I received this book as an eARC in exchange for an honest review....

Ivy our female FMC is extremely curious, strong, loving, and coming into her own. She is such a lovely character and I love how D.E. Night shapes Ivy by the end of the book setting our heroine up for book two.

The side characters are amazing in rounding out this story. I believe side characters are always important if not more important then main characters to get the plot to thicken and across. And D.E. knocks it out of the park with them.

The Crowns of Croswold is a middle grade fantasy series. Full of magic and adventure! It is a strong start to the series which I really appreciate. Crowns is quite reminiscent to Harry Potter but had enough differences to make Crowns its own novel. The differences make it new and fresh. I wish I would have had this story as a little girl. Because I would have connected instantly with Ivy. Picture myself being in Ivy's shoes and being the heroine of the story. So, I definitely recommend this to middle grade girls so they can know they can be heroes of their own stories too. Sometimes I wish there was a little more world building/descriptions. It got a little confusing at times and I couldn't always picture the place, person, or creature. And I think that is so important for middle grade readers.

I can not wait to read what is next in Ivy's magical journey!

Thank you again NetGalley and D.E. Night's team for reaching out to me...for the eARC! It truly is a beautiful story!

Unfortunately I really struggled to get into this book and I couldn’t bring myself to finish it.

It’s about an orphan girl named Ivy who gets whisked off to a school of magic to learn the arts etc. Remind you of anything? This book is basically a copy of Harry Potter with small changes. I think this is why I struggled with it, it was essentially a Harry Potter knock off.

I do give some credit to the author, she clearly has good ideas and her world building could be fantastic but this book is not it. It could be very confusing and repetitive at times so I’m not sure how the younger age would get on with it.

If you are a Harry Potter fan and magical schools then this book is a must for you. I was delighted to find a new world filled with magic, teenagers, and enchanting creatures. The main character is a girl called Ivy where we get the first glimpse at her miserable life but then things take on a sudden change. You get to meet what in this story called 'Scrivenerist' who are well known for their captivating sketching abilities with a photographic memory.
The implied reader for this book is for younger readers however I still found myself enjoying every single chapter.
I also found the world-building credible and whimsical whilst the writing was atmospheric. The only thing that got a bit confusing at the end was the plot however this book was still a very enjoyable read and definitely recommend to read.

Thank you to D.E. Night, NetGalley, and Stories Untold Publishing for a free copy in exchange for my honest review!

It was hard for me to imagine myself in this world at first, which made it hard to pick up and read in one sitting. The world building was a bit more complex than I expected for a middle grade book, but it also felt familiar (very Harry Potter-esque with the storyline and split between magical world and non-magical world)

I normally don’t pick up middle grade fantasy - I’ve been heavily into the SJM fantasy worlds lately haha. So I feel like this book wasn’t aimed for me specifically, and that’s totally okay! I think a very intelligent middle grader would absolutely love this book, but it just wasn’t for me.

"𝑅𝑒𝑠𝑡, 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑡, 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑚 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑝𝑎𝑠𝑠; 𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑚 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓, 𝑝𝑒𝑎𝑐𝑒 𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑝𝑎𝑠𝑠."

When the publisher reached out with this book, and I read that it's about a magical world, I knew I had to read it.

Likes:

✨Magical world. Resembling Harry Potter in way too many aspects. I almost thought it's a Harry Potter retelling.

✨The writing style was gripping.

✨A bird that tells when it's time for classes to end, and baking in a dragon's mouth. Super cool.

✨Chapter headings. I'm a sucker for beautiful chapter headings.

✨The food, magic, adventures, friends, ballrooms, ghosts, picture frames, forbidden forests. Imagine another Hogwarts but a bit different.

✨It started off slow, but it picked up towards the end.

Dislikes:

✨It was pretty slow in some chapters.

✨Damaris. Imagine a female Draco Malfoy.

✨✨✨✨✨✨

Overall, if you want something akin to a Harry Potter retelling, I'd suggest you pick this book up. It was pleasant to read, and the resemblances made it more fun, for me at least.

Thank you @netgalley & the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review💕

In "Crowns of Croswald" we meet sixteen-year-old girl, Ivy. Ivy is very inquisitive, and maybe a bit mischievous which tends to get her into interesting situations. After living a life that’s less than desirable, she crosses the magical border into a world of magic where she attends the Halls of Ivy. Halls of Ivy it's a magical school, where all the students learn how to become masters of magic.

I truly loved the world building, and characters as they were well executed. Descriptions were really well written, and it shows that the author has taken pride in her work.

I would say that the plot was very similar to Harry Potter, but it is still enjoyable to read if you like the fantasy/magic book genres.

**thank you to D.E. Night, NetGalley, and Stories Untold Publishing for a free copy in exchange for my honest review**

Firstly, thank you to Stories Untold Press for the free copy in exchange for a review.

"We no longer wander and I thank you, Ivy Lovely. Welcome home. Welcome home, at last."

I really wanted to like this book. I've been on a huge middle grade reading kick lately, and I thought this one would be perfect. Unfortunately, it just didn't capture my attention like I hoped.

The world building is incredibly heavy, which I didn't mind, but definitely felt strange for a middle grade book. If I was a kid, I would've found it confusing. There were a lot of descriptions that felt unnecessary. I found myself skimming paragraphs to avoid all the details, especially once Ivy went on her school shopping spree (at the very similar, but definitely not, Diagon alley). It didn't quite feel like the writing style of a typical middle grade book and confused me, as an adult. I imagine children could get lost quite easily too.

The name choices in this book are odd, or at least they distracted me, and not for the reasons they should. The first character who the book follows shares the same initials as the author. I wasn't sure if this was supposed to be cutesy, magical, or simply a self-insert, but it was strange. It took me out of the prologue. Ivy herself goes to a magical school that shares the same name as her, called the Halls of Ivy (It's as if Harry Potter attended Potter Academy instead of Hogwarts). One character's initials are even LOL. I don't understand why the naming choices are like this, maybe some people find it amusing, I found it a bit irritating.

Most of the above is forgivable, and dependent on the reader. Maybe you like long descriptions, and maybe you like fun naming choices.

But what nobody likes is feeling like you're reading a copy of another book.

This book tries so hard to be Harry Potter. I don't mean it's trying to be the next big kids book- I mean it is trying to BE Harry Potter specifically. An orphan child who's treated poorly suddenly discovers they have magic and they are whisked off to a magical boarding school. The teachers feel the same as Harry Potter, Ivy buying her school supplies feels the same as Harry Potter, and I'm sure the list would go on. I DNF'd at chapter eight when I realized neither the writing nor the story was changing into something I'd like.

I'm not tired of the magical school trope. But this is basically Harry Potter, with small adjustments to try and make it different. Unfortunately, I can't rightfully recommend a book that is so heavily inspired by another series. There are other fresh and new takes on the magical school trope that invoke a lot of creativity, so I can't recommend this book over them.

I absolutely loved this book! It was such a captivating read! I couldn’t stop reading! I loved the characters and the story! Highly recommend!

While this book had a lot of action and likable characters, I felt like the world building was rushed, making it confusing to read. Ivy was a fun character to follow along with, but most of the time I wasn’t sure what was even going on. It wasn’t the book for me, but might be for another fantasy lover.

Loved the book! The characters were really enjoyable and loved where the story was heading, would love to read the rest of the series as well!
The magical side of this book was so beautiful and easily imaginative. Beautiful story!

The Crowns of Croswald is such a great start to a middle grade fantasy series and I had so much fun reading it.
I loved being introduced to a whole new group of fascinating and mysterious characters as well as exploring a new, magical setting for the first time.
Ivy is such a cool character. Headstrong and brave, she is mysteriously invited to study to become a scrivenist at a very prestigious school. Her new life is world’s away from where she grew up (without her family) but what should be a simple new start suddenly becomes more exciting and dangerous than ever. Ivy is a great friend but is also portrayed as the child she is. She makes rash and sometimes selfish decisions and most children of her age would. I think any middle grade aged child would relate to her in some ways. Her friend Rebecca is fun too. I also enjoyed some of the mystery surround school teachers and the unseen Dark Queen.
I enjoyed the setting of a school and definitely had Hogwarts vibes but also unique in its own way. I really wish someone would invent all those teas and pies for real as I could certainly use them in my office at work.
I really enjoyed the beginning of Ivy’s adventures and am looking forward to reading the rest of the series. Book 1 really lays the foundations, and I cannot wait to see where it goes.

This was an enjoyable story to read, with an interesting lead character. I can see the appeal it will have for a middle-grade reading group but I did feel that the main character was written a little younger for their age at various points. I also felt that the story was rushed in places and could have been a little longer to give more description, explanation, and give the story room to breathe.

That being said it was a fun and interesting first book in what I'm sure will be a lovely series.

I was kindly sent this book from the publisher to review - and I'm so happy I was!

This book was full of whimsical creatures and fascinating places. It reminded me a lot of Harry Potter and books I read when I was younger, the perfect book for middle-grade readers, or those who love fantasy.

I really enjoyed getting to know Ivy and her friends and joining her on her journey to find out why strange things were happening. I would love to read more about them and I loved the inclusion of the authors name/initials within the story! The world the author has created is a magical place that I'd love to explore and be part of, I loved finding out more about what being a Scrivenist entails.

I was a little confused at the beginning as to what was going on, but things soon made sense after a few chapters. I won't lie, I was a little disappointed with the end because I felt some questions were left unanswered and that it might have been rushed, but despite this it ended on a good note and prepared you for the next adventure. I would have enjoyed a little more action but I thoroughly enjoyed the mystery solving and the perilous situations the characters managed to get themselves in to!

I would highly recommend for younger readers, I know if I'd had this when I was little, I would have loved it. Overall a really enjoyable and easy read, was almost over too quickly! Interested to see how the series continues.

A magical boarding school full of mystery, a strong willed MC who is so close to figuring everything out, and so many magical creatures and such a unique magic system? Well when asked about this book I was thinking, hey, sign me up!
This book was everything I needed in a post Harry Potter area and I wish I could give it to my former middle school self.

I really liked our MC, Ivy Lovely who after spending her life thinking she had no family and only one very unique friend is thrust into a world full of wonder and magic. Things don’t exactly go Ivy’s way and she soon discovers hidden secrets and starts to unravel the mystery.
I absolutely loved the magical system of the world that was built by D.E. Night but I would have liked a little more back story on the how and why if certain parts of the system set up so we had just a little more information moving into important parts of the main story.

I would recommend this book to anyone who needs to fill the void in a post Harry Potter/Percy Jackson stage before children or tweens jump into a full YA type book. As a teacher I could see the 4th/5th graders enjoying this along with middle schoolers. However I was still able to enjoy this magical story as a 28 year old woman. ✨

Thank you to the the authors Publicist and NetGalley for allowing me to read an e-copy of the book. I enjoyed my time in the Halls of Ivy.

This was such a fun book to read! Thanks to @storiesuntoldpress and @author.denight for the opportunity to get a copy ofThe Crowns of Croswald!

Ivy has spent the entire 16 years of her life as a lonely orphan and servant to a royal family. One day she leaves the only home she has known and discovers a world of magic and powers that she didn’t know she held within. She is swept away to the Halls of Ivy, a school where students learn to use magic and harvest the powers of the precious stones of Croswald. A visit from the Dark Queen Ivy’s life in danger and she must find out the truth of her past to save her future.

What I liked:

- D.E. Night has created an intricate world full of magic and history in the kingdom of Croswald. Her writing made it is easy to get absorbed in all the details.
- The Halls of Ivy,where young royals and other gifted children learn about magic and prepare for their futures after school, was such a fun setting.

What I didn’t like:
- The story felt a bit similiar to Harry Potter and I kept going back to that thought as I was reading (a new/unknown magic power, orphan who was hidden away, first year at a school of magic). By the end I found that although there were a lot of similarities it was still a good book and a great story.

Great magic school fantasy middle grade. When I started reading the book I wanted to just dive in and let myself be a part of the story without any extra information. I was able to understand the characters and stories well by being open to a new magical world.
I really think this is a great first book, totally recommend.

Thank you to the author and publisher for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

This isn’t one of my typical reads since it is a middle grade but it was a really cute story. I definitely got Howl’s Moving Castle and Harry Potter vibes from the writing style.

I liked the characters and I liked the story set up. I didn’t rate it higher because I am not a huge fan of things skipping around as far as timelines go. I did have some confusion at the start but as I read a lot if the info I was looking for got worked out. This is an ongoing series and I enjoyed the set up for book 2.

🪶 "Let's start with the basics. You, Ivy Lovely, are magic."🪶
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✨I don’t really have a specific favorite genre when it comes to books. I’m open to read anything. So when I received this, I got excited.✨
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✨I received a free copy of this book from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review✨
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✨This is a (YA/middle grade) great book! It’s kinda like a mix of Cinderella & Harry Potter! Full of magical creatures (DRAGONS!!) , fun characters! Very whimsical and imaginative. Also the artworks in the beginning of every chapter, love those! This is the first book of the series (there are 4 books in total). I highly suggest this to young adults who are big fan of magical stories.✨
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🪶3.8/5🪶
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✨Thank you Zack G. for sending the book to me!✨

I did receive this book in exchange for an honest review. I must admit that this is not what I usually pick up and read. However, what a fun ride this story is! I do know I am a bit old for this novel however I know 10-year-old me would have LOVED this book and the exciting adventure Ivy goes on. In saying that, I did struggle to get through it as I think it is aimed at a younger audience and not someone in their mid 20's.

The Crowns of Croswald is the first in a series of four books that is pitched at middle grade readers. While I believe it’s aptly written for this cohort, it took a while for me to feel at all invested in this book.

Ivy Lovely has been tucked away as a maid for her 16 years, until she crosses a border separating the magical from the mundane and her magic awakens. The story is wondrous and whimsical and once you’re over the hurdle of laying the groundwork, the second half is definitely stronger. For me, there wasn’t enough of a hook to keep me wanting to read well into the night and a day or two would pass before I’d return to the book.

Ultimately, it wasn’t what I was looking for in a read but there’s promise there for others.