This title is very much like Harry Potter, and I usually love books that take inspiration from HP. The Crowns of Croswald was a little too similar. I enjoyed Carry On (aimed at a different age group) because there were notes of HP, but it built on and created new lore that was unique and fresh. The Crowns of Croswald didn't hold my attention with fresh details in the way other stories that were inspired similarly have.

This is a middle grade book centred around 16 year old Ivy Lovely (yes, that’s really her name) who lives as a poor maid in a castle only to find out that she actually has magic. As such she is suddenly whisked away to magic school, discovering more about her powers and herself.

I really wanted to like this book; it has everything I thought I would enjoy. Magic? Check. Boarding School? Check. A plucky young heroine? Check. I’d also heard a lot of comparisons to Harry Potter. And yes, this is absolutely similar; complete with an orphan, a class mate who randomly hates her, a powerful and mysterious headmaster and a villain with a grudge. But sadly this didn’t live up to my expectations. Ivy was a slightly confused character, at some points she was incredibly naïve and felt much younger, then in others she suddenly seemed more confident. The secondary characters didn’t get much development beyond being there to help Ivy out when she was in trouble and the love interest was suspicious to me. He just kept turning up like some creepy stalker.

The pacing of the book was fast but it sometimes felt like it was too fast and you were getting information thrown at you without time to process it. The dialogue felt clunky and the writing in general wasn’t brilliant. I could also see where the plot was heading from a mile away. Without my glasses.

Having said all that, I am looking at it through an adults eyes who has read very little middle grade recently. If I imagine myself as an eight year old it’s possible I would love this book. Although maybe not ACTUAL 8 year old me – I was already reading Agatha Christie by then (my obsession with crime started early). There were some positives - the world building by D E Knight was one of them and the magic system was unique and interesting. The creatures were also adorable and imaginative - more Humboldt please!

Overall I would advise adults to maybe skip this series. Some middle grade books can be enjoyed by both adults and children but this isn’t one of them. However, I would still try it out on younger readers as this may be a perfect introductory path to the wonderful world of fantasy.

Ivy grows up without a family, sleeps in a closet, gets taken away to this magic school and meets all her classmates. There's a mysterious headmaster, a weird female version of Filch, and then instead of Voldemort, there's a dark queen who's basically just second rate Queen Levana from The Lunar Chronicles. This is a Harry Potter RIP-OFF. This book tries to be original, but it absolutely is not.

I did not enjoy this book at all. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to give a more positive review. Not only that, but I just couldn’t, in good conscience, give anything other than my honest opinion.

I was so excited to receive this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to @danielastoriesuntoldpress over on Bookstagram for inviting me into the magical kingdom of Croswald.

This book hooked me within the first three chapters! I am so in love with the imagery. DE Night paints the story so beautifully in my head. The colors and the dragons and the castles and the plants and the characters—all so vibrant and alive and… Lovely! (Get it?)

By about chapter six, I get some serious Harry Potter meets Alice in Wonderland vibes. And I of course am a HUGE HP fan. But… Maybe it actually is a little TOO similar to HP..?

While this book has plenty of description of landscapes and characters’ appearances, the plot lacks some of that needed explanation. At certain points, I found myself slightly confused about what exactly was happening to Ivy or how exactly she had gotten to a certain location. It seemed a bit messy and rushed at times.

I found this book an overall enjoyable read. The beautiful and mysterious land of Croswald enthralled me. But will I read the second book? That is yet to be seen.

I received a copy of this book via Net Galley, and was asked for a review. Usually I don’t review many Middle Grade books, but I am always happy to find new recommendations for customers at my library. I started reading this with zero expectations. I didn’t read the books summary and didn’t read any reviews so I wouldn’t be biased starting out.

All of that being said, I did not like this book. Immediately I realized that the story was meant to be geared towards readers of Harry Potter, and hoped to be the second coming of magical fiction. The author tried so hard to write a book like Harry Potter without actually writing Harry Potter that it fell flat. The prologue tried to build a climax for what was to come but it was just confusing, especially when trying to capture the interest of a Middle Grade reader. It would have been better, in my opinion, if the Prologue was axed, and the book simply started with the first chapter.

We meet Ivy, an orphan working in a castle kitchen where she is verbally and physically abused by a character named Helga. Helga is written to be the equivalent to Harry Potter’s Vernon Dursley without any of his depth. Ivy eventually gets whisked away from her life in some sort of magic carriage and deposited in a less than interesting version of Diagon Alley. As we read more about Ivy she seems, at this point, to be a combination of Ron and Harry, with a splash of Hermione’s intelligence. Basically, she is poor, an orphan, always finds trouble, is highly intelligent, and has no clue how to handle magic.

There is no depth to Ivy. I didn’t feel like I got to know Ivy at all, and that I was just haphazardly following her throughout the book. With each new character introduced: The Selector, Rebecca, Fyn, and Damaris had even less depth than Ivy herself. The Selector remained a distant figure who appeared now and then to discipline Ivy only to fade into the background. It seemed like she was Dumbledore without any of his personality. There was Rebecca, a princess/scrivenist, started out trapped in a cage, then spent the rest of the book trying to figure out what she wanted to be. But again, no depth to her character. She was basically Ivy’s sidekick that constantly got left behind. Fyn just appears out of nowhere any time Ivy is thinking about him, or she’s about to do something dangerous. He comes off as more of an obsessed stalker with a handsome face. Ivy doesn’t even really question it and then develops a crush on him which is just weird. Lastly Damaris is cast as Ivy’s nemesis, and she is written as the female version of Malfoy without any substance.

The rest of the book just follows the plot of Harry Potter to the letter. There are ghosts, huge dining halls, a castle, professors, a secret, an evil villain, the villain’s followers, a final battle between the main character and the villain, and it all wraps up with the main character learning about their past. I finished this book disappointed and frustrated by its lack of originality. I really think this book has the potential to be better and could be if it didn’t try to so hard to be something it’s not.

"Ivy lovely is 16 and she has no idea who she is or what her powers could be when she cross the magical boundary, she discovers a new world of enchantment and mystery"

This story was really interesting. I was full of wonders and adventures. I also love all the characters and their stories too. Our main girl Ivy was so interesting and it was really interesting to follow her through this journey. I really love the world and magic system. It was so unique. It's debut book by the author but it was still very impressive and really caught my attention. One of my main complaint is first half of the book is very slow other that it was fantastic read.

The Crowns of Croswald is a fun YA Fantasy read that feels much more Harry Potter than it does Lord of the Rings, which is a good thing.

The book opens with a slightly familiar premise of an orphan girl living a life of relative obscurity and poverty, yet having some mysterious friends, a talent for drawing, and dreams that are vividly real. Almost immediately we're thrust into the story proper as Ivy(our main character and said orphan girl) is whisked away to a mysterious magic school.

I enjoyed how the different types of magic were presented and while there certainly were more than a few Harry Potter vibes in terms of general themes, I feel like the magic system and story elements were unique in their own right, making this feel like a familiar yet unique story.

In fact, the one qualm I have about this book IS the magic system itself. I won't say too much as I don't want to spoil anything, but we see a lot of examples of the magic being used throughout the story yet we don't see a whole lot of explanation as to HOW the magic system works. But that may just be the "Non-YA Target Audience" side of me nitpicking AND it may be something explained/explored more in the following books in the series.

Overall, as a YA Fantasy title I think the book was pretty decent. While I'm certainly not the exact target audience, I can see how this would be a highly enjoyable world for a younger audience to really get sucked into. For me, it felt a little bland(though I LOVE the concept of the Scrivenest and the magic in the quills) and a LOT predictable. I think from the earliest chapters, anyone that has enjoyed modern YA fantasy is going to find it's very predictable, yet still enjoyable, to read.

4.5 ⭐️ for this cute book

first of all i’m gonna thank the author for the free copy in exchange with an honest review.

this book literally harry potter 2.0. the way everything about this book is so magical and i can already felt in the beginning of the pages. you just can feel the magic in every page. that’s why this book is a page turner.

the main character named is Ivy Lovely. she’s a young girl who doesn’t even know that she had power until she arrived at the magical boarding school, the Halls of Ivy. basically, i found myself easily predicting the main characters actions towards their adventures but i really enjoyed it. and overall the unique magic creatures and objects really caught my attention and i just want to know more.

the only thing i had an issue with was there’s some part that could get a little confusing and weren’t clear but yes i still managed to figure out. i think that’s all i’m gonna say. will try to pick up the next book.

Interesting concept, but just not for me. I can see how people like it and continue to read the series, but I’m not one of them. Again, not saying it’s horrible or anything like that, just saying it’s not my style but I recognize that it’s good. It never managed to get me hooked, which can be frustrating at times and made reading it seem like a chore. I felt that in some parts the explanations of scenery weren’t necessary or at least to the extent they were described to. Some parts felt VERY much copied and pasted from Harry Potter (but, nowadays, what fantasy book doesn’t? 😅) Overall, it’s good and I recommend you read it in order to formulate your own opinions. Although I enjoyed it, I won’t be continuing the series. Thank you for letting me read this book!

Fans of Harry Potter should not miss Crowns of Croswald. The novel centers around 16-year-old Ivy Lovely's journey as she discovers her powers at a magical school as well as unknown secrets about her past. This story is imaginative and quirky. This story is full of magic, long-buried secrets, and unfulfilled destiny.

Ivy's first appearance is as a maid working hard but not having the best of times. The kitchen ban suddenly changes her life, and an unexpected encounter reveals her true purpose. Having been gifted with magical talent, she's en route to a high-status magic school to study. However, the school proves to be more than she expected, and she quickly realizes that she falls out of place even when surrounded by other students who possess similar gifts to herself.

In her fantasy novel, D.E. Night tells a tale that comes to life with a plot that's rich with elements that detail the magical objects and creatures that Ivy encounters during her time at the school. It was a great book that kept me guessing throughout the story. The story's main character, Ivy, was a lot of fun to read and I liked how she embraces her peculiarity and is determined to help those who are in need.

Thanks so much to Stories Untold Press and D.E. Night for sending me this novel to read in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you @netgalley and D.E Night for this ARC in exchange for an honest review]

Ivy Lovely wants to be a scrivenist (pretty much a wizard I think?), but is trapped working as a kitchen maid in a castle. Events happen which allow her to escape and she makes it to the Halls Of Ivy where she can learn to become a scrivenist. She also has a mysterious family history that you don't understand or find out about until the last chapter.

Thought that paragraph was choppy and missing information? So was this book. This is a book for "middle school age kids", so maybe if I was 15 years younger, it wouldn't have felt so disjointed. When describing a scene, it wouldn't fully describe it.

Ivy was supposed to be 16-17 throughout the book, but the way she was described and acted, I thought maybe she was 11-12?

This book has promise. A very interesting world and story line. It has a bit of a Harry Potter feel to it. I'd be extremely curious for when it does come out, what a 11-12 year old reader thinks of it.

This was a fun, magical read geared towards middle grade children but quite enjoyable for fantasy fans of all ages!
Ivy Lovely is a young maid who receives an invite to a magical school where she starts to learn about who she really is and her place in a magical world. Along the way she makes new friends who aid in her journey. This book is full of pure fun. There are imaginative creatures and places to explore alongside Ivy and her friends as they navigate a new world full of magic, mystery, and danger.
This was a great read that I highly recommend!

Thank you to the author and publisher for an e-copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I received a RC of this book from Stories Untold Press for an honest review.

First off I want to say that for a debut novel it was beyond impressive. I enjoyed the writing style and the world building with the creation of some throughly unique creatures like the Scaldron was beyond impressive.

The main character Ivy Lovely is Scaldrony Maid, I mean a Maid who’s job it is to take care of the Scaldrons, that provide the fire for the kitchen in the Castle, I mean if you have to be a maid!

The story continues to follow Ivy as she discovers who she truly is, along the way foraging endearing and relatable relationships.

I think that this book is great for those that enjoy the magical aspect of fantasy and adventure and look forward to Ivy’s next adventure.

A magical adventure!
This book had everything it could have. Magic, mystery, love interests, history, mythical creatures, evil and good, rich and poor.
I could not put this book down! Ivy lovely is the next magical heroin to jump out from a magical bookish world and captivate us. Her story and adventures have only just begun in this story and I can't wait to see what D E Night has in store for her and us next.
If you love Harry potter then this is definitely a read for you!

Much of this book reminded me of what you would see or read about in Hogwarts. D. E. Night’s imagination is definitely unique and would be very intriguing for middle schoolers who are fans of fantasy books.

My main critique is that the book was much longer than necessary. The most exciting part for me was the masquerade towards the end. For middle schoolers that are into fantasy, this may be a series for them to look into.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CVYsEypr3Mf/?utm_medium=copy_link

Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me. It just didn't hook my attention. It could be the case of right book, wrong time, but that's just where I landed.

It is clear why this one is being compared to Harry Potter, many of the elements are there, an orphan child who has just discovered they have magic and head off to magic school, animal companions, ghosts at the dinner table, and so forth. That said this is not Harry Potter though I found our heroine Ivy Lovely just as likable as him but with a dash of Hermoine and maybe a little Luna mixed in.

The world created is lots of fun and a unique play on magic and how it serves the world they are in, however, it wasn't quite fleshed out well enough and certain elements of the story needed more explaining, the dark queen and her soldiers, some of the elements of magic and how it worked, it got a bit confusing at times.

I will definitely check out the rest of this series and could it see it as a great read for someone who isn't quite ready for Harry or loves books about magical school and places.

This was a fun middle grade book! It took me a little bit to get into - it was pretty detail heavy at first, but overall, I enjoyed it. The world was fun, magical, and whimsical. I think this would be great for younger teens.

Ivy was a great main character. I can tell she would be a great role model for kids reading this book. I did struggle to connect with her, but I also realize that this is a middle grade book and I'm not the ideal audience. I would consider getting this series if I had kids.

I enjoyed this book but it had a very slow pace to it. The world building was excellent but I had a hard time connecting to any of the characters. The story is whimsical and imaginative and will appeal to a middle grade audience.

What a magical book! Loved Ivy's character. This books takes your imagination to another level.
I would say this is written for a young reader but adults will love it if they love magic.