The Crowns of Croswald is enchanting book. There is a problem in Croswald a wandering family is still lost. Of course Derwin Edgar Night can’t be bothered with such news he is about to meet the royal family he will be serving as their scientist. Derwin arrives at the castle but then is never seen or remembered again.
Ivy Lovely as lived a mundane drudge filled life for the past 16 years she has only known a life of loneliness and isolation. She works at Castle Plum as a scaldrony maid her main job is to tend the scaldrons, a type of domesticated dragon, used for cooking meals. The only solace Ivy finds is spending time sketching on the hill of Plum with her friend Rimbrick, a dwarf, who she finds fascinating. Rimbrick spends the nights telling Ivy tales about magic and scrivenists, people who study and write magic and serve royal families. Ivy longs to be a scrivenist to study and learn about magic. Little does Ivy know that her dream is about to become a reality. Her life is about to change and in that change mystery and adventure await. She will make new friends, learn about who she really is and fight against an evil that will try to take over Croswald. Looking forward to reading the second part of this trilogy. Thank you NetGalley for this opportunity to read this thrilling book.

This book is absolutely magical, in more ways than one. It is about Ivy Lovely, a scaldrony maid at Castle Plum in the middle of the slurry fields. After some terrible mishaps in the kitchen with a scaldron, a type of dragon that cooks food in its mouth like an oven, she is kicked out of Castle Plum and is invited to go to a magical school, The Halls of Ivy and become a Scrivenist.
When she arrives, strange things begin to happen, like being chased by hundreds of quill pens, and over time they only get stranger. Throughout the course of the year, Ivy manages to get herself into scrape after scrape, but Fyn and Rebecca are always there to help her out, or get into even more trouble with her. In the end, Ivy realizes she is not who she thought she was and is stronger than she ever imagined. There are so many magical aspects in this book, from the lanterns lit by Hairies that are magical fairy like creatures, to the Glanagery bottles that suck you in and take you to imaginary places. I had a hard time putting this book down and didn’t want it to end. I can’t wait to read the second and third book in this series to find out where Ivy’s adventures take her next. I would highly recommend this book to any child, or adult, who enjoys fairytales and fantasy. If you are a fan of Disney’s Descendants, or Harry Potter, you will definitely like this book.

The Crowns of Croswald is filled with magic and adventure and I adored getting lost in the intricate fantasy world. I found the book to be a very enjoyable read and I think it is an excellent middle grade novel.

The book follows sixteen year old Ivy a girl who has been hidden behind an enchanted boundary away from magic until one day she crosses over and her powers are awakened. Leading her on a striking path, and ending up a student at Halls of Ivy a school for those who need to master their magic. After events unfold, Ivy has to delve into the mysteries of her past in order to save herself and Croswald before history is swept away.

The entire book was a fun read and I would definitely recommend it for younger readers just getting into reading. It's an ideal starting point and has so many interesting aspects. In a way it is very similar to other books out there but the whimsical feel of the tale and D.E. Night's writing made it more of an original read. I am a lover of books about magic schools so I knew going into this that I would most likely enjoy it but I was also wary because it's been done and it's been done extremely well. But the author managed to put her own spin on the trope and still create a thrilling plot.

This is a fantastic magical adventure with well developed characters and great world-building. Fans of Harry Potter will love this one.

I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley. My review is voluntary and my opinions are my own.

This is a middle grade fantasy novel. I do believe it is part of a series. Excellent character development and plot.
I think most middle grade readers would enjoy this book.

Thanks to netgalley for an ecopy of this book.

This was a charming story and perfect for Harry Potter fans! Ivy discovers she has magical powers and is sent to a school. But she soon learns not is as good as it seems and evil lurks nearby in the form of the Queen. A wonderful coming of age story. I really enjoyed it and believe Middle Grade aged kids would love it. I definitely recommend to them!

The story follows Ivy who is living in a castle and takes care of the Scaldrons (tiny dragons that heat up the fires) until things go awry and she is kick out and then whisked away to a magical school. Here she meets new friends and goes on plenty of adventures all while trying to figure out who she really is.
If you are a fan of Harry Potter or magical boarding schools this book is right up your alley especially for middle school aged kids. This book series would be wonderful to start with your child and discover a new world together. While the book did take me a little bit to get into, it really picked up about halfway through. I am excited to continue on in this series and follow more of Ivy’s adventures.

This is an extremely original and detailed magical world! I absolutely loved the complex magic and how it tied together with the plot- there are so many clever connections and such an intricate world!

It started a bit slow and I felt overwhelmed by all the world building which seemed to not be that related to the action, but the second half of the book made all of that pay off. Now I am so curious to read the next one, as it seems the adventure will only grow larger from here on!

Just a little heads up- the theme, characters and plot are indeed middle grade, but the writing seemed advanced to me for that classification! Great for ambitious middle grade readers and all adults who love this genre (like I do)!

I enjoyed it but I don't think Middle Grade Fantasy interests me anymore :'). Ivy was a really interesting character and I loved the mystery that surrounded her existence. I have a soft spot for boarding school type settings so that was great! I don't think it spoke to me but if I read this in Middle School I would have loved it. Highly recommend! <3

This book was incredibly detailed and relaxing. I found it easy to follow and to have lovely world building. The first few pages started off a little slow but the building up for me happened around 30% of the way in.

Harry Potter meets Alice in Wonderland.

This was such a fun, cute, and entertaining Middle Grade read! It had total Harry Potter vibes with like a touch of Alice in Wonderland. Was it Harry Potter? No. But it was so cute and charming in its own way. The characters were so much fun to adventure with, and the magic system is unique to others I have read. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves a good, clean Middle Grade read with a lot of Fantasy themes in it!

Thank you to Untold Press, Daniela (publicist) and D.E.Night for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review. Please check out my Instagram @lifeonasofa for more content.

I was SUPER excited for this book. The description sounded like something I definitely would’ve picked up as a teen. I really enjoyed a Night’s Instagram, it made the world very magical before I started. Also, the trailer for the first book was clever and again, made me excited to start.

This is sold as a middle grade read (8-12) which I can say this definitely caters to. A lot of adults will also really enjoy this series as it’s just so light, magical and reminiscent of other books I read as a young girl.

The start was a little slow, I was a little confused but did enjoy all the new terms and world building straight from the start. It really picked up for me around chapter 4/5 which things became more magical and we were introduced to everyone and everything.

I REALLY enjoyed everything up until about Chapter 13 actually. There was a lot of really brilliant world building. I could really picture the castle and the streets. I LOVED Rebecca, probably more than Ivy actually. All the creatures were my favourite part, they were so well thought out. Especially the Scauldrons. Adorable.

I think where the book dipped a bit for me, was when the timings all got thrown off, and I understand it’s INCREDIBLY hard to fit a full school year and all the info we need into one book. But around half way, we all of a sudden get told we’re half way through the year, but she’s only had her second lunch?

Then there was a bit of action, which again, I did enjoy. I didn’t quite understand all the teachers and their intentions, I think that’s part of the mystery though. I did like the unraveling the truth but I think Night had so many grand ideas that all got thrown in at the same time and I was left a little lost. I do think the target audience would struggle with the sheer amount of hidden story line being thrown on the pages.

Fyn was introduced early but played more of a part here. I still can’t believe that he’s not a bad guy, I hope they expand on his character because he’s a red flag still for me. Again the descriptions of the locations and the action were fab!

Then after a bit of here there and everywhere…there wasn’t much going on (because Ivy had to keep quiet) and before you knew it, the end of the year. Low and behold, everything hits the fan. I did enjoy it, it kinda felt like it came out of nowhere and was unexplained but it was fast paced which I like.

The reason I think this dropped to a 3 star review is down to the last few chapters really. I felt like it was just pages of Night explaining everything to us because otherwise we defo wouldn’t connect all the dots. I understand doing that to an extent, but I like to make connections myself too, and I couldn’t really have made any without the longggg explanation from D.E.N at the end.

I dare say that Night had some very complex and interesting ideas, they were probably edited down heavily which isn’t necessarily her fault. It just all felt very forced and wordy at the end. I closed the book with a minor headache because it was just a lot. Brilliant, but definitely needed spreading out a bit, or narrowing down throughout the series.

Overall, brilliant magical world. Very unique (I personally didn’t compare it to other magical books). Brilliant world building and creatures. A couple of interesting characters. So many extravagant ideas but just not executed in an easy to read/follow way.

This book started out with an orphan living in bad conditions, doing chores to get to eat. To rephrase: it sounded very familiar. However- that whole familiarity really went away when she broke into her own school? Which- one: amazing. And two: she got away with it? (Granted she was only a few hours early but you learn that later on).

Here are some of the things I really loved:
-The sprite lanterns! In this story they're called hairies and I love them so much. Imagine having to convince your lightbulb that you really need them now.
-The quills versus crowns magic system. The fact that royalty does get their own magic (and it's less rare) doesn't erase the fact that ordinary people have magic in their blood too. And them having to go to school together is just a little bit of flavour that helps put royalty in their place, which is great.
-The special teas students get! Dormdaze, Studysesh, etc they are so cool and I want them.
-The Forgotten Room. It's so smart? Clearly not foolproof but so smart
-You can just casually bring a dragon to school
-Last but not least: the absolute power move that it was to SUMMON THAT PIRATE SHIP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CASTLE

Here are some things I think could've been better:
-I don't know how this world works but contracts signed by a minor are not legally binding so maybe you shouldn't let them sign their privacy away
-Ivy didn't plan ahead at all- which, as someone with ADHD, I get- but when you're in a strict magic school maybe you'd consider things a bit more
-No magic in your room? How are you supposed to practice?
-There's a lot the readers know (or can put together) that just doesn't go through Ivy's mind so now does she know these things or not

In short I want a hairie lantern really bad and magic tea, this was very interesting to read.

This is a great middle grade book - a little bit young for my liking, but I think young teens would love this.

It did remind me a little bit of Harry Potter - I haven't read the books, just seen the movies.

I loved the whole setting for this story and the creatures in it like the Hairies sounded really fun. I enjoyed the story but I knew from the very start of the book what would happen to the main character, but that may be because of my age, Kids maybe wouldn't click on straight away.

Great book for kids and I've heard the second book is even better

3/5 stars for me

This was an exciting youth fantasy. I loved that we followed a strong independent girl figure out things about herself and this new world she's in. I did feel that there were a few too many new words and concepts that weren't fully explained, but our main character was learning with us so it did often feel that it was intentional to not fully know. A great book for fans of Harry potter, to grow their vocabulary and stretch their inferring skills.

Fairies, dragons, magical schools and evil queens, what more can you ask for!!!

The Crowns of Croswald was such a fast paced story. We are introduced to our protagonist Ivy Lovely as she goes about her days as a simple servant. Always dreaming of becoming something more and living adventures of her own.

We meet Ivy's best friend Rimbrick, an ancient woods dwarf, who educates her and prepares her for what will be a chain of events that will change her life forever. Soon enough Ivy is catapulted into a world with magical schools, buried secrets waiting to be revealed and finding who she really is in the process.


The story was so lush and lyrical, I was transported into the City of Crosswald and its enchantments and swept away. I really enjoyed reading about the world building and it's creatures, and especially about Ivy. She's shy but very sure of herself and very adventurous.

Fans of magical schools, dragons, fairies and dark secrets will definitely enjoy this wonderful tale. The book had me gasping in the end with all the twist and turns.

I’m not much of a fantasy reader typically but when I got the chance to give this book a read, I jumped at it. If you love otherworldly creatures, magic, and fantasy this is an awesome read. It tells the story of Ivy Lovely, a bright girl who one day realizes she is far more magical than she ever knew (think Harry Potter, but not a wizard).

I felt like the book didn’t give a lot of background information into specifics of the characters and the plot. It throws you into this other world with mystical creatures and you kind of have to surmise a lot of what they are and what they do. But I thought the story was sweet, the characters enchanting, and the topic unique and fun. Perfect for young readers looking for an escape.

A great start to a new series!
I really enjoyed this book,was a nice easy read, though it did feel like it was setting up the rest of the series.
At the beginning I couldn't help but compare it slightly to Harry Potter! An orphan who doesn't know she has magical powers being invited to a magical school, being given a list of magical things she can get in magical shops. Though Ivy knows magic exists and has often dreamt of being invited to study to be a scrivinist. And on her 16th birthday this comes true! Though it seems that Ivy is destined to be more than just a scrivinist!
There's secrets and mystery Ivy seems to have a knack for getting into trouble (though if someone told her what was going on she wouldn't be running off trying to find out what's happening, but also the book wouldn't be as fun!
I liked Ivy's friend Rebecca and hope to see more of there friendship! I enjoyed the ending and Ivy wasn't who she thought she would be! I'll definitely read the rest of the series as it's a nice easy read and I want to find out more about who Ivy is and if she can beat the evil Queen!

The Crowns Of Croswald
By D.E. Night

I was reached out by the publisher, stories untold press for a copy of this book in return an honest review.

This book has it all, hidden passageways in a ancient library, a faraway castle filled with magic and many mysteries,
shorehorses that live in calm mist-covered waters, oh and that wonderfully placed plotline that makes it hard to put down.
(Ivy Lovely) is kicked out of her workplace as a scaldrony maid at the plum castle, the events that follow with the help of (Liond Ohlander Lugg) an admissioner who has been looking for her, Ivy ends up at Raven Shollow, where she will learn how to use magic as a scrivenists.
Ivy makes friends with a Princess named (Rebecca) who can turn into any animal, and a scrivenists in training called (Fyn), the class facilitator of sqwinches.
With an evil queen looming from afar, Ivy needs to try and piece together the clues left behind by Derwin Edgar Night without getting court by the selector.

This book left me with goosebumps; I highly recommend it to anyone who likes fantastic fantasy books.

Can I just.. live in this world? This was such a fun read and really dove in with my imagination and took me on an adventure. I love how this story involved princesses and dragons and magic! Fantastic fantasy story! Every single part of this book was really delightful! Can it be a movie!? Highly recommend!