I've been curious of this book from the last year, so when they let me read this book for free I was so grateful. As you can see in Goodread's reviews, this book is indeed reminded me of harry potter, it involved magic, curious creatures, dark powers, magic school and an orphan with misery-cladded life.

But I found the world building in this book is quite unique and it makes you want to be a Scrivenist too. Imagine you can enter the world you have been drew/wrote in your imagination! Oh, I would love to do that for sure~

Ivy's adventure in her academy was fun and you can tell that she is a super curious child. And Fyn!! Oh well, I know how this story will develop into Ivy and Fyn's relationship later, but Fyn's character just a bit suspicious to me I dunno...

I definitely will recommend this for middle grade lovers, and YA books lovers too

The Crowns of Croswald
Author: D.E. Night

I was asked by the publisher of this book series to write an review in exchange for a free Ebook.

The Crowns of Croswald is the first book in the The Crowns of Croswald series.

We meet Ivy Lovely who is our main character. Ivy lives a lonely live for a sixteen year old girl. Her life isn't special at all and her work as a scaldrony maid bores her. Suddenly sparkles of magic shine bright into Ivy her life. New paths introduce the young Ivy to a new magical world.

Magical surprises follow each other in rapid succession. Ivy get introduced to the lifestyle on a magical school named: The Walls of Ivy.

When the evil Queen threatens Ivy, her mission is to save her loved ones.
Can Ivy withstand all the secrets of her family tree?

The Crowns of Croswald is a middle grade fantasy series for childeren. I think that this series is very suitable for children above 10 years old. Not because it includes any aggressive topics, but the storyline can be a bit difficult to follow at some specific points.

I admire all the fantasy characters, and the world building.
At some points I found that the story shared to much similarities compared to Harry Potter. This distracted me from the storyline because it made me compare the both of them. I missed some originality.

I want to thank the publisher and the author for the free Ebook.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book! While it's meant for a younger following (elementary/middle school age), it's still a great, easy read for an adult. It gave me nostalgia for the days I read Harry Potter as a kid - the imagination used to create this world and detail provided to make you feel as if you're there was well done. While the world it's set in differs from Harry Potter, there are similarities to the plot. A child, Ivy, unknowingly possesses great magical strength and is sent to a school for magic where she encounters many obstacles while trying to hone her skills and learn of her family's history. The greatest threat against her is an evil queen who's goal is to steal her power, and she'd have to kill Ivy to do so. This is definitely a book I'd recommend for younger readers!

Crowns of Croswald by D.E. Night
Thank You To Netgalley, Storiesuntoldpress and Author D.E. Night for the DRC in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

This first book in a four part series tells the story of 16 year old Ivy Lovely.  Ivy is portrayed initially as a servant to a royal family.  She really has no idea the magical powers she holds and her world is about to change forever.  Readers are taken on an adventure where Ivy crosses an enchanted boundary to a school to explore her abilities.  Her curiosity gets the best of her and she starts questioning who she really is and her significant importance in this magical world.

Who says your too old to read a middle grade fantasy book?  While this is not a genre I would typically read, it was quite enjoyable!  I loved watching Ivy's personality change from quiet girl to bold and risk taking.  The story is smoothly written and descriptive in nature, which helps the reader easily visualize this magical world.  My only dislike is that the plot in general was similar to a popular children's fantasy involving a boy named Harry.  Although the plot was similar, the narrative was different and unique.  I would absolutely recommend this fun and adventurous book to any age reader that enjoys magical fantasy.

I received this e-book from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

“The Crows of Croswald” is classified as middle grade fantasy, and I would like to start by saying I’m not very familiar with the different types of fantasy there are out there, but I enjoyed it a lot.

I tend to prefer fantasy that is, somehow, related to our world – such as Discovery of Witches and Harry Potter, that start in our world and go from there. In here, we have a full world construct and I felt it worked very well. The beginning is slow, which gives us time to get used to the reality – I highly appreciated it, plus the fact that we get a main character that is discovering this world at the same time that we are. I don’t like being put in a fantasy world without any context and it doesn’t happen here! The descriptions are very detail, if you like world build well done, definitely give it a chance.

I sensed some Harry Potter meets Red Queen vibes. I was going to lower the score because of this, but it pretty much only happens in the beginning. When the story starts, and we get involved, we forget other fantasy series and are able to focus just on this one.

The writing is really nice, which is always a plus for me me, and makes me want to upper the score right away. Overall, I really enjoyed it!

5 stars! I loved the magical world, the characters and the adventure! A perfect read for fans of Harry Potter. The magical world was fresh and interesting but felt familiar and nostalgic all at once. This would be perfect for middle and high school readers as I know Ivy would resonate with so many! I was very satisfied with how the ending felt like a conclusion yet was still the perfect lead into the next novel in the series. Fantastic

I loved this book! It was such a nostalgic read for me, as I used to read lots of books like this but haven’t in a while. I really enjoyed this magical world and the descriptions were just beautiful. The magic was very well developed and it was all very cleverly though out. The plot twists and the way all the loose ends slotted together at the end was very well written. The imperfectness of the characters made them very realistic and the friendship between Ivy and Rebecca was so nice, as well as the little bit of romance which was a lovely added touch to the book. Would highly recommend this book. Such a great middle grade fantasy. I can’t wait to read the rest in the series!

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

I want to start off by saying that if you like middle grade books that are a little be Harry Potter and a little Alice and Wonderland, this book is for you! It follows the journey of Ivy Loverly, a young girl who gets into a magic school (very similar to Harry Potter). And you see her slowly learn about herself and grow into who she is. The world building is beautiful and definitely made you feel like you were there. This book was definitely made for a younger crowd and it was a bit too much like Harry Potter in certain parts for me. But if you like middle grade books with great world building and magic, give this book a try!

“The Crowns of Croswald” is the first book in The Crowns of Croswald series, inserted in the middle grade literary genre, written by D.E Night. I was contacted by her publicist, Daniela, and they offered me a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
The concept of this book revolves around a school of magic, The Ivy Halls, where several students who have a gift for magic are invited to study and develop their skills. There are two categories of magic manifestation, and all young nobles are entitled to a crown with a stone that gives them a specific ability, having to learn how to use it. On the other hand, we have those who can become scrivenists, magicians with the ability to draw everything they see with precision, having a photographic memory, and the function of studying and writing about all their discoveries in order to contribute to the advancement of magic. In addition, each noble family is assigned a scrivenist. This concept was well developed in the book, it was what enchanted me the most, because throughout my reading I always felt that I was in a magical and joyful world, being able to immerse myself in it. That's why I give the concept two stars.
As for the story, we follow the point of view of Ivy Lovely, a sixteen-year-old girl who has the qualities of a scrivenist having, since childhood, a photographic memory and a talent for drawing everything she sees or remembers. At the beginning of the story, Ivy lives in a small village as a baker, having no friends, only Rimbrick, a dwarf who tells her several stories from different places. However, her adventure begins when she is fired and banished from the bakery and, with nowhere to go, Ivy walks with no destination in mind, but a strange person finds her and takes her to the school of magic, The Ivy Halls, stating that he had been looking for her for a long time. Entering the school, Ivy studies to one day become a scrivenist, but fate awaits her something else, something she could never have imagined. Overall the story was entertaining, easy to read and fun, the plot twists weren't surprising, I was expecting them all, making it a bit predictable. One star.
The protagonist of this story is Ivy Lovely, a sixteen-year-old girl who has always lived in the small village where she works as a baker. Despite not liking the life she leads, Ivy is still an optimistic, fun, empathetic, friendly and kind young woman, helping everyone whenever she can. One of her passions is drawing everything she sees, dreaming of studying to be a scrivenist at the Halls of Ivy. Ivy made the story even more magical, as we follow her school adventures, she is enchanted and impressed by everything she sees, bringing the magical atmosphere of the book to life. I give one star.
On the other hand, the antagonist of this story is the Dark Queen, the queen of Croswald. She is portrayed as a mysterious woman, as none of her subjects have seen her, no one knows what she looks like, spending most of her time in the palace, only going out in her carriage when necessary. I liked this mysterious element, however she almost never appears throughout the story and in the end I was a little disappointed because the confrontation between her and Ivy ended in a predictable and convenient way. Zero stars.
Finally, we have several secondary characters such as Fyn, Rebecca, Winsom and Rimbrick. Fyn is Ivy's love interest, having met him at one of the student scrivenist supply stores. He's older than she is, being a third grader, and overall a polite and friendly person, but I felt he didn't have much of a personality or anything to set him apart. On the contrary, Rebecca is Ivy's roommate, a noblewoman with a cheerful and fun personality, using her skills in a comical way. She becomes a great friend to Ivy, helping her whenever she needs it, even when plans can be a little risky. Winsom is a character with a peculiar personality, an elderly scrivenist who practices his magic inside the castle in a secret way. He taught Ivy many things, including things about her past, having been an important mentor to her. Rimbrick is a dwarf who is introduced to us at the beginning of the story, he is one of Ivy's great friends, since he was the one who told her lots of stories from distant places and brought her books for her to read, having been her source of joy during the years she worked as a baker. I liked all the characters, but I felt that some could have been better worked out and explored, so I give one star.
In conclusion, I give five stars out of ten to the first book in the series “The Crowns of Croswald”. However, I want to make it clear that this is a middle grade story, that is, it is for children, and I would recommend this book to that target audience, I think it would be a good story to start in the fantasy genre.

Unfortunately I had to give up because I've read more than half the book and still couldn't understand the magic world, its rules and what was going on. It seemed lovely and magical but a little bit too confusing.

The Crowns of Croswald is the first book in the Croswald Series by D.E Night.
It follows the story of Ivy Lovely who has thought the past 16 years of her life that she was a mere mortal... but she was wrong. When she crosses the border of mundane and magic, her powers awaken. She starts school at the Halls of Ivy and tries to unlock secrets of her hidden past, while the Dark Queen keeps getting in her way.
This book is full of adventure and is honestly perfect for fans of middle grade books or younger children.
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4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I did really enjoy this story and how we got to learn so much about the school, the creatures and the world of Croswald.
This book is comparable to a lot of middle grade fantasy novels I read as a child and made me feel a bit nostalgic while reading it.
Overall I do recommend this! And I definitely could see myself continuing on with this series ❤️
••
✨ Disclaimer ✨
I was sent a free copy of this novel by @storiesuntoldpress in exchange for an honest review! But, as always, all opinions are my own 🤍

This was a middle grade fantasy story falling very precisely into the long lost princess trope. While the imagination was clearly there, the author fell short when building a world that could have been so incredibly beautiful. The reader has to assume and cultivate the world on their own for the most part.
The writing was too choppy to get into any decent reading flow… there was a lot of stop/start/rereading sentences etc.
I think the targeted audience of 8-12 year olds would find it hard to get swept away. Unfortunately, I’ll have to give this 1 star.

The Crowns of Croswald - the first in its series - follows Ivy on her journey of discovering the magic in Croswald - and herself. While Ivy starts to learn more about her family history and the magical lineage that kept Croswald safe for generations, the Dark Queen takes interest in her. The story unfolds over a school year filled with new friendships and magical classes, culminating in a masquerade ball. This coming of age story captures the joy, the trials, and the wonder of finding yourself.

I have not read the rest of this series but it immediately reminded me of Harry Potter. D.E. Night does a good enough job of differentiating Croswald and it's magic from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. There are many nods to the story we all know and love, though, making Croswald feel familiar.

This was my first middle grade, fantasy read in a long while and, at times, I struggled with the simple writing style and rushed pacing. I imagine if I had a family, I would thoroughly enjoy reading this with my children every night.

Overall, would recommend. I can't give half stars here but I would give it 3.5/5. It was a nice break from what I am more accustomed to reading. I am hopeful that I will read the rest of the series and discover the ending of Ivy's story at some point.

This was such a fun read with my kids! My kids are ages 11-5 and the youngest 2 were slightly interested my oldest 2 loved it! This reminds me of the magic I felt when reading Harry Potter as a kid but the stories are uniquely their own. This is the perfect middle grade fantasy!!

I love finding strong female MC for my girls to look up to! Ivy is strong and smart and stubborn. Once realizing she has magic all sorts of fun adventures unfold! The side characters are interesting! The world building is great! This was a fun read and we can't wait to continue the series!!

I received a copy of this book for an honest review!

I gave this book 3 stars. For me, this book didn't hit as hard as I really hoped it would. The language was very beautiful, but could not keep my focus for very long. My eyes would graze the page without taking in all the information given to me.

As most other reviewers have said, the basic premise is a 16-year-old girl named Ivy finds out about magic and goes to a school to learn about it. At first, it sounds a bit like Harry Potter, but other than my super watered-down version of the premise, there are not many similarities. I found the world of this book to be closer to a Spiderwick novel or something of the like. But, that may just be me! It leaned more into a fairytale-esque world in my head that was full of whimsy.

Pros:
-The magic system is super unique. I haven't read anything quite like it, and I loved the concept.
-Our main character is very likable, and especially for YA readers and Middle-Grade readers, I think a great character to learn from.
-Lots of fun and distinct characters! Seriously, the descriptions and uniqueness of this world is unmatched.
-The worldbuilding was also really well done and felt very much like an escape from reality.

Cons:
-Dragging pace and dialogue. It felt like we were slogging through mud at times to get anywhere.
-Flowery language-- I know for some this is a huge plus, but for me, it really took away from the action of the book and made it hard for me to read for more than 15 minutes at a time.
-There was SO much happening at once, that it was hard to follow the story. That, mixed with the language, was a potion that made my ADHD brain unable to compute while reading.

Overall, I would recommend this book to younger readers who like things like Harry Potter or Percy Jackson. There are some wonderful things to be had within its pages.

Thank you to NetGalley & Stories Untold Press for gifting me this book in exchange for an honest review.

Book 1 in a 4 part series.
For sixteen years Ivy has been living her life as a scaldrony maid hidden by an enchanted slurry field from the rest of the magical world. Then one day everything changes as Ivy is invited to a magical school where she will learn how to master the magic that runs through her veins. This however is only the beginning of her adventure as Ivy learns about herself and the danger she and her world is in.

This is a fantasy book for middle grade readers and will be especially enjoyed by those who are into Harry Potter or the like.
I know many say there are some too close a comparison to Harry Potter and I can see this in a few instances in the book. However I do believe Night has added her own shine to make it stand alone.

Ivy’s journey of self discovery is well explained and she is a fantastic, independent, determined young girl. Who has a strong female character Rebecca as her best friend who also holds her own. (No man coming to save the day for this young lady)

My one critique is the book does miss opportunities to provide details and it can feel like the author just wants to move on with the story. Weeks and months seem to pass in a sentence and when we came to the end of the year I was quite confused how we were there already.

This may however work best for the younger audience and I know my daughter will enjoy delving into the Croswalds world in the future.

Loved the world this book is set in!! It gave me HO vibes…. The characters were colorful and I think middle graders will be on the edge of their seats to see what happens in Ivy’s magical world!

I loved reading this book, the perfect fantasy book to experience nostalgia from when I was younger. This book is honestly one of the most creative books I’ve read in a long time. It was super magical. If you enjoy lost princesses who have secrets they don’t know about or dragons that bake in their mouths this is for you.
I love the Harry Potter vibe throughout and the quirks the book holds.

Ivy is a 16 year old orphan who has found herself starting a new life and everything just seems to tip her in the right direction! The book is fast paced and action packed which keeps the book exciting. I personally found it quite hard to bond with Ivy as a character but I know had I read this book a couple of years ago I would have been an instant connection. The writing style is really enjoyable and the book is super easy to read which is always a plus!

This book definitely appeals to those of middle/high school age or anyone who wants a slice of nostalgia

As bad as it sounds, do yourself a favor and don't read any opinions on this book. If you are unlucky like me, you will read one that will stick with you and you won't be able shake it of. It does resembles one series, that's all.

What is great about this book is a world creation! Author has an amazing imagination, and is paying attention to the details. I was impressed with the magic system which not always is so easy to come up with. This shows how creative the author is.

This is a first part of a series, so there is lots of introductions and we are nicly getting to know the whole world and characters.

As a 31 year old reader, I must say that it is definitely a middle grade book, for an older audience it can be a little infantile. I can imagine myself to read it to my future kids or recommending it other parent, kids are going to be entertained, that's for sure.

I was gifted this book on NetGalley from the author! As someone who loves Harry Potter but had sworn off fantasy books, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book! Obviously I’m older than the intended audience, but I really enjoyed it. The writing really does make you feel like you’re in Croswald and going to The Halls of Ivy!

At the start of the book, I wondered if it was basically just Harry Potter set in a different imaginary world, but as the book went on it developed its own storyline. It took me a while to get into it but then the pace picked up and it was easy to keep on reading!

I’d recommend this to anyone who enjoyed Harry Potter or similar books and wants to travel to a different fantasy world!

Thanks to the author for gifting this to me! It’s shown me that I can branch out of my normal genres!