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

FIRST, I WILL NOT FANGIRL OVER THE COVER as I already did to many of my friends!!! But it's GORGEOUS!

Now, let's get to the story before I deviate a lot about the art style of this book. This was an EPIC FANTASY JOURNEY and I will definitely read many more books to come by the author!! I love her IG feed too, so if you haven't followed around and you need a strong dose of magic in your life, please do!

Secondly, yes there are Harry Potter vibes but let's be very honest here for a minute: all fantasy books have some vibes from our favourite tween series, don't they? The book stands completely by itself, it's exciting, fast-paced and with well-rounded characters. I was in shock the whole time reading it really, as I was really sucked into this magical world so much, I would love to write some fanfic about it, lol

In any case, I should also congratulate the author on doing such good work with the scenery and bringing Croswald alive. I'm very happy that I received this book for free as I had never heard of it before, but now the author's world will have a special place in my heart.

I received a free copy of this book from the author/publisher I’m exchange for an honest review.

This book for me was a combination of a few of the worlds of magic I read as a tween, in particular Harry Potter and House of Night. Although it stood completely in its own right I did see flares of both of these worlds amongst the storyline. The story is fast paced and the characters likeable although at times Ivy does come across a little bit self absorbed. I went into this book thinking it was YA however I think it would suit younger teenagers more so. As I read this I found the similarities the book drew to Harry Potter difficult to ignore making it hard for me to not compare them, with Harry Potter’s plot being so extensive and the character development so good I found it made this book seem very light in comparison. I found the descriptions in the book really effective and they created great imagery although at times it did feel like a lot of description although I’m not use to reading books aimed at children and that might be why, at times for me it took away from how quickly things were happening and the combination of the pace with the description made it feel a little chaotic. Overall I think this book is certainly well written and the magical world well thought out. I think any child between 8-13 would be the perfect audience for this book and the cliffhanger ending is a great teaser for the rest of the series.

This was an immediate 4.5/5 star read for me, and I encourage everyone to check out this book and experience the magical beauty found within the world of Croswald.

I absolutely adored Ivy as the main character and loved watching her grow as the story progressed. I also think the author did a phenomenal job detailing and describing the setting of Croswald, down to each and every shop, classroom, and magical building we were able to visit. The vision I created in my mind was super clear, and I could only imagine how much I would have loved visiting this magical place as a younger teen/ child version of myself!

Without spoiling any of the plot, the ending of this book absolutely leaves things wide open for the second and third book to take the reader even further into the fantastical Croswald universe. I’d highly recommend this series to both young and adult readers who enjoy reading about fantasy, magic, mystical beasts, and lots of adventure.

I’m eager to read the additional books in this series, and thankful to publisher for reaching out to me and introducing the book!

The Crowns of Croswald is whimsical middle grade novel about a girl named Ivy Lovely who gets thrust into a magical school. The world was quite curious and the creatures were unique and interesting but nothing else really appealed to me.

The characters were quirky but felt bland and I would've liked to see more development with the friendships in the story. I never really felt the connection between Ivy and Rebecca or any other character she interacted with. The plot was also not great—nothing happened until half way into the book and even then I didn't understand the turmoil or point of the book. Overall, I felt bored while reading to be frank.

What a captivating story!
It took me a while to really get into this book but once I did it really took off. I can’t wait to see where this Story leads!!

I really enjoyed this one. The writing was excellent. The characters very realistic. I loved the magic. Cannot wait to read the rest of this series. So good!

I first heard about The Crowns of Croswald sometime last month and I was very interested in the book from the start. The Crowns of Croswald is a middle grade fantasy story that involves a magical school, and I love a good book with a magical school setting and I have been wanting to try to read more middle grade books!

Throughout the book I was most interested in Ivy’s character. I enjoyed seeing how Ivy adapted to her new life as a future scrivenest and it was interesting to see what trouble she got herself into throughout the school year.

The other characters in the book were interesting as well. Rebecca and Fyn seemed to be good friends to Ivy, and Damaris was definitely amusing in her own snobby way.

Although I enjoyed the characters I had a little trouble with the world and magic system. I’m not quite sure where my issues come from because I understand that the crowns manifest their magic through magical stones and scriveners manifest their magic primarily through drawing. However, I almost feel like I didn’t see enough examples of students really practicing their magic.

I also had trouble at some parts imagining the world because at time it would be over explained and at other times it almost felt under explained to me.

The Crowns of Croswald would be a great read for anyone who loves middle grade fantasy books, and magical school settings. The magic in the book is interesting and I would like to see where it goes throughout the series. There are also several imaginative creatures other readers might enjoy in The Crowns of Croswald.

I think this is a great fantasy book for someone who doesn't even think they like the fantasy genre. The main character is relatable, someone you want to root for and well written. The book itself doesn't have much fluff in it which I appreciate and the ending really leaves you wanting to immediately start the second! The story reminds me of a combination of HP and the Sorcerers Stone/Hunger Games/Maleficent which are all within the fantasy world but not as intimidating to jump into.

This novel follows the story of Ivy Lovely, a young girl who navigates a magical realm. If you are a fan of Harry Potter, this is definitely something you will enjoy. However, for me, the book is so similar to Harry Potter that it kind of loses its charm.

Here are the pros and cons!

Pros

> gorgeous world building - the world and its magical system is well developed, and it feels 3D and realistic. I love how creative the author got with every aspect of her magical realm - the royals, the scrivenists, the hairies (adorableeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee T-T)
> the theme of friendship over the theme of romance - Nowadays romance practically comes with fantasy, and it’s refreshing to have a book on friendship instead of lovey-dovey couples. *cough* totally not me going to read a romance now *cough*

cons

*Please don’t kill me I know some of you disagree with me but this is just IMO*

>Writing style-Throughout the book, the author uses phrases that are quite difficult to digest. At the beginning I thought that once the plot picks up, it’ll get better, but I was 130 pages in and still I had to read each sentence twice before my brain registered it.
>Similarities with other books and cliches - For example, the bully. The mean girl is just ‘the mean girl’, nothing else. It would be so interesting to get an insight of her character as a whole. Some books that are similar: Harry Potter, Nevermoor, ect
>Character Development-I think the characters can be fleshed out more, especially Ivy. I didn’t really get what her character was except that she draws. There can be some more in depth development there.

I think overall it is an enchanting and sweet book for children and teens, but I can’t really say I would strongly recommend that you read it. The idea and concept is great, but unfortunately has been used too many times.

I was kindly given this book through Netgalley for review.

This books was great! Full of magic and mayhem, it was an exciting journey. It definitely gave me Harry Potter vibes. I think the plot could have had more surprises (it did feel like i was reading a storyline I've read a million times) and I found the ball scene a little cringe (but I'm not the main target audience). I enjoyed this read, flew through the book and would like to find myself in this world again soon.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher, Stories Untold, in exchange for an honest review.

My rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Book Synopsis: Ivy Lovely lives out in the Slurry fields as a scaldrony maid, tending to the scaldrons to heat up meals and being yelled at by Helga. Ivy only looks forward to the evenings when she can sketch and talk with Rimbrick, an ancient woods dwarf. Until one morning, Ivy finds that one of her scaldrons has flue flem, and while trying to tend to him and all the meals- she greatly angers Helga and gets kicked out of the slurry fields of Castle Plum. When going to the hill to talk to Rimbrick, she sees that he left her a letter saying to leave the slurry fields and a pocket full of some change, but Rimbrick is no where to be found. Ivy then decides to leave the slurry fields and never look back with her new flue-flem scaldron, Humboldt. Shortly after, Ivy is swept up by Woolem and Lionel Lugg in a giant cabby and is taken to the Halls of Ivy where she will now be taught to be a scrivenist! But as she gets to The Town, she realizes strange things happening and maybe that her being noticed as a scrivenist and all these occurrences and might not be as coincidental as she thinks.

My thoughts: Don’t we all wish we could grab a pop-of-gold tea to see the inner brilliance in ourselves from time to time? Or Loshes Washes scrubbers to clean up our messes? I personally would like Flutterlights while I read at night ✨ This was such a sweet read, and for any little middle grade readers, I highly recommend it. It has a lot of themes that make you feel magic is woven through every page, and it was action packed and kept you guessing of what was happing in Ivy’s life and how certain events were all intertwined. Her friends were so sweet but quirky in their own ways, and you couldn’t help but root for Ivy.

I loved the fairy tale aspect of this book. Ivy, the main character is relatable and I always love a book with a heroine. I feel like it will draw the attention of students. It reminded me of a new-age Alice in Wonderland. As someone who studied children's literature and fairytales in college, I really enjoyed it. I wish I could adapt it for my students. I would be interested to see how the rest of the series progresses.

Sixteen year old Ivy was a fun character with magical abilities, who goes to a school where magic is a form of breathing, and where she finds herself home.

This book was so magical! I have to give the author props for how vivid the world building was— it was like jumping into a new world where there’s a new adventure waiting at every turn. There’s a reason why this book is often compared to Harry Potter in most reviews, the magic in the world of Croswald is very familiar and nostalgic. This book was such a breath of fresh air and I enjoyed reading it from start to finish.

Thank you @danielastoriesuntoldpress, @author.denight, and Netgalley for inviting me to read and review this book. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

For sixteen years, orphan Ivy Lovely has been hidden amongst non-magical people unaware of her own special powers that set her apart from the rest. When she is invited to go to a magical school she embraces her powers but is threatened by the Dark Queen and needs to figure out a way to save Croswald and herself.

The Crowns of Croswald is the first book in a series and is very reminiscent to Harry Potter mixed with Alice in Wonderland and Keepers of the Lost Cities series. The writing is whimsical and imaginative. I do like Ivy as the main character, I thought she was developed well as were the other side characters.

The world building was done pretty good and kept me interested but there was a bit of info dumping which hurt the pacing of the book and I had a hard time passing through those moments. The read is for any age but I'd say more so for a younger crowd (11-14 years old).

3.5 stars

The Crowns of Croswald makes a really enjoyable book. I love fantasy stories and worlds so this made a very interesting read. The magical school, the Halls of Ivy was very beautifully made and I enjoyed reading about it and the adventures of Ivy.

The story is very plot-driven and there are various mysteries that unfold as the story progresses which makes it very intriguing almost throughout. The story sports a typical chosen-one trope. There are no themes of mature content in the book so it is very suitable for younger readers.

The bizarre characters, names and things in Croswald made the book very enjoyable. The magic in Coswald is very different from what you usually read in fantasy stories. Here the ones with magical blood are called Scrivenists and their magical instruments are quills. Many royals can also use magic but that is due to the fact that they receive crowns that have particular types of magical stones embedded in them.

One somewhat negative thing that I can mention about this book is that the information on the world and the story are sometimes presented in a slightly scattered manner so it may make it a tad bit difficult to understand the world at times. But apart from that, it is a very fun read. I look forward to reading the next books in the series too!

I received this book for my honest review. The Crowns of Croswald is a middle school fantasy and was so whimsical. I could imagine all the enchanting details of the scenery so clearly.

I really liked Ivy and how she found her way to her magical roots. Ivy’s life from the beginning reminded me of Cinderella’s story. She was enslaved to the shield of the slurries as a scaldrony maid. Once she was able to flee from the magical shield of the slurries and begin to roam The Halls of Ivy she soon discovered a secret curse. She found great friends in Rebecca and Fyn. Possibly even love? Ivy also learned her true roots and what makes her such a special heroine.

This story was a great mix of magic, love, and hope mixed with some darkness. This was book 1 of a 4 book series. I definitely plan to continue on to learn how Ivy’s stories continues on.

My only complain is that there were a lot of components in the story. People, items, gadgets and gizmos that I had to keep remembering what they meant, did, and who they were. But it got easier as the book when on.

Overall this was a fun read!! I would definitely recommend to someone that is looking for a fun middle grade fantasy to read. There is so much world building and magic!

This book just really wasn't for me I dnfed after about 3 chapters
I just couldn't connect with the charaters or the story lines and the writing was just not for me.

I just finished The Crowns of Croswald and I love it so much. I know this is a middle-grade fantasy book, but it did not feel like it, and I love that D. E. Night did that. I was so invested in this story and did not want to put it down! This book is about Ivy and her journey at the Halls of Ivy. We got to follow Ivy from before she goes to the Halls of Ivy and we got to read about her journey with her new powers and we follow her when she learns the truth about her family and who she really is. I can't wait to read the next book and follow her through her next adventure

This was a really welcoming read. However, at first I was skeptical the world building had a lot of Harry Potter similarities. After about the 4th chapter though, I was excited to see a lot of originality blooming. I felt very defensive towards almost all the characters who were being introduced. You could definitely tell the school was trying to hide its secrets. It was a pretty fast paced read! I do believe this would be more of a coming of age/middle grade book. Ivy is mentioned as a 16 year old girl, but honestly I felt more like she was about 11-12.

Everything considered this book felt like a crisp autumn morning wrapped in a blanket by the fire sipping some hot cocoa. I had a great time reading this book. I am very excited to dive into book 2. I am hoping for some of the potential love interest that is devolving between Ivy and her classmate.