This was a great example of fantasy. I enjoyed the story and think this world was fascinating to read. I highly recommend this series.

Ivy Lovely, a 16 years old girl  who has lived as a scauldron maid at castle Plum. She likes to spend her time to sketching,  reading some books with her friend—Rimbrick, and dreams of going to the Halls of Ivy to learn how to become a Scrivenist. 

One day, on the morning of the Moonsday an incident forced her to leave the Castle. When she crossed the border, she discover that she has magic inside her and it made her end up to Hall of Ivy. Her adventure started there, She tried to find out about the things happened around her and find out about who she really is. 

It is similar to Harry Potter, but it's a different world and have its own stuff.

Aku cukup menikmati ceritanya, walau sampai pertengahan aku masih agak bingung ceritanya mau di bawa ke mana. Tapi dari pertengahan sampai akhir ceritanya mulai seru dan aku dibuat penasaran sama apa sih hubungannya Ivy sama dark Queen. Gaya tulisannya juga enak diikutin. 

I love the world building—I really like the concept about the Glanagerie and the Hollow Shaft, it's really amazing! And also magic system in this books, some of the students have stones with specific magical that they have to learn to control. 
 
Untuk tokohnya, aku suka karakter Ivy, dia pemberani dan penuh rasa ingin tahu, walau dibeberapa bagian aku merasa sikapnya agak kurang konsisten. Terus kadang aku ngerasa dia ini agak kekanakan untuk ukuran 16 tahun :) Sayangnya aku juga ngerasa ceritanya terlalu fokus sama Ivy jadi tokoh lainnya kurang keliatan gitu. 

If you're a fan of Harry Potter an like to read middle-grade books, you may like this book series.

I thought this was a great book! I absolutely loved the storytelling and world building. The world was definitely unique but really fun! I will say that the world building wasn’t too heavy either. I also loved the main character Ivy. She wasn’t annoying or overbearing like a lot of YA characters are, which was a relief. The plot twist was a little predictable, but it’s ok because I liked it. I also thought the magic system was pretty cool because the royals and scrivenists had different types of magic. The writing was really clear and pretty easy to read for the most part. Overall it was a fun quick read!

For the past sixteen years, Ivy Lovely has been nothing but an ordinary scaldonry maid. When Ivy crosses an enchanted border, magical powers she didn’t know she had come to life. She ends up at the Halls of Ivy, a school where students learn to master their own magic. When Ivy’s magic and her life are threatened by the Dark Queen, she races to discover the truth about her past before it disappears forever.

This book was so magical! Ivy was a likeable character, as well as Rebecca and Fyn. I also loved learning about the creatures and the world of Croswald. Although this book is aimed towards a younger audience, this was a fun and easy read. If you like Harry Potter or fantasy, this is the book for you!

Thank you @storiesuntoldpress for gifting me a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

The Crowns or Croswald by D.E. Night

Ivy Lovely has had a hard life. Stuck as the lowest kitchen maid working the fires, she has few friends, few free time, and even fewer comforts. One day after an unfortunate event in the kitchen, Ivy finds herself alone and kicked out of the only home she has ever known. As she leaves the castle grounds to find her way in the world, her magic awakens and Ivy discovers a world she never knew she belonged in.

Ivy is admitted to a magical school, the Halls of Ivy, and begins to learn about herself and what she is really capable of. The Crowns of Croswald immerses you in a whole magical world, complete with magical terms that you learn as you read the book. I found as I was reading I did have a lot of questions, but the author did a great job of answering a lot of those during the last couple of chapters. The book contains some fun twists and I am excited to keep reading as this is the first in a series! Recommended for any and all fans of middle grade fantasy.

I received this e-book from Stories Untold via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book sounded like something I would thoroughly enjoy and it certainly did not disappoint. I really connected with, when Ivy passed over the boundary, growing up I always loved reading and building up these magical worlds in my head and this is something I always thought, wouldn’t it be great if I just crossed over into a magical world.

The world-building in this book is great, there is a lot to feed your imagination and create the scene in your head. I really enjoy it when a book gives you all the elements you need to create a version of their world, you can really see where D.E. Night was going.

This book definitely starts off slow but the second half of the book picks up a lot more.

I know it's overused a lot these days but I do love a good ‘average person turns out to be magical / royalty’ storyline, it takes me back to my youth of when there is still a part of you that believes that this could one day happen to you but you just don’t know it yet. I think this is a great book for the younger generation, I’m not so sure all adults would enjoy it as much. I enjoyed going along on Ivy’s journey and I’m intrigued to see where the story goes next.

I see a lot of people comparing it to Harry Potter and while I can see where they are coming from, I only read the first 3 books I’m not really a Harry Potter fan, so I can’t really compare the two.

I would certainly give this book 3.5 stars.

Fans of magical schools and the problems that arise with the power of major will appreciate the setting and themes of this book.

My rating for this book is 3.5 stars.

This book was sent to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed reading this book as it took me back to my childhood of reading books such as Harry Potter with magical creatures and a magical story.

I thought that this book was quite an easy read which is why I would recommend this more so for the ages of 7- 11 years old. I think that the magical elements of this book will appeal massively to this age range and really allow them to get in touch with their imagination just like this book did for me.

Another element of this book that I liked is a strong female character. I believe that having characters as strong and fearless as Ivy is really great for young readers to learn about and to aspire to be like. I wish I had had more strong female influences in books to have given me more confidence when I was younger.

If I was to improve this book, I think it would be that the similarities between Harry Potter and this are very prominent. Whilst both are set to follow this kid who goes to a magic school, I feel like there could have been more to this and it could have been made to really stand out against Harry Potter. However for middle grade readers who love to read magical stories and lose themselves in these magical worlds, it’s definitely for them.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book. It wasn't for me. I'm not sure if it's because I could reference HP while reading this or just the pace of the writing. I wasn't able to get more than 1/2 way through.

This story brought me back to the feelings I had when reading Harry Potter as a kid. A new and whimsical land with a MC that is unsure of their family heritage and a life that is going to go from simple to completely magical. It was very fun to read and if you or your child want something Harry Potter like without the baggage of a problematic author I recommend you check this one out!

This gave me Harry Potter vibes. Ivy is sixteen, young and adventurous. She learns she has magic and gets to attend the Halls of Ivy. I think the author did such a great job of world building in this book. It was just so fantastical and magical. I could imagine the world and all the colors.

Ivy herself was adorable. I thought her character growth was good. You really see her grow into herself and her abilities. Her confidence really starts to shine and she is just a character you find yourself cheering on.

The story was unique. It isn't something I've quite read before so I didn't find it super predictable or too complicated. Because sometimes I feel like that is super easy to do with magic and schools surrounding magic. It gets so complicated and a bit too tedious for me.

I think if you enjoy pure fantasy and magic, this is the right book for you. It is well done and very immersive.

Fantasy books can be hit or miss for me. I'm not a huge fan of world building and can get frustrated just wanting the story to get on with it. That said, I didn't have that issue at all with THE CROWNS OF CROSWALD by D.E. Night. This story pulled me in right away and held on tight until the end.

I have to admit that I was a little confused as to why a book about a fifteen/sixteen-year-old was being pitched as middle grade but once I was into the book it didn't matter. It's a magic story about a magic school that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. And, at it's heart, it is a book about how we must remember our past and grow from it, not hide it away from everyone to see, a lesson that I think we could all use right now.

If you are looking for a fun, adventurous escape from the real world, I definitely recommend escaping into THE CROWNS OF CROSWALD.

Thanks to @storiesuntoldpress and @author.denight for a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Crowns of Croswald was such a fun and magical coming of age story that I thoroughly enjoyed! ⁣
⁣
Ivy was such a great character who is thrown into this new world of magic and it was impossible not to root for her! ⁣
⁣
The pacing was perfect and I'm honestly looking forward to reading the rest in this series to watch Ivy develop! ⁣
⁣
This is the perfect middle grade book for readers of all ages. With a unique magic system, I recommend this to anyone looking for whimsical read!

This book was a delight. There’s a lot to be said for the magical boarding school trope, and this one sits perfectly within the genre.

The world building is tremendous. Part magical, part mysterious, part quirky and part whimsical, DE Night trusts the reader and lands them in an unpredictable, critter-filled land of imagination. Ivy Lovely and her cast of friends and mentors were also sweet and complemented the mood and tone of the book. Like Ivy, I now have a little crush on Fyn and hope this relationship develops!

Is it perfect? No. The action climax builds the tension but then feels a little rushed. There’s also a touch too much explanation by way of dialogue in the final chapter, and certain elements were overly predictable. That said, I wish this had been published when I was a wee reader because I would have absolutely inhaled this. It makes me nostalgic in a way I don’t often feel - not to mention, the perfect escapism during a busy time of life.

I received a free copy from the publisher on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Wow. The world building was great. The plot was unique and gripping i really loved the way it was paced even though it might not be the masses favourite pacing. The characters were amazing but at times i was questioning them and myself too🤣

I enjoyed the author's lyrical writing style and the fantastical story line. Anyone who enjoys Harry Potter, Narnia, or Nevermoor will enjoy this book. We follow a teenage girl who discovers she is a scrivenist. A scrivenist is someone who can utilize magic by drawing or writing. The story is very enjoyable for me as an adult, but it is clean enough for me to share with my elementary and middle school age children. There were times in the story where I felt the very curious and bright protagonist was not asking enough of the right questions. However, other than that the character development and plot were great.

This was an interesting book to read. It's very similar to Harry Potter in many ways (magical orphan with mean caregiver gets whisked away to an unfamiliar land of magic, goes to a special school for magic, has special skills, is frequently in danger, has a close male and female friend and a cute pet). However, it flips the script by having the main character be a girl instead, and the world building is pretty unique.

I wish, though, that the world building had been deeper. You get introduced to a lot of different concepts without an explanation as to what they are, and the concept of queens and scrivenists is never fully explained. There's a lot of fantasy words that are introduced and require the reader to use context clues to realize they just mean things like "kitchen maid." While I realize a lot of it had to be withheld for the ending, I would have liked things to be a lot more fleshed out. So many things happen that Ivy just accepts without questioning at all (everyone assumes this character is dead but I'm not going to ask him why they think that!).

As it is, Ivy was a pretty interesting character, and I'm intrigued enough that I might check out the next book in the series. Hopefully that will expound more on the things I felt were lacking in this one. I'm grateful to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC.

Nothing too unique about the story. Average middle grade. I think someone in the age range would enjoy.

"In Croswald, the only thing more powerful than dark magic is one secret…"

Synopsis:
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.

This book follows the story of Ivy Lovely. She is a simple maid working in the kitchen of Castle Plum. Her books Helga is continuously breathing down her neck, to the point where she continuously hours for freedom. One day, she is taken away to a magical school for scrivenists (writers) and royals. Ivy quickly learns about this new line, and wonders why she is brought to this school in the first place. However, there is as a dark power looming over Croswald, and Ivy is on a mission to find a missing scrivenist before he disappears forever and his work is lost.

The author, D.E Night, creates a wonderful middle grade world. There are some very interesting creators and magical concepts that haven't been seen before!

Ivy Lovely is a well written young character who defies the stereotype of being an inferior young orphan destined for a better life and takes matters into her own hands. With her best friend and sidekick, she goes up against the royal bullies who think they are much better off.

Being a middle grade novel, it tackles several real-world issues without being overbearing for the younger audience, covering a wide range of themes such as grief, bullying, racism, prejudice, and abandonment . I really enjoyed the journey the author took us on in this world, and I'm sure I would have enjoyed it at a much younger age as well

This is the first novel in a fantasy series, I'm really looking forward to reading the rest of the books in this series.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a review copy.

I want to start off by thanking NetGalley and author D.E. Night for an ARC of The Crowns of Croswald in exchange for an honest review. When I received The Crowns of Croswald I was beyond excited to read since it was yet another Fantasy book and I was, at the time, utterly obsessed with reading Fantasy. I'm sad to say that it did disappoint me in the sense of not having a strong attention grabber and I just couldn't push myself to finish it.
I have not read Harry Potter (yes, I know, major shocker. haha) but all the other reviews I read seem to state that this book is almost an exact replica of HP. If you're a Harry Potter fan, you may like the book more than I did. The Crowns of Croswald wasn't horrible, it just wasn't for me.