This book is first in the series and follows a girl called Ivy she is a scaldrony maid working at place called castle plum and her life takes an unexpected turn and we follow her to be immersed in a magical world.🧙

I loved all the characters and Ivy is a fantastic main protagonist she is strong minded and smart.
The story was slow starting but once we got into the magical and fantasy elements it is fast paced.

Throughly enjoyed this read and can’t wait to see how this book progresses and to continue this magical journey with Ivy and all the characters !! ✨

Highly recommended!! Especially if your a fan of the Harry Potter world 🧙

I was contacted by the authors publicist and was given a free copy via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book follows Ivy Lovely, a 16 year old girl who was a scaldron maid until very recently, who then gets enrolled in a magical school for scrivenists and royalty where she learns more about herself, her magic, her past and her family.
I know as a teenager I would have adored this book! It's full of magic, whimsy and of course magical creatures, Humboldt is definitely my favourite!
It's a very easy read, perfect for teens and those who are wanting to get into fantasy books. I also loved the little illustrations at the beginning of each chapter!

Overall rating - 4 ⭐

3.5 Stars

Going into this book, I was expecting a magical middle grade coming-of-age story and I definitely wasn’t disappointed! This book was so whimsical and easy to like, the different names and terms (Scaldragons, hairies and squinches, to name a few) had me smiling the entire time I was reading this!

This book was definitely easy to get into, with the magical world building being in the forefront throughout, making this a very whimsical read. Our main character Ivy was easy to love and I thought her friendship with Rebecca and also Fyn was adorable!

The only issue I have with this book is that I thought that it was slightly cliche and predictable in some places. There are definitely similarities to Harry Potter in the magical schooling element of the book as well as also being fairly predictable in the ‘lost royal’ storyline. For this reason, I would definitely say that this is a great lead for any younger readers who may not be so frustrated by predictable storylines, or in general anyone who is a fan of middle grade fantasy!

Ivy Lovely, a scaldron maid, lives a life of drudgery and isolation. The castle she serves is surrounded by slurry trees whose property dims magical powers. Once she is fired and crosses the slurry boundary, Ivy is whisked away to magic school to harness the powers she never knew she had. Ivy’s life takes a turn for the better however, the kingdom of Croswald, takes a turn for the worse; ruled over by the Dark Queen who threatens all that is good.

D.E.Night’s middle grade fantasy series is packed full of magic and adventure, the perfect entry read into the fantasy genre for pre-teens. The protagonist’s name, Ivy Lovely encapsulates the mood of this novel – whimsical. From the very first chapter, we are introduced to the scaldrons – dragons who act as ovens to cook meals for the lords and ladies of the castle – these quirky little dragons made me feel a pang of nostalgia for the quirky fantasy of J.K.Rowling, Terry Pratchett and Enid Blyton. The novel is full of eccentric and fabulous creatures, porcupines who are used to pluck quills from; hairies who are literally hairy fairies who light the lamps of Croswald and ginormous cabby beasts who carry their own foul weather system and remind me of the giant rhinoceros storm in James of the Giant Peach. Whilst the book is incredibly unique you can’t ignore the Harry Potter inspiration such as a street of magical shops like Diagon Alley, a magical school like Hogwarts and a whole menagerie of fantastical beasts. However, the unique magic system stands out. At the scrivinist school of magic, there are two types of students; royals who gain their powers from the stones in their crowns and scrivinists who gain their power from their blood and sketching skills. Scrivinists are trained to hone their abilities so that they can one day serve the royals in their courts and castles. This interesting magical hierarchy makes for some brilliant snooty enemies and genuine friends for Ivy.

The story really picks up pace once Ivy has been enrolled into magic school and is introduced to glenageries. A glenagerie is a unique system of magic whereby you can capture an imaginative scenario into a bottle that can be uncorked and re-lived. When a glenagerie is opened during one of Ivy’s magical classes, she is drawn into a pirate ship where the mysterious Derwin Edgar Knight tries to leave her a message. Ivy keeps seeing the same man in her dreams at night – it is as if he is trying to tell her something – something important. When Ivy learns that there is a room in the school where things go to be forgotten, wiped from the memory of all outside of the door once placed inside, Ivy suspects that the answers to who Derwin Edgar Knight is lie in there. Why would anyone try to erase him from history? Is the Dark Queen involved? What connection does he have to Ivy? The mystery of Derwin Edgar Knight drives the narrative into its dramatic, whirlwind ending. I would highly recommend this novel for children aged 11+ who love magic, mystery and adventure stories. A delightful, light-hearted escapade.

A copy was gifted via Net Galley for an honest review.

The first in a series of books by D E Night . I was fortunate to be allowed to read and review this book by StoriesUntold and Netgalley. This is a story of magic where our heroine Ivy is a scaldron maid who leaves her job and finds herself a scrivenist student at the prestigious school which trains scrivenists and crowned royals. This has been compared to Harry Potter , but it my opinion it is on a different scale altogether. I am a massive Potter fan and I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I could see where similarities lay,but there are major differences, not only in the fact this is not a story about witches and wizards, but about a scrivenist student learning her trade at a prestigious school, and I want now to read the other books in the series to see where the story takes Ivy. There is slightly dark elements which says I would recommend it to late primary and early secondary pupils.

I'm not a big YA or fantasy reader but I was kindly gifted an e-book of this for a honest review. As I tend to have a hard time imagining fantasy, I was pleasantly surprised that it was relatively easy to imagine this book. I think the YA aspect really helped with that. The Halls of Ivy reminded me quite a bit of Hogwarts. Ivy goes on small little adventures throughout the book in every chapter which made it a really easy read and everything nicely comes together in the end where all the stories connect together. I really enjoyed Rebecca's character. Overal it was a quick read and very easy to follow. The open ending definitely makes me want to know what happens in Ivy's second year of the Halls of Ivy.

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

Title:The Crowns of Croswald
By : D.E. Night
Published by :Stories Untold
Genre: Middle Grade | Sci Fi & Fantasy
Pub Date : 21 Jul 2017



I was given this ARC by the authors team and NetGally for an honest review.


Girl works in castle kitchen with kitchen dragons.
Girl gets fired.
Girl finds out she has magic and is sent to magic school.


I had to DNF this book after only 55 pages.

Though I liked the magic element of the book and was looking forward to learning more I could not continue to ignore the fat shaming/ fat phobia in this book.

By page 55 we had already read the following:

"eating was the best kind of body building"
"overly wide hips"
"However her size would suggest she lived beside the town baker instead"

There were probably more that I didn't take note of. On top of these quotes it seemed that any one deemed nice or kind was referred to as skinny physically .

The book did have great descriptions and transported me to a different world. However there was repetitive use of certain words such as just and reveries.

Unfortunately as some one from the plus size community I couldn't let the fat shaming slide. I will probably not read anything else by this author.

If you like Harry Potter and are not adverse to fat shaming then this is the book for you.

As a fan of Harry Potter and a middle-grade librarian, it's hard to find new titles that encompass the world-building and empathy of the Potter series. The Crowns of Croswald is a fast-paced, refreshing, middle-grade alternative. It is safe to call Harry Potter a classic, but given the recent opinions of the author, I think many people are looking for alternatives to share with their children. It was also refreshing to read something written by a woman of color and have the protagonist be a girl. Middle-grade fantasy holds a special place in my heart and I will absolutely be buying this series for my library.

Everything about the imagery of this first in a series was so vivid and easy to put yourself there. Like most fantasy, there was new world-building to learn, but D.E. Night makes it accessible and easy to digest. It's exciting and new and left me wanting more.

The first thing about this book that grabs your attention right away is the cover. The gorgeous colors pop and grab your attention. For anyone who loves Harry Potter, royalty, and fantasy, this book is for you. Ivy is such a great character who goes from working in a kitchen to The Halls of Ivy. A wonderful magical school filled with imaginative characters. It was fun to read and follow Ivy on her wondrous adventure and find out where she is really meant to be and what her purpose is. Lastly, I love the author names a character after herself, D.E. Night. I recommend this to all YA readers who love fantasy. I received this book for free from the publisher (Stories Untold) in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley and Stories Untold Publishing, for the opportunity to read this book

The Crowns of Croswald is a middle grade fantasy series. I was lucky enough to be gifted a digital copy of the first book, from the publisher through Netgalley.

I was immediately enthralled by this whimsical world. The description and imagery throughout, made for a wholly immersive reading experience. The fast moving, action-packed plot had me tearing through pages, eager to find out what happened next. The masterful world building and witty banter between Ivy, Fyn and Rebecca is excellent. I delight in seeing fierce female protagonist’s in any book but especially books aimed at a younger audience. Role models, both real and fictional, are immensely important.

My only gripe with the book is the parallels that can be drawn between it and Harry Potter. As someone who devoured Harry Potter when I was younger, I could see quite a few similarities in Ivy’s origin story. That being said, the plot of the Crowns of Croswald takes on a life of its own as the story progresses. If you have never read Harry Potter and are looking for a story equally as magical, minus the transphobic author, look no further than The Crowns of Croswald. In fact, if any of you are contemplating reading Harry Potter, just read this instead.

I am really looking forward to reading the rest of this series. While it is middle grade, it is the perfect balance of nostalgia, comfort and excitement. A series that all ages will find joy in.

Thank you to the author D. E. Night & her publicist Daniela for reaching out and offering me a digital copy of the book. What a wonderful and enchanting world you have introduced me to!

This happens to be my first sci-fi & fantasy in a longggg while. It just upped my imagination game and I kinda liked it. This is usually a genre I try to stay away from but I’m glad I accepted to read and review this. I can’t wait to read the next three books in this series.
Get ready for some adventure and a new world of magic, mythical creatures, and a bit of humor. I know you will love it 😍.

I received this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I read the book through the eyes of a middle school student as that is who it’s written for.

The story was very imaginative. Kinda like a Harry Potterish universe where there’s a forgotten/hidden child, Ivy, who gets an invitation to a school of magic. She’s discovering who she is and how the world of magic works as the bad queen comes for her. It was a little confusing towards the end but easy enough to figure out.

Honestly I enjoyed this YA book as a 34 year old adult so imagine middle school me would have loved it!! This was a magical book and she did a wonderful job building the world with students and creatures alike.

Overall I would definitely recommend this book for young readers of fantasy or who liked Harry Potter.

The writing in this book is so cute and absolutely enchanting! Everything about the imagery of this story was so vivid and so easy for me to picture and get lost in. I especially loved the images of creatures like the scaldrons! This brought me back to my childhood and I know I would've adored this book even more than I do now when I was younger! I can't wait to read the rest of this series! Some of my favorite characters included Ivy, Winsome, and Fyn (but really so many more magnificent characters). It's been so long since I've read a middle grade fantasy novel and after this one I want to go and devour as many as possible! The plot had some common fantasy elements such as royalty, an evil queen, and young people discovery their powers but also had unique elements to the magic system and new mythical creatures I wasn't familiar with before the story. There also was a small amount of romance if that is something that appeals to you but wasn't overwhelming to the plot if you prefer fantasy without romance.

𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 - 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐃.𝐄. 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭
✨I received this book for free in exchange for an honest unedited review.
This book took me straight back to my days of reading Harry Potter 🧙‍♂️, yes some similarities but its own adventure.
✨It follows Ivy, a young girl working for an intolerable woman. Locked away with only her sketches she can only imagine what is outside the four walls she has only ever known.
✨Soon she has no choice but to leave and find her way. She starts her first year in The Walls of Ivy, a school to master the magic that is in her blood and in other ways, to find herself. We follow her as she journey's through her first year, battles with herself and the true evil that is The Dark Queen.
✨This book was fantastic in terms of character building, I loved Ivy and what she represents, woman power! She can hold her own and has the confidence that will guide young readers to truly believe in themselves.
✨This book was full of magic, creatures, the castle, mysteries, friendships and adventure. Truly a tremendous experience that I feel would really appeal to young readers.

Thank you to @netgalley and @author.denight for this magical experience.

My rating : ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Crowns of Croswald is a cute middle grade fantasy book about Ivy Lovely. When she crosses a magical boundary, she discovers a whole new world of enchantment and mystery. She discovers more about herpast, magical blood and the power of Croswald’s mystical stones. But a dark history and an evil Queen threatens all that is good. Will Ivy’s bravery and wit be enough? The Crowns of Croswald is the first book in a series and the next two books are already published.

I immediately liked the main character Ivy and it reminded me of books I enjoyed during my childhood and my teenage years. However, I found the book a bit difficult to get into and confusing at times. To me Ivy didn’t seem like a 16-year-old but she seemed younger. I expected to read through it more quickly but it was more of a slow book.

I liked the general idea of the story and the magic system because scrivenry was definitely a new concept for me. The world building was creative and whimsical. I think it’s a good book for young readers who like creative fantasy worlds. However, it isn’t a new favourite and there were parts I didn’t enjoy as much and skimmed through.

My Instagram review:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CNakzBVLMUx/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

I got this book sent to me by the author in exchange for an honest review :) So this book starts off super strong talking about the ever so mysterious Derwin Night The prologue is all about the scriventist :). i really enjoyed the magical aspect of this book since it reminded me HIGHLY of harry potter.

In this read we see scauldrons(dragons that help in kitchens), castles, evil queens, magic locked rooms, magic opening rooms, moving portraits, people who can turn into animals, the evil queens protectors, and much more.


This is a short read but extremely well written. It was easy to understand and i loved the magical aspect. I’ve seen many similarities throughout the book with harry potter. likeeeee

Ivy Lovely - ivy lovely has been a maid for the slurry fields her whole life.

Harry Potter: as been a maid for his family his whole life


Ivy Lovely: leaves the castle shes a maid for and is suddenly approached saying she’s been invited to the hall of ivy (magical school for royals and those who have blood in their system)

Harry: getting an invite to hogwarts.

There’s so many more characteristics but the similarity between one of my favorite books really made me like it even more! One thing I dislike was how little Ivy’s conflict with the queen was. We see the book not mention the queen at all and her significance to Ivy until the very last chapter making the book be boring at some times since there was no conflict. Many of the conflict we would see would be between Ivy and her classmates, or Ivy getting into mischief. Which is why it’s a 4/5. I did thoroughly enjoy it though and will most definitely be reading the next book in this series.

Thank you to Stories Untold and NetGally for providing me with a copy of The Crowns of Croswald in exchange for my impartial and honest review.

The Crown of Croswald follows 16 year old Ivy. A girl with hidden magic, destined to attend a magical school to harness her magical powers and discover her past.

This book was a slow burner for me, starting steadily. I had to will myself to continue at times but I believe this was largely due to the fact that the story follows that of another wizarding series.
I felt the book was different enough to claim its own merit, largely due to the depth of the world, its creatures and objects, but none the less it follows a similar structure. You know the one I mean, discovers a magical gift, gets an invitation to magic school, shops in unique and mystical streets, attends quirky classes and meets a variety of teachers.
This lead to me kind of plodding through the first half of the book, willing it to take its own path and to be less predictable.

Then.... at 50% I couldn't put it down!

Suddenly the book came into its own, It took a completely unique direction and we discover the depth of the world in its own right. Its so beautifully throughout and I thoroughly enjoyed all imagination of events that followed and the creatures and objects within Croswald. I felt the world was portrayed and described really well by the writer and I felt right there in the action with the characters.

I would really have liked to get to know more of Fyn and Rebecca and their relationships with Ivy but I can see this as a strong start to a series that will continue to build on its world and its characters further along so I'm not mad at that, it just makes me want to read the rest now that the scene is set.

Overall, this whimsical adventure defiantly holds it own, I will certainly pick up the rest of the series at some point and would highly recommend for ages of around 9-12 years old

Disclaimer: I was kindly gifted an electronic copy of this book by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I haven’t read a Middle Grade read in quite some time, so I was thrilled to dive into a world filled of whimsical and magical moments.
I really loved learning about the school and Ivy’s classes, especially how each of her reading lists were so descriptive. It really made me feel like a school like this could possibly exist in the real world and of course I wish it did!

Author D.E. night has a really great way of getting one’s imaginative wheels rolling. The world-building and character development were beautifully written. That I couldn’t help but picture this world in all it’s entirety.

I also thought the illustrations at the beginning of each chapter were so beautifully executed that I would spend some time just studying them, trying to figure out if I could guess how they would tie into that chapter. They really did add that touch of magic to each chapter.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this book to young readers / lovers of middle grade fantasy. This book ticked all the boxes, it has magic, mystery and action which was very captivating.

💫 Book Review 💫

💫 The Crowns of Croswald by D.E Night

💫 Publication Date - 21st July 2017

💫 Thanks to @danielastoriesuntoldpress and @netgalley for my free copy in exchange for an honest review.

💫 The Crowns of Croswald is a thoughtful, action-driven middle grade fantasy.

💫 I don't know if it's my age speaking here but I just could not get into the book as much as I wanted to. I wanted to love this book! I had read it compared to Harry Potter and was super excited but the first few chapters were hard for me to get into. I can see the comparisons but can also see where the author has given it her own spin.

💫 Ivy is a young orphan destined for a better life, she takes matters into her own hands. Searching for the truth about her family and heritage. With her best friend, she battles against the royal bullies who believe they are better than her because of their money and statuses.

💫 This novel is aimed at middle grade aged kids and it addresses many real-world issues with themes such as, grief, bullying, racism, prejudice, and abandonment.

💫 I will definitely buy the series for my 10 year old daughter as I know she'll love it!

DISCLAIMER: I unfortunately, could not bring myself to finish this book. So it is a DNF. However, I still think I can provide a decent amount of positive feedback with my limited reading.

The Crowns of Croswald is beautifully written, and richly imaginative! There's an incredible set of magic you are introduced to that, honestly, makes me think of the power that authors themselves hold! The characters seem fun and interesting enough — and there does seem to be a plot direction. However, I could not get myself to remain focused on the book, and found myself struggling to continue it.

This is a reader problem, not a writer problem. This book is in a genre that I thought I could read, but wound up not being particularly engaged enough with! The book definitely had potential, and has a lot of care put into it — so despite not finishing it, I will be providing a positive 4 star review. For its audiences intended age range and genre, it seems promising and very fun!

P.S. Rimbrick is my fav, I will take no criticism.