The Crowns of Croswald (The Crowns of Croswald #1) by D. E. Night
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Fiction, Fantasy, Magic, Adventure, Middle Grade

This is a middle grade book set in a magical world full of adventure and mystery. The majority of the story takes place in a special school for magic so with that and the magical aspect as well as the adventure Ivy has been thrown into, it’s hard not to think of Harry Potter. However despite some similarities, overall it is quite different. I loved the world the author built. It wasn’t too difficult to understand but also not overly simple. By the end of the book things definitely weren’t resolved and I can only imagine what Ivy will discover next and how the threat of the dark queen will develop.

The Crowns of Croswald is book 1 in a coming of age series geared toward families to read aloud/middle grade students.
The story has elements of the magical worlds of Harry Potter, Narnia, Wonderland, and lands from other books you never wanted to end.
Do you and/or your middle grade student enjoy dragons, magical quills, potions, and mythical creatures? If you do, pick up a copy and give it a read.

⭐️Rating: 3/5
✍🏼Author: D.E. Night
📖Genre: YA Fantasy

💭𝑀𝓎 𝒯𝒽𝑜𝓊𝑔𝒽𝓉𝓈:
This entire book reminded me so much of Harry Potter. Ivy’s character development was really magical to read, and it was filled with excitement and new adventures. The discovery aspect of her character was probably my favorite part, but once she came into her own… I didn’t love it as much as she wasn’t as likable of a character. I would have loved to see more detail around the supporting characters as well, I felt like it was heavily focused on Ivy.

I struggled a little with the plot in understanding where this was headed and where Ivy would end up.

I really enjoyed the magical land and fantasy, D.E. Night did a fantastic job being descriptive which allows the reader to really get lost in this book! I think younger readers will enjoy this book a lot. I’m rating it a 2/5 primarily because of the heavy similarities to Harry Potter and it was sometimes distracting separating the two. Again, the plot wasn’t very clear until it was. I think as an adult in my 30s, it wouldn’t be something I pick up and want to read again.. but this should be great for a younger audience.

Thank you NetGalley and D.E. Night for the digital copy of the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Rounded up from 3.5 stars.
First, let us just get the most obvious point out of the way. Yes, this has severe Harry Potter vibes.
Now that doesn't have to be a very good or a very bad thing. In this case, it was complex. In some places it felt amazing to get the nostalgic feeling of Hogwarts taking over but - a book needs to be mostly original (unless it is an actual retelling) for it to fully work. The amount of parallels I can draw from that series is astounding. Not necessarily in the best way. Too many similarities I'd say. The vibes are good, don't get me wrong - they just seem a tad bit more similar than they ought to be.

What worked in this book? Well, Ivy is pretty awesome.
A middle-grade fantasy series with a female lead is not something as common as one might want it to be and for a rare entity, you have higher expectations. And Ivy delivered.
The world-building is good and I do absolutely admire the original aspects that the author has brought to the book. A very intriguing fmc and an enigmatic female villain that we know pretty much nothing about yet, even after book one - two BIG wins in my opinion honestly. It really is interesting to learn about Ivy's past and I do want to find out what is up here and why the villain became the villain.

I felt that the writing was slightly anachronistic for the setting. Certain words and phrases don't actually fit in with the otherworldly, fantasy space that this was set in.

Thank you Netgalley and D.E.Night for giving me an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Very vute young adult read about fairies and adventure. It felt like a trip to narnia or some far off land. I loved the magic and fun adventure,. i could see me reading this to my son in a few years.

Huge thanks to the publisher for approving my request to read this on NetGalley. I really enjoyed this one. If you're a fan of magical school settings I can guarantee you're gonna love this one. The characters were interesting and properly motivated. The plot moved fast and I never felt bored while reading it.. I was sick in bed these past two weeks but this book kept me company and helped me escape my suffering. I can't wait to
pick up the rest of the books in the series and see how the world and characters continue to develop.

What’s not to love about an action-packed fantasy novel filled with showy magic and adorable creatures? From the first to last chapter, this novel was intriguing and enchanting; the characters, mystery, and setting kept me curious and engaged. Ivy is a fantastic protagonist– she is spunky and not afraid to bend the rules, even when faced with protest from her two more cautious sidekicks– Fyn and Rebecca. While I loved our human characters, the real draw for me was in the magical creatures and creations; Knight’s creativity was truly showcased in the magical elements of the world.

I went back and forth on whether to rate this book three or four stars, because, truthfully, I felt that the novel lacked a lot of the depth that I thoroughly enjoy in a fantasy novel. Where were the chapters spent on tireless world building, the currency system, and geo-politics? Why wasn’t there a chapter-long monologue, a plot-less conversation, and a multi-page description of trees? They were absent! And as I sat down to write this review I realized it was a good thing! Knight knew her audience. Every page of this book is action-packed and moves along the plot– as it should be for a book meant to get young people invested in reading. I would recommend this to the young people in my life as a fun, adventurous tale of curiosity and bravery.

/A copy of this book was gifted to me in exchange for my honest review. Thank you Stories Untold Publishing, D.E.Knight, and NetGalley for valuing my review./

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This book is not my typical go-to genre, but it was good! If you are a fantasy, Harry Potter fan, this book is for you!

Thanks to Stories Untold Press and DE Night for giving me a copy of The Crowns of Croswald in exchange for an honest review.

I was pleasantly surprised by this story. I haven’t loved a world so much in a long time. There was something so magical about it which the author captured perfectly when writing it. The magic system of Scrivenry was unique - something I’d not quite come across before - and it’s definitely the type of magic I would love to be able to wield.

I’m excited to see how the story develops over the remainder of the series especially since the ending of this one hints at some changes to come for our protagonist Ivy. I’m also really hoping that we get to see more of Rebecca and Fyn as this was one of the things I felt was a little lacking - the development of the supporting characters - but I fully expect this to improve over time.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I’m one of those people who don’t read the synopsis in the back of the book so I had no idea what to expect. This is the perfect middle grade fantasy for Harry Potter and Percy Jackson lovers alike. The author creates such a unique world full of whimsy, dragons, magic, and coming of age adventures. The book centers around Ivy Lovely as she is thrusted into a world of learning and wonder. It’s refreshing to read something clean and entertaining. Thank you to the publisher Stories Untold and the author for a copy, all thoughts and opinions are my own!

A fantastic start off to a fantasy series! In The Crowns of Croswald we follow Ivy on her journey to discover her past as well as her magic. She is able to enroll in a school to enhance her magic and learn what she is capable of. As the school year goes on she makes many discoveries as her powers grow. She also learns everything may not be as it seems. Ivy’s powers grow so large that she attracts the attention of the Dark Queen who has sworn to end her bloodline. The side characters who help Ivy along the way are a a wonderful addition to the story. The book includes Ivy’s schedule and I have never wanted to take classes so badly. They sounded like a wonderful experience. The author named one of the characters after themselves and I thought that was such a cute fun little touch. I cannot wait to read the rest of this series and see what other adventures await Ivy and her friends.

This is a fun fantasy that takes you away to a magical world. I would say this book reminds me of Harry Potter in the similarities that Ivy (The MC) grows up not knowing she had any magic to being taken away to a school to learn about magic. This would be a great book for children and middle school aged kids. I am not quite the target audience for this book but I still enjoyed reading it and know that my 13 year old self would have loved it.

*Thanks to the author, netgalley, and publisher for providing me a copy of this book to review*

Ivy Lovely is a teenage orphan working as a maid but dreams of something more. She soon discovers that her dreams are becoming a reality when she runs away and is invited to a prestigious school to work on honing her dormant magical powers. As she explores this school and meets some new friends, and adversaries, she discovers there is a deep dark secret that only she can uncover.

I absolutely love a good fantasy series but I have to admit I do not usually read many middle grade books - so my expectations were not too high. However, this book quickly drew me in. The author does an excellent job of creating a unique world with a fascinating magic system and fun characters - a perfect story for fantasy fans of any age. The story was fast paced and engaging throughout. The cliffhanger at the end of this book has me excited to continue the series.

The Crown’s of Croswald by DE Knight is a Middle Grade Fantasy book. I would compare it to Harry Potter. 4/5 ⭐️

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.

Thanks Netgalley for the arc

#childrensbooks #middleschool #fantasybooks #crownsofcroswald #deknight #netgalley

The crowns of Croswald
3⭐️
Ivy and Lionel gave me Hagrid and Harry vibes
Middle grade readers will really enjoy this. Magical world reminded me of Harry Potter but girl version.
It was interesting but didn’t keep me so engaged so it took me a while to finish . The magical world that has magical creatures & magical mysteries and new magical friends.
Great for kids who love Fantasy books they will really be engaged.

Thank you to the publisher & the writer for reaching out for me to read and give an honest review & allowing me to read this Via NetGalley

The Crowns of Croswald was an intriguing read, with beautiful world-building and a wonderful magic system. An MG appropriate story about building friendships and finding out who you are, with magic, adventure and a 'chosen one' storyline. As she reached her new home at the school, I sometimes longed Ivy to feel more curious about the strange incidents happening around her, but she soon put two and two together, and started figuring things out. The adventures rolled by non-stop then! It's fast-paced and fun. I thoroughly enjoyed the ride, and look forward to reading the sequel.

I've already recommended this to my MG daughter, and will recommend to the children where I work.

Congratulations D.E. Night on an exciting, magical fantasy with a strong FMC and brilliant side characters. I loved it.

As much as I enjoyed the character building and magical content of The Crowns of Croswald, I did find certain events and monologues cliche. It rings familiar with a few other magical good vs evil stories and I was a little disappointed there wasn’t as much character development or world building as I would like however what there was I did enjoy.

I really tried to get into this series, but I dnf because I lost interest. I loved the idea and the description just could not get into it! Maybe because it is advertised for a middle grade read. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read it before it came out! I wish it caught my attention.

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

This book is a great one for the middle grade fantasy lovers. I struggled to get into this one. It took me way longer to finish then it should have. I'm glad i finished it thought because the ending twists and Ivy Lovely's character development.

Ivy Lovely is a maid who discovers she has magical abilities. She is sent to a magical school. Where there is a major force trying to destroy information. Ivy Lovely must fight this and use her powers to restore information. She has help from amazing friends along the way. How does Ivy Lovely solve this problem?

Read if you like...
✨Magical worlds
📈 Coming of age stories
🧭Adventure
🥰Powerful and caring friends

I wanted to like this one so bad, but unfortunately it just wasn’t for me. Though, I appreciate new vocabulary for new worlds it a little too much for me. It started off slow and felt as though I was reading a Harry Potter spinoff. It was a cute read but not one I would do again.