This book was even better then the first one! I thought the story was very well thought out and written. This book had me sucked in by the fist chapter. I am excited to read more upcoming books by D.E. Night!

I have to first thank Netgalley and Stories Untold for providing me with a review copy of this book.
I read it months after finishing the first one and I was afraid that maybe I won't be able to remember what happened. D.E Night proved me wrong with her super immersive yet so simple writing style and structure. I found myself again totally involved in the world and story of Ivy, getting stressed about her misfortunes and excited about how she's evolving everyday and embracing the reality of her powers. I am also loving the dynamics between the characters. The friendships, the slow burn love story and the warmth of the citizens of the Town are making my reading experience all the better.
In this book we get to understand Croswald more and see its different dimensions. Quogo and the magical creatures we get introduced to in this sequel were super enjoyable to read and very well explained in a way that made imagining them not much of a hard task. My only complaint about this series is that it is a bit dragged. I think that it would have been better to read book one and two as one. This is certainly a personal preference though, I am sure that for a middle grader it would be the other way around.
Anyways, I recommend this series for anyone who wants to take a short whimsical trip in a new magical world. Happy reading y'all !

Thank you to Stories Untold Press for the digital review copy!

This second installment of the series starts off right after the end of the first book, which threw me for a bit of a loop because I'm used to having a bit of a time skip between books. However, it didn't bother me because the book immediately starts with the mystery that will follow us for the rest of the book.

While I knew very early on what was happening regarding the mystery, it was really fun seeing our main characters discovering it for themselves.

Like the last book the characters and their friendships are what make the book. I love the relationship that's (possibly) developing between Ivy and Fyn, especially thembutting heads and bantering in serious situations.

At first I was bummed that we wouldn't be seeing much of Rebecca due to the circumstances at the beginning of the book but I was pleasantly surprised when we did. Rebecca is one of my favourite characters, she's really coming into her own in gbis book. We love to see it.

Unfortunately, like in the last book, the supporting cast of characters felt a little two-dimensional to me. The members of the club that Ivy joins weren't very distinguishable, at least to me. I did still enjoy their group dynamic and the shenanigans they got into.

The ending was bittersweet to me. While I'm happy they defeated the bad guys at the end my heart hurts for the people who are now exposed to the world, and with it the whims of the queen.

Overall this was a highly enjoyable read and I will definitely continue with the series!

I really enjoyed book 1 and book 2 was even better. Diving back into this whimsical world and learning more about it was wonderful. There is no way you can’t fall in love with this world and the MC Ivy Lovely. Even though this is a middle-school fantasy it is extremely enjoyable as an adult.

We follow Ivy and her friends search for the Kindred Stone the one thing that can be useful against the Dark Queen. You see substantial growth in Ivy along with increasing the bonds of her friendships. There is even a bit of spookiness with them battling the shadows and the Dark Queen.

How can you it fall in love with this fantasy that is full of friendship, adventure and even some love. 💜💜💜

This is the second book in the series and in my opinion just as good as the first!

As we follow our main character Ivy Lovely, she has begun to have more confidence in herself and her abilities. We continue to learn more about Rebecca and Flyn and they along with more excellent secondary characters make this book magical. The Dark Queen once again has a plan for Ivy and we experience turmoil and persistence as the story plays out.

I love that the story picks up right where the other left off. You definitely will want to have read the first or you will feel a little lost. D.E. Night continues to write with such description that you feel you are right there with the characters. Plus short chapters are a bonus and made reading this a breeze.

Overall this was a fun read and I enjoyed spending my time with the characters and all the magical moments.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ebook in exchange for my honest review.

I was so happy to be back in Croswald for the second book of this series! I had a few scenes that I loved, but the discovery of the invisitaurs was such a warm and amazing part of Ivy’s new journey. The author has a way of describing magical situations with such clarity and vibrancy, that I have an incredibly easy time visualizing myself right there in the midst of the action. Loved this ending too - the owls and the treehouse, the pedaling toward the Solo Star were beautiful scenes. Really loved this one!!

Second book done!! Thank you so much to the publisher @storiesuntoldpress for giving me a free copy through @netgalley in exchange for an honest review! And my apologies for taking so long, life forced me to put reading low on the priority list for a while.

I love this series more and more with every chapter!! Ivy really began to come into her own in this book, growing in skill and confidence. And I love love love every scene with her and Fyn. They are my OTP for sure. I also love the growing cast of Ivy's friends, who are diverse and fun. The showdown with the Dark Queen was less impactful to me than the first one, but the highlight of the finale was Ivy uniting with her friends to save everybody.

Equally as exciting is the growing list of magical creatures and objects and settings in book 2. The author's world building is thorough and charming and draws you right in. I really loved the introduction of the magic-dueling sport Quogo, which is unique but super exciting. My favorite setting in the book has got to be the Town, which is endlessly charming. I want to fly among the stars so bad.

The writing in general continues to be spectacular. You really feel as if you're going through Ivy's adventures right with her, like you're in a glanangerie bottle yourself. If you liked the first book, you'll love this one just as much, if not more.

Review waiting for approval on Amazon.

A magical town, a broken treasure, a forgotten path, a relentless villain.

The second book in the Crowns of Croswald series by D.E. Night is a fun middle grade adventure good for older kids bridging to young adult novels. My nine- and seven-year-old kids both loved this book! They were most excited by the magical creatures, battles, and world building.

The cliffhangers at the end of each chapter made it really tempting to read more than our allotted half hour before bed each night. For better and worse, my voice can only read aloud for so long.

Both kids say they’d recommend this to a friend and I found it was a good book to read aloud. Sharing it together was fun and helped ensure they understood the story, even as they expanded their vocabulary.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Thanks to @StoriesUntoldPress and @NetGalley for the free digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second book in The Crowns of Croswald series, following the journey of Ivy Lovely who has to collect three stones to defeat the Dark Queen and claim her rightful throne in Croswald.
However, finding the stone is not as easy as Ivy thought because danger and darkshadows are lurking everywhere.

What I really like about this book is the characters. I admire Ivy and Rebecca's friendship, it grows even stronger since the first book and I love them both. There's also Fyn, he seems very protective of Ivy and I have a feeling from the first book he's going to become something more and my guess was right! I'm hoping he will still show up in the next book to help Ivy.
The addition of new characters is also a nice touch to widen the the story plot!

The magical places and creatures really captured my interest in this story. This world is getting even more similar to the Harry Potter world, like the quil matchs, how the quill chooses the person who wield it, the invisible maps and many more. I can see the author taking inspiration from the Harry Potter world and turn it into something else magical too.

The plot is pretty well written and the short chapters keep me flipping the pages to find out more. Although, the pacing turns a bit slower during the middle of the story but it eventually picks up near the ending with the final battle.

Overall, this is a really fun read for me and I enjoy my time getting back to Croswald with Ivy and her friends. Can't wait for more adventures and other magical creatures introduces in this series!
I'm looking forward to read the next one!

Special thanks to Netgalley, D.E Night and Stories Untold Press for the review copy in return for an honest review!

Note: Will post it on Instagram on November 19th

Synopsis: Ivy lovely is send off to a mysterious town by her royal Scrivenist, Derwin to retrieve a part of her precious heirloom and also to evade the dangers awaiting her at the Halls of Ivy. What awaits her is another intriguing magical ride .
Review: This book starts off with another year at the Halls of Ivy. The magic school, scrivenists , the dark queen and Ivy's friends are back with a bang. I fell in love with the mysterious town , Belzemuthe - who wouldn't want to live there? If you want to immerse yourself in a magical read with wizards and witches, a secret club , a wizard town unknown to rest of the world and magical creatures, this book is just perfect. The author has effortlessly managed to hold the readers attention till the very end with this magical story. I can definitely say that this series has improved with the second book and is a wonderful read. I'm looking forward to the third and fourth books. It's quite hard to create an impression with books involving magical schools since most of our generation has grown up with Harry potter, but author D.E Night has managed to create a niche for Ivy and Crossword, which is quite commendable.
Rating:3.8/5

Once again D.E Night transport me into this magical kingdom, she have the ability to make you feel that you are there. I love when there's magic involved, and creatures, mystery, a villan that doesn't take a break, royalty, true friendship. One of the things that I loved it was the Quogo Game, I really want to play...Fyn and Ivy are a really good team, and their friendship is so pure and honest,, I love that there is no love interest, at least for now. Rebecca is that friend that you want on your side no matter what. Ivy has a big heart, because even when she knows who she is, she just want to save the Kingdom. Honestly I think this series is really good because the characters are really well written and the story is magical. If you like fantasy, magic, boarding schools, princess, dragons, this book is for you. I highly recommend this book. We need more magic in our lives.
Thanks to @author.denight @storiesuntoldpress and @netgalley for the book for an honest review.

This book is a magical journey. And what a magical journey it is! Potions, a Town shrouded in magic, magical stars, invisible beasts, quills and a group of friends who would do anything to help each other. A perfect book to dive into and forget about everything else.
This is a second book of the series and we see Ivy in more danger from the dark queen. She is more matured but still lands up in trouble now and then but she has wonderful friends who always help and stand by her. Fynn and Rebecca are two friends who everyone would want in their lives. The comparison of the first book to Harry Potter was apt but the second book is completely different and is a delightful read. I usually read historical fiction but this series is definitely veering me to start reading fantasies more. 5 Stars!

In the second book of the series, we pick up where we left off with Ivy Lovely. She just discovered her true identity and powers at the end of the last book, now we follow her through more harrowing adventures. The Girl with the Whispering Shadow follows Ivy as she discovers "The Town" for the first time, experiencing new scrivenist hobbies, like Quogo, alongside her friend Fyn. When Fyn, and her other friends return to the Halls of Ivy, she finds herself alone - anxiously speeding off to the Halls when given the opportunity. Of course, the Dark Queen has a plan for Ivy, and her shortened school year is filled with chaos. What will happen next as Ivy attempts to keep the Dark Queen at bay? What new changes will happen with Fyn no longer at the Halls?

This book was more captivating than the original! However, you need to have read the first recently, if you don't remember some bit and pieces you'll be playing catch up. Ivy remains a relatable, likeable character in this book. And the world D. E. Night developed in the first book is beautifully built upon in this sequel. I look forward to reading book three!

It's not often that the second book in a series is even better than the first, but this one definitely hooked my attention. In this installment, we dive deeper into the world of Croswald and Ivy Lovely's wild adventures. I love Night's world building and the care she puts into her characters because it really shines through. Each character, from Rebecca to Mrs. Greeley has traits that are so lovable and realistic that I want to get to know them. As Ivy grows closer to retaking her throne, it's exciting to see the bonds she forms along the way, and the challenges she perseveres through. Everyone can find themselves rooting for her, a strong, relatable main character. Thank you to Stories Untold for the opportunity to read and review the second book in this series!

As far as sequels go… this one is a win! The story picks up right where it left off adding in more magic, adventure and mischief. Ivy Lovely is back at it with a lovable cast of characters who are much more developed this time around. D.E. Night has outdone herself with this second installment of her middle grade fantasy series. If you’re a fan of fantasy and enjoy the whimsical definitely check these out! I’m already looking forward to diving into the next one 🪄🤗🪄

Thank you again Stories Untold Press and Netgalley for my gifted copy of book II in exchange for an honest review.

Fun and simple world building and easy to understand events. I truly wish I had read this when I was younger since at this time the dialogue and interactions and the story in general is too middle grade for me. But I did enjoy it.

After enjoying the first book in the series, I was so happy when the publishers asked if I wanted to read book 2. I found this story even better than the first, it hooked me in as soon as I started to read it. Definitely more drama than the first and I enjoyed the development of relationships in the story, making Ivy more relatable. Roll on the next one!

This was a fun second installment in The Crowns of Croswald series! It was even more magical and heartwarming than the first, and it also brought some new things to the table. Mostly importantly, the stakes were much higher and there was a lot of emotional investment involved. Now that Ivy is aware of her heritage, it makes everything going on with the Queen much more important. I really appreciate the emotional maturity that this installment consisted of compared to the first.

And like the first, the characters really carried the book. Ivy is a lovely main character and I still love Rebecca. I don't care much for Fyn as I found him to be rude to Rebecca, and I don't like when a love interest has beef with the MC's best friend for no reason. I also enjoyed Damaris' antics and the other side characters added a lot of humor into the story.

The last three or four chapters were my favorite, and it really sets up the rest of the series well. It was not a happy ending by any means and the loss of Belzebuthe was pretty sad. Again, I appreciate how dramatic this book was the consequences that it entailed.

While I found this book fun, I also found it repetitive. It seemed like a lot of things that happened were repeats of events in the first book, and the first several chapters were really slow to me. Since Ivy ended up going to school anyway, it felt like all that time spent with her establishing Belzebuthe ended up being pointless. Especially the excessive scenes Quogo club scenes.

The Girl with the Whispering Shadow - 3/5 Stars

I got the chance to read the second Crowns of Croswald book thanks to NetGalley. After reading the first one I was curious about Ivy's future's adventures. I'm glad I was given this opportunity once again.

After last year's ball Ivy Lovely was warned not to come back to school, the only place that had her feeling like she belonged. She goes in search of a place to call home for a while, with only an address given by her newly found family's Scrivenist as a destination. Somehow she needs to go to the town with the secret name and location, so nobody can find it. Especially the Dark Queen.

After a very confusing and exciting trip she's met with a big surprise once she arrives, one that makes her summer stay instantly better.

I'm going to try not to give anything away, wouldn't want to spoil things for other readers.

Compared to the first book, "The girl with the whispering shadow" is action packed from the start. We get to follow Ivy around the hidden town and joining a secret club with old and new friends. Places, objects and people are described in such a way, you can practically see it.

It still had some moments where I got a lot of Harry Potter vibes, but it was less than the first book. For instance the situation around The Town and how it's hidden unless you know about it... The Town is basically the 'Room of Requirement'.
But all in all I wasn't bothered with any similarities, I guess that has to do with the fact that the story grips you right away, so you just want to keep reading.

When I finished the first book, I was very curious to read the second one and the author did it again. The books end in such a way that you expect there to be more once you turn that last page. But alas.

On to the next!

Lovely world-building and magic system which continue from the first book. I will be honest, normally the second book in a series just doesn't live up to the experience of the first book but I'm happy to say that is not the case with this series! I enjoyed book 2 immensely and would highly recommend this series.