Thank you to NetGalley, D.E. Night and Stories Untold Press for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

“The Girl with the Whispering Shadow” is the second installment of the “Croswald Series” by D.E. Night. The adventures of Ivy Lovely, the last of the royal bloodline, continues in this book. The Dark Queen’s threat is growing across the land and the Town (which we now find out what it’s called, but I won’t spoil it for you!) is now facing her wrath. Ivy’s friendships with Rebecca and Fyn develops further in this book and we are introduced to a number of other students at the Halls of Ivy including Gretta and Glistle, sister and brother. Their love of the game of Quogo brings them together and Ivy is now surrounded by a larger group of close friends who are sqwinches. Ivy is determined to find the other two pieces of the Kindred Stone but danger is lurking everywhere, even in the shadows! Gretta’s shadow becomes cursed and causes chaos and havoc for the Town, Ivy and her friends.

The continuation of Ivy’s adventures opens up new locations in the Croswald world including the Town, the Hex beneath the Quill Keep and the trip to see the Occulyst, which will grab a young reader’s attention and really entice them to want to find out more about the kingdom. I really enjoyed the expansion of the characters within the series and the relationships and dynamics between the main characters and this new cohort of figures.

More magical creatures are introduced by Night in this book. These creatures are one of my favourite parts in the author’s books, as she makes them come alive on the page. The description of these characters, especially the Invisataurs, BogDogs and Shades really makes you feel as if you can see them standing before you. Night’s imagination when it comes to magical beings seems to have no limits and I can see how this book is so appealing to children and their own never-ending creative minds!

The themes of loneliness, doubt, grief are all explored in this book with Ivy feeling like she is left behind when she has to stay in the Town and the impact of loss not only for Ivy but for young Fyn when we realise his father disappeared without a trace when he was very young. The way in which these issues are dealt with and discussed by the characters in the book makes them very relatable for a young reader. The book also focuses on inner strength, confidence and bravery which are all positive attributes and qualities to be promoted for the younger audience.

This book is darker than the first, and there is a real sense of the building tension and danger throughout the novel. Ivy is getting older and I think the darker elements matches well with the ageing of the characters into older teens. Similarly to the first book in the series, Night brings the novel to a crescendo with the battle against the evil forces of the Dark Queen and her cruel & vicious servants. Ivy has to be brave again and stand her ground against those who threaten not only her life but those closest to her, the only family she has- her friends.

I would highly recommend this book and series for the middle grade age group. It has everything a young reader loves: magic, mystery, adventure, danger and a wide assortment of creatures to make their imaginations go wild! I look forward to reading the remaining book in the series.

A fantastical, whimsical story.

Book two of the Crowns of Croswald did not disappoint. We are thrust right back in after the events of book 1 and continue our fantastic journey.

This book has a lot of world building and really draws you in to it. The characters have some great growth and the interactions between them felt authentic. I did feel that for the length, the plot wasn’t as jam packed as the first, but I still enjoyed the ride.

D. E. Night does it again!
I always worry with sequels. They don't usually live up to the hype of the first book but there was none of that here.
This sequel was as fantastic as the first book. I simply cannot wait to find out what happens to Ivy and company.
I really hope they manage to defeat the dark queen!
Wonderfully written and so incredibly immersive. One of my favourite book series by far!

There's a lot less going on all at once in this second novel, which makes it easier to follow along with. Ivy is still learning to make her way in this new reality, which leads to some embarassing moments. She's ignorant of the routines that are well-known to those who have grown up in this world, though she begins to navigate the unfamiliar with the help of her new friends.

I enjoyed the normality of Ivy's experiences in her second year at the Halls of Ivy. We got to see teenagers being teenagers, including secret club meetings in pantries, bonding over professional "sports" and prank gifts. It reminded readers that, despite the more serious events taking place, these were still just kids beginning to come into their own.

Overall, I enjoyed this book more than the first and look forward to finding out what happens in the conclusion of this trilogy.

This was a great sequel to the first book. I found this a nice read, but I wasn’t as compelled as I was with the first book

Like the first book this middle grade read hit all the fantasy bases it needed to! I loved it from beginning to end. I would recommend this to children of all ages!

First and foremost, I find this book series exciting and adventurous as an adult. With this being a middle school aged book, I believe it should be incorporated into all middle schools across the world. It's good versus evil. It has friendship. It has how to handle bullies. It has the makings of that first time teenage love. It has all the features that every parent would want their middle school child to read about, to love, and to enjoy.

It's nice to take a time out of adult fiction to get lost into the world that D.E. Night has created for 9-12 year olds. Ivy Lovely is the rightful Queen being sent away from the Halls of Ivy where it is no longer safe to Belzebuthe, a secret town from only those with magical blood, to continue to find the other pieces of the Kindred Stone. The Kindred Stone is the one thing that will be used against the Dark Queen. Ivy leaves the town of Belzebuthe to return to the Halls of Ivy, but there is something shadowing Ivy. Ivy and her friends battle Shades and Shadows during their journey.

I love Ivy. She has grown since Book 1 and is no longer the shy, clumsy girl. She is a strong character that I look forward to seeing her relationships to evolve with her bestfriend Rebecca and could be teenage love, Fyn. I love the magical work in general. The critters, the plants that scream, the Bearded Cloud that shows your worst fears, and the game of Quogo-brillant! I absolutely love all of it. I get lost in the world of Croswald every time! I will be waiting patiently for the third book to be published.

Thank you to Stories Untold and Netgalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For sure I like this book much more than "The Crowns of Croswald". I gave first book 4 stars, here it's definitely 5 stars. I still see a lot of elements from Harry Potter and Nevermoor series which are really visible and if you know both series, you will catch them very quickly. Plot is interesting, dynamic and you don't have time to think a lot about similarities to another middle grade series.

World building is amazing. We have location descriptions which have a lot of details. When I was reading about Belzebuthe, Halls of Ivy and even every single classroom, I was involved and felt like I was there with Ivy and her friends. Belzebuthe is for sure one of my favorite magical place, I would like to visit this town.

In middle grade books I always have an issue with main character, but here Ivy is the person who you like from the first page. You cheer for her and want to support her. I like the way how she is discovering her magic and try to understand her destiny.
Fyn is ok for me, but a little childish sometimes, especially with his Quogo's love...but well, even adults have some passions which release inner child from our soul.
So far, I hope that Author will not do the same mistake which J.K. Rowling did and will not connect Ivy with another guy. I think she and Fyn match themselves.

I have my suspicious who the Dark Queen can be, but I will keep it for myself. xd To be honest I really like her as a villain. She is a little similar to the Red Queen from "Alice in the Wonderland", but she is focused much more on one specific thing.

This book will be great as a movie. I'll definitely read 3rd book very soon. I had a really great time with Ivy and her friends.

Thanks to NetGalley, Stories Untold Press, and D.E. Night for this free digital copy in exchange for an honest review. 😊 This is the second book in the Crowns of Croswald series and is available now!

I find it hard at times to write reviews of books in a series because I don't want to give anything away! Ivy Lovely's quest to discover more about who she is and what she can do with her magic continues in D.E. Night's The Girl with the Whispering Shadow. She is joined by her friend's Rebecca and Fyn (who is adorable and I'm here for his and Ivy's sweet little moments) as well as a group of new friends who introduce Ivy to a competitive Quill game called Quogo--which was such an imaginative and creative aspect of this story. I really liked the descriptions of the magical, hidden town that Ivy spends time in and getting more backstory that explains more about Ivy's heritage and how the Dark Queen came to be.

As with the first, I found the pacing a bit rushed throughout--I just wanted more story to fully fill out some sections! 😊 The other thing is that this is considered a middle-grade fantasy, but the characters are 16+. Because of this, at times it feels like the characters are younger than they are. Overall though, I found this an enjoyable read and I will definitely read the next in the series!

The Crowns of Croswald book 2: The Girl With The Whispering Shadow - D.E. Night

At the beginning of this book, Ivy has now discovered that she is the one that the Moonsday prophecy is talking about, In her journey, she has to find the next piece of the kindred stone whilst keeping safe from the Dark Queen who is out to put an end to Ivy's bloodline. For her safety, she whisked away to a town with a secret name (only those in the town or those going there know it) and ends up staying with fyn and his mum. Ivy befriends a new group of people due to Fyn, learns more about 'quogo" ( love this sport) and even picks up a part-time job. This sequel lived up to the previous book and again the skill D.E. Night has at world-building is just amazing there is so much detail and care put into this world.

I got this book from NetGalley, thanks to the publisher (StoriesUntold) in exchange of an honest review.


This book was even better than the first one! It was really hard to put it down.
Picking up where the first book left off, it really built up my connection to the story, Ivy, Fyn and Rebecca! I loved the way different characters were introduced and how Ivy’s friendships developed with them. The world created by the author gained more details, more magical creatures and more secrets. It’s escapism at its finest!
The length of the book is perfect, it ties in the things we learn in the first book and takes it to the next level, leaving you wanting more. Although, I do with it was longer just so I could keep reading! 😂

Can’t wait to read the next in the series to know more! Absolutely loved it.

In the second of a four book series, we find Ivy Lovely whisked off to the secret Town with many unanswered questions. All Ivy has is an address and the imperative to stay in the hidden Town for her own safety. We follow Ivy as she explores her new surroundings, learns more about magic, finds new friends, and finally returns to school. Forbidden duels, magical creatures, mysteries to figure out, this book is stuffed full of adventure!

Once again, the storyline has me so excited! This new world and all the eccentricities in it are so imaginative and captivating. Ivy and her friends seem like a great group of teens to be around, with good hearts and such a sense of right and wrong (except when they’re sneaking around holding illegal magical duels!) the last half of the book, once Ivy is back at school, really picks up and I just couldn’t put it down! I love this story and am excited to see how the next couple books play out!

That said, I still have quibbles with the writing. This book was better about editing out the world building that wasn’t necessary for the plot that plagued the first book. I didn’t experience as many characters or settings that were unnecessary and pulled focus. However, the descriptions are still static, not vibrant. I keep hearing my high school creative writing teacher’s voice “show! Don’t tell!” That was her favorite motto! And her advice is still just as good! I think it bugs all the more because I’m so excited about the story! I don’t have patience for the sometimes clunky writing. I want it to be perfect!

Bottom line 3.5 stars. If you can overlook the static writing, and get lost in the plot, you’ll enjoy this! I know book 3 is out, but not the final installment, book 4. I’ll keep reading—I have to find out what happens!

This book picks up right where The Crowns of Croswald ends, and sends you on all new adventures with Ivy Lovely and her magical pals. She is still on the hunt for the remaining pieces of the kindred stone, and her family Scrivenist Derwin Edgar Night sends her to The Town to (hopefully) remain safe from the Dark Queen.

I found this book more exciting than the first, which may be due to the fact that I was more familiar with the magical terms and characters. I loved the introduction of the game Quogo, and the suspense that it carried.

One thing I did find disappointing about this book is that the romance between Ivy and Fyn is so...meh. Her character is 16, and his is 19, and although the author touches on the chemistry between them, it never seems to go anywhere...which is sort of unusual for kids their age! Now, I understand that this is not a romance novel, so why not just leave the romantic aspect of it out? Since this is not the case, I am hopeful that the relationship between Ivy and Fyn plays a bigger part in the next book of the series.

Returning to the world of Croswald, we continue with Ivy Lovely and her quest to find the stones that contain Princess Isabella’s magic to keep it from the dark queen! Now there is an added obstacle that the dark queen has added for Ivy and the Scrivenists to defeat, but will they be able to? The camaraderie between Ivy, Rebecca, Fyn and their fellow classmates is so endearing! This sequel was full of edge of your seat action, cute innocent first crushes, and magical learning. Crowns of Croswald is quickly becoming one of my new favorite fantasy series, and I look forward to the rest of the series. I need to know if Ivy will defeat the dark queen!!

I was given a copy of this book by D. E. Night’s team in exchange for an honest review.

Book 2 of The Croswald Series follows Ivy as she embarks on her second year as a student scrivenist at the Halls of Ivy. Following along from the end of Book 2 and her encounter with the Dark Queen, Ivy visits The Town, a city who’s name cannot be spoken otherwise it’s protection spell will be broken and the Dark Queen will find it. Ivy must find the final two pieces of the Kindred stone to stop the Dark Queen and bring peace to her people.

I THOROUGHLY enjoyed this book! Fast paced and world driven, I found this instalment so interesting. My favourite character continues to be Rebecca, who is fun, quirky and loyal.

Whilst reading, I always picture Ivy to be early teen years however she is meant to be 17 in this book. I’m not sure why I keep picturing her to be 14, maybe the writing style makes her seem younger?

As I said in my review for book 1, D. E. Night has some incredibly interesting and unique ideas in the stories. My particular favourite for this book was the concept of fishing for stars (yep, I said fishing!) in order to grant the wish of another person. Such a sweet idea and something I’ve not come across in a book before.

The world and magic system are detailed and complex. There are two types of magic in this novel: royals who use magical stones, which each complete different tasks, and a scrivenists who use their quills to complete magic spells and protect the royals they are assigned to. I think it’s a fantastic magic system but I do wish there was a deeper explanation as it can be confusing at times when new concepts are introduced. Sometimes I would need to reread a paragraph to check I understood what was happening correctly, as the explanation would be brief but the magic would have a huge bearing on the storyline.

Im so excited to read Book 3, The Words of the Wandering Book. Need to get my hands on it. If you enjoy middle grade fantasy books set in a school, surrounding a group of close friends battling against evil, I think you’ll love this series!

The second i have read from D.E.Night series, The Crowns of Croswald. As expected it was a amazing, whimsical read that really dragged you into the book with the characters. It was fun to jump back in and follow ivy on her quest, very relatable characters, an cant wait to start the third book. I initially read this books to see if they were suitable for my 9 year old, now i cant wait to introduce her to Ivy and Rebecca, Ravenshollow and Belzebuth!

I enjoyed reading the first book in the series, and the second one was even better!

We really see Ivy coming into herself in this installment and get a deeper look into her relationships with Rebecca, Fyn, and Derwin. Night also introduces us to several new friends, including the ever charming Glistle!

Night continues to expand Croswald for us with wonderful new additions---Belzebuthe chief among them. What I could say about it without spoiling anything wouldn’t do it justice, but suffice to say that it makes my shortlist of fictional places I’d love to visit! With Quogo, Night has invented a magical form of recreation both more appealing and interesting than Quidditch. Should the world of Croswald ever end up on screen, I would look forward to these scenes with great anticipation.

I don’t want to spoil anything plot-wise, but (unencumbered with the task of worldbuilding from scratch) Night really delivers this time. I devoured this one in a day!

Ivy’s journey is a little darker this time and by the end of the book, she has matured more than a little. Younger fans of the series can grow up with her as a role model of courage, tenacity, and ingenuity.

Star Rating : 7/10

Would I recommend? Yes
Similar Titles? Harry Potter, The Paper Magician, The Enchanted Forest Chronicles

I didn’t enjoy this book, I think the writing style just didn’t sit well with me. I couldn’t seem to find any flow to it.

“We just have to see that star inside of us. I think that’s why the stars hang above Belzebuthe. They remind us that even in our darkest times, the bright spot in each of us can never be totally extinguished.”⁣⁣
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One of the quotes that really stood out for me. Such a beautiful writing. ⁣⁣
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The second book of the series to The Crowns of Croswald. The magical feeling of reading this friggin’ series continues. I had really high expectations of the second one and it did NOT disappoint! ⁣⁣
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The friendship in the book especially between Ivy and Rebecca is just so sweet.⁣⁣
The setting is as magical as the first. The names of the places in the book made me smile while reading, like ‘Lie Buries’?! I’m sure you can figure that out. 😍⁣⁣
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I love how the author took her time in introducing new characters AND places in the story without rushing it. You get to visualise the places and get to know the characters with some backstory. ⁣⁣
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The love aspect between Ivy and Fyn is sweet and realistic that it didn’t distract from the main storyline. ⁣⁣
The writing is beautiful and the magical creatures continue to fascinate me! ⁣⁣
I could go and on but I rather not spoil the magic for anyone. ⁣⁣
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It’s not the end though, the eviillllll is still lurking around. ⁣⁣
Really looking forward to the third book. ⁣⁣
I’ve decided that this series is now a favourite of mine!⁣⁣
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If you enjoy reading about magic, dragons and other magical creatures, I highly recommend this lovely series! ⁣⁣
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Thank you NetGalley, D. E. Night and Stories Untold Press for the free copy in exchange for an honest review. ⁣⁣
All opinions are my own. ⁣⁣

This is the second in the Croswald series and like the first I really enjoyed this book. Written so that all ages can enjoy I particularly liked the world-building of Belzebuthe.