I received this book from the publisher @storiesUntoldpress and @netgalley I was swept away by the magic and fairy tale that it had. A magical school, different creatures what more could you ask for. This was a story that I wanted to know more. Young and old can enjoy this book- it could be a story for parents to read their children at night .

The world building was amazing and now I am wondering what happens next.


If you are looking for magical journey to escape the chaos of the world then step into the world the Ivy finds herself in and I promise you will not regret it.

I enjoyed this so much! This book was so magical from start to finish. It was very Cinderella-esq at the beginning but once the story picks up and Ivy is trust into a magical environment the pace really picks up.

I don't think I have felt so nostalgic reading a book with a magical school setting with different creatures since I read Harry Potter. Ivy is such a fun character and watching her get herself into more predicaments as more secrets are revealed was very entertaining. This book has everything a younger reader (and myself) is going to love. Adventure, mystery, a slightly dark academia vibe, friendship, queens and dragons! did I mention the dragons! I have been in such a middle grade mood lately and this book a was perfect addition.
Highly recommend.

I really enjoyed this book!! I absolutely adore the world of scribes and royals now and have actually already purxhased print copies of all 3 books - just waiting on them to arrive to I can continue!

The only reason I didn’t give this book 5 stars was that I was just so, so confused at the begining. Nothing about the world is explicetly explained and while some people prefer that to an info dump, it just made it a little hard to get into. All the info you need is eventually given, I just would have liked more overview into the entire universe the author is developing.

The book is filled with multiple twists and turns, some expected and some complete curveballs! I definetly enjoyed reading it. Thank you so much for the chance to read and review this book :)

The Crowns of Croswald is a perfect middle grade fantasy novel. It is quirky with a delightful main character. While it is reminiscent of Harry Potter and Nevermoor, (Ivy Lovely is an orphan and finds herself in magic school) the story has enough of its own world to stand alongside these two and not become just another magical orphan story.

The story is full of magic, fantasy and my favourite object - quills. After a particularly uninspiring and non-magical childhood growing up in the Slurry, Ivy finds herself at the Halls of Ivy - a magical school for scrivenists and princesses, with the youngest scaldron ( a dragon that uses its fire to cook food for the castle Ivy grew up in as a scullery maid) in her care.

I enjoyed this book. I also felt the author managed to create a believable disbelief when Ivy realises she's going to magic school. The story was captivating with interesting twists and turns, worlds within worlds, mystery and great imaginative story telling that sweeps you into Ivy's world. I particularly enjoyed the chasing quills- you have to read it for this scene, the floating cab that has it's own rain cloud and the friends Ivy makes at her new school. The characters had depth and I find myself wondering how the story will end, which is always a mark of a good novel, when you find yourself thinking about the characters long after you have finished the book.

'Crowns' is perfect for age 9 - 12's but if you are anything like me and like children's fantasy, I do believe you will enjoy it too. There are two more books in the series making this a delightful trilogy.

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

This is a middle grade fantasy story which follows a young girl who has lived a rather ordinary life as a servant in a castle until one day she has no other choice but to cross the enchanted boundary. Following this, she is invited to attend the magical school - Halls of Ivy, where royals and scriveners study the ways of magic. We then get to see her develop great friendships, discover dark secrets and fight for what she believes in.

What I liked was the magical element which I found quite unique. There are 2 types of magic systems– one depending on the stone colour which you are carrying and the other one depending on the magic in your blood. Needless to say, the talking books were my favourite as well as the magical creatures! Throughout the book there are many mysteries waiting to be unveiled – Ivy is determined to discover why her dreams are haunted by Derwin Edgar Night (I see what the author did there and I love it!) and how the two of them are connected or why are some books taken into The Forgotten Room and being erased from people’s memory? I liked the idea of Ivy and Fyn, I think they work together quite well and I enjoyed their teasing and constant back and forth.

What I think should have been done better is definitely the world building. I missed a bit of details here and there and I think this made the book a bit overwhelming at times. It starts pretty slow but towards the end I was on constantly on the edge and couldn’t put it down! Especially the ending was quite unexpected and I wish to pick up the next book in the series.

Overall this was a light and fun read. It reads very young so I was not the targeted audience but I’m sure I would’ve absolutely loved this book as a teenager. If you are a fan of Harry Potter or any whimsical story involving magical schools, I think this book will be to your liking. I can definitely see the resemblance but it still shines on its own!

This book was so good! It absolutely gave me Harry Potter vibes but it was also different so I didn't feel like I was reading something that I have read before. I love Ivy and her curiosity and I also enjoyed all of the other characters. I definitely have a lot of questions about the world and the events of the book but this is the first book in the series, so I can wait (maybe?).

I got sucked in by this book and I highly recommend!

3.5 stars.
First of all, a huge thank you to the publisher for reaching out and sending me this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I was about a third of the way into the book when I really started enjoying it. My favourite thing about it is the way the characters are so unique and interesting. I had so much fun learning about the world and magic system. I wouldn't mind having a notical of my own!

This book gave me so many Harry Potter vibes. There's even a moment reminiscent of "but I'm just Harry.. JUST HARRY" and I loved it. We've got a magic room which felt like a different take on the room of requirement which I found really interesting.

I think the world building was a bit too info-dumpy in some parts but that's a sort of necessary evil in fantasy. Our main character, Ivy, felt younger than 16 to me but that might be because this books is middlegrade. I kept picturing her as a 12-year-old. In the beginning she just felt really passive and not at all like the angsty teen I'm used to reading about in YA. A lot of things just seem to happen to Ivy due to circumstance rather than by her actively going after something, but this is more prominent in the beginning as towards the end she really develops into a character whose decisions drive the plot.

As I said, it's reminiscent of early Harry Potter so if you're looking for something magical and fun for younger readers, give this one a shot.

16 year old Ivy Lovely is a scaldrony maid with no family, who spends her days serving a royal family and sketching. That is until she finds herself at the Halls of Ivy - a school of magic. She is a nobody but always seems to be at the centre of trouble. Ivy is just a young lady trying to figure out who she really is.

At first I thought this was a different version of Harry Potter however by the end, it was a very different story. Sure, Ivy is an underprivileged orphan and there is a school of magic but it certainly is not Hogwarts. However for those who enjoyed Harry Potter, I am sure they will love this. At times, the story was a bit clunky but I enjoyed this junior fiction read.

If you like Harry Potter-esque or chosen one / lost princess storylines, this is the book for you!

Ivy Lovely starts this book out as a unimportant servant, but as usual she is not what she seems. She crosses over from a non magical land she had been living in and gets invited to a school of magic. There she will learn everything she needs to in order to learn about her destiny, all while meeting interesting characters, and making friends.

I really liked this book and while it is written for younger readers, that in no way took enjoyment out of the story for me. I would highly recommend for middle grade kids.

I was sent this book on NetGalley for my honest review.

I received this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
When I first picked up this book I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I don’t read a great deal of middle grades but the synopsis really intrigued me and the cover art is just beautiful.
Although I felt the start was slightly slow, the pace really picked up well before the halfway point and I soon became invested in a world of magic filled with creatures straight out of fairy tales and worldbuilding that pulled me straight into the Croswalds. Every character I met throughout really made an impression on me and not one moment was forgettable.
I loved Ivy Lovely as the main protagonist and all the adventures she got herself into.
Not only was the story a perfect trip into a magical world, the book itself is perfectly put together. Chapter lengths were just right for a middle grade and the small illustrations at the start of each one added a little something extra to the book.
If you like magical boarding schools this is a book you just have to pick up!

This book is a story about Ivy Lovely, a scaldrony maid at Plum Castle, who, at the day she was dismissed from working at the castle, found out that she is going to the magical school for scrivenists and royals. Ivy went on to experience adventures while she discovered her own abilities and her history.
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While I was reading this, it gave me some Harry Potter feels, but this book has its own story to tell. The characters are endearing, I especially like Fyn and Rebecca, after Ivy of course. Then there’s Mr Winsome, who I somehow pictured with the physical attributes of Einstein. Haha!

I had a bit of trouble in the beginning, trying to remember terms that builds this world, but picked up from 20% of the book onwards. The pacing was fast up until the end, and overall, it was magical.

The Crowns of Croswald – D. E. Night

I was given a copy of this book by the publisher in order to provide an honest review.

“The Crowns of Croswald” is the first book written by D. E. Night and is the first book in the Crowns of Croswald series, “The Girl with the Whispering Shadow” is the second book in the series.


Ivy Lovely is a lonely and sad scaldrony maid, caring for the scaldrony dragons that cook the meals of the royals that she works for in Castle Plum. It is her job to ensure the food is cooked properly so that the royals can eat well while she survives on the scraps when she is lucky enough to get any.

Then poor Ivy is thrown out of Castle Plum, shivering in the cold and with absolutely nowhere to go, Ivy is lost and scared.

This is when Ivy’s luck begins to change. She has always wanted to attend the Halls of Ivy and study to become a scrivenist but as a scaldrony maid she knew that would never be possible. Now by some strange turn of events she finds herself attending the Halls of Ivy and actually studying t become a scrivenist – though Ivy is mystified as to why this is all happening.

Soon a series of events happening at the Halls of Ivy, Ivy Lovely is finally able to learn who she really is after all this time and where she truly comes from – and it is a far cry from a scaldrony maid. Yet with the truth known to her Ivy is known in incredible danger from the Dark Queen. Now Ivy must try and stop the Dark Queen from achieving her goal and find a way to survive.


“The Crowns of Croswald” is a young adult fantasy story that is much alike to the fairy tale of Cinderella. You have a poor young girl working as a maid who is truly destined for bigger and greater things and she is lucky enough to one day have her wildest dreams come true. But also has an evil queen looking to end it all. I believe this series would appeal to young adults as it is a light but enjoyable and engaging read. Many readers would sympathise with the plight of young Ivy, the terrible events out of her control that her shaped her destiny and her life.

What would happen if Morrgigan Crow from "Nevermoor" series met Harry Potter world? It will be a perfect world for a lot of fantasy lovers. One thing is much better that we have a chance to discover this world in "The Crowns of Croswald".

As I mentioned at the beginning, I see here a lot of references to Nevermoor (world building, secret society, a school for chosen children, villain) and Harry Potter (magical town where students can find all required things in specific shops, school where young people learn magic, the Chosen One who has two close friends, one specific map, professors personalities: for example Professor Fenix is for me Professor Flitwick in 99%.

From another hand Author mixed those well known motives and built another, intresting story. Magical abilities are connected with crystals, we don't have a typical wands. Main plot is a typical Chosen One motive.

Main character Ivy is a girl which think that isn't antyhing special in her. Even if she's dreaming about Hall of Ivy, magical school, she knows that it isn't place for her. I really like her because she doesn't give up, she always has a plan and tries to resolve the mysteries and she has a small dragon as a pet. I saw as she's growing and becomes more confident in the new reality.

Writing style is beautiful. D. E. Night writes in the style which remeber me very much Jessica Townsend style. It's magical, warm and reader feels really connected with world and characters. Detailed and vivid descriptions help you immerse yourself in the world.

I am really grateful that Stories Untold Press sent me the copy via NetGalley. I will definately read next books from the series becasue I'm curious what will happen next and how Ivy life will go.

This was my first novel by D.E. Night and I truly enjoyed it so much. I don’t typically read within this genre, but have been more open to exploring new genres lately. I am so glad I did! The main character in the story, Ivy, goes through a rollercoaster of events and emotions throughout the story. After growing up as an orphan, she attends a school for magical, gifted students like herself. However, she stands out with her special talents and deals with bullying and struggling to fit in. She is such a likable character and I felt connected to her and felt all her emotions. I had serious flashbacks to middle school lunch when I had no where to sit! I was so happy to see her developing friendships throughout the story after having such a touch childhood. I wish I had Rebecca and Fynn as my sidekicks through life! Even though this isn’t my typical genre, I loved the fantasy and magical elements. This is a perfect story for October that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
4/5 stars.
I really loved the world and the magic in this one. It was just so much fun! Ivy was a fun character, and it was awesome to see her get to explore the castle and school. I liked the supporting characters that were around Ivy. The characters all played a role, and I thought they made it more realistic and interesting.
I felt like the plot moved at a really good pace. Some parts of it were a bit predictable for me, but I still liked seeing how it played out
The magic was really just a lot of fun. The world and the magic system seemed well thought out, and it was pretty easy to follow along with.
I’d recommend this one to fantasy lovers! It’s a little on the younger YA side, so I’d also recommend it to middle grade readers!

This was a fun read! It started off kind of slow and I wasn't sure what was happening at the beginning, but the deeper I went the more exciting it became and the plot eventually unfolded to make sense.
I've seen reviews that say this series is similar to the Harry Potter one. I've never read Harry Potter, but if you enjoyed it then I'm sure you would like this one. It has its fair blend of fantasy (i.e. mythical creatures and magic), adventure, and fun.
I'd give this book somewhere between a 3.5 and a 4 star rating.
Overall, I enjoyed this book! It was an easy read and had it's share of a rollercoaster. The end leaves you with a bit of a cliffhanger. I'd read the 2nd book in this series.

I received and voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review (thank you!).

When I first started The Crowns of Croswald, I had to stop and set the book aside and start over at another time because I wasn't in the right mindset. My preferences sway toward mature YA and adult fantasy, so it was an adjustment to get back to the middle-grade mindset. However, once I started over and reset my expectations, I was able to enjoy and appreciate the book more.

There are a lot of comparisons between this series and Harry Potter, and I can acknowledge that there is some accuracy to these. The story follows Ivy Lovely, a sixteen-year-old scaldonry maid at a castle. There's more to her than meets the eye, and her journey really takes off when she's invited to study at a magical school.

The world-building was interesting, as was the magic system, and Ivy as a heroine was innocent and brave. However, Ivy read a lot younger than her age, and my biggest issue was with the pacing. Notwithstanding my preference for more mature reads, it was hard to get hooked from the get-go because the beginning of the book was a little confusing and slow to start. While the pace does pick up once Ivy gets to school and is immersed in a world of magic, there are still spots where the story lagged for me.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read, but I didn't fall in love with it. That being said, I can absolutely see this appealing to a younger audience or to people wanting to enjoy a lighter story.

The Crowns of Croswald is the story of 16 year old Ivy Lovely, a lowly scaldrony maid, who suddenly discovers that she has magical powers, and is swept away to master her skills at the Halls of Ivy, a prestigious school of magic. She soon lands herself in all kinds of trouble as she seeks to find the truth about her past and the Halls of Ivy, and tries to keep out of reach of the Dark Queen.

This basic synopsis may sound very familiar to Harry Potter fans (how could it not?), and I did see many similarities between this book and some other magical series, but I was pleased to note that there were also many differences. Croswald is definitely a unique world all its own. The similarities between series were just enough to make it feel familiar, which is not a bad thing in my opinion.

As soon as I knew that this was a middle grade fantasy involving a magical boarding school, my interest was instantly piqued, and I feel like it mostly lived up to my expectations. The story flowed very well and there was just enough adventure vs world-building, etc. To be honest, I wasn't that drawn into it until about the halfway point, but after that, I was absolutely hooked and could hardly put it down for wanting to know what would happen next!

The Crowns of Croswald is promoted as being middle grade, and it does very much read like a middle grade fantasy adventure book. However, that being said, I was constantly surprised by the fact that Ivy is 16 years old. She doesn't act like a 16 year old (even one who's lived her life more or less sheltered in a dungeon as a maid), and 16 seems a little too old for the middle grade genre. I see that others have categorized it as young adult, which the protagonist's age would support, however the author and publisher classify it as middle grade, so I think that Ivy's age is a bit of an oversight by both the author and the publisher. It would have made more sense, in my opinion, for the main character to be around 12 or 13 years old, based on the genre, target audience, and Ivy's maturity. Perhaps I haven't completely grasped how the world of Croswald works, but it also felt a little unlikely that a magical school with four years of study would only begin teaching magic to students at age 16, unless we are to assume that the Halls of Ivy is meant to be more of a college, which really doesn't fit middle grade. However, the school doesn't feel like a college, so again, perhaps the ages are a bit of an oversight. Then again, we are assuming that all the first year students are the same age as Ivy, but maybe Ivy is older than the rest?

Some of the dialogue felt a bit awkward, in particular between Ivy and her friends. This may be because I didn't find that either Rebecca or Fyn were particularly well-developed characters; I think I would have liked to have just seen more of them and to get to know them better. Middle grade books are typically very friendship heavy, and I kind of missed that here. For example, all we really know about Fyn is a vague physical description, that he is a third year student and "class facilitator," and he always seems to show up when Ivy is getting herself into trouble (which really made me wonder whether he is good or bad?).

I found it interesting that the royals and sqwinches all attend the same school and the same classes together, while there is such apparent disparity between them in society. I really would have liked it if we would have seen more of what "normal" first year sqwinches are/should be capable of, and how they perform magic. I'm also wondering if the concept of time is actually different in Croswald than it is to us? It seemed that the school year passed very quickly, and I wonder if it was just a lack of reference points (other than moons) such as holidays or semesters to help note the passing of time, or if time just moves at a different rate in this world. Lastly, I wonder how or why the slurry actually inhibits magic?

I do feel I should mention some technical points while I'm here. These do not affect my rating, however they may affect others' ratings, and I think they are things to be noted by the publishers. There were a few spelling & grammatical errors in the e-version that I read. There was also one mistake that I found particularly disturbing, which is found on page 400 of the NetGalley e-book, wherein a background character called Coton is described as having "pupils as green as emeralds" - as a general rule, human pupils are black and the iris has colour. If this character is actually meant to have green pupils, then it should be explained why (for example, what kind of creature she might be if not human).

Some of my favourite aspects of The Crowns of Croswald were Ivy's forever-fitting dress (I would love to have one of those!), the ballroom, the hairies, and the bedroom bars (how awesome would it be to have unlimited access to the perfect beverage - hot or cold - from the comfort of your bedroom!?).

To summarize, there were some aspects of the book that I didn't find relatable or believable or that didn't suit my preferences, but overall I did enjoy it and am looking forward to reading the rest of the series at some point. I also would absolutely recommend this book to anyone who has loved Harry Potter and Nevermoor, anyone who appreciates a good middle grade fantasy, and anyone who loves magic, boarding schools, and "chosen one" or "secret heir" tropes.

Ivy is a scaldron maid—in charge of making sure caged dragons used in place of ovens are taken care of. But she wants to be a student at a magical school called the Hall of Ivy. When she randomly gets kicked out of the kitchens and crosses the boundary into magic country, Ivy gets her wish.

I’ll be honest and say that I had never heard of this series or author until a rep for the author reached out to me for a review. Unfortunately, I decided to DNF this book. I became increasingly bothered by the obvious similarities to Harry Potter:

*Ivy is a poor, evidently abused scaldron maid. She rescues Humboldt, an ill dragon, from the kitchens when she’s kicked out of them. I assume he becomes a Hedwig sidekick.
*Ivy is picked up at the border, confused and not knowing where to go next, by a cabby and his animal/bus that was way too reminiscent of the Night Bus.
*Ivy is presented with a letter of invitation to join the school.
Around the point where we’re treated to a view of Ivy’s book list, complete with kooky titles and alliterative author names, my will to power through dropped considerably. Once she got to the shops to buy said supplies and there was a grey-haired eccentric helping her out and explaining about the evil Dark Queen, I decided not to go any further.

I don’t have the same issues with Harry Potter that is going around the literary circles right now. But I don’t like feeling as though I’ve read this story before, only a hundred times better. I read up to chapter 8 and still had no feel for Ivy, our main character, which was not a great sign that character development would improve.

I think the target audience may like this book. But I can’t really say, because Harry Potter exists and I’d be recommending Harry Potter to satisfy a magic school itch.

I would loved to have read this book fully but unfortunately had to dnf about 25% of the way in as i am really struggling with ereading and migraines.

From what i did read i absolutely loved and i will have to get a physical copy so i can give a full review in the book as i think it is something i will very much enjoy and it would be great to photograph