The Crowns of Croswald is a middle-grade fantasy series that sort of suits anyone who wants to read something whimsical and magical. This is book #1. ⠀
In the story you follow Ivy Lovely a sixteen years old girl who did not know she had magic within her. Grew up in a place called The Castle Plum behind the enchanted boundary that separates the mundane from the magical. All she knew was cleaning and cooking under an angry head chef called Helga. She basically was bullied all her life until she gets kicked out of that castle. ⠀

In Croswald, magic is familiar; it’s no a secret. Ivy is a very curious young girl; After receiving a letter and being accepted in the school of magic called the Hall of Ivy, She slowly discovers the magic within her. Her curiosity puts her in tough situations and sometimes trouble.

As you go along in this journey with Ivy you discover with her all those hidden gems in croswald and when she was threatened by the Dark Queen, she uncovers the big secret that saves her life, her friends and everyone else. You got the quills, pet dragon, magical bottles that takes you to a different world, potions, magical crowns and more. 💎

Thank You @netgalley and @danielastoriesuntoldpress for this copy ⠀♥️
**I recommend you share this story with your children 8+. Those who are starting to read fantasy. I enjoyed reading it. Loved The characters. Ivy, Fyn and Rebecca.

I received this book from the publisher (NetGalley) in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this book! The world of Croswald is very interesting and draws you in wanting to know more about it.

Ivy Lovely is a maid who ends up going to the Halls of Ivy, a school where students learn to master their magical blood and the power of Croswald’s mysterious gems. Through many adventures Ivy learns more about the magical world and about her true identity.

I love all the mystery and adventures that happen in this book. Along with finding out about things as Ivy herself is learning about them. I cannot wait to read the next book in the series to learn what is happening with Ivy!!

🌻 𝐑 𝐄 𝐕 𝐈 𝐄 𝐖 🌻
🇬🇧 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘄𝗮𝗹𝗱 • 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝟭
𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 • 5 / 5 ☀️

🖋 « You, Ivy Lovely, are magic. »

📝 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 📝
A delightful story filled with magic, whimsical worlds, mystery and adventures! This first book from this middle grade fantasy series is full of twists and wonders that will not leave its readers indifferent!

We follow the young Ivy Lovely who enters the school of magic where magic-wielders royals and Scrivenist with their magical quills are it’s worthy students. As her destiny unfolds beneath her feet and through the chapters of this story, Ivy discovers a secret she never expected and may well explain her childhood and the destiny of the world of Croswald. With her new friends and her adorable little dragon, she sets out on an adventure that will not be without danger.

With an incredible whimsical writing and beautiful illustrations at the beginning of each chapter, the author plunges us into her simply fascinating imagination. A colorful, funny and well-written world-building ; the enchanting world of Croswald and Ivy's adventures will enchant the reader from the very first pages.

In the prologue and throughout the story, we can see a character named "Darwin Edgar Night", which is none other than the initials and surname of the author. I find it genius to be kinda part of her own novel!

Perfect for fans of Harry Potter, Nevermoor or Keeper of the Lost Cities with a Dark Academia aesthetic, this book is for you !

If you are a fan of YA fantasy, this book is definitely for you. It's often compared to Harry Potter and Cinderlla but I found it so different and hold It's own.

The author has done a brilliant job with characters and the word building is simply amazing.

The story is beautifully written about coming of age of a young woman named Ivy Lovely. She lives in Plum Castle and works as a scaldrony maid. Everything changes on her 16th birthday. She discovers she has magic abilities and finds herself whisked off to the magic school known as the Halls of Ivy. Ivy's past and her family's past come together and help Ivy to discover herself and her purpose.

I really enjoyed reading about the Old Still Lane and its residents. I found myself wanting to read more towards the end of the book.

I don't want to spoil it for you so you'll have to read it and find out. I am now looking forward to reading the second book.

Very similar to the kinds of books I used to read as a young teen. It is classed as YA but is definitely more on the young side even though our main character is 16. I'd recommend it for kids in their early teens or adults looking for an easy relaxing read, with magical schools and mysterious places. Each chapter has a lovely illustration such as my favourite for chapter fourteen. The book follows the main character Ivy Lovely who initially works as a Scaldrony maid but when she tries to help one of the unwell Scaldrons is kicked to the kerb. She then embarks on a journey within a magical school. With characters such as the dragon Humboldt, her best friend Rebecca and a friend who I'm guessing is a future love interest Fyn, she learns more about herself while dealing with daring situation and her school rival Damaris and an evil queen. I also noticed the insertion of the character named “Derwin Edgar Night,” and I am curious If it purposely is similar to the author's name that we will find out in later books or is just a hidden  Easter Egg. The dedication at the beginning of the book "To my husband, who has proven fairy tales aren’t only in books." It's just adorable. I love seeing dedication like this. Overall a lovely read.

I was lucky to be gifted a copy of this book from the publisher to review. This is a great fantastic world that has taken some serious imagination to create. I loved going into the pages of this story, with a new magical world to explore. Fans of the chosen one trope and books set at magical schools will really love this story.

I will say that it took a little longer to get into than I wanted it to. There is a lot of world building that is needed at the beginning of this story, and that dragged a little bit for me. But once we really got into the main plot of the story, I was hooked. I can’t quite wrap my brain around how the author could create a world so intricate, yet gives you that whimsical feeling you want from a middle grade fantasy. And the characters are so easy to fall in love with, and you really root for them by the end of the story. There is really a little something for everyone in this book.

This was a magical experience, and I can’t wait to continue on with this story! This author is truly a hidden talent.

The Crowns of Croswald is a middle grade fantasy book about an orphan girl that discovers her magical abilities. She is invited to attend a magical school after she is kicked out her home in which she discovers some mysteries and makes some interesting friends.

There were definitely a lot of similarities between this and other magical school books that have been written before. The world that D.E Night created though is very bright and imaginative and was fun to experience.

Our main character is likable enough. She doesn’t know much about the magical world aside from strange dreams she seems to be having and through books that are gifted to her to read.

Overall, I feel the demographic that this was intended for would love it. It’s a fun magical world with a sense of mystery to get lost in for a little while.

I didn't connect at all with anything in this book. Not the writing, not the characters, not anything. This one put me in a major reading slump.

I became enchanted by the story of Ivy and her journey of exploring her magic, stumbling across mysterious and strange occurrences at the Halls of Ivy, and the Dark Queen lurking around the corner! Truly magical! I felt like I was right there on the journey with Ivy!

The book itself is a light and entertaining read. Great book for young and old. I quickly became captivated with the characters and Croswald itself. Ivy with her clumsiness and naivete, but her eagerness, boldness, and determination to figure it out regardless of the consequences. The magical, mystical creatures in the book are so enchanting that it makes me want to have my own scaldron and hairy, or to feed drumnuts to a shorehorse. I find the Selector and Fyn, Ivy's little crush, to be very mysterious and there's more to these two that I'm hoping to find out in the next book.

The Crowns of Croswald was exceptional! A true gem!

Synopsis:
Ivy Lovely, an artistic orphaned maid, is left homeless and jobless on the first Moonsday after her 16th birthday. As luck would have it, she finds out that she has magic coursing through her veins, and that her destiny is to attend Ivy Halls to be a Scrivenist. Join Ivy as she makes new friends, learns more about her family’s past and works towards honing her magical skills!

What you can expect:
- Strong female protagonist & antagonist
- Harry Potter vibes (The first 30% had very similar themes, but the rest of the novel really distinguishes itself)
- A pet dragon

The Verdict: Truth be told, I didn’t quite get into the book until Chapter 7; however, after that point I breezed through! That’s not to say that the writing before that point wasn’t good. I really liked the prologue and how the “author” exists in many dimensions as a writer of this book and as a writer of other books within this book. The author has a knack for writing details which can be enriching if you have a mind for fantasy. I can totally see myself recommending this book to students aged 8 - 12 years and to anyone who particularly enjoys a woman-centric fantasy story.

This one took me a long time to get into - I tried starting it several times, but fantasy (particularly teen fantasy) isn’t really my genre!

Eventually I got stuck in and found it a little more enjoyable than I had expected. It’s well written and has the right sort of level of adventure and mystery for a teen fantasy book.

It seems very heavily based upon the Harry Potter books, and I think because I grew up reading and loving them so much, I struggled to find this one as interesting or exciting, as I was just comparing it to the HP books the whole time.

I found it hard to engage with the characters in this book for some reason, perhaps because I am not within the age bracket of the book’s target audience, so struggled to relate to and empathise with the characters.

I think a teenager who enjoys fantasy fiction would love this book, but it just wasn’t quite suited to my taste so sadly I don’t think this series is for me.

Rating: 3/5

The Crowns of Crosswald is the first book in The Crosswald series by D.E. Night. While I’ve never read the Harry Potter books (I did watch the movies), this book really gives me the Harry Potter vibes. The story has the same structure and although the story is actually different, it seems as if D.E. Night really got her inspiration from Harry Potter. In addition, the story also resembles Alice in Wonderland. This however should not spoil the fun, since The Crowns of Crosswald is a unique story after all.

Ivy Lovely has lived in a dark and hidden castle for 16 years. She spends her day reading stories, and this is her real passion. When one day she suddenly receives a visit to the castle, she appears to have the unique opportunity to study at the most magical school in the country called The halls of Ivy. And although Ivy doesn’t believe she has any magic herself, she goes to school with her dragon. But once outside the castle’s borders, Ivy finds she might be more magical than she thought she was. Throughout her studies, Ivy becomes more and more curious about the secrets of the halls, and this leads to a threat from the dark queen. Will Ivy be able to unravel the secrets of the halls? What does the dark queen want from her? What magical powers will Ivy develop?

The story has a very long-winded prologue. In my opinion it could have been left out, because it doesn’t add much to the story. The events from the prologue are also explained again later in the story.

D.E. Night has managed to write a very magical story that takes you as a reader on an adventure. However, in my opinion the story remained superficial and I missed a bit of depth. What I really like is that D.E. Night takes the reader in search of a mysterious character named Darwin Edgar Night. And as you may already have figured out, this name is a huge reference to the author herself. Personally, I find a less pleasant reference in the story, although I am curious about the secrets of Darwin.

The Crowns of Crosswald is a must for fans of Harry Potter and Alice in Wonderland and is very suitable for readers from the age of 12. It’s a nice introduction to the world of Crosswald, and I am curious what the next parts will bring in this series.

The Crowns of Croswald was a delightful young adult book! It had a definite Harry Potter influence, with a cross of Sleeping Beauty (for the "didn't know she was a royal" aspect). Following the story of Ivy Lovely, who is kicked out of her job as a cook and maid in a castle, is suddenly picked up by a magical creature and invited to attend a magical school. She encounters some challenges with her classmates and finds that she has more magical powers. It ends on a bit of a cliffhanger and I will probably pick up book #2!

The Crowns of Croswald is a no-brainer recommendation for fans of Harry Potter. It's also a great series for children who want to read HP, but find the size of the books daunting.

This story is reminiscent of HP in that the main character is unaware that she has magic; only discovering that she has magical heritage when suddenly swept away to magic school. And that's not the only similarity. There are shenanigans and secrets aplenty.

I found this book to be fast-paced and action packed. The misadventures of the MC are what drives the story. It flies through the school year without any filler. Often, several weeks or months are skipped entirely. It's all to get you to the big reveal. I won't spoil it, though.

I, myself, prefer a character driven story, but nonetheless found this book very entertaining. I also enjoyed the familiarity and had fun comparing the worlds.

Rating rounded up from 3.5 stars.

Like Harry Potter, Ivy is on her way to a magical school. She learns the ways of magic in this well written book that 4th through the middle years will love. Great world building and the descriptions and wording of describing Croswald will be a great read for any kid that loves to discover new worlds of magic. Ivy is a great lead character and she is put into some interesting situations that lead to her understanding her family's past. We needed a good female lead in a magical world.

*Thanks to Stories Untold Press and NetGalley for the complimentary copy for my honest review*

This story was so fantastical and I definitely see the comparison to Harry Potter, this would be a great read for any middle grader or really anyone at any age. I loved the whimsical creatures and the world building was so imaginative and descriptive, it's like you were actually in the story. I'm very excited to read the next book in the series.

This gave me big Harry Potter vibes! I hope the subsequent books have lots more on the history of the world and characters that were not included in this one. Overall a delightful read, especially for our middle grades folks.

Such a spellbounding book! At first we a thrust into a world of royalty with magic crowns and scrivenists with natural magic. Mesmerised by the authors portrayal of glowing hairies (yes hairies) and THE TOWN and the land of Croswald.
Ivy Lovely who has only known a life of a Sculdrony Maid  and Scurry fields has always dreamt of joining the Halls of Ivy School. After a series of unfortunate (or fortunate) events Ivy finds herself heading to the Halls of Ivy.

When Ivy arrives she notices some peculiar events happening. Meeting her best friend and roommate and her prefect friend, Ivy finds herself having backup on her journey to discover the truth of her strange reoccurring dreams. Who is the faceless man? Is he good or part of something much darker?

Forming unassuming friendships and alliances Ivy finds herself the target of a dark being. Slowly beginning to uncover elements of a 16 year old mystery with connections Ivy would never have believed only a few months earlier, the book ends with Ivys life being flipped and landing herself with knowledge, alliances and gifts she yet knows what to do with. I cannot wait to explore the story further.

This first book was full of magic, mystery and coming of age stories. Mystical creatures, projections of deceased scrivenists and carriages who have there own weather... if you are looking for a book to keep you on your toes, this is the one!

Thank you to the publisher Untold Stories who gifted me this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!
I really wish I could give this book a higher review! The plot is magical and creative. Fans of Harry Potter would probably love this series. If you have a wild and colour luck imagination to fill in the gaps this book is for you! Unfortunately for me, I love a book that is incredibly descriptive and I found this booked lacked for me. Several times I found I had to go back and reread passages to figure out exactly how things came about. Even on the second time through I felt like parts of the plot were missing and I struggled with the timeline of events. As much as I struggled through parts of this story, I think the overall story was creative and enjoyable. Being a debut novel, I am hoping the plot will get more descriptive throughout the rest of the series! I would love to see this story adapted as a Netflix or similar streaming series. I feel like it would be similar to Carnival Row which I really loved!

Firstly I would like to thank Daniela Stories Untold Press and Netgalley for offering me an ARC of this book to review. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

This book was absolutely fascinating, It seemed very Harry Potter-esque to begin with. The premise being a young girl , named Ivy, who doesn't know she is magical until she is whisked away to a school of magic. Very Harry like. However she unlike Harry is a part of the magical world already and is aware that it exists. She works as a scaldonry maid using dragons to cook food for her castle inhabitants. She dreams of being a scrivenist and learn all about magic working for a royal family.

As the story develops a magical world is built before your eyes, at parts I was left a little confused as the amount of detail was very Intricate and there was a lot of new language. However I got into the swing of it and fully enjoyed Ivy's adventures as she navigated the world she was becoming a part of and began to unravel the many secrets cloaking her life and her history.
There were some nice side characters, Fyn and Rebecca plus some fun characters to loathe (namely Damaris) as well as the distant fear emanating from the Dark Queen and her cloaked brood.

All in all it was a fun YA story and it will be interesting to see where Ivy finds herself in the future books of the series.