I loved this book! I love reading story's with magic elements. It honestly gives me Harry Potter nastolgia! I loved entering this new world!

Ivy Lovely was a scaldrony maid. The scaldrons are dragons that cook the food in the kitchen of the castle. When one of them gets sick, Ivy is kicked out of the castle. Then, she finds that her belongings have been left outside for her, along with a note from her friend Rimbrick, a dwarf. He is sending her to the Halls of Ivy, a school for royals and scrivenists. Ivy will be a scrivenist, a person who writes and works for a royal family. They have some magic in them, but not as much as the royals. When Ivy arrives at the school, she realizes she has always dreamt of this place. She knows things that others don’t. She is able to remember things that everyone else has forgotten. Ivy has to use her special powers to save the Halls of Ivy and all of Croswald.

This book is a lot like Harry Potter. Ivy had a unique upbringing in a place that did not welcome her. Then she suddenly found out she had special powers and was sent to a magic school. Unlike Harry Potter, Ivy doesn’t know her family history, so it remains a mystery for the reader too.

I found it hard to get into this book for the first couple of chapters because there were so many strange things, such as the scaldrons and the hairies (creatures that create light). But once Ivy went to the school, it started to make sense.

I enjoyed this book. It’s a great start to a new series.

The Crowns of Croswald is a really vivid and beautiful read with an intriguing and exciting plot. Thank you for letting me read this book my review is also on amazon at this link https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/review/B06Y2K5H2S/R35BE1B6IXSQJL?ref_=glimp_1rv_cl

In The Crowns of Croswald, author D.E. Night has created a rich, expansive, and complex world, which is immediately reminiscent of J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter and if you liked Potter you will definitely like The Crowns of Croswald.

Ivy Lovely is a scullery maid, cast out, trampled upon and worse than ignored. When she is thrown out of the magicless castle in which she grew up, she immediately, to her own shock, and surprise, receives an invitation to The Halls of Ivy, the scrivener/magic school. 

Reading The Crowns of Croswald was a bit like drinking water from a firehose at first, lots of information right away. The world is complex, with its own terms and own rules, but as Ivy learns more I began to feel more familiar with the story and enjoyed the intricacies of the environment she was in.

As Ivy makes friends and develops into a more dynamic character you start to really like her. She is drawn to find the answers to her dreams and the mysteries that only she can see and remember, and she will break all the rules to do that.

How Ivy handles all of this makes her character fun and endearing as she investigates the person and the places she dreams of and draws, while those around her retain no memory of it. When the book ends there is a satisfying climax, but those answers are just the beginning, and I can't wait to read more of Ivy's adventure, and explore more of Croswald.

Overall, The Crowns of Croswald was a good fantasy novel filled with wonderful world-building and a strong heroine. I enjoyed the story and happily recommend.

(I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book I received for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my open and honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.)

I received an e-arc of this book through Netgalley in exchange of an honest review and I loved it! This book was really similar to a lot of my favorite things. The magic throughout the book was similar to the magic in Harry Potter but it had its own little twist, and the ball reminds you a little of Cinderella. When we first meet Ivy she is slaving away in a kitchen and works for a royal family. One of the dragons that cooks the food gets sick and the head cook is not too happy about it so she bans Ivy from ever coming back. Ivy ends up taking the little dragon with her and he becomes like a pet to her. A strange and magical carriage arrives and takes Ivy away to a school for royals (who can do magic) and scrivenists (who write down anything of note and have some magic abilities). I think anyone who loves a little adventure will love this book and everything about it. I can't wait to read the next one to see where Ivy goes!

I'd seen this book all over the place and it looked so pretty I couldn't wait to read it! I was really excited to find it on Netgalley and requested it straight away. Unfortunately this book and I did not get on.

I really wanted to like this book - I'd heard fantastic things! It's even been compared to Harry Potter.
The idea of this book was fantastic, but the writing was weird. Not good weird. It felt like it was trying for quirky, but tried too heard and got wooden and stilted instead. It does feel heavily influenced by Harry Potter, but it lacks the flow and effortlessness that Harry Potter has.

I found this in the Teens & YA section of Netgalley and as Ivy is 'fifteen-going-on-sixteen' on the first page, I assumed it fell under the YA portion. However it also can be found under 'middle-grade' on Netgalley - which translates to Key-stage 2/3 or roughly 8-12 year olds. This makes more sense for me, it was certainly a far less complex story than you'd expect to find for an older audience.
Having said that, I did spend a lot of time confused as nothing seemed to flow together well and while the book was padded out with needless double descriptions, the time wasn't taken to fully describe this new and magical world beyond the top surface.

This story isn't set in contemporary times, but rather in the time of castles. It's set in another world too, I think - or perhaps a forgotten part of this one. Magical creatures are found and used all over - though we don't end up meeting many of them.
Those with magic, either in a family stone or in their blood go off to school at 16 to learn about it. If it's in your blood you become a Scrivener, a person who goes around discovering and recording everything with their magical quills - not wands. I didn't quite understand the crowns with the stones - it seemed that it gave the Royals one magical ability. I'm not sure why the two very different types were together in lessons, unless they were also able to Scrivener things too? Not sure if it's something I missed.

I struggled to read this book. I persisted because I really wanted to know what the end would be. I couldn't quite work out where everything was leading to. Possibly because what I thought was coming was too obviously coming. While what I was thinking wasn't quite true, it still happened. Which didn't make a lot of sense. If she was hidden away, why wasn't her name changed? I assumed it was, but if it wasn't then why did no-one recognise it? She also spent a year at this magic school, with extra lessons but she didn't really seem to develop much as a character either which was sad. None of the other characters were very developed either, but if the book is for 8 - 12 year olds I guess it needs to be less complex.

I'd have loved more indepth information about the wandering family! That would be a fantastic story to read and while I want to know more about that tiny portion of this world, I won't be continuing this series.

This novel was a fun read – but I wasn’t it’s biggest fan. The start to it was kind of slow and I’m sad to say that I just wasn’t able to get into it like I wanted to.

This novel did have some fun aspects to it – which included the adventures that took place in the school, which were very reminiscent of Harry Potter and all the adventures from that universe!

When Ivy is thrust into this world filled with magic and princesses I felt the book pick up and it was a lot of fun! Seeing all of the adventures of Ivy and Fyn was a delight and it this novel really felt like a huge magical journey to me. Also, watching Ivy getting into more and more trouble throughout the novel really added to my entertainment.

This novel really embodies the idea of a fun and easy middle grade. I would highly recommend it if you are looking for an adventure to follow that isn’t set in a world that has a lot of things to it that you need to pay attention to (high fantasy). This is also a great gift for your younger sibling – that’s not to say that you can’t read it if you’re older!

I’m sad that I wasn’t able to get right into the novel – but I’m not upset I read it. I am planning on picking it up again when I have a bit more time to just relax and enjoy the adventure, but for now I will leave it with a solid 3 stars out of 5!

This book was simply magical! It has been a long time since I've read a book that literally sucked me into the story! I would recommend this to any readers, even adults, who loved Harry Potter and Cinderella! Not to mention the adorable creatures that are introduced throughout the hogwarts-like academy!

An imaginative new world filled with magic, dragons, dwarves, royalty and mystery! I loved the creative new way that the magic works. For royals, they get magical stones on their 16th birthdays that have certain powers. For others who aren't royal, called scrivenists, they channel their magic through their magical quills and by sketching and reading lots of books and taking lots of notes. Sounds like heaven to me!

Ive Lovely is a, well, lovely character! She's determined and capable, though she does wind up getting herself into a few messes! She has a big heart and is a fun heroine to cheer for, and I like how she developed good friendships by helping people.

The writing is tight and focused, with most scenes building towards the plot, though there are a few that serve to build the world (which I didn't mind at all!). This book is written for a slightly younger audience; I would place it somewhere between Middle Grade and YA (ages 11-16), though I think people of all ages will enjoy it! The somewhat younger language in no way influences the quality of the story being told. We still get beautiful and vivid descriptions and truly funny moments (one of the first scenes in the kitchen with ugly Helga had me laughing out loud!).

A magical and enchanting read! If you're a fan of Harry Potter and fairy tales, then this book is right up your alley.

If you’re after a story reminiscent of Harry Potter, but with scrivenists (writers and artists with magic, essentially) instead of witches and wizards, The Crowns of Croswald is for you. Instead of Harry we have Ivy, instead of Hogwarts we have the Halls of Ivy, and instead of witchcraft and wizardry we have trainee scrivenists and royals learning to harness their magic. I won’t deny that it’s a fun and light-hearted read, although I found it slightly lacking and would recommend it more for younger readers getting into longer novels.

The story follows Ivy Lovely, a maid who learns she has magical abilities and is swept off to the Halls of Ivy, a famous school of scrivenist trainees and royals who harness magical stones in their crowns. Although everything seems whimsical and exciting, there is something strange and dark happening in Croswald, and Ivy soon finds her magic and life at risk. Magic, secrets, evil queens, tiny dragons, enchanted quills, and forgotten castles all muddle together to create a whirlwind adventure. I liked Ivy – who doesn’t enjoy an unlikely hero, especially one who loves to read? And I loved following her journey as she discovers her magical abilities. There is a fairly strong cast of supporting characters as well, from eccentric Professors and excitable scrivenists, haughty princesses and eager scrivenists-in-training, to all manner of creatures, that will delight readers of all ages (Humboldt the scaldron and Ivy’s nervy porcupine deserve a special mention).

Although I think this book is very much middle-grade, I’m sure readers of all ages will be able to enjoy this story – it’s a fast-paced story full of magic and wonder, with a courageous protagonist discovering who she is and how she fits into a world she never thought she’d belong to. Although it is a good story, I personally found it lacking depth. There seemed to be lots of action happening without enough explanation, which meant that some parts felt rushed; the narrative was more tell than show and I felt that certain aspects of the story could have been more developed. Younger readers, I’m sure, will be delighted by this, I just wanted something a bit meatier.

I heard a lot of buzz about this book and when I saw it was on NetGalley, I jumped at the opportunity!

While the plot of this first book was predictable, what with the lost princess trope smacking us over the head, I feel that this is going to be a series in which the highlight is going to be the world building and the characters. It's definitely an introductory book, but it does get you hungry for what comes next and what lengths these characters will go.

If we are treated to same loving care that J. K. Rowling gave her Harry Potter world, I can see Croswald and the Halls of Ivy being a mainstay in magical school fiction.

This can only be achieved if we are allowed to be introduced more closely to the side characters and teachers and hopefully a deep dive into the mind of the villain. I look forward to the next installment!

What a great book!
In "Crowns of Croswald" we follow sixteen year-old Ivy who has lived all her life behind an enchanted boundary that separates the mundane world from the magical. As she crosses the border and starts attending Halls of Ivy, a school where students learn how to master magic, Ivy gets in a lot of trouble and has a lot of adventures.
What I liked the most about this book was it's setting. The descriptions and the world building were very well executed, making the reading experience magical and involving.
The pacing of the story was fast and things kept happening making this book impossible to put down. The plot was really easy to follow and although sometimes predictable, it had some great twists.
I also really enjoyed the inclusion of magical creatures, these gave the book a really nice touch.
I consider this book as Middle Grade but I think it can be really enjoyable for any YA Fantasy lover.
"The Crowns of Croswald" is an extremely creative and unique story. If you love magic, weird fantastical creatures and a lot of school adventures, than this is your book!
You can also check out this review on my Goodreads Profile!

This was a solid Middle Grade, fantasy book. The story had an intriguing enough premise to keep readers excited while still leaving plenty of story for future books. Fans of Middle Grade fantasy will enjoy this one. Also not related to the review at all, but the PR packaging for this book was super cute!

Full review on my blog!

The book is intended for a younger audience so some of the plot may seem simple or even predictable to older audiences but Night has this way of making the reading experience fun as if you get to travel back to your own childhood to experience this through less jaded eyes.

It comes off a bit like Harry Potter meets Cinderella. You have the ‘scullery maid’ who discovers she’s not what she thought she was and off to a new magical world she goes. Okay so that’s taking paraphrasing to the extreme but it’s still fairly close. Night eschewed wands in favor of a far more unique way of casting magic that shows some real ingenuity.

By the time you finish reading the words enchanting, beautiful, vividly descriptive, creative, and imaginative will probably have run through your head. You would not be wrong. Night’s debut is full of fun and adventure that will leave you pleasantly happy to have found a new magical series. You’ll be introduced to all kind of new characters and magical creatures: fairy like creatures in lanterns that shed light and dragons which function as ovens!

This is the first in a series so you’ll want to be on the lookout for the story to continue to hopefully answer some questions and unravel further mysteries. It was a decent foundation for the characters, the world building and provided a good map for where the author wants to take the readers.

You MUST visit the author’s website, breathtakingly fun!! http://denight.com/

A magical story about a young girl Ivy, who has a destiny to fulfill and a kingdom that is ruled by a wicked queen who wants to destroy Ivy at any cost. There is mystery and lots of adventure with a truly likeable heroine.

I found this book creative and full of imagination. The story had adventure, magic, and fantastic characters that I truly enjoyed. Those who enjoy YA fantasy novels will pick this up and not put it down until they’ve finished it.

I received this book complimentary from NetGalley for my honest review.

This was a fantastic YA Fantasy! I enjoyed every word of this book. I will definitely be ordering this book for my library's YA section.
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy!

Sadly, this book disappointed me and I can only give it 2,5 stars.

I'll just start with the Prologue, that wasn't a proper introduction in the world at all. It was kind of unnecessary and confusing, because we just did not know a single thing that was going on! There was that random dude in this random world, who only became important to the plot in the second half. So he could've been introduced later on.
I don't know if the book is marketed as Middlegrade or Ya, but the protagonist was supposed to be nearly 16 (!) and acted like a freaking 12/13 year old. She was so naive and childish. Like. Urgh. This bothered me so much, that I could't get into the story at all.
Speaking of Ivy, we barely know anything about her personality. The book is told by an omniscient narrator, but we barely get any free indirect speech and as a result of this, she, and basically every other character, was twodimensional and lacked personality. I was very close in DNFing this book around the half, because I didn't care for anyone.
There were also a few things Ivy did, that I just could not comprehend! I will not explicitly name them, because I don't want to spoil anything. In general: If a problem (thanks to Ivy) appeared, it was solved in a very simple (and lame) way.
There was also no indication of how much time went by. (Oh, guess what, it's the end of the year. Surprise.) Or much world building. The town, in which the school was in, was described and we got the general idea who attends it. That's it. I'd really love to like this book and rate it better, but there was just not enough of certain aspects.
In contrast to that, I liked how fantastical and whimsical everything was. The ideas were cute, but seemed to be appearing very randomly. For example the appearance of the (who would have guessed it) love interest, he just came along, spoke two sentences and disappeared (and reappeared and disappeared and...you get it).
Some things that happened were just goofy and too exaggerated to be taking serious.
To end this review with something positive, I love the little drawings at the beginning of every chapter.
If you like to read something, that reminds you of Harry Potter and that is a quick, simple and cute story, you should check it out. But for me personally there were too many points of criticism to give this book a higher rating.