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.

I really enjoyed this book! It reminds me of Harry Potter and A Deadly Education but still holds its own. I will definitely reading this again.

If you are a fan of Nevermoor and Harry Potter, this is the book for you!

16 year old Ivy Lovely has lived as a kitchen hand, hidden behind a barrier that separates her from a world of magic. When she finally had the opportunity to escape her mundane world, she encounters experiences she never could have imagined.

This was an easy to read, engaging story that drew me in from the first page. I especially appreciated the chapter illustrations, they were so intricate and always gave me pause at the beginning of each chapter.

D. E. Knight had some really unique and new ideas, with my particular favourite being the Kallegulous key - a magical key that can unlock any door and if a door is locked by this key and then the room that when locked, everything inside is forgotten. So unique and also gave me some chills!

There were many tropes used in this book that I enjoyed (e.g a magic school) but I found those aspects were not as unique. Still really enjoyable though! I will be continuing this series as soon as I can get my hands on book 2!

3.5

***Thank you Netgalley and Stories Untold Press for sending me a free copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions stated here are my own.***

I really wanted to love this book but, unfortunately, I didn't. I was really excited to get my hands on a copy of this because so many reviewers compared it to Harry Potter. Ultimately, I think that's where it went wrong for me. Those are big shoes to fill and I had high expectations.

I think that Night has a great imagination and I think she can be very whimsical with her writing. There were some really wonderful and original ideas here. I love the storm cabbie, visiting the Hollow Shaft, and the idea of scauldrony(dragon) maid. Also, I think that she has a lot of talent when it comes to writing descriptions. I enjoyed her descriptions of the world, magic, and creatures. I would be willing to read something else by her because I do see a lot of potential.

The dialogue, transitions, and pacing at the beginning of this book were very choppy and, at times, jarring. The pacing never felt consistent. It takes a good hundred pages for the plot to take off and then it would slow down and pick up again. The writing improves A LOT by the end of the story.

This was very similar to Harry Potter. In fact, I felt that it was too similar. There were some lines of dialogue that felt like they were taken directly out of the Harry Potter books. I don't want to be that person that compares a book to another book but there were so many things that felt exactly the same. We have Diagon Alley, a Ron Weasley character (Rebecca), a Draco Malfoy character (Damaris), ghosts in the dining hall, enchanted paintings, and the room of requirement. We also have these quotes "I couldn't possibly! I could be expelled!" and "You're a Scrivener, Ivy". I would recommend this if you are looking for something similar to Harry Potter and you aren't bothered b these similarities.

Getting into my biggest frustration: Ivy Lovely. We are told that she is sixteen but she acts like she's ten. She asks questions about things that are incredibly obvious or that have already been answered. I don't necessarily think this is a bad thing because this is a middle grade. I was expecting to be spoon fed. I was expecting I found it really hard to care about her because she makes so many bad decisions. Some examples:

Ivy and her friend break a rule and her friend gets lost. Rather than coming clean and telling the truth so she can help her friend, Ivy just leaves her there.
Ivy and another friend break a rule and the school's headmistress (or selector) makes this friend take a truth potion and he tells on Ivy. Ivy gets mad at him for telling on her.
Ivy is told that she can't go somewhere because she could endanger the other students and then she just goes anyway.

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

This book is very reminiscent of Harry Potter, yet, holds up its own. A unique magic system, a cute dragon, surprising characters and word building made this book a fun read, what I found lacking though is the pacing and the protagonist Ivy’s character not eating, food is definitely the way to my heart and that was just unfortunate!!

Would I read the following books in the series, probably not,,,

Thanks to @storiesuntoldpress for the e-book for an honest review

I think this book is perfect for younger Middle Grade readers. My daughter is almost 15 years old, but if she were younger I think she would be a great series to read with your child. I personally felt that it read too young for an adult to enjoy on their own, but with a child to read to and answer any questions that may come up, would be an excellent way to encourage literacy and spend time together.

I will not be continuing with this series, but I HIGHLY recommend to others!