This was a fun read! It started off kind of slow and I wasn't sure what was happening at the beginning, but the deeper I went the more exciting it became and the plot eventually unfolded to make sense.
I've seen reviews that say this series is similar to the Harry Potter one. I've never read Harry Potter, but if you enjoyed it then I'm sure you would like this one. It has its fair blend of fantasy (i.e. mythical creatures and magic), adventure, and fun.
I'd give this book somewhere between a 3.5 and a 4 star rating.
Overall, I enjoyed this book! It was an easy read and had it's share of a rollercoaster. The end leaves you with a bit of a cliffhanger. I'd read the 2nd book in this series.

I received and voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review (thank you!).

When I first started The Crowns of Croswald, I had to stop and set the book aside and start over at another time because I wasn't in the right mindset. My preferences sway toward mature YA and adult fantasy, so it was an adjustment to get back to the middle-grade mindset. However, once I started over and reset my expectations, I was able to enjoy and appreciate the book more.

There are a lot of comparisons between this series and Harry Potter, and I can acknowledge that there is some accuracy to these. The story follows Ivy Lovely, a sixteen-year-old scaldonry maid at a castle. There's more to her than meets the eye, and her journey really takes off when she's invited to study at a magical school.

The world-building was interesting, as was the magic system, and Ivy as a heroine was innocent and brave. However, Ivy read a lot younger than her age, and my biggest issue was with the pacing. Notwithstanding my preference for more mature reads, it was hard to get hooked from the get-go because the beginning of the book was a little confusing and slow to start. While the pace does pick up once Ivy gets to school and is immersed in a world of magic, there are still spots where the story lagged for me.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read, but I didn't fall in love with it. That being said, I can absolutely see this appealing to a younger audience or to people wanting to enjoy a lighter story.

The Crowns of Croswald is the story of 16 year old Ivy Lovely, a lowly scaldrony maid, who suddenly discovers that she has magical powers, and is swept away to master her skills at the Halls of Ivy, a prestigious school of magic. She soon lands herself in all kinds of trouble as she seeks to find the truth about her past and the Halls of Ivy, and tries to keep out of reach of the Dark Queen.

This basic synopsis may sound very familiar to Harry Potter fans (how could it not?), and I did see many similarities between this book and some other magical series, but I was pleased to note that there were also many differences. Croswald is definitely a unique world all its own. The similarities between series were just enough to make it feel familiar, which is not a bad thing in my opinion.

As soon as I knew that this was a middle grade fantasy involving a magical boarding school, my interest was instantly piqued, and I feel like it mostly lived up to my expectations. The story flowed very well and there was just enough adventure vs world-building, etc. To be honest, I wasn't that drawn into it until about the halfway point, but after that, I was absolutely hooked and could hardly put it down for wanting to know what would happen next!

The Crowns of Croswald is promoted as being middle grade, and it does very much read like a middle grade fantasy adventure book. However, that being said, I was constantly surprised by the fact that Ivy is 16 years old. She doesn't act like a 16 year old (even one who's lived her life more or less sheltered in a dungeon as a maid), and 16 seems a little too old for the middle grade genre. I see that others have categorized it as young adult, which the protagonist's age would support, however the author and publisher classify it as middle grade, so I think that Ivy's age is a bit of an oversight by both the author and the publisher. It would have made more sense, in my opinion, for the main character to be around 12 or 13 years old, based on the genre, target audience, and Ivy's maturity. Perhaps I haven't completely grasped how the world of Croswald works, but it also felt a little unlikely that a magical school with four years of study would only begin teaching magic to students at age 16, unless we are to assume that the Halls of Ivy is meant to be more of a college, which really doesn't fit middle grade. However, the school doesn't feel like a college, so again, perhaps the ages are a bit of an oversight. Then again, we are assuming that all the first year students are the same age as Ivy, but maybe Ivy is older than the rest?

Some of the dialogue felt a bit awkward, in particular between Ivy and her friends. This may be because I didn't find that either Rebecca or Fyn were particularly well-developed characters; I think I would have liked to have just seen more of them and to get to know them better. Middle grade books are typically very friendship heavy, and I kind of missed that here. For example, all we really know about Fyn is a vague physical description, that he is a third year student and "class facilitator," and he always seems to show up when Ivy is getting herself into trouble (which really made me wonder whether he is good or bad?).

I found it interesting that the royals and sqwinches all attend the same school and the same classes together, while there is such apparent disparity between them in society. I really would have liked it if we would have seen more of what "normal" first year sqwinches are/should be capable of, and how they perform magic. I'm also wondering if the concept of time is actually different in Croswald than it is to us? It seemed that the school year passed very quickly, and I wonder if it was just a lack of reference points (other than moons) such as holidays or semesters to help note the passing of time, or if time just moves at a different rate in this world. Lastly, I wonder how or why the slurry actually inhibits magic?

I do feel I should mention some technical points while I'm here. These do not affect my rating, however they may affect others' ratings, and I think they are things to be noted by the publishers. There were a few spelling & grammatical errors in the e-version that I read. There was also one mistake that I found particularly disturbing, which is found on page 400 of the NetGalley e-book, wherein a background character called Coton is described as having "pupils as green as emeralds" - as a general rule, human pupils are black and the iris has colour. If this character is actually meant to have green pupils, then it should be explained why (for example, what kind of creature she might be if not human).

Some of my favourite aspects of The Crowns of Croswald were Ivy's forever-fitting dress (I would love to have one of those!), the ballroom, the hairies, and the bedroom bars (how awesome would it be to have unlimited access to the perfect beverage - hot or cold - from the comfort of your bedroom!?).

To summarize, there were some aspects of the book that I didn't find relatable or believable or that didn't suit my preferences, but overall I did enjoy it and am looking forward to reading the rest of the series at some point. I also would absolutely recommend this book to anyone who has loved Harry Potter and Nevermoor, anyone who appreciates a good middle grade fantasy, and anyone who loves magic, boarding schools, and "chosen one" or "secret heir" tropes.

Ivy is a scaldron maid—in charge of making sure caged dragons used in place of ovens are taken care of. But she wants to be a student at a magical school called the Hall of Ivy. When she randomly gets kicked out of the kitchens and crosses the boundary into magic country, Ivy gets her wish.

I’ll be honest and say that I had never heard of this series or author until a rep for the author reached out to me for a review. Unfortunately, I decided to DNF this book. I became increasingly bothered by the obvious similarities to Harry Potter:

*Ivy is a poor, evidently abused scaldron maid. She rescues Humboldt, an ill dragon, from the kitchens when she’s kicked out of them. I assume he becomes a Hedwig sidekick.
*Ivy is picked up at the border, confused and not knowing where to go next, by a cabby and his animal/bus that was way too reminiscent of the Night Bus.
*Ivy is presented with a letter of invitation to join the school.
Around the point where we’re treated to a view of Ivy’s book list, complete with kooky titles and alliterative author names, my will to power through dropped considerably. Once she got to the shops to buy said supplies and there was a grey-haired eccentric helping her out and explaining about the evil Dark Queen, I decided not to go any further.

I don’t have the same issues with Harry Potter that is going around the literary circles right now. But I don’t like feeling as though I’ve read this story before, only a hundred times better. I read up to chapter 8 and still had no feel for Ivy, our main character, which was not a great sign that character development would improve.

I think the target audience may like this book. But I can’t really say, because Harry Potter exists and I’d be recommending Harry Potter to satisfy a magic school itch.

I would loved to have read this book fully but unfortunately had to dnf about 25% of the way in as i am really struggling with ereading and migraines.

From what i did read i absolutely loved and i will have to get a physical copy so i can give a full review in the book as i think it is something i will very much enjoy and it would be great to photograph

The Crowns of Croswald is a middle-grade fantasy about a scullery maid who dreams of having magic. To her surprise, our heroine gets her wish... and much more!

While there were a lot of aspects that remind me of other middle-grade fantasy stories such as a orphan hero who doesn't know they have magic, a magic school preceded by a magical school shopping trip... and interesting Professors, I did find this story pretty unique in the world building. The history of royalty and the types of magic were very interesting! I loved the invention of crowns and crystals possessing magic... as well as the idea that the scholarly magic users called scrivenists, becoming literal tomes (or books) when they pass on.

Ivy is our heroine and her curiosity gets her into much trouble throughout the story! There are a couple of side characters, Rebecca and Fyn, who are a good addition and balance out Ivy's personality with some much needed caution.

The pacing was a bit off for me and the first half was slow that I found my mind wandering a couple times... however the second half and especially the last 15-20% were great and you learn so much more about the history of the Royal families and Ivy's connection to it.

Overall, I enjoyed this story and the magical world. I am definitely interested in reading the second book in the series to see where the story goes... however, I do not feel like I need to run out and buy it to find out what happens. And enjoyable tale for young readers!

Unfortunately I had to DNF this book at about 20%. The premise sounded really interesting but I just couldn't get on with the writing and had little interest in the characters and plot. If this was a standalone I might have persevered but as it's part of a large series, and I have no intention of continuing past this first book. I think it just wasn't for me unfortunately.

Magical glowing creatures, a dark queen, dwarves, unicorns, ghosts, pirates and dragons, OH MY!
This book was such a magical adventure full of action that completely whisks you away to this amazing world filled with wonder and mystery 🔮
We follow our protagonist- Ivy. She is our curious rule breaker with many questions as to who she truly is- she was raised as a kitchen maid and has been treated horribly most of her life, that is until a magic bus lands in a cloud of rain and takes her away to the halls of Ivy in Croswald where our adventure unfolds 💛
The unique world and magic system was so cool and I loved being able to live it through Ivy’s eyes and perspective
It was so fun discovering all her secrets as they all led her to an amazing journey 🙌🏼
The school setting was super cool and I loved the unique concept of scrivenists and royals who have magic stones that give them abilities to wield specific magic
Although the main setting is at the school, Ivy’s curioustiy takes us on a pirate ship, to the sea, on an island and into a mysterious forgotten room
The ending was super action packed and intense and I just love me a good magic battle! 🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼
I loved everything about this story and am rooting for Ivy (and cinnamon roll Fyn 🥺💛) can’t wait to see how the rest of the series unfolds!
4/5 stars from me 💛

Thank you to NetGalley, D.E Night and publisher for gifting me an ebook copy in exchange for an honest review.

At the beginning of our story we meet our main character Ivy lovely, who I think was the perfect main character. She was young, innocent and just wanted to read. (Don’t we all) We start off with Ivy working in a castle but when an accident occurs she is then forced to leave, where she then discovers she has magical abilities.

I loved the characters in this story, they all had their own independent personalities and abilities. The plot was very well done, I enjoyed following our main character into all her different magical classes and her journey through discovering her heritage.

Although there were not many illustrations in this book I really did enjoy the illustrations used at the beginning of every chapter, they were very cute and I enjoyed seeing what the illustration would be for each chapter.

I recommend this book to anyone who loves a YA fantasy book, as it’s really captivating to that audience.

Wow what a fun world Night has created. Croswald gives a lot of Harry Potter vibes but a totally different magic system. I really felt for the main character are the cards she was dealt in life. The reason for 4 instead of 5 is just some times I felt it jumped to quickly from one mood to the next. I do know this is more for middle grade and probably wouldn't be noticed by them. I look forward to the next installment of this series.
I was gifted a copy for an honest review.

The Crowns of Croswald by D.E. Night is the first in the trilogy (The Crowns of Croswald #1) is a middle grade fantasy novel involving a unique magic system, and the main character Ivy Lovely.

It is set in the town of Croswald, where Ivy Lovely goes to a school called Halls of Ivy, a school meant for children possessing magical abilities. But her life is threatened by the Dark Queen, who is more powerful and possesses some really dark magic.

From the start of the end, the book is very very very engrossing and a complete page turner. Ivy is 16 and she has a great friend named Rimbrick. Over the course of her journey, she finds her family secrets and the reason behind the Dark Queen's interest in her. I also enjoyed the friendship and love components of this book.

This book is a blend of Harry Potter and Disney, but it's done in such a better way. I absolutely loved the magic system, adventurous plot and also engaging with twists and turns. Secrets unfold at every step of the way. The cover does not do justice to the plot. But overall, I highly recommend you to read this.

The Crowns of Croswald is an intriguing, magical read. I loved following Ivy through her adventures - from scullery maid to her magical school, making friends and living her dreams.

I enjoyed the world of Croswald and the new creatures and concepts introduced.

This is a great middle-grade/YA read. I highly recommend for those who love fantasy and Harry Potter.

Thanks to NetGalley and Stories Untold Press for a copy of this book to review.

I really liked this book! There was so much creativity in the story. It was so descriptive and easy to picture what was happening. I would think back to previous scenes and was able to picture it in my head like I was currently reading it. As it is a fantasy, there was a lot of world building so there were constantly new things being introduced. It was a lot to learn and remember. But it was fun to dive into this world and learn about it. I’ve read a couple of middle grade books this year that I just wasn’t really a fan of because they felt too young for me and lost my interest but I did not feel that way with this book! It didn’t really feel like a middle grade read for the most part. I think the characters spoke and acted a little young for their age sometimes and the “villain” was extra villainy but other than that I forgot I was reading a book meant for a younger age group than me. I haven’t read a book about magic in a while so this was really fun! If you’ve been looking for a replacement for Harry Potter, I recommend this book!

A big thank you to the publisher (Stories Untold Press), the author and NetGalley who provided a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Being a middle grade book with a magical school setting, The Crowns of Croswald was a nostalgic read for me, as it reminded me of books I used to read when I was a bit younger. At the same time, the book featured many unique ideas, from endearing magical creatures to different types of magic young readers (and not only) will love.

The book introduces 16-year-old Ivy, a scaldrony maid that is, a caretaker of scaldrons, small dragons whose heat is used to prepare food. Overworked and mistreated, Ivy finds comfort in sketching and in late night conversations with her only friend, a dwarf who tells her stories and secretly provides her with books. Understandably, Ivy longs for something beyond her dull life, a common, but always relatable character goal.

When Ivy is unceremoniously dismissed from her job, she's taken to the Halls of Ivy, a magical school where she is to be trained as a scrivenist - a historian of sorts, who gathers different kinds of knowledge and records them through the use of magic and art. This proves much more interesting than it might sound, as it involves sketching, virtual magical quests and a lot of reading, making for a creative magical system. Apart from scrivenists-in-training, the student body also consists of royals, young nobles who learn to practice different types of magic enabled through their magical, jeweled crowns.

The moment Ivy arrives at the Halls her real adventure begins; she makes new friends and finally feels at home. At the same time, she finds out she's one of the school's most gifted students, and remembers things everyone else seems to have forgotten. Her curiosity leads her to dangerous paths, especially when she comes across the name Derwin Edgar Night, a scrivenist who went missing many years ago. In seeking him, she learns much about herself - and the mysterious Dark Queen who rules Croswald. Speaking of Derwin, I loved the fact that he has the same initials as the author. This adds to the mystery, makes the author seem like a part of the story, and helps the readers suspend disbelief.

While the book is short and generally fast-paced, there is quite a lot of exposition at the beginning. This is not necessarily bad, but I sometimes found it a bit hard to keep track of the side-characters, such as the teachers, the classmates and the school staff, as a lot of them where mentioned few times without much information about their personality and function. I still loved learning about the Halls of Ivy and their residents. The magical system was creative and whimsical, something to derive joy from, rather than an overtly "scientific" type - which is often a tendency in books that feature some kind of magical apprenticeship. The author's inventions, such as devices that help the students read faster, magical means of transport and very informative (if disturbing) tomes make The Crowns of Croswald a fun read.

Ivy was a lively character, brave, plucky, curious and always up for a challenge. While I am a bit weary of the Chosen One trope, and it was obvious from early on that she was very special, I still cared to find out about her past. I would have loved more information about her background, her family and her abilities, as well as some elaboration on the setting's politics, that would make it even easier to suspend disbelief. Who is the Dark Queen, and why do people mostly accept her existence? What does the life of graduate scrivenists look like? I also wish the stories of characters such as Rebecca, Ivy's roomate, a royal who wants to be a scrivenist, and Fyn, an older student always at the right place in the right time, were explored and developed a little more to help the reader feel really invested. In that, But hopefully the next books will do just that!

From the cute sketches at the beginning of each chapter, to the idiosyncratic teachers and unique magic, The Crowns of Crowswald offers an enchanting, immersive experience for young readers. While some tropes, such as the Chosen One could have been handled more creatively, I loved the magical system and I feel the series has a lot of potential to provide very original and fun imagery and storylines as it progresses.

I had no knowlege of this book prior to reading and I can say that the story is so magical - it takes me back to why I read as a girl. I couldn't contain how happy I felt reading it and thought this is what makes a wonderful story and why I love to read fantasy.

I dislike comparing one book to another but it has some Harry Potter vibes; however it is unique and the world is beautiful. The story is gripping and I enjoyed how the author built tension and and how the the story came together.

Ivy as the MC was well written. I couldn't help but like her. She's kind hearted; and persistant in her need for questions answered. Her story pieces together well.
Strong, likable side characters support Ivy on her journey with an evil queen to beat.

There are some characters that I'm still not quite sure if Ivy can trust; but I'd be interested in reading the next instalment to find out.

An enchanting fairytale to be enjoyed and one I would definitely recommend.
I need that 2nd book.

Ivy Lovely has a miserable life. She has no family, no parents and only one friend - a dwarf who tells her all sorts of fantastical stories. But after a disastrous baking accident with a dragon, Ivy leaves her life as a kitchen servant behind and is immediately plunged into a world of magic. Ivy receives an invitation to join the Halls of Ivy, a school for magic. For the first time, Ivy has the opportunity to make friends and discover how to use the magic she never knew she had. But there are some strange things happening at the school and Ivy finds herself captivated by visions of a man who everyone else has forgotten. As Ivy tries to uncover long buried secrets, she must be wary of the dark forces out in the world looking for her.

I really enjoyed The Crowns of Croswald! It's magical, it's captivating and it's such a fun read. It has great characters, immersive world building and a fantastic magic system.

This middle-grade/YA book was very lovely.

I liked the characters and enjoyed the plot. And the cover is gorgeous.

The author wonderfully played with the worldbuilding and I really liked the magic system. I was a bit lost at the beginning of the book, but as the plot started to evolve, it got better. I had so much fun reading this book.

It was a magical and whimsical experience perfect for any fan of Harry Potter or Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

The Crowns of Croswald is enchanting. An immersive story that surrounds you with magic and the things fairy tales are made of, you'll find it hard to put this book down once you start. Ivy is a brilliant protagonist, strong, smart, with a big heart and bigger imagination. I know this probably tantamount to heresy - but I actually enjoyed this more than Harry Potter. Perfect for fantasy lovers no matter how old they may be.

Description

In Croswald, the only thing more powerful than dark magic is one secret...

For sixteen years Ivy Lovely has been hidden behind an enchanted boundary that separates the mundane from the magical. When Ivy crosses the border, 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 mysterious gems. When Ivy's magic and her life is threatened by the Dark Queen, she scrambles to unearth her history and save Croswald before the truth is swept away forever.

Warning: This review may contain clichés and superlatives in my description of this book.

(Please note: no clichés or superlatives were harmed in the writing of this review)

When I started reading this book I had a hatful of superlatives that I intended to use, you know, things like Magical, Enthralling, Enchanting, Captivating etc.

However, I decided to throw them out of the window and tell you what I really think.

I loved this book! It made me remember why I fell in love with fantasy books. Why, as a kid I would want to read books that took me out of this world and plonk me into another world with strange beasts, magic and a hero that would defeat the evil King, Queen, Sorcerer (delete as appropriate).

If I could time travel back to my childhood, I would take this book back with me, and say ‘Here kid, read this!’

Now, I suppose you want me to tell you about pacing, character development and all that kind of stuff! Well, I don't know if I want to!

Well, I might just do that, but in a bit. What I wanted to tell you is that when I started this book, I started it with a reviewer's hat on, but after the Prologue, I decided to throw away all pretence of trying to review this book and decided to let myself get caught up in the story's joyful style and just read it, and enjoy it.

As the description tells you, the book is the story of Ivy. A maid in the Plum household, a household devoid of magic and is quite simply the most boring place in the world.

Ivy is a Scaldrony maid, in the kitchens of the Plum Acreage. Her job is to look after the Scaldrons,a type of dragon that doubles up as an oven. The kitchen is run by the tyrannical Helga Hoff and after a series of mishaps involving the aforementioned Helga Hoff, Ivy, finds herself, quite unexpectedly, out on her ear into the wider world.

However, things are not as they seem when her friend, Rimbrick, the bright spot in her previous life of drudgery, leaves her a small fortune, some books and a mysterious letter, telling her of a debt that he owes to her family.

She is shortly collected by the mysterious Lionel Lugg, longtime scrivenist and freelancer. The scrivenist informs her that she is to attend The Halls of Ivy, where Royals and Scriveners alike receive an education in the arts of magic.

What follows is a classic fish out of water story of a girl who is thrust into a world she does not understand. We follow Ivy as she tries to fit into this unfamiliar world, sharing with her the isolation that she feels and the sense of excitement and wonderment that she experiences when she is plunged into this new world that she does not quite understand.

As Ivy becomes more proficient in her learning, her powers start to blossom and soon Ivy finds that her world is full of secrets, adventures and mysterious strangers.

Now, full disclosure. I am not the intended demographic for this story, exceeding that age by at least three or four times. But does that matter? No, not one bit. I was able to enjoy and relish the story as much as I would have done when I was a much younger reader and admire the quality of the prose (although younger me would have no idea what that word meant).

Night's world is rich, filled with characters that will delight (Ha ha, I told you to expect that didn't I?) and keep the reader enthralled (there's another one!). Ivy’s character develops as she learns more about magic and the Halls of Ivy. Throughout the world, there is a vast array of beasts that will keep any young fantasy fan happy. She also has an interesting magic system that works well. However, this magic system is not too impenetrable for younger readers and is pretty easy to follow. As for the world, she is constantly introducing new aspects that enrich both the environment around our main protagonist and also the story.

The other thing that we have here is a strong female lead and a collection of equally strong female characters. The main positions of power centre around women and the fact that they have got there by being exceedingly brilliant in every way. And whilst the story centres around female characters, Night successfully brings in a nice element of scrunginess to the female characters that makes them seem like real girls, instead of the popularised image of little girls wanting to be princesses and queens (although there are plenty of princesses and queens in the story).

For me, the story centres around the magic of books and words. The scrivenists embrace the use of words in order to create their magic, but ultimately, the power is held by books and stories.

In all, Night brings in the right amount of danger, comedy and world building to keep the story moving along at a pretty good pace. The sense of threat is there to keep the reader involved and wanting to know more before they put it down for the night.

So, if you have a budding little fantasy book nerd at home, and you want to keep them happy, give them a copy of this book and hopefully, all will be well.

Right, I was asked by the publisher, Stories Untold & Netgalley to have a look at this book and review it. I did & all the enjoyment is my own. So there!

Overall, it was a quick fantasy read that was full of magic and interesting characters. As many reviewers have noted before me, it seems to be heavily influenced by Harry Potter. From the Forgotten Room (Room of Requirements like) to the main characters finding out that they are the chosen one or something akin to it, there are a lot of parallels between the two universe. The author is descriptive and does a great job portraying the final seen in an imaginative way that allows you to really immerse yourself in it.