I know many readers amongst my library users who will love this book. It is a perfect middle grade read for anyone who loves a bit of magic! When young Ivy Lovely and her smallest scaldron ( a dragon that provides fire for cooking food) are carried away to a magical boarding school the fun starts.

This is a perfect next read for fantasy fans with a host of convincing characters and marvellous magic. Even better it is the first in a trilogy which is an added bonus.

I don't know how to say this without saying it straight. I read some reviews, if I had read Harry Potter, I was going to love this!! What I didn't expect was a total rip off OF Harry Potter!!! The similarities were undeniable and became a bit of a personal running joke.
I did like some of the interesting magical things that were original. And I think that this author does have potential, but with more development and time with her own ideas

I will not be reading the sequel, you know, because I have read Chamber of Secrets

Thank you so much to the amazing publishers of this book for gifting me a copy of this book!

I've recently dove deep into the world of Fantasy and when I came across this book it seemed quite fitting for what I was looking for. While I'll admit this book was a bit difficult to get into. I feel like we were very quickly thrown into the world so rich with detail that I was a bit put off. I read the beginning again just to make sure i didn't miss anything. While I continued on most questions I acquired were easily answered and explained.

The world building in this book is wonderful and is presently nicely as we follow the main character and world explained.

This book is definitely one best suited for fans of Harry Potter looking for another fantasy world to dig into. While this book is young adult and I'm not in this category, this was still a pleasant read. I do feel like it would be much more enjoyed in the proper age group. I am sad that this book wasn't out when I was around this again. I feel like this is perfect for late elementary/early middle school students.

The story has parts where it felt a bit slow to me and transitionings between chapters or paragraphs that I wasn't quite found of. I do appreciate the detail put into the world presented around us in this tale.

Overall, this was a lovely and give this book 3.5 ⭐. As I said I believe the appropriate age group with this book would have a much stronger impact.

Thank you so much again for this wonderful opportunity in exchange for my honest review.

𝐈 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭 (𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐞) 𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰. Thank you so much for the copy.


Honestly speaking, I kind of really feel the Harry Potter vibes that this book is giving me if I compare this to Carry On, this book is much more of Harry Potter fanfic i call since a lot of readers compare this to the HP series. And yes, the plot is kind of the same. I also think that it was kind of boring.


The things is, I didn't like how the story progressed. It was messy and confusing for me that ended up being a forgettable in a sense that I needed to go back to the previews pages just to reassure the scenes there.


I think the the part towards the end was okay. It wasn't that mindblowing as I hope it would be. The characters, I just couldn't feel them, they are just you know not my type, kind of unrealistic. With that being said I am intrigued with the next book as I've heard that it was much better than the 1st one.

It is an awesome book. I was interested to read it when I heard that it gives you a Harry Potter kind of feel. It made me feel like I was back in the Harry Potter world ( even though nothing will be like the Harry Potter series ). I enjoyed the book very much. It was a fun read.

I loved the bond that Ivy and Rebecca shares and I ship Ivy and Fyn ( we need a ship name for them ). I loved the way the author described the Halls of Ivy and all the lessons and teachers. I can’t wait to read the next books.

If you loved Harry Potter I would surely recommend this series to you.

Ivy Lovely is having a rough day. After having the strangest dreams, which make her late for her job, she finds out that one of her dragons has the flue! Wait a minute...dragon flue? The plot only thickens from there!
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Whisked away to a magical school, Ivy soon learns that she is anything but the ordinary (though strangely gifted) sculdrony maid she always thought she was doomed to remain. In fact, she may be the key to saving all of Croswald.
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The Crowns of Croswald is a delightful addition to the fantasy world. It is a story full of brand new magical beasts, exciting adventures, and a lurking mystery pressing at the edges of every page. I was enchanted from the beginning, and I look forward to reading more from this world.

ivy has never thought of herself as anything but normal, but the moment she realises she has magical powers, everything changes. she gets invited to the 'halls of ivy', a magical school, where she meets other students, who either have magical blood or get magic through some peculiar gems. on top of struggling with finding out about her ancestors and why she never knew about her powers, the dark queen is threatening her life! will ivy be able to fight her off and what more secrets about her own history will she uncover..?
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the author definitely has a beautiful and enchanting writing style that really makes you feel like you're part of the magical world of 'croswald'. the prologue starts with the perspective of a male character, i was pleasantly surprised that from chapter one on it switches to ivy's, an almost 16-year-old girl. while there is a lot of female representation, which i loved, there was some stereotypical characterization that i didn't enjoy as much. of course there had to be a popular 'mean girl', who doesn't care about ivy's feelings or anyone else's, who wants other people to do all her work, while she lets her nails dry off.. there has been so much female rivlary in popular culture, do we really need more of that? moreover, there are a lot of harry potter similarities that one can't look over, it does feel a bit like a revised female version of rowling's works. whether that's something you want to criticize or you actually might be looking for is up to you!

thanks to netgalley and i received a digital review copy in exchange for an honest opinion!

I received a copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

This book is the debut for this author. It is very well written and kept me wanting more. The character development was excellent. I felt myself experiencing the feelings and anticipating what would happen next. The World building was on point! The descriptions were so well done I could see them in my mind.

I will read any book written by this author with high expectations! I am excited to follow Ivy’s adventures.

What an enjoyable read! I thought that the premise and set-up for this book was so fun! The magic school, but with lots of fun, was an entertaining spin on the trope. I was entertained from start to finish, and found the characters to be super engaging. I think the plot really picked up in the second half, so that made me excited for what's to come in the series!

Thank you to Netgalley, D.E. Night, and Stories Untold Press for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This was such a fun story! Magic, lives being uprooted, all kinds of change - I am here for it!!!!
The main character, Ivy, has discovered that she has magical powers and her entire life changes. Leaving the mundane life she has been living behind, she is taken to attend a school of magic where she learns to grow, harness, and create magic!

Filled with fun creatures, danger (of course - wouldn’t be the same without it!), and friendships forming, this was SUCH a fun read! There are some very unique ideas the author came up with (I will not spoil them) that really add to this story and help keep it different from other magical stories such as Harry Potter and Charlie Bone.

Even though the main character is 16, I feel it reads more like a middle grade book, allowing for a wider audience! It’s a very clean story, nothing too scary for younger readers, and will certainly leave the reader wishing they had magical powers of their own!!!!

I was gifted a copy of the ebook for review by the author.

This is a very interesting world. There were some parts that I really enjoyed (like the Hollow Shaft and some of the magical creatures). I also enjoyed many of the characters - they had good motivations and were believable.

While reading, I couldn't help but draw comparisons to another well-known series set at a magical school. Sometimes, the similarities were a bit too much and that detracted from my enjoyment. Although, I do think The Crowns of Croswald is different enough to stand on its own. Aside from that, there were parts where I felt like the words were there mainly to be words on a page. There was a bit too much exposition and not enough showing. I wish the world building and some of the character establishment was more engaging. There were descriptions of things / characters that did not add to the story or to the world. I felt they slowed down the reader and didn't provide much value. An example is the multiple comments about how bad someone smelled. To me, that was a distraction and didn't help me understand the character any more.

Overall, this was a decent read. The world is interesting and would be fun to explore some more.

Firstly I would like to say thank you to Stories Untold for providing me with this finished copy to read and review.

I am loving middle grade books and this just hit the spot. This is a school for magic, which we see a lot, but I feel like this is totally whismical and captivating. I think that Ivy is so relatable and love how brave and outspoken she is. In a time where we currently face injustices in this world, it was nice to read about a character who just stands up and fights. I definitely think that my soon to be 8 year old would love the magics within this book. I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series!!

I was sent this in exchange for an honest review.
This was an enjoyable read, which I'd classify as younger YA/upper Middle Grade. I got a lot of Harry Potter vibes, with the magic school setting and the way Ivy found out who she was. I think it's aimed at a slightly younger reader than me so I didn't find it as gripping as I may have done if I'd read it in my early teenage years. I'm hoping it'll pick up a bit in the next book - I found it got better towards the end.

Although I had a lot of fun reading it, I couldn't help comparing The Crowns of Croswald to Harry Potter, the whole time. Both books contain too many similarities for The Crowns of Croswald to shine fully. There are castles, magic schools, quills, cauldrons, magic, ghosts, balls, and more.

One thing that separated the two is the use of different gadgets, specifically the Compass Collectis. I won't go into more detail, but some of the various mechanisms were very cleaver.

I also enjoyed the main character, Ivy. I thought she was very relatable and lovable.

Overall, the biggest blessing and curse are the constant parallels to Harry Potter. Since HP is one of my favorite series of all time, it was hard for me to separate the two. If you enjoy YA magic schools, then I highly recommend this one for you.

**Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for gifting me with this book in exchange for an honest review.**

The Crowns of Crosswald is about Ivy Lovely, a girl who ends up attending a magic school. I really enjoyed the world and the school, and Ivy’s friendships with Rebecca and Fyn; I just had a hard time getting into this book, and I wished I’d gotten to know the characters better.

The first 60% of the book covers a large amount of time, and although in time it moves quickly, in pace it feels very slow. The world-building happens so fast, that I ended up missing a lot of it and being confused at times. I also feel like there was so much going on and there were so many characters introduced pretty frequently, that I was lost for a lot of it.

The last 40% was excellent with a quest, a twist, and even the introduction of a romantic plot line. I just wish that all of this had been introduced sooner, because the first half of the book mostly just focuses on Ivy adjusting to being at the school, and it didn’t really keep my attention much until a little past halfway through the book. I also feel like Ivy acted and seemed a bit younger than sixteen, which some other reviews have said as well.

I feel like this wasn’t really different from other Chosen One fantasy stories that I’ve read (and loved), which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I would definitely recommend it for middle grade readers, as it’s a fun, magical fantasy book. I think that I’ll like the second book better, because my main issue was too much exposition, and I’m excited to see Ivy’s relationship with Fyn develop.

Thank you Stories Untold Press for providing the arc in exchange for and honest review!
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The Crowns of Croswald is a middle grade fantasy about a girl named Ivy who ends up attending a special school where students master magic. When Ivy is threatened by the Dark Queen, she must unearth her history and save Croswald.
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I think this book is great for the middle grade age group--there's interesting creatures, magic, and a whimsical, mysterious world to explore. I could easily see this as a book that parents could read with their kids.
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Unfortunately, this book wasn't for me, but I think it's mostly because I lean toward adult fantasy. It was hard for me to connect with the writing style, as there was a lot of telling instead of showing and at times it felt very cluttered. It made the pacing feel a bit off because there were long descriptions for things/places that weren't really linked to Ivy or the plot. I think it borrowed heavily from Harry Potter, but it would be up to the reader whether that is a positive or a negative.
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While The Crowns of Croswald did not click with me, I feel those who enjoy middle grade stories and magical schools would fare better with the book.
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#review #bookreview #storiesuntoldpress

So I got access to this story from Stories Untold Press, so thank you so much to them!

So I overall did enjoy this story. I think it's a solid start to a middle grade novel. I think the author did really well at creating a universe that is interesting and brings in the reader for more. I think that's something that I really wanted.

I wished that we got more from the world and a little more exposition from the author. I feel like we were thrown right into it. I normally wouldn't have minded this if we were thrown into some action but it felt like we were plopped right into the middle of a story. Adding on to this I would have loved to see more of the school setting. Even a little meandering would have been a nice breath of fresh air for the reader.

I think the story itself maybe could have unfolded a bit better in terms of how much story/reveals were given to the reader. It felt like we got most of it in the last quarter of the story. The pacing just felt a little rushed.

I think there were comparisons to Harry Potter thrown around? I guess I can see that with some similar tropes but I do think the author put in a lot of their own creativity and spin on these already popular trope for this book to stand alone from that comparison.

I am interested to see where the story goes. I think the strength of this story lies in the unique setting and world, a story with good twists and turns, and the fun and whimsy writing that really shines through certain parts of the book. Really fun!

Mysterious, Magical and fun!
I really enjoyed this book and got some Harry Potter vibes whilst reading! The story was fun and intriguing, lots of small bits of information dropped to leave you wanting more! Really hoping we get some more information about Fyn and Rebecca, would love to know more about them. The Dark Queen seems very mysterious until the end when we got some more information about her, but would love to learn more in the coming books! I felt the book had a great pace and it kept me interested all the way through. The characters were a good mix of personalities and i definitely will be reading the next installment of Ivy's adventure!

Packed with fantasy, adventure and imagination, this is a tale which will make young fantasy fans' hearts beat faster.

Ivy is a kitchen maid at the castle, lives in a cupboard, and loves to sneak outside to sketch. When an accident with the dragons under the stove occurs, she's forced to run until a huge creature with a rider stops her and tells her that he's taking her to a school for those with powers. She doesn't believe she has any but is convinced to sign up. At the school, she not only learns more about magic, meets interesting students including royals, but also learns about the Dark Queen. But things aren't all wonderful. The Dark Queen is more than a threat to Ivy and her powers, she's a threat to her life.

After reading the blurb on this one and seeing the lovely cover, I was excited to get my hands on an ARC. The tale and world are quite imaginative and will have young readers hooked by all of the wonderful details and creatures—it's the stuff dreams are made of. Ivy is also a lovely character, who is easy to like and root for as she learns about her own past, meets amazing characters and faces obstacles, which will keep the reader at the edge of their seat. It's a fun start to what promises to be an exciting series.

I especially loved the details and way the author weaves in the world building with little glimpses and not word-avalanches. This along with the whimsical touches create a world perfect for middle grade readers. Even Ivy fits the middle grade roll nicely with her innocence, behavior and thought processes. And this is also where a little problem comes in. According to the story, Ivy is sixteen, but never during the read did I have this impression. She comes across as a very solid 11 to 12 year-old more than most of the time. Normally, this would throw the book into the young adult category and their are brief moments which would suggest this book should be there, but as said, the writing style, world building and most happenings are too young for many teens.

All in all, this is a very fun and imaginative read. There are more than a few obvious parallels to the Harry Potter series, but that doesn't hurt the general flow of this read. It's an enjoyable tale and great for fantasy fans.

I got this book for free from the publisher (stories untold) and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
And what can I say, I am totally obsessed with the world the author has created in this book.
I am usually a little skeptical about reading books with a magic school, because I m afraid it would be very similar to Harry Potter. This book is infact a little similar to Harry Potter in the sense that it has a magic school which teaches about potions, magical creatures and certain charms. But that's where the similarity ends. And the world that author has created is very unique with the rules of it's own. I loved everything about Croswald and Halls of Ivy. And I loved the character of Ivy lovely.
Just give me Ivy Lovely and crosswald related Merch already. She is just so adorable.
The magical classes in the book were pretty enjoyable too. I wish there was more of that in the book though because we get very less of the side characters in the book. It tends to focus only on the main characters and her friends, except the mean queen bee maybe.

Now coming to the storyline and plot, I liked how delicately so many complicated concepts and ideas are tied up in the story and yet it all fits so well together. And when the book ends you are left with wanting to know more of Croswald and where the story would lead for Ivy and her friends.

I would recommend it to anyone who likes fantasy or middle grade novels. This will certainly make you nostalgic for all the fantasy reads you have read as a kid or a teenager.