4.5 Stars!
I was completely absorbed in this quick read from D.E. Night. Ivy Lovely takes the chance to break out of her surroundings and crosses a magical barrier where she discovers a whole new life. She finds herself being helped into a school of scriveners and Royals, with specific powers and roles, all as she begins to learn more about who she really is.

There are more than one similar theme in this to another magical school series, but there are plenty of differences and I was all in for more magical moments! Specifically, I enjoyed all the strong women in this story. There were strong male roles, but it felt much more a boost to female representation. I enjoyed the mysterious undertones throughout the adventures that all came together in the end. As the first in the 4-part series, there was a well-crafted world building here that included all the fun magical creatures and potions.

I am excited to keep reading this fun series and hold on to the magic! There is definitely more adventures for Ivy and her friends against the Dark Queen.

Thank you to @NetGalley, & D.E. Night for sharing this story! I can't wait to share it with friends who love all the magic!💖

This book is perfect for young readers wanting to get into the fantasy genre. I loved the magical aspects, world building, and the adventures that Ivy went on. I will definitely be reading this one aloud when my daughter gets a little older!

Thank you to NetGalley, Stories Untold Press, and D.E. Night for the free review copy of this book.

This middle grade novel is great if you enjoy the magical aspects from Harry Potter and some of the characters from the Lunar Chronicles (though no sci fi here). I also kind of got some House in the Cerulean Sea vibes.

Overall, I really enjoyed the main character and her friends throughout this book, and I thought the magic system was really interesting. Though a bit predictable, I think this story is great for nostalgia or someone entering into a magical story for a first or second time. Super cute read!!

For me this was more like a 3.5 🌟 book, but just not quite in a way I could give it the full 4🌟s.

The story is very reminiscent of Harry Potter, which I absolutely LOVE, so I was very excited to read this book. The details, including the magical system, are all very well thought out and imaginative and the setting is very fantastical. For me the biggest issue was that the writing was definitely not very cohesive or easy to follow for most of the book. It made it hard for me to get really attached to the characters and what was happening to them and I just wasn’t very invested in their story for most of it which really made the first 3/4 of the book drag for me. I think, especially as a mom of children in varying ages that I can’t picture my kids having an easy time following along with the progression of the plot, though the magical details are absolutely wonderful to get lost in.

Even though it was fairly easy to predict what was coming, the end was definitely a turn of pace and I was hooked for the last 1/4 of the book. It was enough that I would definitely come back for more and give the next book a shot to see where the series can go.

This story was very whimsical, magical, and fantastical. The storyline wasn’t completely unique, however, that doesn’t stop it from being incredibly fun to read. Ivy is a girl who gets kicked out of the castle and is sent to a magical school to learn and practice this worlds magic system. Any fan of Harry Potter or any boarding school stories will instantly fall in love with this book! It will be especially fun for younger readers who are interested in magic schools, exotic creatures, and interesting characters. If I were a kid again, I know this would’ve have been a favorite that I would read again and again. It had a very nostalgic and similar feel to other fantasy books that I read when I was in middle school, which made this book so much more fun to read and re-visit those feelings. If you haven’t bought or read The Crowns of Croswald yet, what are you waiting for?! This book will captivate you within the very first sentence.

It takes guts to write pure-play fantasy about a disadvantaged youngster who brushes off early adversity, matriculates into an ancient school of magic and discovers their singular place in an enchanted universe.

The invitations for comparison to a certain magical Franchise-That-Must-Not-Be-Named are loud and sometimes defensible, but also unfair to the writer of “The Crowns of Croswald” and the lovely world she’s created. The first installment of this five-part YA fantasy saga distinguishes itself with originality and oodles of adventure.

Endearingly, the spells of teenage heroine Ivy Lovely are cast from a tool of the written word. In lieu of a wand, the power of a “Scrivenist” is wielded through the use of a quill.

The words cast by author D.E. Night get better and better as Lovely encounters new friends, repulsive rivals and ultimately the shock of a lifetime. Middle grade readers are certain to fall in love with Lovely.

Her growth from a halting adolescent into a self-assured young lady is all the more relatable given her innate gifts: for even the most magical among us, the price of maturity is paid in experience.

As the “Dark Queen” consolidates power from a distance, the cost of Lovely’s emotional growth is sure to be high. Is this unlikely hero ready for the mysterious challenges to come? After a few chapters of “Croswald,” you’ll be dying to find out.

“To the One to Whom This Box is Entrusted … The Hand That Left Her”
“Clearly it’s not what’s on the outside that counts … but on the inside”
“Magic … that’s who you are”
When I was first asked to read and reviewed this book ( a middle grade book with magic and mystery ) I thought : “Yes, this is exactly what I need now”
I had no clue I would have turned out absolutely loving it !!!!
For fans of Harry Potter … you’re gonna love this !!!
The magic, the world building, the characters and the mystery surrounding the identity of this amazing protagonist, Ivy, was beautiful !!!!
It completely captivated me… meaning that I couldn’t stop reading it.
Once you’re in, you’re in and you’re there through the corridors of the Halls of Ivy trying and figure out what magic means and why dreams can be so vivid.
Plus D.E. Night ??? Saying this I honestly would like to know if I’m taking about the author or a character … I guess I’ll have to read the other books to know !!!
All I know is that this adventure is not over for me and I couldn’t be happier about it !!!
For a story where magic, family, power, knowledge and friendship intertwined, where twists and turns happen when maybe you’re expecting it maybe not …
Read it because you won’t regret it !!!
“With memories, especially those affected by a decades-long Wandering Curse … well, you win some, you lose some, right?”
“Forgotten by all expect me”
“The story that you seek is dangerous, Ivy. For you and for others”

I read this book to my daughters ages 8 and 10 who love the fantasy genre. The age range in this book should be for older kids in middle school ages 12-15. I found the vocabulary to be too advanced for my girls. The prologue was a little confusing to us but once we got into the story we really enjoyed the book. We loved the main heroine Ivy and really liked her curiosity that sometimes got her into trouble. The supporting characters were well developed. We found ourselves enjoying Ivy's friend Isabelle's character.

Things we loved: Whimsical characters, the magical setting and the main character Ivy.
Things we did not love: The book started off a bit confusing and it took us some time to get into the story.

I gave this book three and a half stars because I do believe it is better intended for older kids. I had to stop and explain things along the way because it was a little confusing to us. I think in the right hands this book is a great fantasy series and can be thoroughly enjoyed by many. Its hard not to love a world full of magic!

*thank you to the publisher for giving me a free e-copy in exchange for an honest review*
I was really excited to receive this one because I haven't read fantasy in a while. I am also a huge potter head and seeing the multitudes of comparisons of this book with the harry potter books, got me really pumped to read this.
But all of that went downhill very fast. I really wanted to like it. I really did. Maybe I am not into the genre anymore or because I have outgrown middle-grade books, I did not like it one bit. however far I did read, I came across a lot of info dumping about the world, certain parts of it felt like obvious rip-offs and some straight out off harry potter, and the writing felt like reading a thesaurus - it makes sense but it doesn't. maybe this series could be for the current growing generation but it is definitely not for me.
dnf @ idk where
(also, did the author really name a character after herself? i was so confused)

Crowns of Croswald is book one of a series. Protagonist Ivy Lovely is an orphaned maid living in a dull castle until she unexpectedly discovers that she has magical powers. As she embarks on her training to become a sorcerer and advisor to royalty, Ivy and her new friends find themselves at the center of a centuries old mystery.

Crowns of Croswald is a classical example of a coming of age story with Ivy discovering her magic and her family’s history throughout the course of the story. The atmosphere of the story is very whimsical and reminded me of the fairytales of my childhood. Having a dragon companion and the idea of using a quill to do magic definitely appealed to my inner bookworm. My one complaint was that at times the pace of the story was slower than I would have liked.

This is not a book I would typically gravitate towards but if you are a fan of the Chronicles of Narnia or the Percy Jackson series then I think you’ll enjoy this one.

I just love a middle grade book and know I would have absolutely devoured this book in middle school! This brings me back to my childhood while I read Harry Potter with my mom in our old recliner.

This book was full of imagination, whimsy, and a magic school which I am a total sucker for. I enjoyed Ivy's character and loved reading about her as she discovered her many talents. The world building was great and I loved learning about the magic system and Croswald overall.

This is a great book for a younger audience and I would absolutely recommend to anyone who enjoys a little magic in their life!

Thanks to the author and publisher for sending me an e-ARC copy of this book.

I gotta say that although I can see this world has the potential to grow, it just wasn't my cup of tea. There were plenty parts of the story where I got really bored and it made me struggle to go further. I would recommend my fantasy-lovers friends to give it a try still.

Thanks for the opportunity anyways. Wishing the author the best.

I received an e-copy of this book from the publisher Stories Untold in exchange for a honest review. I thank them for the opportunity to do so.

Now I have to be honest there was far too many similarities to Harry Potter in this book. The summary does say it’s aimed at people who liked Harry Potter. To name a few:

1. You have Ivy who grew up poor and orphaned not knowing she was magical
2. She was hidden so that nobody would know she lived until the time came
3. She buys all her school supplies from some weird little shops in town
4. At the school there are pictures that move
5. Ghosts in the dining room
6. A bully at school that hates her (for some reason)
7. Two best friends
8. Dark Queen who nobody has seen or likes to talk about
And many more.

The dialogue between characters felt forced. The plot had a lot going on with nothing making a lot of sense or being resolved until the ending.

Some good things:

1. The magical creatures were interesting
2. The book itself is very descriptive
I wish there was more that I could say that was good. I think if the book would have been more focused on the few things that were original it could have been a lot better.

Firstly, there are a few similarities to other magical worlds, but I definitely believe there can never be enough books that allow imaginations to run wild and magic to grow. This is middle-grade, but I did find some bits quite confusing with lots of characters and fast moving events. I also thought that Ivy didn't seem like she was 16, then again she has been sheltered from life in Castle Plum so maybe that is why. Perhaps I am more used to the UK school year system that meant I kept thinking of her around 11 or 12 years old rather than 16/17. That said, some of the imaginative scenes and quirks (I loved the idea of the hairies!) where really endearing and I am sure that many young readers will become emerged in Croswald and its mysteries.

I was very excited when I was asked to read and review this book! I found it to be compatible to a lot of magical books I read growing up for sure! It has a lot of neat magic systems and world building detail. If I picked this up in a book store when I was 10 or 11 I would have loved it for sure.

It’s compatible to Harry Potter or Howl’s Moving Castle. The plot is fun and the characters are witty and amusing. I really enjoyed reading it :)

3.5 stars for me!

Thanks to D.E Night for the opportunity to read this lovely book!

It wasn't easy to rate this book bc even if it was enjoyable I felt it was not for my age hahaha I'm 30yo! Anyways it was quite a adventure with Ivy (the main character), as I see everyone says, this book reminds a lot Harry Potter series and I have to agree.

I love the magical creatures in this book, the main character has this lovely mini dragon that goes with her to the school its called the Halls of Ivy, she is destinated to become a scrivenist, a book packed full o magic and spell and adventures!

I highly recommend if you love fantasy middle grade books!

“Helga was as unfortunate looking as a scaldron’s back end. Perhaps her horrid personality had seeped out and shaped her appearance.”

I was approached to review this book honestly, and so here are some thoughts. The story follows a young girl, Ivy Lovely, who finds herself with magic as soon as she crosses the magical boundary. There are A LOT of comparisons to Harry Potter. Sensible given it’s a coming-of-age story set in a fantastical world. I love that aspect of it, and what the author does really well throughout is to build a really special world with really cool magical tricks up its sleeve. The plot isn’t bad either, but where the book does stumble a bit, is in character development, pace and dialogue. Ivy doesn’t feel real at times and I think fleshing her out a little more would’ve made a big difference. So some parts could've done with a little bit of polish, but if you look past that, The Crowns of Croswald is an easy, whimsical read. 

Read if you like magic, whimsy and some downright goofy (but very fun) imagery.

The first thing I thought going in to this book is how heavily influenced it is by Harry Potter. This is a delightful YA fantasy story involving a young lady with magical abilities and a magic school where she finds herself belonging.

I got the opportunity to read this book thrue netgalley in exchange for an honest rewiev.

Are you a Harry Potter fan? Then this book is totally for you. Though it has alot of recemblance to Harry Potter there are loads of things that are quite unique to this story.

I have to say it's part HP and some Alice in the wonderland and little of sleeping beauty, (mostly the evil queen 👑 part) mash into this amazing bok of adventure and magic.

I just loved this. ❤️❤️❤️❤️
The characters the world building, the atmosphere, the magic. And the main character Ivy was so likeable.
I was pulled into this so fast I read halv the book in one setting. 😂🙈

I will definitely read the other books in this serie. I can truly recommend reading this and disaper in a wonderful magical world and go on an adventure full of wonder.

I absolutely loved this book! It has been awhile since I have read a middle grade book but after starting this, my worries of whether or not I'd enjoy it disappeared. This book is perfect for fans of Harry Potter as it takes the magic and adventure we all love from these books and builds on it, giving us a whimsical world I enjoyed way more!
The world building of this book was absolutely fantastic. From the scaldragons to the hairies, the creatures were innovative takes on classics and helped add even more magic to the books! D.E Night's character building allows you to fall in love with the characters easily and keep wanting more!
Overall, this book was a great middle grade and a nice read if you want to dive into a new, whimsical world!