I was asked to review this a few months ago, but real life got in the way and it's taken me a bit to get back to it.

Unfortunately, I wound up DNF'ing it at the 10% mark. The plot summary was interesting and fantasy is my favorite genre, but the writing was just not for me. It was like in an attempt to be creative or funny the author overshot and made it cheesy instead. It also very much felt like it was trying to be Harry Potter and I wouldn't consider that a good thing nowadays.

I think this might still appeal to a younger reader and if I was also younger I might have read this without noticing the things that bother me now.

Thank you to NetGalley and Stories Untold for making this available in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you for the opportunity!
I would like to begin by saying that I have always been an avid reader, since I was 3 years old and I typically love fantasy. I think that I would have liked this book in middle school! I gave it a 2/5 rating because it was very hard to follow at times, too descriptive, or not descriptive enough. I think that some of it could be a little advanced for the average middle schooler, I had a hard time staying engaged with the story through most of it. I loved Ivy as the main character! I especially enjoyed the found family aspects - that is my favorite trope!

I would like to thank the author @author.denight and @storiesuntoldpress for choosing me to review her book The Crowns of Croswald on @netgalley

The book is a fantasy that runs really smoothly because it keeps you hooked to the story. I really liked the main protagonist, Ivy. She is strong and not cliché. She is really brave and “a bit” obsessed with getting into trouble lol. Another thing I’ve found really cute were the illustrations at the beginning of every chapter. It made the story more interesting and thanks to them you were able to understand what the chapter was going to be about. At the beginning it was a bit slow, but then I just dived right in and couldn’t stop reading it.

What a fun middle grade story! D.E. Night put her own refreshing twist on the classic trope of a young hero discovering a new world and coming into their new found powers, which is a trope that I will never get tired of. This is a story that I feel can be loved by all ages, captivating a younger audience with its whimsy while tugging on the heartstrings of older readers with the feeling of nostalgia. This is an amazing magical world that I can't wait to delve deeper into!

It’s been the perfect season to read this one, it’s full of magic and mystery, the essentials for autumn/spooky season

It did take me a minute to get into it since it’s been a while since I’ve read anything in this genre/age group but I found that once the main character Ivy entered the magic school and we met her classmates then it really picked up for me.

The writing was lovely and descriptive, I could picture the world and all the whimsical elements within it easily. There’s lots of unique characters to help keep the plot going and plenty of twists and mysteries to keep you guessing throughout.

I received a digital copy of this book thanks to the publisher StoriesUntold and NetGalley in exchange for a review.
I didn't know what to expect when I started reading this and if I have to be honest it took me a while to really get into it at first, but once the story picked up its pace I found myself getting more and more involved.
Our protagonist is Ivy Lovely (and she's as lovely as her name suggests), she works in a castle as a scaldrony maid, basically managing little dragons who function as kitchen's cookers. She's an orphan, about to turn sixteen and her only friend is an ancient woods dwarf, that pretty much sums up all her life up to this point. But the day of her birthday marks the beginning of the adventure, Ivy is destined to something far more grand, a world full of magic, and she'll come to discover it all. Being the first volume of a series of course you won't find all the answers to your questions at the end, if anything, you'll have even more of them... just the right amount to make you want to pick up the next one. I enjoyed reading this more than I anticipated and even if it is targeted as middle grade fantasy I think that everyone who wants to savor a little bit of magic and adventure could easily appreciate it despite of their age.

*I received a digital copy of this book through the publisher StoriesUntold (thank you Daniela~) and NetGalley, in return for an honest review; therefore the opinions expressed are completely my own.*

Rating: ★★★½

Growing up around the time the Harry Potter books were brand-new publications, and having remained an enchanted fan till this day, it was not difficult to see the inspired parallels between that series and the world painted in The Crowns of Croswald. Nor for me to read this without continuously comparing or feel echoes of another orphan's coming of age story as I turned the pages.

However, to a set of fresh eyes and the intended reading age (10/12 years), or readers that cannot get enough of fantastical worlds filled magic-wielding girls and boys and fantastical creatures, the tale of ever-curious Ivy Lovely will be a welcome book to devour.

Filled with whimsical writing, quirky characters, strange occurrences, secrets to be uncovered, and plenty of tantalising magic, this is a bewitching adventure that is bound to find a home in many a bookworm's heart.

This was a cute story and although it’s written for teens I think anyone who likes Harry Potter style of books would like this series. I know my daughters would absolutely love this book. It was a quick read for me and while, I didn’t like certain aspects of how the magic was taught and it ended in a dreaded cliffhanger, I would love to read the rest of the series.

This is the first book in the series. The blurb of this book gives those magical harry-potter's type impressions. I did enjoy reading this one, getting to know the magical creatures and witches and the world created by the author was fun. I loved the detail the author puts into the little things like for example Ivy's reading list included her First year Class Schedule. The titles are so well named and realistic. While reading this story I wished Croswald was real.The story ends on a cliffhanger so you are eager to jump into the next book series.

What a fun, magical read! I really enjoyed being introduced to the world of Croswald. I loved how magic could take so many forms and that even though there was a separation between royals and scrivenist they still learned together and could work together to solve problems.
Speaking of problems, Ivy was constantly dealing with them. Poor girl just couldn't get a rest. She did exceptionally well, thanks to Fyn, Rebecca and her mentors.
I'm really excited to see how this series continues, and what trouble Ivy Lovely will get into next.

Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

Ivy is a sixteen year old orphan girl who works in a castle as a scaldrony maid (a kitchen maid who works with ovens that are actually dragons) and has spent most of her life being mistreated by the cruel Helga who runs the kitchens. Her only friend is a dwarf who has known her her whole life and there is no magic in the castle where she lives (though she is aware of magic in the Crosswalds as a whole. After being kicked out of the castle after an incident involving pies gone wrong Ivy is dragged into a world of magic and learns that she also has magic after all. She is taken to magic school and begins her journey to becoming a scrivener with the mysterious circumstances of her family and the dark queen for some reason after her.

I really wanted to give this book more stars than this. I’m going to start this with some positives. The story itself is really good, the premise and plot were interesting. The magic system and world building were well done and I enjoyed the villain face off at the end. I’m a bit on the fence with the class based magic roles though (if you’re a royal you get a crown to do magic and if you’re poor you get a quill and basically get trained to work for the royals) it seems like they could have been given different schools. I do think that had I read this book as an 8-16 year old I would have enjoyed it, the magic is whimsical and the creatures are described in a way that brings life to them.

Now for some more negative parts:
The pacing was a little weird, it felt like an entire school year had passed in the blink of an eye. The characters were one dimensional and I really didn’t like the way the author treats the ‘Butterlove’ family, the mother is criticised for being fat and the only thing we truly know about the son is that they like butter. Even the main characters don’t feel like they have any depth, I suppose there is still chance for that with future books. The villain pops up randomly but until the end never truly feels villainous, it makes sense why Ivy has absolutely no fear towards her. The dialogue at times felt unnatural and way too polite in comparison to the situation. This is a personal thing but I feel that as the first book of the series it could have done with a cliffhanger, something to make you want to keep reading. A lot of the actual action and information barrels at you near the end which felt like a very tell don’t show approach.

In spite of the negatives though I would still read the rest of the series. I’m interested to know where this is going.

First impression: please can they make a movie about this book!? I laughed a little during the first few scenes which introduced Ivy as a scaldrony maid, and throughout the book there were more scenes that brought out a giggle or two. I really did enjoy this story line.

The details were good, we got to see how Ivy's class schedule will look like, what her stationary contains and also the details of her dorm room. I enjoyed the moments Ivy walked through the halls and implanted specific details into our minds for us to paint a picture perfect university. I would have enjoyed more finer details (it seems that these kind of details only came in the last quarter of the book) so that I could live myself more into the scenes.

I liked the world building in this story, but what confused me was the jumping to and from different POV's without warning, it almost suggests that, although she's never been anywhere, Ivy knew everything about everyone and everything. This caused a difficulty in reading this book and following the original story since Ivy is the only character from whom we get a POV.

I really enjoyed the unexpected friendships between Ivy and Rebecca, the way they met per chance and it was just something that grew from there. Rebecca was there for Ivy by ensuring her that she is not alone and she has someone she can lean on - the same goes for Fynn who was there from the beginning of her adventure and through every obstacle that Ivy had to overcome, although I would have liked to see more of how things progressed between them. There was also this companionship that developed between Ivy and W.M during the process of her studies, I feel like this was an excellent aspect in the book since Ivy didn't have any family she grew up with so she never really had an older person to look up to.

The plot was great, it was something that I did not expect, although looking back now, the plot reveal started building from the moment that Ivy stepped into the Halls. To be able to write the story in this way without revealing the plot too early is exceptionally great skills!

I used to play the Harry Potter games on PlayStation, and this book definitely reminded me a bit of the challenges I had to do in that game as well as the classes you had to attend (definitely more the games than the movies).
Although I only rated this book a 3 star because of the confusion with POV's, I am excited to see what happens in the next books!

The Crowns of Croswald was an absolutely magical read filled with adventure. Ivy and Wimsome's relationship reminded me a lot of Cinder and the doctor's relationship in The Lunar Chronicles. This magical school and staff also reminded me of Hogwarts.

This book can be enjoyed by any age and by anyone looking for a magical way to escape reality. I'll definitely be continuing this magical series and I recommend this to anyone with middle graders that need some magic in their life.

I was hooked from the prologue. The story closes on very a cliffhanger as it’s near even though the story is fair starting where it wraps up off. I think the creator unquestionably did this purposely to keep you snared sufficient to study another book This is certainly a page-turning daydream perused full of fairytales, enchantment and an unconventional world. It truly reminded me of Harry Potter since of the enchanted boarding school and the classes but it’s still exceptionally much its claim world with its claim peculiarities. What’s not to like? I can see the appeal it will have for a middle school reading group, but I felt that the main character was written a little younger for his age in places. I also felt that the story was rushed in places and could have been a bit longer to give more description and explanation and to give the story room to breathe. Still, it was a fun and interesting first book in what I'm sure is a delightful series.

4.5/5 🌟

I’m so happy I agreed to get a copy of this book to review! Although I’m not in the middle-age category anymore. I ABSOLUTELY devoured this book. I honestly think that readers of any age could pick up this one and actually love it.

First of all, the world-building is just… *chef’s kiss.* 😘 It's so thoroughly detailed you can pretty much feel part of that world too.
The magical system? SO GOOD. I was like “OH MY GOD, THAT’S SO COOL!” at every mention of some magical thing starting with freaking dragons.
Even tho the start can seem a little slow since it has to well... build the world and give you all the necessary informations to not feel clueless about everything, I was so invested in the story, the characters (Ivy, I love you girl), and it’s so captivating that once you reach the final chapters be ready not to want to put down the book until it’s over because the plot twists will keep you on your toes until the last page. 🤯🤯

Also, loved (LOVED) the "Derwin Edgar Night" (D.E.N.) reference to the author’s name, D.E. Night. So cool.

I can’t speak about the Harry Potter comparisons that almost everyone is doing because I’ve never read HP but If you like magical, mysterious and coming-of-age books, this one is for you. I didni’t know I could love middle-grade books this much since I usually favor the YA/NA books but I’m so glad I was able to read this one!!

Thanks to Stories Untold Press and NetGalley for providing me the e-book in exchange of an honest review.

I'm not much of a fantasy nor middle grade reader, but this is a fun and lovely book that I'm glad exists for all the young kids out there - especially trans kids - who deserve a world of magic that isn't written by a violent transphobe. The world and language is very whimsical, although I have to admit some words even I had to look up so I'm not sure how easy of a time a middle-grade aged reader would have with it.

I loved the inclusion of all different kinds of mythological creatures, including completely new ones unique to this universe. That really enriched the world-building and was a fantastic touch. I was disappointed by some casual fatphobia almost right off the bat, but not surprised as this sadly happens in many books.

It was very nostalgic to me how it resembles the magical world of HP, however I also think in some ways it was a bit too similar in formula. That being said, JKR certainly doesn't own fantasy and magic books for kids, and once again it's great that there are more options now.

Definitely would recommend this to older kids, pre-teens and teens as an HP alternative!

I was sent this book to review by @author.denight and I honestly really enjoyed it. I don’t read a lot of middle grade books, but sometimes it’s nice to take a step back from those complex and intense adult fantasy worlds to just enjoy the magic of it all.

Croswald is a quirky world with magic held within stones for the royals and the blood of the scrivenists who serve them, making discoveries and recording them with their magic quills. There’s also plenty of fun creatures like the scaldrons and hairies. It sort of reminded me of The Princess Bride with all of the weird names. I could definitely see this being a great bedtime story!

The majority of the book was about Ivy learning more about magic and herself with little bumps in her path along the way, but it did culminate in a much larger finale than I was expecting, sort of like the first Harry Potter book.

Overall, I’d definitely recommend this book for any middle schoolers in your life, or if you’re just looking for a break after a more intense read, because it’s loads of fun!

This middle-grade fantasy is fun and is a good place to start if you are new to the fantasy genre. Thank you to Net Galley for my proof.

Firstly I would like to thank the author, D.E Night and the publishers, Stories Untold Press for gifting me this book in exchange for an honest review.

Now, I honestly had a hard time getting into this book & desperately wanted to like it a lot more than I did but I personally just didn't connect with it and whilst there's no doubt that a lot of hard work and effort was poured into this book by the author, it just felt a little too familiar to the Harry Potter series but just with a female lead. The further I got into the book the more I couldn't help but make comparisons between the two which, to be honest, ruined it for me, especially as the author had some really interesting ideas and original thoughts and so it just kind of seemed a shame.

The book is beautifully written, and the descriptions of both characters and places are done brilliantly, I also loved the little illustrations above the chapters. Moments that I particularly liked were, being introduced to Mr Munson and his shop, I thought he was funny, especially the way his entry sign on his shop door reflects how he feels. I also loved the part where Ivy & Fyn are on the lake and Fyn brings out his flutterflies to help give them light, I imagined the scene to be very pretty. I loved the idea of the upside-down pub on the lake for the scrivenests one last hurrah before they pass on, it was creepy but I liked it.

Whilst I didn't struggle trying to immerse myself within the MC’s world at all, I just felt that parts were not properly explained and so felt a bit lost but also that the timeline seemed to jump around a bit. I also worry that for middle-grade readers the language and particular word choices might be a bit too wordy and hard, there were even words I didn't know the meaning of, I just feel that if I was a child at that age and trying to have a go at this, id loose interest purely due to the word choices, I think this book might be better suited for an older age group, more Y/A than middle grade and any die-hard HP fans looking for their next magical fix may fully appreciate & enjoy this book.

All Ivy Lovely knows is the grueling work of tending her Scaldron dragons in the kitchens of a castle. She is sixteen, lonely, and her only joy in life is sketching by the light of the full moon with her only friend, a Dwarf called Rimbrick. When she gets kicked out of the Castle, Rimbrick leaves her a letter with a very mysterious message: She'll be attending The Halls of Ivy, a prestigious magical school! But Ivy is not magical... or is she?

I enjoyed this book a lot! The world was so enchanting and whimsical. There are all kinds of magical beasts, an evil queen, a pirate ship in a bottle and tons of other magical moments. I especially love the magic system that centers around writing quills and crowns, depending if you're a Squinch or a Royal. You'll have to read the book to find out what that means ;)

It was a fun story that hearkened back to my childhood favorites; I would have adored this if I read it as a kid! It also gave me a healthy dose of chuckles as it's quite funny. While I found Ivy a tad annoying at times, I really liked the banter between her and her newfound friends, Rebecca and Fyn and the fact that they always found themselves in comical situations.

The pacing was very quick, it went from one adventure to the next which, yes, that's entertaining, but it also felt like the school year had just begun when it ended. There was not much of a middle with which to show the progression of her friendships. That's just a small qualm and overall I would recommend this book if you like magic schools, middle-grade fantasy, and adventure!