I think this is a great fantasy book for someone who doesn't even think they like the fantasy genre. The main character is relatable, someone you want to root for and well written. The book itself doesn't have much fluff in it which I appreciate and the ending really leaves you wanting to immediately start the second! The story reminds me of a combination of HP and the Sorcerers Stone/Hunger Games/Maleficent which are all within the fantasy world but not as intimidating to jump into.

This novel follows the story of Ivy Lovely, a young girl who navigates a magical realm. If you are a fan of Harry Potter, this is definitely something you will enjoy. However, for me, the book is so similar to Harry Potter that it kind of loses its charm.

Here are the pros and cons!

Pros

> gorgeous world building - the world and its magical system is well developed, and it feels 3D and realistic. I love how creative the author got with every aspect of her magical realm - the royals, the scrivenists, the hairies (adorableeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee T-T)
> the theme of friendship over the theme of romance - Nowadays romance practically comes with fantasy, and it’s refreshing to have a book on friendship instead of lovey-dovey couples. *cough* totally not me going to read a romance now *cough*

cons

*Please don’t kill me I know some of you disagree with me but this is just IMO*

>Writing style-Throughout the book, the author uses phrases that are quite difficult to digest. At the beginning I thought that once the plot picks up, it’ll get better, but I was 130 pages in and still I had to read each sentence twice before my brain registered it.
>Similarities with other books and cliches - For example, the bully. The mean girl is just ‘the mean girl’, nothing else. It would be so interesting to get an insight of her character as a whole. Some books that are similar: Harry Potter, Nevermoor, ect
>Character Development-I think the characters can be fleshed out more, especially Ivy. I didn’t really get what her character was except that she draws. There can be some more in depth development there.

I think overall it is an enchanting and sweet book for children and teens, but I can’t really say I would strongly recommend that you read it. The idea and concept is great, but unfortunately has been used too many times.

I loved the fairy tale aspect of this book. Ivy, the main character is relatable and I always love a book with a heroine. I feel like it will draw the attention of students. It reminded me of a new-age Alice in Wonderland. As someone who studied children's literature and fairytales in college, I really enjoyed it. I wish I could adapt it for my students. I would be interested to see how the rest of the series progresses.

Sixteen year old Ivy was a fun character with magical abilities, who goes to a school where magic is a form of breathing, and where she finds herself home.

This book was so magical! I have to give the author props for how vivid the world building was— it was like jumping into a new world where there’s a new adventure waiting at every turn. There’s a reason why this book is often compared to Harry Potter in most reviews, the magic in the world of Croswald is very familiar and nostalgic. This book was such a breath of fresh air and I enjoyed reading it from start to finish.

Thank you @danielastoriesuntoldpress, @author.denight, and Netgalley for inviting me to read and review this book. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

For sixteen years, orphan Ivy Lovely has been hidden amongst non-magical people unaware of her own special powers that set her apart from the rest. When she is invited to go to a magical school she embraces her powers but is threatened by the Dark Queen and needs to figure out a way to save Croswald and herself.

The Crowns of Croswald is the first book in a series and is very reminiscent to Harry Potter mixed with Alice in Wonderland and Keepers of the Lost Cities series. The writing is whimsical and imaginative. I do like Ivy as the main character, I thought she was developed well as were the other side characters.

The world building was done pretty good and kept me interested but there was a bit of info dumping which hurt the pacing of the book and I had a hard time passing through those moments. The read is for any age but I'd say more so for a younger crowd (11-14 years old).

3.5 stars

The Crowns of Croswald makes a really enjoyable book. I love fantasy stories and worlds so this made a very interesting read. The magical school, the Halls of Ivy was very beautifully made and I enjoyed reading about it and the adventures of Ivy.

The story is very plot-driven and there are various mysteries that unfold as the story progresses which makes it very intriguing almost throughout. The story sports a typical chosen-one trope. There are no themes of mature content in the book so it is very suitable for younger readers.

The bizarre characters, names and things in Croswald made the book very enjoyable. The magic in Coswald is very different from what you usually read in fantasy stories. Here the ones with magical blood are called Scrivenists and their magical instruments are quills. Many royals can also use magic but that is due to the fact that they receive crowns that have particular types of magical stones embedded in them.

One somewhat negative thing that I can mention about this book is that the information on the world and the story are sometimes presented in a slightly scattered manner so it may make it a tad bit difficult to understand the world at times. But apart from that, it is a very fun read. I look forward to reading the next books in the series too!

I received this book for my honest review. The Crowns of Croswald is a middle school fantasy and was so whimsical. I could imagine all the enchanting details of the scenery so clearly.

I really liked Ivy and how she found her way to her magical roots. Ivy’s life from the beginning reminded me of Cinderella’s story. She was enslaved to the shield of the slurries as a scaldrony maid. Once she was able to flee from the magical shield of the slurries and begin to roam The Halls of Ivy she soon discovered a secret curse. She found great friends in Rebecca and Fyn. Possibly even love? Ivy also learned her true roots and what makes her such a special heroine.

This story was a great mix of magic, love, and hope mixed with some darkness. This was book 1 of a 4 book series. I definitely plan to continue on to learn how Ivy’s stories continues on.

My only complain is that there were a lot of components in the story. People, items, gadgets and gizmos that I had to keep remembering what they meant, did, and who they were. But it got easier as the book when on.

Overall this was a fun read!! I would definitely recommend to someone that is looking for a fun middle grade fantasy to read. There is so much world building and magic!

This book just really wasn't for me I dnfed after about 3 chapters
I just couldn't connect with the charaters or the story lines and the writing was just not for me.

I just finished The Crowns of Croswald and I love it so much. I know this is a middle-grade fantasy book, but it did not feel like it, and I love that D. E. Night did that. I was so invested in this story and did not want to put it down! This book is about Ivy and her journey at the Halls of Ivy. We got to follow Ivy from before she goes to the Halls of Ivy and we got to read about her journey with her new powers and we follow her when she learns the truth about her family and who she really is. I can't wait to read the next book and follow her through her next adventure

This was a really welcoming read. However, at first I was skeptical the world building had a lot of Harry Potter similarities. After about the 4th chapter though, I was excited to see a lot of originality blooming. I felt very defensive towards almost all the characters who were being introduced. You could definitely tell the school was trying to hide its secrets. It was a pretty fast paced read! I do believe this would be more of a coming of age/middle grade book. Ivy is mentioned as a 16 year old girl, but honestly I felt more like she was about 11-12.

Everything considered this book felt like a crisp autumn morning wrapped in a blanket by the fire sipping some hot cocoa. I had a great time reading this book. I am very excited to dive into book 2. I am hoping for some of the potential love interest that is devolving between Ivy and her classmate.

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book!

The Crowns of Croswald tells the story of seemingly ordinary Ivy Lovely in the magical world of Croswald. Ivy is like any other child by getting in trouble with her friends, but still knowing who she is and going for what she wants. Plus here relationship with Rebecca and Fyi are adorable and had me laughing at some of their moments together. I really liked the world building in this book. The author does a great job describing the world, that it felt like I was really there. I loved all the little creatures that were featured in this book.
However this book fell flat for me with its ending. While I do love a good masquerade ball, I felt that the reveal was a little forced and there did not seem like there was much that lead up to it.

Overall, I thought this was a pretty good book. While originally I rated it a 3/5 ⭐️ I considered it from the perspective a middle schooler, the intended audience and gave it 4/5 ⭐️. I think this is a good starter for a magical series that any fantasy-loving middle school aged kid would enjoy.

I was asked by the publisher to read this book and give an honest review.

When I first heard about this book I was a little worried since it's a middle grade book which isn't something I typically read, but I was really impressed with it. The world of Croswald is such a magical one, filled with all manners of creatures. It really reminded me of some of the books I used to read when I was younger, which made it all the more enjoyable.

Ivy is such a sweet adventurous character and it was so wonderful to watch how she developed her power and relationships at her school. It was a little hard to get through at times but it was manageable and worth it. Overall, I'm so happy I was given the opportunity to read this lighthearted and magical book.

A fun, magical fantasy book for middle grade readers - caveat being that sometimes the magical systems got quite complex at times so suggest it for slightly advanced/older children.

It reminded me a lot of Harry Potter in it's whimsical, magical world and school.

Lovely escapism.

I got a little under 20% into this book before deciding not to finish it, after that I tried picking it up again multiple times but was unable to get any further in the story. While fantasy is probably my all time favorite genre, and I've read books ranging in complexity levels from urban fantasy to high fantasy, I found this book to be quite confusing. There is usually somewhat of a grace period of the beginning of the book where the reader may be confused and lost while getting oriented to the new characters and world building, but especially considering the age group this book is for, I found that it threw to much at you in the very beginning, overwhelming the reader. I was hoping this book would suck me into a brand new world, but instead it was more as if I was on the outside looking in. All this being said, I am giving this book a 3/5 stars (I will not be posting this review anywhere but NetGalley) simply because I did not like what I did read, but cannot give it a fully negative rating because it could have gotten better in later parts of the novel. This book was simply not for me.

What a magical world building! This kind of books reminds me of why I fell in love with reading fantasy novels🤗

Ivy Lovely is a sixteen year old girl living in a mundane world all her life. Going to Halls of Ivy, a boarding school where royals and future scrivenist master their powers has always been Ivy's dream. But, when she crossed the border to a magical land she received an invitation to the school, she eventually realize she wasn't the ordinary girl she thought she was. Ivy started to have her own adventure she dreams of having as she tried to uncover the truth about her hidden powers in order to save herself from the Dark Queen's threat that threaten the safety of Croswald.

The story was magical and there's a lot of elements that makes this a good fantasy story. There's magical creatures, unique magical power for each student, magical boarding school, hidden identity and "chosen ones" trope actually makes this pretty much similar to the plot and the world building in the Harry Potter series.
Honestly, the world building is unique and interesting, but at the same time the world could get a bit confusing at times and I wish there are a map to help envision this universe better.

Other than that, the plot is good because I keep wanting to read Ivy's adventure in Halls of Ivy and learning the truth about her past and her hidden powers. The story is pretty well written and the pacing is a bit slow at first but it eventually get better as the story progress.

Overall, this is a really good start of a series. A good introduction for the characters, world building and the magical creatures inside. I really wish I had the next book with me to continue reading the rest of the series!
Enjoyable, entertaining and recommended for young readers or a harry potter fan who love venturing on a magical land filled with unique powers and magical creatures!

Thanks to netgalley, D.E. Night and Stories Untold Press for the review copy in return for an honest review.

I am not even sure where to begin with my review for this book. I absolutely loved the story, the characters and the world in which it was written. I am so happy that I decided to read this book when I did with the start of school and fall right around the corner.

When I first started reading this book Harry Potter came to mind. The idea of the poor unwanted character who gets selected for a magical school without even realizing that they had magic within them. I also thought about the book Nevermoor The Trials of Morrigan Crow because of the journey that took place while discovering ones true identity. I have to make it clear though that while those two series came to mind I found this book to be completely its own story. The characters, creatures, magic and world were very different.

The journey through Ivy's story was one I very much enjoyed. It is full of adventure, mystery, magic, curses, friendship. and ultimately discovering who you are. I loved meeting the characters she encountered both human and magical. I loved her eagerness to not give up when she knew there was more to something than just what she was being told. Her eagerness to solve these mysteries often led to some interesting situations that Ivy and her friends found themselves in. I appreciated that each new mystery gave you just a little bit more knowledge but still left you guessing about what was to come. I would definitely recommend this book to kids and adults alike. I think that there is something for everyone to enjoy in this story including the cover because it is absolutely beautiful. I am very eager to carry on in this series especially since this book ended in what I would describe as a cliff hanger. I have to know what happens next.

I want to thank D.E. Night and Netgalley for gifting me this book in exchange for an honest review. The opinions that I have written above are entirely my own.

3.5/5✨

A delightful and magical read. This book gave me major Harry Potter vibes in the beginning. The school plotline is very similar. But, ofcourse, there is major difference in the main plotline and the world building from Harry Potter.

I really liked the world building in this book. The world of Croswald contains all kinds of whimsical things to keep the reader engaged. I loved all the different and unique places like the slurry fields, the town, the forgotten room, etc. I also loved the magical creatures like the scaldrons, hairies, shorehorses, etc. The world building is definitely the best part of this book.

Coming to the characters, I liked Ivy and Rebecca but aside from these two I felt that the other characters were not explored properly. It definitely needs improvement in characterization.

To conclude, it is an engaging and adventurous fantasy and I am definitely looking forward to reading the second book in the series.

Wow. What a magical read! The story follows Ivy who has been invited to a seemingly elite school called The Halls for scrivener schooling alongside royals like her roommate Rebecca. The two, alongside other lovable characters, navigate their first year of studies and adventures, forgotten and not, amid mysterious events that culminate in startling revelations about Ivy’s heritage and future. Vivid descriptions and magical storytelling sketched this story before my eyes - I really enjoyed it and will definitely add Ivy’s other adventures to my TBR list!

I received a free eARC of this title from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I found this book to be a nice little read. The idea was a cool twist on magical schools and worlds where magic is utilized. I think I echo some of the other reviews by saying this is a lot like Harry Potter in the sense that students learn magic and get quills, but it differs with the aspect of royalty and crowns holding power. The magic itself, though, confused me a bit. I could not tell if Scrivenists could perform magic at will or if that was just the main character Ivy.
I also found the pace of the book to be a little too quick. Where some books tend to go on and on about the world and how magic works, this book glances over it, only touching on items important to the story like Glanageries. I would have liked to know more about classes and how magic actually works. It kept jumping between being able to draw quickly and accurately but then also something to do with a quill that aids in magic. I feel like there was just more to the world than we were given.

I would have also liked to see the characters relationships actually develop. It seemed like they just got together and that was that. On some level, I like books that leave some things out, however, this book felt like it left out what drew the three main characters together. It just felt like they magically all became friends and had inside jokes without any context.

With all that being said, this was a decent book. I would recommend this for a middle grade level reader who likes books like Harry Potter or the Bartimaeus Trilogy.