This very much gave me similar vibes to Harry Potter in the way it made me feel as a reader. I really enjoyed the characters and the magic system.

Although the images weren’t as vivid as other books I have read like this I did really find it easy to get lost in.

Many thanks to the publisher for providing me with an e-book copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

"The Crowns of Croswald" features the familiar narrative of a young orphan whisked away to a magical school, only to discover that they are the "chosen one" tasked with saving the world. While debts to the Harry Potter series are frequently in evidence, however, Night manages to craft a fictional world that brims with magic, mystery, and wonder. Night's imagination is impressive, and I love the many fanciful and original details that bring Croswald richly to life. The chapter title illustrations are, equally, a wonderful contribution to the vividness of the reading experience. Readers who like their fantasy whimsical and inventive, and their settings of the magical school variety, will find much to enjoy here. In particular, fans of the Harry Potter and Nevermoor series should definitely give this a try.

Nevertheless, this novel is not without its failings. I have two criticisms in this regard. First, while Night's world is rich in detail, her characters are rather under-developed; I struggled to form a solid impression of their personalities and physical appearances, which limited my ability to engage fully with them. Second, the writing is a little rough in places; in particular, Night's dialogue often feels stiff and awkward. As with my previous point, improvements in this respect would significantly have aided my engagement with the characters and their inter-relationships.

In short, this lesser-known middle-grade fantasy novel has shortcomings, but also is charming and enjoyable; as such, it certainly deserves to find a wide audience. (less)

I really struggled with this book. It honestly felt like it was trying to be like Harry Potter, but it didn't even come close to being as good. It was all over the place and I just didn't enjoy it.

I couldn't really connect with the characters, because this book was all about plot and I didn't get to know the characters enough.

And, even though it was all about plot, I didn't really think the plot was all that great either.

The last three or four chapters were the only ones I kind of enjoyed, but for me it wasn't worth the journey it took to get to them.

✅The Crowns of Croswald by D.E. Night (@author.denight)

First of all, thank you @storiesuntoldpress for giving me this copy in exchange for an honest review.📖

It really hurts when you remember what everyone else forgets.

This novel which is the first book in the series is about Ivy Lovely that got accepted to a magic school, Halls of Ivy after 16 years living in an enchanted boundary that separates magic and non-magic. Her power has awakened after she crossed the border. In school, she goes through a series of adventures and get to know secrets about her background and got threatened by Dark Queen at the same time.

One of my thoughts on this novel is “Ivy and Halls of Ivy? Her name and her school name is the same. Interesting.”. Truthfully, I have started reading this book earlier but I got hit by a reading slump, thus affecting my reading. I got confused by the prologue of the story but by succeeding chapters, the story has become clearer. The author also has coined a quite number of new terms and they make me confused for a while but that just me, I think. I got intrigued by the story and for me, the pace of the story is good even though sometimes I got confused by the writing. The worldbuilding is my favourite part of the novel, but I think the author has added more new things in the next books of the series. The writing shows that. For Ivy, in my opinion, her character and background story is okay but I hope she can grow more in the next books because it is not easy when your enemy is Dark Queen. In conclusion, I hope this story becomes better more further in the series. For this novel, I give it 3.5/5 stars. For fantasy genre lovers, you can give this story a try.

The Crowns of Crosswald was a fun, magical, and quick read. It is a bit predictable and followed a lot of tropes, but that's part of what made it fun. This book had a great atmosphere and I liked the school setting.

The beginning was unclear and there's little explanation to the magic system. There is also not much explanation as to what is going on and the story and characters move from one thing to another with little explanation, which made it confusing and hard to stay focused.

The main character was naive, and she and the other characters were flat. I didn't understand why the main character immediately had a nemesis after a small incident, it felt immature given that the characters are 16 years old. I think the story would have benefitted by aging down the characters.

The Crowns of Croswald. a middle-grade magical fantasy series, takes readers on a wonderfully whimsical adventure of magic schools and lost princesses. It is often remarked that The Crowns of Croswald reminds many of the beloved Harry Potter series. I think it's safe to say any middle grade or YA fantasy novel centered on a chosen one trope and set in a magical school is bound to be related to/compared against HP.

Although this story is chock-full of wonderful fantasy, magic creatures, truly enchanting aesthetics, settings, and intriguing characters, it does feel cluttered. It's clear that D.E. Night has a wonderful imagination, however, a large fantastical imagination also needs boundaries and needs to know when to pull back.

I found myself occasionally having to revisit sections or reread paragraphs for clarity on what exactly was going on and if I am doing that as an adult reader, how will this be brought to middle grade? This story lacks the clarity that is befitting of younger stories.

This story either should have been paired down and simplified for the middle-grade audience or it should have dug into the maturity of the characters and created a complex story for YA fantasy readers.

There are super strong elements to this story, but ultimately the similarities to HP and the lack of clarity made it fall flat for me.

So, "The Crowns of Croswald" is an imaginative, potter-esque, fun read. I'd definitely recommend it for middle graders (Although is a book that can be enjoyed by anyone, to be honest.) but, I feel like kids at that age could use the whimsy of this read. I think the main character, Ivy, is charming, and her endeavors are told in a fun, solid way. The book starts out a bit slow, but the moment it gets to the school, it becomes very fast paced. It has good plot twists and the ambiance is very imaginative. It's very easy to visualize the places mentioned in the book too!

Although, sometimes I felt like the book was going by too swiftly. There are some things I wish had been explained better. But overall, I enjoyed it. I have no major complaints. I think it's a book worth reading, specially if you want a quick fantasy read, I mean, I read the entire thing during Thanksgiving weekend. (Plus, the cover is really cute. The entire series has some really pretty cover artwork.)

So, to conclude, I liked it. It was interesting, fun and and an overall good read. (I will be checking out the rest of the series. I wanna know how the story develops.)

(I received a Copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts expressed here are my own honest words.)

(I wasn't too sure if I had to add the fact that I got the copy through here. So just in case. I also posted this review on goodreads, but it does not let me link it, and I don't know why.)

First and foremost, The Crowns of Croswald is one of the stories crafted with the BEST WORLD BUILDING ever. The prologue showcases exactly that and I am very happy to have been given the chance to read and review this wonderful book.

After having read the synopsis, you might be thinking: “sounds like a cliché to me...” and I'll be honest, I thought so too. But I promise, it isn't one. D. E. Night incorporated so many ideas, details and events that you wouldn't see in any other book ever---unless of course fanfiction. Although, take note that there will be characters and occurences which will remind you of certain books, which I found to have given a positively nostalgic air to the book. I very much enjoyed the feeling!

The first pages induce a sort of spark which makes the reader wonder about what the story has in store for them---like a riddle waiting to be solved. A page-turner you will not only be reading The Crowns of Croswald overnight or in a few days, but it will also occupy your thoughts all day, that is certain.
Character development is what has allured readers to pick this book up and the other ones of the Croswald tales and I had seen a plethora of evidence for that, primarily through the main character. I have never before adored an MC as much as I do Ivy Lovely. (I also adore Humboldt).

The writing style, oh heavens, is absolutely glorious. If books had a social status, this one will be of the aristocracy in terms of how it was written. I love descriptive, verbally aesthetic (if such phrase exists) novels and this one really quenched my thirst for these types of works.

The Crowns of Croswald tackles various issues subtly which is perfect for those looking for memorable but light reads with morals.

Bountiful in imagery and of a very rich storyline---readers of all ages and fans of Harry Potter, Narnia and a bit of Chainini will enjoy this book, immensely.

The overall story idea was very interesting to me but something about the way this book was written was not for me. It took me quite some time to read it and I ended up having to force myself to finish it.

Review!!

#thecrownsofcroswald

OK, so when I started this book I was unsure what to expect! I was asked to review possibly based on my love of fantasy fiction.. So as I do with most books I went in with an open mind! To start with it was so refreshing to step in to a world of magic that was not a carbon copy of a certain magical wizarding world that shall remain nameless... Because let's face it there's a lot of copy cats out there and I'm so glad to say that this isn't one of them! There are so many colourful characters and, a, whole new set of magical worlds with their own set of rules! Ivy is such a loveable character and we get to follow her on a very special journey as she comes to learn who she is!! All in all a great start to what I'm sure will be a magical series!!

The Crowns of Croswald is a middle-grade fantasy book based around the life of a scaldon maid named Ivy. Ivy, an orphan left at Castle Plum works a mundane job, desperate to escape the sclurry and horrible Helga. In a world full of princesses and scrivens who can wield magic, Ivy aches to join the Ivy school and practice magic. Her only escapism is her dreams where she travels to an eerie castle full of mystery and a disappearing, faceless figure whom she can never reach. Until one day, everything changes when she crosses the sclurry boundary.

I enjoyed the world this was set in and the prologue sets up the world and intrigue from the beginning. It’s whimsical and the pace made it easy to read and remain interested. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book and it felt like fully thought out world making. However, I did find the finale to be a bit disappointing, there is a huge build up of anticipation and then nothing really happens.

This book is heavily inspired by Harry Potter and I liked the parts where it deviated and introduced magical creatures and elements of its own.

While the Halls Of Ivy are fascinating and full of adventure much like Hogwarts, I would have liked more character building, a consistent timeline and a little unpredictability in the plot.

Ivy is a likeable protagonist and I'm sure that this book will appeal to the younger audience it's meant for.

This book tells the story of Ivy Lovely, a maid who discovers she has magic and is able to enter a school to learn how to become a scrivener and recorder of magic and guardian for a royal family. Ivy is a sweet girl, and is shown to be powerful, though she doesn’t know why magic affects her as it does. She makes friends with Rebecca and Fyn at the school, who help Ivy in her quest for answers. Although the characters were likeable I didn’t feel I knew a lot about them that wasn’t just surface deep. It seemed that there was a lot of time spent on world-building and not enough on character development. I also found there were some instances of fat-shaming which dimmed my enjoyment of the book.

In terms of the story I found it slow at first, there was so much of day to day life at the school, that it was hard to keep track of what the main plot of the novel was. This all changed about half of the way through. The story became more exciting as secrets were revealed and mysterious figures introduced and I started to enjoy the book a lot more. There was more action as well, though the characters never seemed in real danger. The climax to the story was over very quickly, but this book did its job in setting up for the sequel.

What I really liked about this book was the world of Croswald itself. It’s magical and whimsical. There are dragons and fairies (or hairies), magical tomes and maps, magical quills and stones. Whilst the school and the characters were very similar to other popular series, the world stood on its own, and I would like to read more about it.

Overall a mostly enjoyable Middle Grade read. If you are looking for a book about a magical school, with dragons, an evil queen and a huge magical library, this could be one to try.

Thank you to StoriesUntoldPress and DE Night for reaching out and allowing me to read and honestly review this book.

This book was delightfuly quirky! It’s about a young girl who discovers her magical powers and destiny as well as uncovers her past and who she truly is. She discovers this after attending her first year at a magical school which was fun to read about. Although this book was intended for a younger audience I did enjoy it but felt some background information regarding this magical world was missing and would have enhanced the book!

I picked up this book from Netgalley and ended up really liking it. This book is perfect for fans of Harry Potter and fantasy novels. This book has lots of action, mystery and is great for Middle school readers and beyond. I do recommend this one and will probably read it to my child when he gets a bit older to understand it. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This was amazing!!! It was like a blend of The Wundersmith, Harry Potter, and Keeper of the Lost Cities. We follow Ivy Lovely as she is whisked from a life of drudgery surrounded by slurry fields. As soon as she steps outside the boundaries she is whisked away to a secret school of magic. From there all sorts of mayhem ensues and I loved every bit of it! Secret chambers, mysterious wizards, new friends, dangerous enemies, and a hidden past all combine into the epic beginning of a series. Strong and intelligent female leads and great world building makes for a wonderful coming of age story. This is a story that will stand the test of time and will be enjoyed by all ages. I can’t wait to see what else happens to Ivy and her friends.

I have to say, I missed reading children's novels. I miss the little jokes they had, and they way everything is so delightful and fun. There's a magic to them that books captures well. I've said previously that i love boarding school stories, and i wasn't wrong. I really do enjoy seeing a character taken out of a world they're familiar with and put into a school like environment. And so, I really liked the school Ivy goes to.

I think the world building borrows a little from some other common children's books, but it can also stand on it's own. (The dragons who bake in their mouths?? Loved that detail!!) But it wasn't anything groundbreaking. It was a nice read, that I enjoyed. Not necessarily thrilling or very captivating, but as someone who missed reading a book full of joy and cute moments like this book had, I enjoyed this book for what it was. I'm not sure I will continue with the series, however; the book just didn't hold my attention all that well.

But it was a fun book, and I enjoyed reading it!

I received an eARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

There are a lot of similarities between this and Harry Potter.

I did really enjoy the book, it has magic and mystery with whimsical delight sprinkled on top. There were moments that I felt were perhaps a little rushed and I wanted more from the characters relationships with others. I wanted to feel the connection that she had with those she considered love ones, and sadly I didn't feel to much for any of them.

I did however really enjoy the story, the magic and the journey that we were taken on.

Fans of the Wizarding World or the Nevermoor series may just enjoy this magical journey of self discovery.

Unputdownable! Simply magical.

What a marvelous world D. E. Night created in this fast-paced tale of magic and mystery.

Fans of Harry Potter will adore this book as much as I do. D. E. Night has created a whole brand new world, giving a sense of magic to even the smallest part of a normal everyday experience.

The story follows a young orphan called Ivy Lovely who is a maid in a remote castle, but gets called up to a school of magical learning. The adventures that follow, the friends she makes along the way, and the lessons she learns are all very exciting and I'm looking forward to reading the next installment.

A middle school fantasy that is a charming read for any aged fan of magical schools/worlds.

After being kicked out of the house in which she lived as a maid, sixteen-year-old orphan Ivy Lovely is sent to the Halls of Ivy where she learns how to harness her newly found skills in magic. She discovers that the answers to the secrets of her past may very well be answered within those halls.

It’s hard for me not to compare any “kid discovers magic and goes to magic school” story to Harry Potter and although I found the overarching storyline to be similar, it had enough differences to stand on its own. I love any book with a sense of “mystery” to it and I liked how this one was set up (if maybe a little predictable). I also enjoyed and took note of the diverse vocabulary the author used.

Thank you to Netgalley and Stories Untold Press for the digital copy in exchange for an honest review.