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

Do you want to be transported to a world filled with magic, mystery and adventure? Does the Halls of Ivy sound intriguing? Perhaps there's magic in your blood and a hidden scrivenist inside you. The Crowns of Croswald by D.E. Night is the perfect read for you. This is the first book in the series, so this is a magical journey that you won't easily forget.

That being said, the moment I started reading I was absorbed into this unique story about sixteen year old Ivy Lovely who works as a scaldrony maid at the Castle Plum. She is friends with a dwarf named Rimbrick, but as she discovers her true identity at the famous magical school, the Halls of Ivy, the name of Rimbrick will come across her path, revealing information that adds to the changes in Ivy's life.
With the shadow of the Dark Queen looming over everyone in Croswald, something is tugging at Ivy as she attends her classes in the Halls of Ivy. She feels drawn to the Forgotten Room which houses everything that needs to be forgotten, even the memory of the existence of the room is forgotten.

I loved the detail the author puts into the little things for example Ivy's Reading List included in her First Year Class Schedule. The titles are so well-named and seem realistic. My favourite is The Compass Collectis: A Collection for Collaboration and Comprehension One million authors and counting. I also love the illustrations at the beginning of each chapter. While reading this story I experienced an indescribable feeling, perhaps it's the magic, but it left me wishing Croswald was real. This story ends on a cliffhanger and leaves you wanting more.

I highly recommend this book to lovers of middle grade, coming of age, Young Adult and obviously magic! Lovers of Harry Potter will definitely enjoy this.
Other books in the series: The Girl with the Whispering Shadow #2 (published 23 January 2019) and The Words of the Wandering Book #3 (published 30 May 2019)

4/5 stars:

16 year old Ivy Lovely is unaware of her true powers until she gets carted away to a magical boarding school where she discovers a new world filled to the brim with enchantment and mystery.

Despite its occasional choppiness, the pace of this book is whimsy and very fairytale like. What I love most about it is that author D.E. Night takes classic fairytale components and spins them around in new and refreshing ways. This story is very reminiscent of classic fairytales and is perfect for those who want to delve further into a more unique and exciting tale. I adored the illustrations at the heading of each chapter, and the energy I could feel emanating from this book kept me turning its pages late into the night. Readers will love Ivy and find her self-discovery empowering. A whimsical, largely empowering and magical tale, The Crowns of Croswald is perfect for fans of Harry Potter, the Chronicles of Narnia, Roald Dahl, Alice in Wonderland and the Sister’s Grimm series.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.

It's hard to resist a children's fantasy story involving magic, old castles, evil queens, royalty. Reading this was like cutting a beautiful cake, only to reveal all the deliciously wonderful layers that are on the inside. This didn't feel like a typical fantasy, it felt like a fusion of sci-fi, adventure, fairy-tale, making it both enchanting, entertaining and utterly adorable. This is an e-book, but I'm hugging my kindle right now.

When Ivy Lovely gets an invitation to attend the school of scrivenry, she embarks on an unexpected journey she never thought was meant for her. From day one, Ivy is entangled in inexplicable events, which make no sense to her, because she doesn't know who she is and why she is there in the first place. She has a lot of mysteries to solve, and a lot of them involve magic.

As our lovely little heroine Ivy learns about the school and the world around her, I kept anticipating every single spark of knowledge and recognition that revealed who she actually is and what she can do. I loved that this wasn't just another adventure to read, but a story that tells us about bravery, love, stepping out of your safety zone and taking chances, but most of all, tapping into the source of inner power and fearlessly becoming who you want to be or who you are meant to be.

I was pleasantly surprised with the worldbuilding and completely engrossed in the descriptions of all things, creatures, sights and smells. From ancient woods dwarves, fire-breathing scaldrons, witchy warmupps (send me a pair please), there's so much to experience. It's like the writer waved her writing wand and cast a spell of whimsy around me, so every second I spent this book I felt the sparks of magic. Only a mind with a wonderful imagination could create something like this.

While this book is inevitably compared to Harry Potter, and it's easy to draw parallels between these two worlds, I am so glad The Crowns of Croswald, with its characters, descriptions and atmosphere, managed to establish itself as a wonderfully unique world of its own.

I hope you chose to enter the extraordinary world of Croswald.

Lovers of Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, and middle grade fantasy, read on!

In The Crowns of Croswald, D.E. Night delivers a whimsical, action-packed story centering Ivy Lovely, a 16 year old coming-of-age in a new magical world. Iyv's exposition begins with her as an orphan in misery, but she is called to action and crosses a magical threshold that thrusts her into an otherwordly adventure.

At a magical school, Ivy's talents for sketching and having a photographic memory lead her to pursue the path of scrivenists. Like any good middle grade heroine, Ivy is no stranger to mischief. Young readers will assuredly worry about and delight in Ivy's rule breaking, as well as her budding relationship with Fyn.

But danger lurks in the story, as well. There is an evil Queen and dark secrets to be uncovered, forcing Ivy to learn about her own history and find courage to stand up for what's good and right.

Thank you to Stories Untold for this book in exchange for an honest review!

Spanish/English Review.

**Thank you Stories Untold for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review**

At 250 pages, D. E. Night introduces us the world of Croswald and the magical world within.
What's not to love in a school of magic, secrets within the walls of the Halls of Ivy and a main character that discovers who she is? I loved the whole touch of magic schools, did remind me a bit of Harry Potter but the whole thing with the crown jewels per royals and the scrivenists that record all of their adventures with their photographic memory.

We follow Ivy, a sixteen year old maid that turns out to have the potential to be an amazing scrivenist, though she does have a couple of mishaps during the year. She's too nosy and curious, which often leads her to trouble, but more so often adventures that help her discover who she is. That's what I loved this book. The author introduces this completely magical world ( very detailed I must say) and the small illustrations in each chapter number are so beautiful!

Something I must say is that with all the names and so much description, I did get a little lost somewhere through the middle of the book, but nothing so big that kept me from following the story.

We have some small touches of romance, a whole lot of friendship, and mostly, discovering who you are and the power within you. I wholly recommend this to young readers that are searching for that fantasy fix in an established series (there's more books! might just grab the second one to follow Ivy's story).

Also, I'm still trying to figure out how to pronounce <i>scrivenists</i>

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**Gracias a Stories Untold por una copia digital de este libro para una reseña honesta**

Con 250 páginas, D. E. Night nos introduce el mundo de Croswald y la magia dentro de el. ¿Cómo no me iba a gustar una novela con escuela de magia, secretos dentro de los pasillos y un personaje principal que descubre quien es? Me encanto todo lo relacionado a la escuela de magia, me recordo un poco a Harry Potter pero con lo añadido de gemas en coronas para los estudiantes de la realeza y los "scrivenists" que escriben acerca de sus vidas y aventuras con sus memoria fotográfica.

Seguimos a Ivy, una chica de 16 años que de ser una criada tiene el potencial de ser una excelente "scivenist", aunque resulta tener un poco de aventuras durante el año escolar. Es bastante curiosa (y algo metiche) que ocasionalmente la mete en problemas, pero más bien resultan ser aventuras. Eso fue lo que me encantó de este libro. La autora nos introduce un mundo completamente mágica (y bastante detallado debo decir) y con esas pequeñas ilustraciones al inicio de cada capítulo estaba encantada!

Algo que debo de decir es que con todos los nombres y tanta descripción, si me llegué a sentir un poco perdida como a la mitad del libro, pero nada super serio, ya que seguí el hilo bastante bien.

Tenemos un poco de romance, bastante sobre amistad y principalmente, el descubrir quien eres y el poder que tienes dentro de ti. Recomiendo totalmente este libro a aquellos lectores jovenes que buscan algo de fantasía (especialmente si te encanta la magia y/o Harry Potter) ya que hay más libros en esta serie! (Y probablemente voy a buscar el segundo para saber que pasa con Ivy)

Nota adicional: todavía sigo intentando saber como se pronuncia correctamente <i>scrivenists</i>

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"Trust the magic in you and know I will forever be in the shadow of its light."

This story was a relatively short middle-grade novel with magic and mystery wrapped in one. I will admit it took several pages to fully become immersed in the story, but once the story captured you, it became easier to follow along.

The story follows a budding scrivenist named Ivy, who is invited to attend the Halls of Ivy. Where she will be able to capture and enhance her knowledge of all she knows. While at school, she becomes friends with Fyn and Rebecca who are there for her.

However, while at school, Ivy starts to realize things are not what they seem because she can remember when she is supposed to forget. She also has the ability to accomplish the impossible as a first-year student with little previous knowledge. With secrets waiting behind each hall locked away, adventure and danger are sure to strike throughout the story.

I think my problem with this story was the pacing. It took about half of the book to become involved in the story, and then once we reach the end of the book, it does seem a tad rushed to finish. I would read the second book to see how the next book plays out and what characters would return from the first one. I think Ivy's story can be taken in several directions, and it would be interesting to see what the author does with the character arc.

"How could a place be so magnificent and yet so deceiving at the same time, you know?"

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher StoriesUntold for providing me with a copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review.

I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Great book, again out of my comfort zone but a pleasant surprise. Magic and adventure definitely creates an experience. Thank you for this ARC it truly was entertaining.

Written for middle-grade readers, I would recommend this book for older children and lovers of fantasy. Personally, this genre is pretty far from my usual reads and it took me some time to get into the right mindset for it. While I didn’t fall in love with this book, I did appreciate the opportunity to sample what younger audiences are reading today. As a mom, I look forward to reading it aloud to my little bookworms when they are closer in age to the target audience. Ivy was a great main character - and I imagine younger readers really enjoying with this book! The conclusion really builds up to part two of the series: The Girl With the Whispering Shadow.

My personal rating: 3 stars
My rating as a parent, for my children: 4 stars

I want to thank Stories Untold and NetGalley for a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGallery in exchange for my honest and unpaid review.

I really enjoyed the book...it's great for lovers of fantasy fiction; especially those who are fans of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series, the Nevermoor series by Jessica Townsend or even the Study series by Maria V. Snyder.

An orphaned girl, with no close friends, suddenly leaves the only home she's ever known to be whisked off to a school of magic. Here she discovers that not only is she magical, but could be related to royalty, while making friends (and enemies) and having adventures along the way. I particularly enjoyed that the author has added her own name to one of the more mysterious characters in the book.

My only criticism would be that sometimes the story seems to "jump" almost as if the author has left out, or removed, something that she was planning on adding to the storyline. With our heroin, Ivy, sometimes coming off as extremely reckless, utterly helpless and naïve; luckily she's made friends who cannot not only pay for her recklessness, but can also save the day for her (on more than one occasion).

I'm now re-reading this, to my 10 year old daughter this time, and have purchased copies of the following books for us to read together.

I enjoyed the book and it was a easy read. It had a lot of fun magical elements to it, but it also seemed to remind me of a very popular wizard/ magical school series. While magical and school elements were different in this book from the aforementioned series, I couldn't help but feel that this book could have been heavily influenced or inspired by the others. All in all, it was a fun read. Would I read it again? No. Would I read more books in the series? No.

I am sorry to say that I did not enjoy The Crowns of Croswald much.

I was not convinced by the worldbuilding in this book: I believe that the magic system developed by the author is at times unclear and I would have appreciated a little more explaining. The pace is much too fast to properly keep up with the plot, and I found this story to lack structure and to overly focus on foreshadowing. The characters are a bit flat and stereotyped.

So this book is not for me, but the plot is overall entertaining and whimsical and the writing is nice. I can see younger readers with a liking to the genre might love this story.

In The Crowns of Croswald, a middle-grade fantasy, we follow the magical adventures of one Ivy Lovely, a scaldrony maid. Ivy longs for something more to her life, something magic, and spends her free moments sketching in the open air and the light of the moon with her dwarf friend. One day though, Ivy’s whole life turns around; she is kicked out of her home and picked up by a scrivenist who starts her on her journey to the Halls of Ivy magic school. Of course, no adventure would be complete without a mystery, and along the way Ivy picks up clues about the Wandering Family and some unexplained disappearances. Can Ivy put everything together before it is too late?

To start off I love the world-building in this book! The hairies for light, the mysterious ‘the Town,’ the cabbys and their personal storm covers, and especially the scrivenist magic; it’s all very mystical and fun. Ivy’s experiences are exciting and new, and it’s easy to get drawn in to the story of this heroine. I also really enjoyed the mystery that lurks in the background of the Wandering Family and collecting each piece in a way that eventually forms the whole puzzle. I did feel that there were some pacing issues with the story as a whole and the way it all comes together, but some of that might be attributed to setting up background for the other books in the series. There are also a lot of characters mentioned who tend to pop in and out of the story - for example the character is introduced in the beginning and then only mentioned again at the end, when I’ve forgotten about them. Regardless, this story does check all my favorite boxes: magic, adventure, a low-stakes mystery with a big reveal, and mystical creatures! D. E. Night has created a wonderfully fun setup of the Croswald series for young readers to explore.

This book is right up the alley of anyone who is a Harry Potter fan. Magic, a magic academy, secrets, mysterious figures... it checks all the boxes. Night does a nice job of building out a fantastical world rich with detail. While I don’t normally read fantasy, I was surprised by how quickly I was able to become invested in the story and the very relatable coming of age journey of the protagonist Ivy. While I enjoyed the read I felt that there were some parts of the story that were glossed over without much explanation and some plot points that were resolved too quickly (and easily) compared to the set up. Additionally, the references throughout the book to Ivy’s past made the end a little predictable. Overall this was an easy read with a compelling enough cliffhanger to make you want to reach for the 2nd book in the series.

There’s a lot of positives about this book: a young woman main character, expansive fantasy setting, in-depth world building, and a solid magic foundation. I really feel young children (my third graders for instance) and young families will enjoy this as a read-aloud. It feels geared towards an mature elementary reader (4/5th grade) to a younger middle school aged reader (7/8th grade). The content is extremely safe and the MC has many positive character traits (kindness, empathy, forgiveness) that any reader should emulate! I appreciate having more fantasy that appeals to slightly younger audiences that you don’t have to worry about overly dark or mature scenes popping up!

My one biggest negative was the exposition of the work. Problems were solved very quickly, and I felt it messed with the tension pacing. However, I do think that may be because I’m not necessarily the target audience for the story!

Overall, I enjoyed the characters and some of the neater fantasy elements like the spells and enchantments! And I think younger readers will love it! I highly encourage it for Family Night Read-Alouds!

I went into this book expecting one thing but, was pleasantly surprised by what I got. The Crowns of Croswald is a middle grade book, but it is absolutely a joyful read for all ages.

The journey of magic and whimsy throughout is absolutely wonderful. I would compare this read to being a good mix of Harry Potter and Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland. I can see why some said this reads like a knock off of HP but, I would describe it more as a book beautifully inspired by other stories. And truly, is that not what all books are. An adventure that was inspired from stories we have read.

The characters in this book were wonderfully done. The growth of Ivy being one of my favorite progressions to read. Other characters of note are Fyn and Rebecca two characters I truly liked. There were also antagonists of note that added depth to the story and conflict for the protagonist Ivy as well.

Ivy is a poor maid kicked out of one world and thrust into another, only to learn she is more than she ever thought she was. There are provisions that have been set aside for her and she is then brought to magical shops and The Hall of Ivy to learn to harness her own magic. There are bullies that Ivy must face and overcome, whom want nothing more than to see her fail. Once at the magical school the story becomes more fast paced and we are moved through the school year with the impending doom of the Dark Queen and her Cloaked Brood.

In the end Ivy learns her heritage and what must be done to ensure the future of Croswald. I truly can’t wait for this story to continue and to read even more books from this author. Any reader will find themselves immersed in the story and though the inevitable comparison to HP will happen the whimsy and fantasy this story offers will easily bring the reader to love this just as much as they love the classic magic school story.

I would like to thank the publisher for reaching out to me about this book as it was a refreshing and fun story to immerse myself in.

I was provided with a copy of this book by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

SYNOPSIS:
Ivy Lovely is sixteen and dreads her future as a Scaldron maid. Everything changes when she is led over a magical barrier and discovers a whole new world; Croswald. Croswald is whimsical and somewhere I would love to visit- But, of course, all is not well. There is an evil queen, there are unanswered questions about Ivy's past- not to mention having to take on a new school.

MY THOUGHTS:
What I liked:
The author has created a fascinating world! I loved all of the nuanced features of the world and school, it felt like an escape. It is obvious that the features of the world around Ivy have been painstakingly thought out by the author. The depth of detail allows the reader to clearly see the world. The animals in this world were one of my favourite features of the book.

What I didn't like:
For a middle grade reading level the plot was a little tricky to follow at some points. There seemed to be a lot going on but when I reflected a lot of my questions weren't being answered?
Ivy as a character was frustrating at times, but then again, she is a sixteen year old whose life has been thrown upside down. Potentially, I can allow her to be unclear on her motives at some points in the book.
Even with the consideration of the reading level the dialogue was very exposition heavy at some points.

Readers who love magic schooling stories would love this one.

My review can also be found at instagram.com/lupislibrary

First up, I did not expect to enjoy this as much as I did! (What do they say about not judging a book by its cover??) I tend to steer away from fantasy books purely because I don't think they're my cup of tea (and also nothing can ever top Harry Potter) so when @danielastoriesuntoldpress reached out to send me a copy of this, I was skeptical. However, I promised myself I'd read it with an open mind and I was pleasantly surprised!

I have to admit, the first half of the book I didn't enjoy as much, I kept drawing comparisons to HP- Ivy not knowing she had magical powers, being in the 'slurries' (where there's no magic) as a maid, and being sought out by the admissions to the school of magic. I felt all my pre-judgments were correct, and I didn't have much hope for the book. However, once Ivy gets to the school and the story begins to unfold, I didn't see any similarities to HP and found I was enjoying the book a lot! I'd say it does take a while to get into (especially if you're a skeptic like me), and I'd definitely say if you're at the age of reading Harry Potter for the first time you'll probably love this- whereas for me (who has read HP a billion times over and watched the movies a billion times over) and I'm a bit older now (21 this year) I'd say I'm just at the cusp of being too old for this. However, I'm happy I was wrong and this was indeed a magical escape from reality!

This is the first book in a 3 part series, so if you pick this up and enjoy it you can look forward to reading the other 2 books. For any fantasy fans out there, or for anyone that enjoyed Harry Potter and is looking for a magical escape, then I'd recommend this to you!

Thank you to @danielastoriesuntoldpress from @storiesuntoldpress and to @netgalleyfor sending me this in exchange for an honest review.

I love middle grade stories, there is just something so pure about them when romance isn’t tangling everything up. When I read what this was about it gave me Harry Potter and Nevermoor vibes and I got excited, when I started reading I was completely sucked in and immersed in this world with Ivy as she discovers magic and is whisked away to a magical school for children like her.

The way this world is described, the school, the country, the little town, the whimsical creatures, it was so perfect! I felt like I was rereading a childhood favorite, it’s so familiar but not enough that you aren’t still guessing. I crave stories like this with strong friendships and a journey of discovery of ones true self. I can’t wait to continue this series! Book four will be released this year so I have to catch up quickly!

Unfortunately I didn’t get on with this book but, I think that was due to the fact it is a middle grade. I was hoping to love this but, something about it just wasn’t for me. I’m sure if you are the intended age range or live reading middle grades, this may be the one for you.

First off I would love to take this opportunity to thank the publisher and Stories untold press for an opportunity to read and review this book.

Fantasy books would not be my "go-to" read in general, however, I have read a few in the past and I have enjoyed them. When I saw this book was being compared to Harry Potter, I jumped at the opportunity to read and review it. Unfortunately, it did not work out for me.

I found myself skimming some parts of the book because the pace, in my opinion, was a little too slow. I also, couldn't really connect with the characters and I found there wasn't much character development. It just didn't work for me.
I found myself getting confused at times and having to go back and reread paragraphs to try and grasp what was going on.
After a while, I had to admit defeat and admit this book wasn't for me. I am luckily, in the small minority so I will say this review, has more to do with the reviewer than the book itself. I hate writing 1 Stars reviews and I hope this review comes across as helpful instead of hurtful.
I will, I would like to say the author has an amazing sense of creativity and imagination. The descriptions throughout were captivating and the creatures were beautiful.

Overall, this book wasn't for me, however a lot of people seem to enjoy it so give it a go if you enjoy fantasy books.