I received a copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

This book is the debut for this author. It is very well written and kept me wanting more. The character development was excellent. I felt myself experiencing the feelings and anticipating what would happen next. The World building was on point! The descriptions were so well done I could see them in my mind.

I will read any book written by this author with high expectations! I am excited to follow Ivy’s adventures.

What an enjoyable read! I thought that the premise and set-up for this book was so fun! The magic school, but with lots of fun, was an entertaining spin on the trope. I was entertained from start to finish, and found the characters to be super engaging. I think the plot really picked up in the second half, so that made me excited for what's to come in the series!

Thank you to Netgalley, D.E. Night, and Stories Untold Press for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This was such a fun story! Magic, lives being uprooted, all kinds of change - I am here for it!!!!
The main character, Ivy, has discovered that she has magical powers and her entire life changes. Leaving the mundane life she has been living behind, she is taken to attend a school of magic where she learns to grow, harness, and create magic!

Filled with fun creatures, danger (of course - wouldn’t be the same without it!), and friendships forming, this was SUCH a fun read! There are some very unique ideas the author came up with (I will not spoil them) that really add to this story and help keep it different from other magical stories such as Harry Potter and Charlie Bone.

Even though the main character is 16, I feel it reads more like a middle grade book, allowing for a wider audience! It’s a very clean story, nothing too scary for younger readers, and will certainly leave the reader wishing they had magical powers of their own!!!!

I was gifted a copy of the ebook for review by the author.

This is a very interesting world. There were some parts that I really enjoyed (like the Hollow Shaft and some of the magical creatures). I also enjoyed many of the characters - they had good motivations and were believable.

While reading, I couldn't help but draw comparisons to another well-known series set at a magical school. Sometimes, the similarities were a bit too much and that detracted from my enjoyment. Although, I do think The Crowns of Croswald is different enough to stand on its own. Aside from that, there were parts where I felt like the words were there mainly to be words on a page. There was a bit too much exposition and not enough showing. I wish the world building and some of the character establishment was more engaging. There were descriptions of things / characters that did not add to the story or to the world. I felt they slowed down the reader and didn't provide much value. An example is the multiple comments about how bad someone smelled. To me, that was a distraction and didn't help me understand the character any more.

Overall, this was a decent read. The world is interesting and would be fun to explore some more.

Firstly I would like to say thank you to Stories Untold for providing me with this finished copy to read and review.

I am loving middle grade books and this just hit the spot. This is a school for magic, which we see a lot, but I feel like this is totally whismical and captivating. I think that Ivy is so relatable and love how brave and outspoken she is. In a time where we currently face injustices in this world, it was nice to read about a character who just stands up and fights. I definitely think that my soon to be 8 year old would love the magics within this book. I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series!!

I was sent this in exchange for an honest review.
This was an enjoyable read, which I'd classify as younger YA/upper Middle Grade. I got a lot of Harry Potter vibes, with the magic school setting and the way Ivy found out who she was. I think it's aimed at a slightly younger reader than me so I didn't find it as gripping as I may have done if I'd read it in my early teenage years. I'm hoping it'll pick up a bit in the next book - I found it got better towards the end.

Although I had a lot of fun reading it, I couldn't help comparing The Crowns of Croswald to Harry Potter, the whole time. Both books contain too many similarities for The Crowns of Croswald to shine fully. There are castles, magic schools, quills, cauldrons, magic, ghosts, balls, and more.

One thing that separated the two is the use of different gadgets, specifically the Compass Collectis. I won't go into more detail, but some of the various mechanisms were very cleaver.

I also enjoyed the main character, Ivy. I thought she was very relatable and lovable.

Overall, the biggest blessing and curse are the constant parallels to Harry Potter. Since HP is one of my favorite series of all time, it was hard for me to separate the two. If you enjoy YA magic schools, then I highly recommend this one for you.

Thank you Stories Untold Press for providing the arc in exchange for and honest review!
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The Crowns of Croswald is a middle grade fantasy about a girl named Ivy who ends up attending a special school where students master magic. When Ivy is threatened by the Dark Queen, she must unearth her history and save Croswald.
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I think this book is great for the middle grade age group--there's interesting creatures, magic, and a whimsical, mysterious world to explore. I could easily see this as a book that parents could read with their kids.
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Unfortunately, this book wasn't for me, but I think it's mostly because I lean toward adult fantasy. It was hard for me to connect with the writing style, as there was a lot of telling instead of showing and at times it felt very cluttered. It made the pacing feel a bit off because there were long descriptions for things/places that weren't really linked to Ivy or the plot. I think it borrowed heavily from Harry Potter, but it would be up to the reader whether that is a positive or a negative.
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While The Crowns of Croswald did not click with me, I feel those who enjoy middle grade stories and magical schools would fare better with the book.
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#review #bookreview #storiesuntoldpress

So I got access to this story from Stories Untold Press, so thank you so much to them!

So I overall did enjoy this story. I think it's a solid start to a middle grade novel. I think the author did really well at creating a universe that is interesting and brings in the reader for more. I think that's something that I really wanted.

I wished that we got more from the world and a little more exposition from the author. I feel like we were thrown right into it. I normally wouldn't have minded this if we were thrown into some action but it felt like we were plopped right into the middle of a story. Adding on to this I would have loved to see more of the school setting. Even a little meandering would have been a nice breath of fresh air for the reader.

I think the story itself maybe could have unfolded a bit better in terms of how much story/reveals were given to the reader. It felt like we got most of it in the last quarter of the story. The pacing just felt a little rushed.

I think there were comparisons to Harry Potter thrown around? I guess I can see that with some similar tropes but I do think the author put in a lot of their own creativity and spin on these already popular trope for this book to stand alone from that comparison.

I am interested to see where the story goes. I think the strength of this story lies in the unique setting and world, a story with good twists and turns, and the fun and whimsy writing that really shines through certain parts of the book. Really fun!

Mysterious, Magical and fun!
I really enjoyed this book and got some Harry Potter vibes whilst reading! The story was fun and intriguing, lots of small bits of information dropped to leave you wanting more! Really hoping we get some more information about Fyn and Rebecca, would love to know more about them. The Dark Queen seems very mysterious until the end when we got some more information about her, but would love to learn more in the coming books! I felt the book had a great pace and it kept me interested all the way through. The characters were a good mix of personalities and i definitely will be reading the next installment of Ivy's adventure!

Packed with fantasy, adventure and imagination, this is a tale which will make young fantasy fans' hearts beat faster.

Ivy is a kitchen maid at the castle, lives in a cupboard, and loves to sneak outside to sketch. When an accident with the dragons under the stove occurs, she's forced to run until a huge creature with a rider stops her and tells her that he's taking her to a school for those with powers. She doesn't believe she has any but is convinced to sign up. At the school, she not only learns more about magic, meets interesting students including royals, but also learns about the Dark Queen. But things aren't all wonderful. The Dark Queen is more than a threat to Ivy and her powers, she's a threat to her life.

After reading the blurb on this one and seeing the lovely cover, I was excited to get my hands on an ARC. The tale and world are quite imaginative and will have young readers hooked by all of the wonderful details and creatures—it's the stuff dreams are made of. Ivy is also a lovely character, who is easy to like and root for as she learns about her own past, meets amazing characters and faces obstacles, which will keep the reader at the edge of their seat. It's a fun start to what promises to be an exciting series.

I especially loved the details and way the author weaves in the world building with little glimpses and not word-avalanches. This along with the whimsical touches create a world perfect for middle grade readers. Even Ivy fits the middle grade roll nicely with her innocence, behavior and thought processes. And this is also where a little problem comes in. According to the story, Ivy is sixteen, but never during the read did I have this impression. She comes across as a very solid 11 to 12 year-old more than most of the time. Normally, this would throw the book into the young adult category and their are brief moments which would suggest this book should be there, but as said, the writing style, world building and most happenings are too young for many teens.

All in all, this is a very fun and imaginative read. There are more than a few obvious parallels to the Harry Potter series, but that doesn't hurt the general flow of this read. It's an enjoyable tale and great for fantasy fans.

The writer really captures a beautiful world full of lovely characters. You really feel connected to the characters.

I cant wait to read the other parts of this series.

Book Review-The Crowns of Croswald by D. E. Night
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In Croswald, the only thing more powerful than dark magic is one secret....
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Thank you @netgalley for this digital book to read and review.
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This was a cute story about a young girl discovering her abilities. I quickly became invested in Ivy and her situation. The school was exciting and trying to figure out the plot was fun. The friendships Ivy makes throughout the story were sweet. I wish there would have been more back story at the beginning to set up the world a little more but the ending explained this a little better. This is the first book in this series and I already have book 2 lined up in my kindle.
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I gave this book 4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and look forward to my next adventure in Croswald.

If you like fantasy, magic, adventure and mystery then this is the book for you! Ivy Lovely is a lowly servant who is thrust into a world she only dreamed of being a part of. Along the way she develops new friendships and finds out about a past that she never knew she had. This is a great middle grade book for fans of Harry Potter looking for their next magical read. This book hooked me from the beginning. I found myself not wanting to put the book down so that I could escape into Ivy's world a little bit longer. Just when you think you have things figured out, there are more twists and turns in store for you (and Ivy!). I absolutely cannot wait to read the next installment of this magical series.

I was offered a free copy of The Crowns of Croswald from netgalley and the publisher Stories Untold for an honest review, which is what follows.

I missed out on the Harry Potter craze, at least in book form. By the time I was really aware of the series I was an adult and several books behind, so I made the decision not to read it. So for better or worse I can not compare this novel to that series as I have seen others do. I also normally do not read books that fall into the YA or younger category, but this sounded interesting and I have three nieces, one who is old enough to enjoy reading and has read Harry Potter, and is always looking for new reading material. I'm glad that I did, because I found this story to be really enjoyable.
Having a young female protagonist made me happy. She was likable but not perfect, which I think is important to teach children is okay, to not be perfect. I found all of the creatures fun to read about; I felt the author put a lot of thought into them and it showed. They were distinctive, I could visualize them after reading the descriptions and I kind of wanted them to be real.
The plot did feel a little predictable to me, but I am an adult, so I am not sure if would be to the same to the age intended. The plot flowed easily; there never felt to be a forced issue to get from point A to B. I really loved the idea of scrivenists and their relationships to their crowns' families. As a whole, the world building was wonderfully done in my opinion. I am interested in how the rest of the series goes from here.
I gave this 4 stars because it is something that I would suggest to others to read, or would gift to someone. As I said, I did enjoy reading this very much, but do not see myself re-reading this, which is one personal requirement to giving 5 stars.

When I was asked to read this book and leave a review I was excited, because I will read anything fantasy and while reading the summary I was intrigued.
The beginning of the book set the story up well and it had me curious about where it was going to go. The main character, Ivy, was very likable and I thought that her character development was realistic and relatable. This world is magical and pretty much anything can happen. Sometimes I felt myself get distracted because I was paying attention to what the author was describing about the world that I got lost about what was happening in the plot. .
Ivy is a maid who through some trials eventually gets let go, and as luck would have it the night she gets let go is the time someone approaches her about a coveted position at a school to harness and craft her magic. I enjoyed reading about her school days, I just wish there were more of it. The whole year passed by and I wanted to read more about her education and her time with her friends and my favorite characters Rebecca and Flyn. As I read the second I hope to see her relationship with both of these characters grow.
This is a middle grade fantasy, which is innocent and definitely character driven. The antagonist was a mystery through most of the story and it left the door open to create second book following their adventures. I will be sure to read the second because now I am attached to Ivy's plight!

I have seen this one show up on my Instagram feed quite a few times and when the publisher reached out, I figured why not! The cover is definitely an eye-catcher and the blurb had me very curious. I also do enjoy a good Middle Grade every now and then!

I wouldn't say that there is anything wrong with this book in particular because I did like it but there were just a few things that kept me from really latching onto it.

Ivy is a good character that is quite special but I had a hard time connecting with her. I felt like her development was a bit underdone. The other characters felt a bit a flat, especially the professors. I did like the relationships that Ivy was forming and it was nice to see that development between her and Rebecca. To me, friendships are so important in books.

The magic in this book is quite interesting and very creative in its own way from the creatures/pets to the books that magically appear again. As for the plot, I think it suffered a bit at the beginning because the pacing was on the slower side but as you continue reading, the pacing gets better and the plot picks up which made for a good read. The book did end on a cliffhanger as it opens up for the next book in the series. I will say that this did remind me quite a bit of Harry Potter. Although that was the case, like I said above, the author does a good job of creating her own magical world and making it something new.

Overall, this was a good read. It definitely was harder to connect with but I can see the appeal for younger kids to enjoy this book.

The Crowns of Croswald tells the story of our young heroine Ivy. Young Ivy works as a servant near the rather unfortunate sounding slurry fields. Despite a rather bleak existence, Ivy finds herself yearning to read and draw, activities a young servant wouldn't have need to do. After a run in with her supervisor, Ivy finds herself out of work. Thankfully she meets someone who takes her to a fresh new start where she is to be educated. Though her circumstances improve, she still has obstacles to overcome: a terrible classmate, odd encounters at the school's dining halls, and a queen everyone seems petrified of, but that no one likes to speak of.

Ivy's inquisitive spirit leads her to many adventures and near scrapes. D.E. Night does an incredible job creating the Croswald world. From her descriptions of the Halls, to various stone magics, and especially the creatures, the reader could step straight into Ivy's world.

For fans of magic, the underestimated, kids who just don't fit in, or anyone who just loves a compelling story, this one is for you.

The Crowns of Croswald was something completely out of my wheelhouse. It's one thing to watch a movie like Harry Potter and another than it too read about an alternate world filled with magic in meticulous detail. It was awesome at times and overwhelming at other times. I did love Ivy and her characters story of being "the chosen one" but at times felt disconnected from Ivy as the story seemed to trail off. All and all I think young readers will love this book. I thought it was good but definately will steer back towards my favorite genres. Thanks Netgalley for my ARC

Rating: 3.5 My Review: Everyone knows how obsessed I am with Harry Potter, so naturally I’m drawn to magical stories like this one. There are many magical elements and detail in The Crowns of Croswald, however, although many have compared it to Harry Potter.. I felt it to be very different. It’s a beautiful story full of magic. The novel is written in third person, and the world building is very very detailed it does get drawn out a bit, but only gives the reader even more info, and background, This happens during the first half roughly of the novel, the second half picks up so fast, and there’s a lot more happening. It’s not a fast paced novel, but I appreciated that. Sometimes fast paced means not enough detail or character development.

I loved that this novel takes place in a magical school, and a lot of the story focuses on learning, as well as methods of learning. It’s perfect for the age range that it targets, middle grade to young adult audience.

Verdict: I truly enjoyed The Crowns of Croswald. I recommend it to all readers who love reading fantasy, love a great magical read, and an uplifting main character. Also.. points to anyone who can tell me what the authors name and one very important character in the story have in common!