Fast read and kept me intrigued throughout the book. The characters were very interesting. I finished the book quickly.

ivy Lovely is a 16 year old put upon kitchen maid in a castle hidden behind a magic suppressing barrier. When she loses her place she ventures past the barrier with a kitchen Dragon in tow and suddenly finds herself in the midst of an adventure. Before she knows it she is at the Halls of Ivy, a school where the students learn to use their magical powers and Ivy finds she has an enemy in the Dark Queen.

Ivy is a strong character that I think will appeal to readers. As she seeks the answers to the mysteries that surround her, all sorts of adventures befall her. A delightful story of friendship and magic, with a budding romance thrown in, this is an excellent start to a fantasy series for readers aged 9 to 13. I enjoyed reading it and will be introducing my 10 year old granddaughter to the world of Croswald.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Stories Untold and the author for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

FIRST IMPRESSION:

I was approached by the publisher to review this book and I jumped at the chance since I have been in dire need of some fun middle-grade fantasy to lighten up my reading mood. The blurb certainly promised magic and adventure, and reviews likened it to the Harry Potter series, so I was excited to get started!

THE STORY:

'The Crowns of Croswald' follows sixteen-year-old Ivy Lovely who gets kicked out of her scaldron maid duties (read the book to find out!) straight into a magical boarding school. The odd thing is that Ivy was never supposed to attend any school of magic and now strange happenings are cropping up all around her. The first book in the series follows Ivy's first year at the prestigious Halls of Ivy, navigating magic, friendships, young love and the terrifying clutches of the Dark Queen.

THE CHARACTERS:

Ivy Lovely is a great main character because her inquisitiveness and bravery served well to keep me entertained as well as intrigued by everything that was happening to her. There are moments when I thought she was a tad bit too reckless but then I reminded myself that she is sixteen and fighting to learn more about her own heritage.

The supporting characters were great fun as well! I cannot stop talking about how much I need a Rebecca right now! She is such a well-written best friend and kept the humour going! Ivy befriends Fyn and there is this budding love between them, but, honestly, I was more invested in all the friendships!

THE PLOT:

Anyone who compared this to Harry Potter was absolutely right because the plots are pretty much similar. I was hoping there would be more twists and turns along the way, but the plot twists were predictable and the plotline was cliché.

Night still managed to keep up an impressive air of magic and mystery throughout the book, so I was not bored at all. There were bits of the story that did feel a bit rushed, especially past the halfway point, which was a shame because I was really interested in reading about her everyday magical school life!

THE WORLD-BUILDING:

The imaginative world-building was the real star of this story and I was left wanting to learn more about this crazy cool universe that D.E. Night has created. I was pleasantly surprised that the world-building was completely different to the Harry Potter universe, keeping to its own rules and magical people!

The Halls of Ivy itself were so interesting to me! The classes were such fun to read about and the shenanigans that kept happening were just laugh-out-funny at times. Night really captured the magical boarding school mood for this series, so I was really disappointed when the plot sort of rushed at the halfway point.

The magic system was an interesting twist on the traditional witchy concepts. There were two systems of Royals and Scrivenists. The Royals depended on the gems on their crowns for their powers while the Scrivenists depended on their quills. This is the nitty-gritty of it, so it's a lot more complicated and Night does a wonderful job of expanding on her magic system.

Since the reader didn't get to see much of this new world beyond the Halls of Ivy, I feel like there's so much potential for the next three books.

THE THEMES:

'The Crowns of Croswald' explored the themes of friendship, school life, courage, and self-discovery commonly seen in many middle-grade books. I loved the good ol' "gang of friends embarking on an adventure to fight evil" theme of the book because it was done in a fun and whimsical manner.

Though the characters in the book are a bit old for a middle-grade audience (usually this is aimed at readers aged eight to twelve), the tone of the book was lighthearted and fun. So, yes I think this book does qualify as middle grade.

Though there are bad guys and Ivy is fighting against a Dark Queen, the darkest theme explored here was bullying. There is a caste system within this magical universe and Ivy, being an ex-maid, faces negative attentions from some of her snobby classmates.

FINAL VERDICT:

'The Crowns of Croswald' is an action-packed middle-grade fantasy that kept me entertained and amused throughout. However, I was not a fan of the predictable plot. I also would have preferred a bit more world-building in the latter half of the book. However, this was still a fun read and I would recommend it to anyone who loves magical boarding schools, Harry Potter and magical creatures!

The first part of the book is very confusing. The preface is a completely different setting from the first chapter and is very discombobulating. The characters are hard to get into as well. You are dropped into this world and nothing is explained very well, so I was very confused.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing me with an ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Initially the book was really confusing. I felt like I was really just thrown into this world without much context.

A lot of the confusion was cleared up and explained over time, but it would have been nice to know a little more in the beginning.

I also would have liked to read more about some of the scenes instead of some stuff being implied.

Overall I think the book has an interesting concept and take on magic, that has a lot of potential as the series goes on.

This is such a fun middle grade story about a magical school. It was so whimsical and there were so many magical beings within this world. Very cute!

I received a copy of the ebook from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review. This was a fun read. It was magical and full of whimsy and mystery. I enjoyed the world building and the magical system was great. It was complicated enough to be interesting, but not too complicated that I got lost along the way. The main character was sweet, though a little misguided at times, and too trusting. Though, aren't all main characters at one point or another. I felt like The Crowns of Croswald was a mixture between a very popular magical school and the Lunar Chronicles book, Cinder. I don't want to say too much more, because I don't want to give anything away. I enjoyed this book, but looking back on it, it felt like it carried a lot of similar elements to the other popular magical school. I would like to continue the series and see where things lead, and if it forges a new path. It definitely peaked my interest enough for me to want to pick up book 2.

I was kindly sent a copy of this book by Stories Untold via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed this book and the wonderful world it created. It did take me a while to get used to all of the Croswald vocab. The book has been frequently compared to Harry Potter however I think D.E.Night has done a wonderful job of creating a completely different magical world and I didn’t once find myself comparing it to HP. I loved how imaginative all of the creatures were and the character development particularly of Ivy and Rebecca. The only reason I’ve deducted a star is I found the passage of time really unclear throughout the book. At times I wasn’t sure if it was all happening in a week or longer until a timeframe was mentioned around 60% through. Whilst this book is aimed at middle grade children I thoroughly enjoyed it and think anyone can enjoy it irrespective of age. I want to read the rest now!

Thank you to Net Galley, the publicist and author for the chance to review this book.

First off, I should start by stating that this book is obviously aimed at a different age range to me - middle school, which I think is around the age of 11/12? I am 24, so it's worth noting that someone of the targeted age range may have different thoughts on this book.

When I was asked to review this, I was excited by the thought of it. It is not something I would have ever picked up myself, but I was looking forward to immerse myself in a new fictional world and reliving my childhood. I was particularly interested, although equal parts sceptical, by its comparison to Harry Potter - my favourite book series to ever be written. Unfortunately, it just fell a little flat for me.

This book follows Ivy Lovely, a 16 year old orphan who discovers she is magical, attends a boarding school for and gets into all kinds of trouble. Sound familiar?

It felt very much like this book was trying to be Harry Potter - and didn't quite make it. The author's writing style is very descriptive and there was definitely some imagination in there, but it just didn't grip me. It took 4 days to read which is a long time for me for this length book, because I didn't find myself picking it up in spare time. It did pick up towards the end but even then the ending felt a little rushed. Perhaps it was its comparisons and similarity to the Harry Potter series that spoilt it to me - as a book in its own right, I may have had a different view but I could not ignore its similarities and sadly, it just could not compare.

I would like to see more from this author as she absolutely has some real skill for writing and imagination - perhaps down a slightly different, more unique route. Unfortunately, the wonderful J.K Rowling has made it very difficult for anyone trying to write a series about a magical boarding school so I applaud D.E Night in her bravery to even attempt it! I would definitely read an alternative series by this author, but probably won't reach for more of the Croswald series

This book was full of fantasy, mythical creatures, a magical school and an awesome protagonist, Ivy. I loved reading about Ivy and her adventures throughout this story. The description of the magical world as well as all the magic aspects were very well done.

In the beginning, I was a little unsure what was going on, but as the story continues, you get immersed into the magical world and story.

As a 6th grade reading teacher, I think this would be great for my higher-level readers or the upper middle school grades. I think any students who love Harry Potter would love this story as well. This book is also a series which I love for my students because when they enjoy a story, I want them to be able to keep reading as much as possible.

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I received this book for free from the publisher, Stories Untold, and NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

This is a story about Ivy, a 16 year old orphan, living in a world with no family. She is forced to work in the kitchens all day as a maid and in her little free time, she sketches a castle and a world that she has only seen inside her mind. Suddenly, her whole life changes when she crosses a magical border and is transported to a magical school, The Halls of Ivy, where she realizes that she herself, is magic. The school is full of young students learning to control their magic and the magical gems of Croswald.

Ivy slowly begins to learn more about her magic, history, and is left with questions that she just can’t seem to find answers to. The closer she gets to discovering the answers she needs, the closer the Dark Queen gets to destroying Ivy & her magic forever.

This gave me big Harry Potter vibes but in a different way. This book’s magic is controlled by gems, not wands. There are magical and mysterious creatures, magical secrets that are trying to be hidden away, and a dark force that is threatening the life of the main character and the entire magical world. I really enjoyed the premise of the magical gems and I’m a sucker for being transported away into a magical boarding school.

This story leaves you with many questions throughout and it always has you guessing what is going to happen; who really is Ivy? What is her true story? I thought Croswald was an enchanting world that is easy to picture in your mind. It is one of those worlds you read about that you wish you could visit or see on your television screen. The world was greatly developed and written upon.

This is the first book of the series and is best suited for middle school readers. Myself, a 24 year old, enjoyed this story but it did leave me needing and wanting more. I was yearning for more character development, more time spent on certain topics, better explanations. BUT, that’s because I’m an adult and it doesn’t take away from the fact that is a brilliant fantasy story for middle schoolers and early YA readers. 4/5 stars for me but would easily be 5 stars if I read this back when I was 12 or 13.

Exciting. Fun. Entertaining. Lovely premise.

I was so excited to receive this book! Middle grade fantasy? Yes, please! A lost princess, missing double moons, disappearing castles in dreams, magical beasts both familiar and brand new, a pirate in a glass bottle, magicians who turn into books when they retire, an adventurous and trouble-attracting orphan/scullery maid? All the yeses! D.E. Night has an incredible imagination and creates a very vivid new fantasy world. There is a lot to sink your teeth into! And I grew to love the main character, Ivy. She has a thirst for knowledge, a love of creatures, an openness, and sense of adventure.

While there was so much for me to be excited about and fall in love with, this book did drive me crazy sometimes. This is D.E. Night’s first book, and I think it could have benefited from a few more rewrites. The new world the author created is fascinating and rich and has a lot to capture my imagination. However, I was frequently left floundering. Sometimes there were disparate ideas or descriptions. Sometimes the transitions were too abrupt. Sometimes an anachronistic word was lazily used that pulled me from the world. There were many times where I felt the author got too attached to a certain background character or scene from world building and couldn’t bare to part with it even though it no longer fit the tone or continuity of the finished novel. I also felt that the main character should have been 12-14 not 16. Maybe she was aged to accommodate a romance? Whatever the reason, I never bought that she was 16. All of this is part of the process in writing a novel and creating a new world, but letting the reader see the process is like pulling back the curtain on Oz. The illusion is broken.

Having said all that, I do have to admit that I’m eager to read the next book in the series. The plot, mystery, world, and many of the characters pulled me in so much that I need to find out what happens!

3 1/2 stars. Rounded up because I’m excited to read more

This one really is a Bookstagram classic
I remember seeing this book everywhere around 2017
I read it for the second time again and I felt older....

I adored this book! This story is about a girl, Ivy Lovely, who is an orphan and works as a maid in a castle kitchen. Despite this she oddly gets accepted into a magical school where she will be taught to be a scrivener. Through out her year she gets into trouble and has amazing magical adventures, where she learns a lot about herself and her world. This story was soo good. It was kind of Harry Potter-ish but completely different. The world was more magical and fantastic, and I felt transported there. I loved the main character Ivy, but I also loved so many of the side characters too. Another one of my many favorite things in this story was unique magical vocabulary. I thought all the different names for things were so cool. If I were still homeschooling my kids this book would definitely be included in the readings, and I will be recommending they read it. I will also be talking to our local librarian and making sure they stock this. Definitely one I think kids will love!

Synopsis: “For sixteen years Ivy Lovely has been hidden behind an enchanted boundary that separates the mundane from the magical. When Ivy crosses the boarder, her powers awaken. Curiosity leads her crashing through a series of adventures at the Halls of Ivy, a school where students learn to master their magical blood and the power of Croswald’s magical gems” (from blurb).

My thoughts: The Crowns of Croswald is a whimsical middle grade read perfect for fans of imaginative books like Alice in Wonderland, Keeper of the Lost Cities, or Floors. Because the main character, Ivy, attends a magic school, I’ve been seeing comparisons to Harry Potter all over - but The Crowns of Croswald is very much its own book, not a Harry Potter copycat. Much of the magic revolves around memory and forgetting, which leads to engaging mysteries about what, exactly, the characters have forgotten without knowing it.

By far, the greatest strength of this book is its liveliness and imagination. Fantastical concepts are given fun names - for instance, nonmagical people are called “sqwinches” - and Ivy herself is a sweet and whimsical character. Croswald is a place I’d enjoy reading more books to visit.

Only a couple things drew me out of the story: Ivy is stated to be sixteen, but she feels much younger, maybe twelve or thirteen (the age I would normally expect for the protagonist of an MG book). And the dialogue often felt on the nose to me, without much subtext behind it. Maybe the dialogue style is due to the overall style of the book, but it did distract me a few times.

All told, The Crowns of Croswald is a thoroughly enjoyable read! The mystery is engaging, the magic is fun, and the school setting works as a great alternative for those who no longer want to support J.K. Rowling. I’d recommend The Crowns of Croswald to young readers looking for a light, entertaining series opener.

The Crowns of Croswald is the first book in a four-book series by D.E. Night (which I can only assume is a pen name, given there is also a character of the same name in the book). Ivy Lovely grew up as the kitchen help in a castle where dragons are used as ovens, and one morning finds herself thrown from the castle and straight into a world of magic. She is already admitted to the Halls of Ivy, where those with inner magic (training to be scrivenists with magic quills) learn alongside royal sons and daughters with magic gems in their crowns.

Ivy quickly finds that she is pretty different than some of the other teens ...and seems to have a bent toward trouble as well.

While I didn't dislike reading this novel, I felt like there were some gaps in plot I didn't quite understand. The boy I assume to be developing as Ivy's love interest randomly pops up whenever she's about to be in trouble ... but at no other times. I don't get much of a feel for the classes, teachers, or other students. The class bully only shows her face a few times. I felt like the plot could have been fleshed out a little more, and another 100 pages could easily have been added to make the story more rich.

That said, I can be incredibly picky in my middle grade and YA and often want a deeper experience when maybe younger readers want a book they can finish quickly. I may pass this one along to my middle-grade readers and see what they think, too.

Rounded up from 3.5 stars ⭐️
Initially I was a little dubious of reading this novel, mainly because the genre (Middle Grade Fantasy) really isn’t my thing. However, the premise won me over and I’m so glad I gave it a chance!

The Crowns of Croswald follows Ivy Lovely, a young maid who harnesses magic. As she leaves the slurry fields she’s grown up in she tumbles into a life she never expected. Full of mystical happenings and wonderful friends.

I really loved the world that Night created. It is similar to Harry Potter (which people are either going to love or hate). But it had some originality too which I really enjoyed (especially the porcupines!). When I was reading I could feel the magical world forming around me. I didn’t want to put the book down because I wanted to stay there!

However, the only downside for me was that I wasn’t the biggest fan of Ivy. There just wasn’t enough about her character that had me rooting for her. I could see where the book was going to take her from early on in the story and that felt a little anti-climactic for me. However, I did really enjoy Ivy’s friends (especially Rebecca and Winsome) and I can’t wait to see where Ivy’s adventure takes her next.

I’d definitely recommend this book to anyone that loves stories about magic! I’m really grateful to the author, Netgalley and the publishers, for allowing me to read this book and give my honest opinion. It was a great journey to go on!

This is a truly magical story that will delight middle grade readers, full of deliciously fantastical imagery, and an immensely detailed world. Scrivener is possibly the best name for a job ever! Fans of Harry Potter will no doubt enjoy this as it is very Potter-esque in parts, but with its own spin. The positive message for readers to find their own magic and be confident in their abilities is really empowering, and Ivy is a lovable, inspiring heroine with traits we can all relate to. The world Night creates is really intricate in parts, so the youngest of readers might need a bit of help to navigate - but it's a wonderful story to share together and become completely immersed in.

Whenever I start a new fantasy fiction novel, I always wonder how they are going to make it different for the hundreds and thousands of other novels out there. The Crowns of Croswald is truly unique.
Slightly similar to a certain wizarding world franchise at the beginning, orphan girl living a hellish life until she finds out she is magical and is whisked off to a fantastic school.
However, that’s where the similarities end.
Every single character is unique, the weird and wonderful names, the different creatures, the fact that the school teaches ‘royals’ and ‘scrivenists’ (the truly magical ones IMO). All of it is just so incredibly clever.
It’s taken me just over two days to devour this book.
I’m now desperate for the second novel!

I’m not sure on the age of audience this is particularly aimed at, but I will say that it is quite ‘wordy’, so anyone under 14 may find it a bit tiresome (I myself did skip over a few parts that were mainly describing lessons or objects within the magical world), but it certainly doesn’t take away from how incredible it is.
I honestly can see this becoming a well-received, highly popular and successful movie (if done right).

Thank you to Netgalley, Stories Untold Press & Daniela at Stories Untold Press for gifting me this eARC and introducing me to the wonderful world of Ivy Lovely.

The Crowns of Croswald is a magical story of Ivy Lovely, a girl who grew up at a castle as a scaldrony maid and finds herself at Croswald for magic school to become a Scrivenist. Strange events start happening, and Ivy is determined to get to the bottom of it... threat of evil queen or not. This was a fabulous story full of magic, creatures and exciting adventures! It had the magical school vibe and the child who grew up not knowing who they truly are, just like Harry Potter. Definitely a fun read for younger children who are at the middle grade level, and I can’t wait to share it with my niece!