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.

I was provided a copy from Night’s publicist via NetGalley to read and give my honest review. I was pleasantly intrigued while reading this book. I don’t generally read much fantasy, but this one kept me wanting more. I was drawn in by Ivy and her life from the start. Many say it’s much like Harry Potter, though I can’t honestly say that since I haven’t read HP. However, I found myself seeing the premise of Sleeping Beauty and loved it! This series continues, which is great because the ending leaves you wanting to follow Ivy as she finds more out about her past!

I Was Provided A Copy Of This Book Through @netgalley After Speaking With @danielastoriesuntoldpress. I Read This On eBook But Will Definitely Have To Get Paperback For The Others As I Am Not A Huge Electronic Reading Fan And Found It Took Me So Long To Read On The iPad For One Reason Or Another...

This Is The First Book Of The Series And I Already Cannot Wait To Read The Others! It Is Such A Magical And Exciting Story. I Have Seen So Many Reviews Comparing It To Harry Potter, But I Couldn’t Agree? I Really Hope That These Are Made Into Films As I Would So Enjoy Watching Them Also.

From The Beginning I Knew There Was More To Ivy Lovely That Just A Scaldrony Maid. DE Night Has Created A Whole World And Language That You Dive Right Into, I Could Be Spellbound Or It Might Be The Dark Queens Queens Curse But I Cannot Wait To Return To The Halls Of Ivy And Ravenshollow.

I Would 100% Be A Scrivenist As I Love To Read, Just Need To Get That Quill In My Pocket And A Lantern Of Hairies (Just Not Bald Ones) 💜

If You Like Fantasy And Magic This Is The Book For You!

A fun middle grade read for fans of fantasy. I absolutely adored the characters and the writing style was enjoyable. Its been a while since I read a middle grade novel so it took me a bit to get into but definitely worth the read

If you love whimsical magical stories then The Crowns of Croswald by D.E Night is the perfect book for you.

I LOVED this book!!!

Ivy Lovely has lived her sixteen years as a scaldrony maid, working in the kitchen of Plum Castle surrounded by Slurry fields tending to the scaldron's who cook/prepare the food. Thinking nothing special of herself, until Rimbrick a dwarf and dear friend, her only friend try's to tell her otherwise. She doesn't believe that she has any magic in her, even after receiving her letter to the Halls of Ivy, a magic academy. How can she be a squinch? And yet there she goes, whisked off to the Town with no name to join the academy along with the other squinches and royals. The squinches have picture perfect memories and are the researchers and record keepers, the sketchers for the Royals. The Royals have special stone in their crowns tuned to the magic abilities that each person has. Some can shapeshift, control elements and so forth.

The school it's self is filled with magical creatures, magical books that never run out and a forgotten room, who's door is carefully guarded in The Selectors office.

Not all is whimsy in this story, no there is the Dark Queen with her Cloaked brood whom everyone fears.

Strange things seem to happen to Ivy once she lands in the Town with no name, things that seem to happen to only her.

Come join in her adventure has she learns more about herself and what the Halls of Ivy have hidden in it's walls.

So if you take Harry Potter and Studio Ghibli blend them up, you have the magical wonder of The Crowns of Croswald. Like I said at the start, I loved this book. I would give it beyond 5 stars if I could. I don't say that often if you follow my review's, only certain books get my beyond 5 stars stamp.

I REALLY want to read the next book, this was an arc that I was asked to review and I am soo happy I was asked. This will be a series that will one day sit on my shelf in it's forever home and be loved over and over again.

Wow! This was such a fun book to read. It has been a minute since I've read middle grade books, but this brought me right back to what got me into reading in the first place: magic. This was an interesting story that never felt boring or repetitive, despite a lot of similarities to Harry Potter.

I'll admit it did take me a few chapters to get into, but I think that was more of me having to get out of my NA/YA mindset and back into my middle grade reading mindset. Once I was about 5 or so chapters in, I didn't have a problem with getting into it.

Ivy is such a strong and interesting character and the author did a great job with developing her personality. The side characters were great too! Rebecca is a good friend, and Fyn is so funny.

I do wish the descriptions of the creatures and the world were a bit meatier, as some of them were vague and left a little too much to the imagination for me. I prefer a strong, well-developed world and magic system, and this part of the book fell a little short for me.

Overall, it was fun read and a good middle grade book. I think HP lovers would enjoy this story quite a bit, but it may be a little too middle grade for the older readers.

I received this book from Netgalley and the publisher Stories untold in exchange for a free review. Thank you to both for allowing me to dive back into what made me love reading from the very beginning, Magic. It gave me the nostalgic feeling that I've been craving since I read a similar series about wizards and magic.

We have a character named Ivy that takes care of scaldrons and is ultimately content with her rather boring life, though she longs for more. She vividly remembers her dreams, has an extremely photographic memory, and she can sketch what she sees almost perfectly. She has all of the traits of Scrivenist When a scare from her smallest scaldron leads her to a cab in the sky and whisks them away to a school of magic, its everything Ivy dreamt of.

This is absolutely perfect for fans of all things magic and Harry Potter, and may even be the next biggest thing to HP!

I loved that one of the main characters also has the same initials as the author. Cute little quirk that made me loves this even more!

The slurry fields of Croswald are hiding the best kind of secret. An unknown heroine named Ivy Lovely. After being thrown out of her castle and leaving behind the only friend she’s known, Ivy finds herself ushered along to the Halls of Ivy. The Halls is a converted castle that houses a magical school for scrivenists, and is. Ivy spends the year learning, longing and landing herself in plenty of misadventures. By the time you’ve turned the last page, you’ve been granted enchantment into a wonderful new world! As a middle school teacher, I can’t wait to share this one with my middlers!

I have to admit i was a little bit scared of Reading this book . And i knew nothing about it. I liked the adventures the Main character participated in.. I liked that the heroine was a strong girl. I liked the trouble she sometimes ended up in. I liked that IT was a.magicalworld. Thank you to netgalley for letting me read this e arc in exchange for an honest review

4.5 Stars

I was a little nervous going into this read because it is considered a middle school read and I was worried about it being a little to childish but that wasn't the case. I loved this book and everything about it. Magic school, magic beasts, magic crowns, what more could you want?

The beginning was a little slow but it was necessary for the backstory and world building. I loved the classes that Ivy had to attend, each one was unique and they gave even more backstory to the magical world in a fun adventurous way. Ivy was a strong female character that liked to bend the rules, at times a little impulsive with her decision making but that is how she was described by the teachers so it worked. She knew she was different from the others and she was determined to figure out why.

The secondary characters added to a good touch to the story. Rebecca was a the friend that Ivy has always wanted and I loved seeing their friendship grow throughout. Fyn was there as a guide to Ivy, answering any questions she had. I loved the banter between the two and I cant wait to see what comes of them in the next book.

I would have liked a little more history on the Dark Queen. I don't think she was explained as much as I would have liked, it was mostly towards the end when she was "battling" with Ivy and discovering who she was. It was a little predictable just based on Ivy's differences but it didn't take anything away from the reveal for me.

There were a couple similarities to HP but I think it was unique enough to not compare the two. I couldn't get enough of the magical world D.E Night created and I look forward to reading book 2 and seeing Ivy's character develop even more.

I think this would be a fun read for any middle schooler, but also for adults who like magical worlds.

Well, it took me 20 days to finish this book. Usually, it only takes me a week to read a book of similar size. There were many times I wanted to put it down but then something semi-interesting would happen and I would keep on. By 70% I was done but hey, I’ve come this far-right??
Maybe it was because I was in a bit of a book slump from my last two lackluster books but I REALLY struggled with this book.
I think there is a very fine line a book that is inspired by a beloved series and a copycat. For me, this book toed the line and occasionally stepped over. Let me give you a few examples.
The Crowns of Croswald Is a story about a girl who lives as a servant in a house where she is hungry and mistreated, she lives in a cellar with no windows. One day she believes herself to be unremarkable UNTILL one day she finds out she had magic in her blood! WOO HOO! She is sent to a magical school where she meets a boy and a girl who become her best friend. There is even a girl who seems to be cruel to her for no apparent reason besides that she was once a servant. Does this sound familiar?
Here is an excerpt from 43%
Since she had been at the halls, the setting of her recurring dream with the mysterious man had changed. Her nightly adventure narrowed to a single unfamiliar door. The only Clear detail of the entry was a lock the size of a clobber coffee mug. In the dream, Ivy knew that she needed to see what was in the room behind the door, but she had no way of getting in. She stood before the door feeling stumped and powerless. Then, as soon as she recognized that it was a dream, the door disappeared as if it were never there. The dreamscape went blank and Ivy woke in a state of confusion.”
This is a 97%
“Your magic, it comes from your mother. But your smile and your eyes favor your father,” Derwin said softly.
This was said to Ivy right after she sees a picture of her parents for the first time in her life.
My husband loves to play Devil’s advocate and asked If there is a difference between a fairy tale retelling where the events are the same and the story is the same but still it’s not the same. And books such as this. Is it just because Harry Potter is relatively newer than Cinderella that the likenesses bothered me? I’m not exactly sure what the difference for me is. But parts of this book just felt like the opposite of Potter was used without a personal unique spin...The girls were made boys, the boys made girls.. Dark Lord, Evil queen. And passages like the above that almost seem idea for idea.
Now that I’ve unloaded (some of) my grievances. There was enough originality in this book to keep me hanging on to get to the ending. But there were other flaws that make reading hard for me.
For one the book opened in a flashback. I was completely lost. It talked about scrivenistist. I actually googled this word because I felt like I should know what they are. There wasn’t really an explanation. Google didn’t have any info for me.. But I figured out they are a kind of scholarly wizard.
Then we find out that when Ivy was an infant after her parents were killed in an attack by the evil queen her “guardian” sent her to the Slurry Fields so the evil queen couldn’t find her and kill her. (See the parallel again?) Anywho, I digress... I never actually figured out what the slurry field is... A castle... In a lavender field… I’m not sure what about it kept the queen from sensing her magic. Was there some kind of barrier and if so why was it there?
There there are Hairies. I’m not sure what that is either. I know they are some kind creature, people carry them around in lanterns for light. They have hair that glows. Aside from there I never got a picture for what exactly they are.
Overall these were the things that make this book unenjoyable for me. There was a lot of potential with the stories premise and there was some very nice writing.
Thank you to NetGalley and Stories Untold for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.