Croswald and Ivy's history. I particularly enjoyed the Hollow Shaft, I thought that was a really interesting concept - the scrivenists who have reached the ends of their lives come here to 'turn tome' which basically means they are turned into a book that records all their discoveries and life story. The ending was a little confusing however, I think it could have just been better explained but after thinking it over I eventually understood it. This is a middle grade though so I'm not sure if younger readers would get a bit lost.

Overall though I loved this book and will continue the series! I'd highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys magical schools and mysteries!

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own." This was a great book and I love how Ivy discovery her magic powers. Croswald is a magical world that you can invest your time.

This book is aimed at an younger audience so I didn't know what to expect. I was expecting a adventurous journey with simple narration I guess. But damn the author has done a wonderful job with the depictions. While I was reading it, I kept feeling very nostalgic. The magical world, hidden secrets and all were very well portrayed. The characters are realistic and heartfelt. It doesn't matter how old you are, you will enjoy reading this. Only complain I have is that it starts real slow. Which I guess is important for the younger audience but as an adult, I wasn't that satisfied with the pace in the beginning.

I received this book from @storiesuntoldpress to read and write and honest review.
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This book gives me tons of Harry Potter feels with a twist of Shadowhunters and Snow White! If you love those magical world this a YA book/series to read!
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I am huge fan of magical worlds and all things fantasy that are only in our imagination. This is definitely a good YA book for ones who enjoy magical/fantasy world with a lead female character.
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The story follows Ivy who has grown up hidden away, separating the mundane world from the magical world. She is always known as the slurry girl who wants nothing more than to be a scrivenist. Soon she finds herself welcomed to the Halls of Ivy where student learn to master their magical abilities. Many things happen during first year at school and soon secrets begin to unveil themselves and the truth comes out.
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The magical world was truly wonderful learning about everything. Learning about the school, creatures and each students abilities was amazing. There were many secrets throughout the book. Since the beginning each secret that was unearthed kept leading to more that was behind the truth of who Ivy really is! I had my guesses about who she was but was shocked at the ending of her true self. The ending left me wanting more and needing to find o what’s going to happen. Looks like I’ll be continuing the series!
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Some parts were a little confusing towards the end when bouncing around in the final chapters. I was able to pick up on it but not knowing the background of the world of Croswald made it harder at times. I definitely would like to see a prequel or a novella of the world of Croswald and all its magic beforehand.
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Overall, it is a good YA story that gets you engrossed in the magical world of Croswald and the life of Ivy Lovely.

YAAYY LOOK WHO READ A FANTASY NOVEl AFTER AGES AND LOVED IT!!!
The Crowns of Croswald was so good. It was a package of some of my favorite things in books : A magical school (major HP vibes) , an inspiring & strong female lead and an engaging storyline.
The characters in the were really interesting to read about. I specially loved seeing Ivy's character development throughout the book. The mystery and fantasy elements were really well written as well.
The author's writing style is quite descriptive, so it might take some time for others to get used to it, but it worked fine for me. Overall, this was a really fascinating read. Can't wait to pick up the next books in the series! 😄
Thanks to the author @author.denight and the publisher for sending me a free review copy. 💗

The Crowns of Croswald by D.E. Night was a wonderful book and I really enjoyed reading it! I loved the characters and the magic system so much and the last five chapters were my favorite part. In the book, Ivy Lovely has been hidden behind a border that hides magic, but when she's invited to attend the Halls of Ivy, a prestigious magic school, she crosses the border and she unlocks her powers. As she adjusts to her new life as a student at the Halls of Ivy, she gets caught up in a dangerous mystery and Ivy soon finds herself scrambling to find all the answers before it's too late. The first third of the book didn't really click with me, but after that I found myself enjoying the story and I found it really intriguing so I'm defintely going to read the next books in the series! My actual rating is 4.6 stars out of 5. Thank you to NetGalley and Stories Untold for a copy of this book in exchange for a review.

Crowns of Croswald by D. E. Night- 3.5 stars
Summary: Ivy Lovely has spent her days as a servant but leaves her home and goes to the Halls of Ivy, a school for royals and squinches (people with magical blood). Strange things happen as Ivy embarks on this adventure and she starts investigating her past and the other odd events around her.
Setting: The worldbuilding in this book is a treat! It gives off a whimsical and wondrous vibe, reminding me of Studio Ghibli movies like Kiki’s Delivery Service. The cover is gorgeous and set the scene even before reading. The facets of the magic system were interesting, but I wish I could see more of the magic in a typical setting to better understand them. (And possibly a glossary to remember all the unique names for different people, potions, animals, and spells).
Plot: I struggled to get into the book at first- but once I got to the second half, the events seemed much more relevant and interesting. The plot is a bit convoluted, and there are problems that I think were resolved too easily for the characters, but I was continually looking forward to what would happen next.
Characters: There are quite a few interesting characters in the book that I couldn’t get enough of- Fyn and Rebecca, Ivy’s friends, have great personalities. I had trouble connecting to Ivy, the main character. I felt like she was a bit of a Mary Sue and didn’t exercise a whole lot of agency throughout the story.
TL;DR- Overall, I enjoyed this story! There are several things that I think could be better, and the first half was hard to get through because I didn’t feel like I could root for Ivy, and because the events didn’t seem significant. However, by the end, my opinion of the story improved, and I would consider reading the second book. I think it’s a fun read, and many middle-grade readers would enjoy the unique worldbuilding and magic system, as well as the enjoyable people and adventurous plot.

This review is also on my Instagram, @astudyinstories, as well as Goodreads and Amazon.

I enjoyed this book. It is similar to Harry Potter—unsuspecting child finds out they have magic powers, goes to magic school escaping their dull life, something dark threatens their safety, the main character must work with other classmates to discover what is going on. I could see having this book in my classroom especially for students who love a magical world (or want to read Harry Potter and aren’t quite ready). It’s worth the read!

I received a copy of this book through netgalley for free in exchange for an honest review. So, let me tell you about this charming little book!

The Crowns of Croswald paints a picture of a society full of magic and mystery. We meet our protagonist when she is a kitchen maid, before she begins her hero's journey arc. Eventually she gets to leave her servitude and be educated at a school of magic.

This story had very strong Harry Potter vibes to it. In fact, many of the important plot points are virtually the same. However, the world-building was different and I did enjoy the fact that we had a female protagonist. Like many school stories, she has a group of friends and they have to work together to fight evil and discover their true powers.

This is a fun universe D.E. Night has built, and I'm so very pleased to hear that there are more in the series. I would recommend this book for middle grade readers on up who enjoy fantasy, magic, and school stories.

Thank you Net Galley and D.E. Night for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

For fans of Harry Potter or Charlie Bone, The Crowns of Croswald is definitely one to add to your TBR! This book is definitely suitable for younger readers - in fact I would label this serious Middle Grade rather than Ya, despite the main character being 16.

Speaking of Ava, her characteristics and mannerisms reminded me greatly of Alice from Alice in Wonderland. Ava has the same naivety and accepting nature, but is an overall likeable character.She's eager to talk to people she doesn't know and very curious for information. She is an protagonist you root for and one you want to follow along with her journey.

There is no denying that D.E. Night is a fantastical writer. She is descriptive, though not overly descriptive, and provides amazing imagery. The only thing I had problems with in this book was the major similarities it had to Harry Potter. I often found myself skimming most of the chapters and not surprised when major plot points happened. Even though this book wasn't for me, I can see the appeal it would have for my students who would greatly enjoy this novel.

3.5 stars! This book is very cute and is the start to a magical journey as it is the first in a series. The story is about an insignificant girl who starts to discover her dark past and realizes there is more to her than she could ever imagine. I enjoyed a lot of the characters in this book, especially Fyn. This is a great book for young readers or if you are looking for an innocent magical adventure. Enjoy!

In a world full of magic, what would you give to be free of chores, boredom and a hopeless future as a kitchen maid?

Hoping to the moon for a chance is Ivy's only way out of a sad, poor life as an orphan in Castle Plum... Or so she thinks! Suddenly she finds herself on her way to the most prestigious magic school of Croswald and living a year full of new experiences, challenges, friends and, of course, magic!!

This installment opens the door for a new fantastic world were the shadow in power lurks behind every corner of the scrivients and royals' school, making curses and forgetfulness be in the core of the mysteries and the future of the young Lovely.

Great for fans of Harry Potter and the Worst Witch saga!

ARC provided free by Netgalley un exchange for an honest review.

I received an ebook from the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

I couldn't get into this book. The writing style wasn't working for me. The story sounds great and maybe I'll be able to finish it in the future. I think the author is very comma heavy and added them into each sentence when in reality it could have been reworded to avoid this. The commas kept pulling me out of the story and since that was happening every sentence ... I just became too much and I decided to not finish it this time.

The premise of this world and story pulled me in at the start. It had Harry Potter vibes, but had an interesting approach where dreaming and magic thrives through writing and drawing - the act of creation an embodiment of magic! However, overall, it just didn’t deliver. The main character bolted from one adventure/crisis to another without adequate bridging that would have formed this into a cohesive plot line. Although marketed at a middle grade read, the main character is 16, turning 17, which I feel puts this outside the middle grade category. Also a strange and undeveloped romance of sorts comes into view in the last 25% that just didn’t fit. Ultimately, The Crowns of Croswald couldn’t decide what it wanted to be and this reader couldn’t get fully lost in the story. I might try to complete the series in order to get a grasp on this world that has been created and many others have said that the following books get better.

Escape to a magical world with a cast of intriguing characters in D.E. Night's book, The Crowns of Croswald. I definitely recommend purchasing this book for school libraries.

Thanks for netgalley and Stories Untold for providing me an E-Arc.

Thank you to NetGalley and Stories Untold for a gifted eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

For kids too young for the avada kedavra curse, this is a great introduction to the world of magic. There are nods to Harry Potter everywhere, and I enjoyed those little Easter eggs. The writing is simple and the story is easy to follow.

Ivy has her ups and downs, where she can be a bit annoying, but she means well and just wants to know what’s going on, which is fair. Her curiosity is burning and it really drives this story. I liked Ivy’s friends, Fyn and Rebecca, but do wish that we had learned more about them and got to know them better. Ivy seems annoyed by them more often than anything, so I don’t think we really get to see their personalities as much as I would have liked. I loved Winsome and do wish we got to spend a bit more time getting to know him as well. I found Derwin Edgar Night (same initials as the author, which I thought was fun!) the most interesting character in the story and can’t wait to finally learn more about him in the next books!

Towards the end, I couldn’t put the book down, I just needed to know what was happening! I had an idea of what it may be, but wasn’t sure how all of it fit together. The ending was full of excitement and action, and gave us a brief overview of Ivy’s history. There were definitely things I questioned, but they seem to be things that could be answered in the next book🤞🏼Overall, it was an enjoyable read!