As a result of my various committee appointments and commitments I am unable to disclose my personal thoughts on this title at this time. Please see my star rating for a general overview of how I felt about this title. Additionally, you may check my GoodReads for additional information on what thoughts I’m able to share publicly. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this and any other titles you are in charge of.

I was leaning towards 3 stars for a majority of this book- but the last quarter was quite a page turner!
Ivy Lovely is a scullery maid, but after being kicked out of her position/castle home, it doesn’t take long to realize that she’s destined for much more. She takes her place at the Halls of Ivy, a magical boarding school. Again, you can tell pretty early on that Ivy is not your average student there. Having (unknowingly) had dreams of the very castle where the Halls of Ivy is located, Ivy (the person) quickly realizes there is a mystery she needs to unravel.

The story is solid throughout the book. What kept my initial rating low is the author’s tendency to tell information rather than show. Parts of it read like a summary of a movie- although a highly interesting movie I’d love to watch! There are pieces that could’ve used more description, and some that may have had too much. However, the entire climax was incredible and I had a hard time putting it down! Overall, I think middle grades fantasy lovers will enjoy this book.

This isn’t a genre that I would normally choose to pick up but when I was contacted directly by the publisher i thought hmmm why not....
This series has so much potential that I am beyond excited to read the rest of the novels

The first thing I’ll say about this story is that it holds a lot of potential. I’ve seen it compared to Harry Potter in other people’s reviews, which I would agree with, as it follows the same pattern of a young person living in misery and treated as a nobody by their carers until they get whisked away to a magic school and discover they are special, and chosen by prophecy. But beyond the basic structure, it does its own thing and develops a very different world, which I will go into later. My problem, however, is that everything is too confusing. Typically, for a story that takes place in another world, it works best to introduce it to the readers with something familiar, something simple. One might start with a character from our own world, if it’s a portal fantasy, or a character that inhabits a world at least vaguely familiar to us. Crowns of Croswald, on the other hand, does not do this. Its prologue take place in a magical town full of things that give no familiarity, and though they are described and eventually become familiar as one reads the book, it gives the reader a lot to deal with right away. If I were to read that prologue again now, knowing what I know, it wouldn’t present a problem, but for first time readers it’s not ideal.

Then when Ivy, our protagonist, is introduced she is also in a totally unfamiliar setting; she is a scaldrony maid in a castle surrounded by fields of slurry. Words here are vaguely familiar, but still jarring. They will be important though, and they do contribute to what I felt was the greatest strength of this book: world building. A scaldrony maid takes care of little dragons names scaldrons, which have been bred to replaces furnaces, which leads to Ivy being looked down on at the school because of her position; slurry is a plant that dampens magic, which is how Ivy has never encountered the magical world before she goes beyond their fields.

I would say that Crowns of Croswald doesn’t have any more new words and systems than any other story of this kind, and I know that many readers enjoy having a lot of lore to sink into, but sadly the way everything was introduced was a bit overwhelming for me. It’s possible that D.E. Night fell into the trap of putting every single aspect of world building she conjured up onto the page, resulting in a bit of a bombardment of information throughout the story. She does described things beautifully, though, and I visualised everything very clearly as I read, which speaks to her skill with words. It just needed a bit more refining.

There were also a lot of inconsistencies and contradictions in the story, which led me to feel confused as I read. For example, in the prologue, a character is leaving the magic town via a flying cabbie shaped like a house and driven by a green rhino-like beast (a great image!), which creates a mini storm around itself to prevent people seeing it. As the story progresses, though, it seems that this is not a hidden world, as magic seems to be common knowledge, so this secrecy seems redundant. Another example is the fact that Ivy is utterly surprised to find out she has a spot at the magic school, despite her mentor-figure telling her outright that she may expect an invitation the day before she does, and that she has magic in her veins. This happens to her multiple times; a fact is given to her, and then she later discovers it again as if it were brand new. It was all a little strange.

All the characters also felt a lot like caricatures. It’s possible that in the later books they get developed further, but it felt like they were all on the cusp of becoming rounded and complex, but kept falling back on to their tropes, which made me a little less invested in Ivy’s fate. I will say, though, that I was very intrigued by her history. All throughout the book, from the very first chapter, there are hints that Ivy is more than she seems, and when she gets to the school she starts learning about the Dark Queen who currently rules the land, and that the true monarchy was wiped out long before, cursed tragically to always wander and forget themselves at the same time as the second moon disappeared from the sky. Also, the shady figure of Derwin Edgar Night haunts Ivy’s dreams and school corridors. These are mysteries I wanted more of, and their reveals felt a bit rushed at the end, but still good. My last criticism is the pace; it was quite slow, and the sequence of events relied quite a lot on things conveniently and coincidentally happening so that Ivy discovered the right thing at the right time. There wasn’t a lot of action and reaction going on. Just a lot of things happening and the characters going along with them.

Despite all this, I can see a lot of young readers enjoying it, as it is a middle grade book, despite the characters all being in their late teens. There are also currently two more books that I know of, and I would be interested to see what else Ivy discovers about her family and the history of Croswald in the future. All in all, a fun read, I just feel it needed a bit more work to be truly impactful.

The Crowns of Croswald is a really special book following tales of adventure and magic, uncovering the secrets that many have worked hard to keep forgotten.

D.E. Night writes very well and from page one she catches the reader’s attention. Night uses really lovely descriptions, they’re not too long or boring, so the reader can truly picture what she’s describing. The book has a steampunk vibe, which I usually stay away from because I don’t like it, but I thought it was very enjoyable. What I liked most about this book is that it’s an easy read, which I think we all need sometimes! The cast was also relatively small for a book, so you weren’t constantly wracking your brain to remember who everyone is.

Ivy’s character is blunt, honest and funny, it was a pleasure to read. It was really interesting following Ivy’s perspective – she has been sheltered all her life in a larder, the furthest she’s travelled from the Castle she works for is the hill in the slurry fields beside it. Ivy is naïve to the reality in this mystical fantasy world, even the cabby beasts, the same as the reader. This means that both Ivy and the reader are experiencing and learning about this world together, which is a lovely ay to read and it makes it very entertaining.

Although this book is aimed for teenagers, every age would enjoy this tale of magic! I can’t put into words how exciting this book is, I loved reading every word of it, I had a child-like excitement when reading which I haven’t had for a long time. It was really easy just to switch off and enjoy this book, so much so I was finished in just a few hours! This book was so, so suited for me. I’m really excited to read the next book in this series.

Thank you to @author.denight @danielastoriesuntoldpress and @netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn’t totally sure what I was in for when I started reading this, but I’ve always loved fantasy coming of age stories!

Night’s protagonist, Ivy, is likeable and a well rounded cast of characters surrounds her. I really enjoyed her dynamic with classmates Rebecca and Fyn. Our primary antagonist, The Dark Queen, is appropriately menacing and a worthy adversary. My favorite character is a toss up between Fyn and the elusive Derwin Edgar Night.

The world-building, while certainly not neglected, is neither cumbersome nor overwhelming. Night gives us plenty of details to understand where we are without burdening us with too much information at once. Ivy’s first venture through Croswald couldn’t help but remind me of Belle’s morning walk through town in Beauty and the Beast, if that town happened to be a cross between Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley from another well known magical coming of age series, which has a clear influence on Night’s work. Unfortunately, some of my favorite world-building moments happen in the last half of the book and I don’t want to spoil anything!

Ivy’s journey to understand who she is and where she belongs is both familiar and endearing. While I’m certainly not the target audience for this series, I remember my younger self’s reading habits and I would have loved this. Middle-grade and younger YA readers will certainly enjoy this magical world.

Star Rating : 7/10

Would I recommend? Yes
Similar Titles? Harry Potter, The Paper Magician, The Enchanted Forest Chronicles

Set in an inventive and magical world, The Crowns of Croswald is a fast paced and entertaining story. In this book we follow Ivy, a Scaldrony Maid in Castle Plum. She is in charge of caring for the Scaldrons, which are a type of Dragon that help cook food. However, Ivy soon finds herself traveling to the Halls of Ivy, a magical academy for Royals and future Scrievenists.

I liked Ivy as a main character, she was kind and adventurous but also shy. The rest of the cast is fun and there are some cute moments of friendship between Ivy and some of the fellow students at Croswald. However I didn’t quite fully connect with her or the other characters. But this is just me personally and I’m aware it may be because I usually gravitate towards YA and Adult fiction rather than Middle Grade. Ivy is 16 but she honestly reads a lot younger, which I think makes this a good read for a younger audience.

The magic aspects of the book were my favorite part. It’s a rich and inventive world, with lots of magical creatures and artifacts. Definitely a lot that will catch the attention of younger readers as well. I really think this is a perfect book to read with kids as the story and magic will keep them wanting more.

The pacing was fast and entertaining, although I found myself wishing for more of the soft and quiet moments. I think the story is pretty much plot oriented although we do get to build some on the characters.

I want to say some things in the book made me a little uncomfortable. There was one instance in which Ivy laughs at someone for the way they walk which really threw me off, to be honest. Coupled with remarks about Ivy making assumptions on what people eat based on their physical appearance. Those things just didn’t really sit well with me.

Overall I liked The Crowns of Croswald, but I didn’t love it, hence why I am giving it a 3 star rating. It’s well written and it makes for an interesting story but it didn’t quiet grab me in an emotional sense and I didn’t completely connect with the characters, which is what I love most in books.

Fantasy is generally not my genre of choice with reading so I definitely needed some time to shift into that mindset when starting this book. It was so wonderfully written that I was able to get lost in this world very quickly!

In this book, we follow Ivy as she learns who she is and what her powers are. As she starts at school to learn her craft, trouble ensues as Ivy’s life is threatened by the Dark Queen.

If you enjoy YA books and are looking for something new and different, this one is for you!

This is a page-turning fantasy in the tradition of fairy tales, whimsical worlds, and coming-of-age stories. What a light whimsical gem to read! The captivating world-building coupled with the characters makes for an exciting and enjoyable adventure that features Dwarves, Scriveners (magical scribes, Dragons, and of course fairies! The writing flows easily to set a clear pace for the reader. D. E. Night has created her own fairy tale world, reminiscent of ‘Harry Potter’ for others, but for myself it is its own magical tale. I see this being targeted at Middle grade readers bordering on Young Adult transition.

Plot features: mythical creatures, gifted students, enchanted quills, and a magical school. Overall I am excited to continue this series and see what awaits

In a world of magic, tucked in a castle surround by slurry fields, which dampen magic, Ivy Lovely has been a scaldrony (think scullery) maid for as long as her sixteen-year-old self can remember. Just when she thinks there is no hope for escaping her boring and tedious life, she discovers a letter from her one friend and finds herself whisked away to become a student at one of the most prestigious school of magic in the world.
The strength of D E Night’s Crowns of Croswald, the first of her middle grade fantasy series, is the unique world and magic system she has created. Despite Ivy fulfilling the classic chosen one trope and being enrolled in a magical academy it doesn’t feel like Hogwarts, and few of the characters are rebranded versions from the Rowling universe. Magic users are divided between the non-Royals, or sqwinches, and the Royals who each have a crown with a gem that allows them special powers.
Most of the world-building is done quite naturally and flows well, especially once Ivy arrives at school and the pacing really hits its stride driving the book along at a exciting clip.
The places where Croswald stumbles is a few of the world building passages end up being more of an info dump. Sadly, the prologue and the final two chapters are the biggest casualties. The other instance of inconsistent world building is the focus of the book’s cover. The magical lights used through Croswald are hairies, basically fairies whose hair glows. It was only through the introduction of the Balding Hairies in one of Ivy’s classes that this information came to light.
The friendships amongst Ivy/Rebecca/Fyn appear to be reminiscent of Harry/Ron/Hermoine, but there is too little time where all three are involved in the same scenes for that chemistry to truly develop. Rebecca is introduced and is immediately set aside while Ivy delves into her studies with the long-forgotten and hidden Winsom Monocle.
Throughout the book Ivy and the reader are given nuggets of information about the Dark Queen. The foreshadowing is enough to know that by the end of the series a grand final battle will happen, but a showdown that occurs in the second to last chapter is jarring.
Overall, Ivy is an interesting and strong enough character to warrant further reading, and hopefully those other bumps are ironed out as the series progresses.

I was very fortunate to be given this book for review by Stories Untold Press. I think this is a really fun magical adventure story, and perfect if you're looking for magical school story. I do think this is more suited to a younger audience not that adults couldn't enjoy it, it's just the way the story is told I feel a younger person would get more out of the story.
I really liked the magic system I thought it was very unique, the idea that the Scrivenists used quills to write out magic and had photographic meomries was an interesting concept. I thought Ivy story arch was interesting, I did though that she read younger than 16 at times. I do think that is the reason for me only giving this story a 3 ⭐️ because at times it read quite young even though the main character was 16.
In saying that I would highly recommend this book to a middle grade audience or the parents of children around that age, as it is a generally fun and magical adventure that suck a child into the world.

**I received this as a free ebook via the publisher in exchange for an honest review.**
-IN MY OWN WORDS - This book is about Ivy Lovely a 16 year old who finds herself unexpectedly attending a magical boarding school. She starts her education at the Halls of Ivy (as far as I know the school is not named after her, but I did find this a weird choice). Before her classes even begin strange things are happening to her. Getting chased by quills through the streets, being accidentally transported to a ship in the middle of class, and being the only person who remembers a mysterious Darwin Night, or so she thinks. As the school year goes on time seems to be running out for Ivy to solve the mystery surrounding her and the Halls of Ivy.
-OVERALL - Overall I enjoyed the book. I believe the target audience to be 12-15 year olds. If I had read this book then I think I would have enjoyed it that much more. That being said this book does have something to offer it's more mature readers. The world building is fascinating and the story itself is the most memorizing part of this tale. I recommend this series to anyone who enjoys Harry Potter or The Chronicles of Narnia or if you like brazenly bold female characters.
-CHARACTERS - The characters in this book are unique and fun. Ivy the main character is by far my favorite. She's fiercely independent, stubborn and a great role model for young girls. Rebecca Ivy's best friend, offers a good portrayal of a sixteen year-old best friend. While not as fierce as Ivy she showcases her desire to fulfill her dreams even against her mother's wishes. Fyn Ivy's other friend and love intrest was a little bland in my opinion, while I aprciate his respect for Ivy I can't say much more about him. Hopefully in the next book we learn a little more. I thought all the classmates and Teachers were brilliant! A great portal of all the knuckleheads one deals with while attending school.
-STORY - For me the story was the best part of this novel. I found myself eager to pick up this book each time I sat down to read. I attribute that to the mystery that surrounds Ivy. The reader can't help but wonder what's going to happen next. I can only hope the next book in the series is as intriguing.
-WRITTING -The writing leaves a little to be desired. While it was decent I didn't find myself particularly enchanted by any of it. I can only imagine the amount of work that went into this piece of work and for that I applaud. I can't wait to see how Night's style evolves in the next few books.
-FAVORITES - My favorite thing about this novel has to be the main Character Ivy. I honestly just love how independent she is. She's constantly making decisions for her self and doesn't let what others think or do affect her. I wish I had there had been more novels with such strong female leads when I was younger. Another of my favorite things had to be the scene with the Shorehorse. It was an interesting creature to learn about. I thought the whole scene was exhilarating and was so easily pictured in my head.
-DISLIKES - the only thing I disliked about this book was the age of the main characters. I found it hard to believe on several occasions that they were in the mid teens. The actions felt more like those of someone 12/13 years old.

Ivy Lovely is a scullery maid, spending her days with scaldron dragons in the kitchen dungeon of a castle. One day, after an unfortunate series of events, she gets kicked out, and finds herself past a magical border, and thrown into a whole new world. She is enrolled in the local magical school, The Halls of Ivy, and quickly discovers her aptitude for magic and parts of her past that have been hidden from her for her whole life.

This book is a great introduction to fantasy for young readers, and a fun read for Harry Potter fans. I found there to be a lot of parallels between this book and HP, but it still felt fun and new in a lot of ways as well. The author sets the scene well, and really immerses you in the world of Croswald among the scrivenists and royals, dwarves and dragons. I could have used a bit more character development and back-story for each of the supporting characters, but maybe that will come later on in the series.

Thanks so much to the publisher for this eBook in exchange for my review. I look forward to reading the second book in the series.

The crowns of croswald - D.E. night. ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I could read this book via @netgalley
And thanks to @author.denight
When I started this book I was scared by all the terms that were specific for this world (english isn't my mothertongue so this can be difficult). But the story was built that the specific words were explained. I loved this world and Ivy going on adventures. A fun little book to escape reality. Fun fantasyworld, not like any other. I always like a book where books have a special place in the story. 4 stars, so would defenitly recommend this book.

Oh my gosh. ⁣
How I adore this magical book! ⁣
I had such an amazing, whimsical adventure reading The Crowns of Croswald. ⁣
I didn’t want the journey to end and I’m already excited to read the next one! ⁣
⁣
The magic system in the story is very unique, one that I’ve not come across before. An imaginative world of magic, quills, dragons, queen and castles. ⁣
⁣
I love reading about each character and the development of Ivy Lovely, the main character through her magical adventures. She’s so likeable and has a lot of spunk to her. ⁣
⁣
I couldn’t put the e-book down. ⁣
A great new world to explore and have my mind wander while reading. ⁣
Some might say that The Crowns of Croswald is influenced by Harry Potter. ⁣
There are some similarities but I have to say that this book holds its own. ⁣
⁣
I can’t wait to see what the author has in store for us next. ⁣
This is just the beginning ... ⁣
⁣
I highly recommend this piece of gem. ⁣
⁣
Thank you NetGalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review. ⁣⁣⁣
All opinions are my own. ⁣

Ivy spends her days as a scullery maid, slaving away by the hot scaldrons by day and sketching the mysterious castle in her dreams by night. After things go horribly wrong in the kitchen one morning, Ivy flees, leaving behind her terrible boss’s cries as well as the only life she has ever known.

What follows is one adventure after another as Ivy discovers the world of magic and royalty, scriveners and sqwinches. She attends a magic school for the first time, where she meets new friends, makes enemies, and gets closer to discovering the mystery of her recurring dreams and surprising aptitude for magic.

I thought the Crowns of Croswald was very creative with lots of intriguing magic concepts sprinkled throughout the entire book. I enjoyed the various personalities in this book, although I would have liked to see more character development from Ivy. It seemed as though the things that happened to her were often resolved a little too easily, without Ivy having to overcome any misbeliefs or character flaws.

Despite this, the story was action-packed and fun to read! Although towards the end I found myself getting confused with so much happening at once. Overall, this book was enjoyable and a good read for people who enjoy books about schools, magic and royalty.

This was a lovely read! I first want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free Kindle version of this book to read and provide an honest review for.

For fans of Harry Potter, magic and spells, and lovely fantasy novels, this one is one you should consider reading. Though its target audience is middle grade/YA, I believe it can be enjoyed by many others.

The characters are interesting and the plot moves in a nice pace that keeps the reader entertained. Ivy is unlike your typical main character in that she diverges from what we’ve seen in the past from other fantasy books. That and the different magical elements of Croswald and the deeper messages here make DE Knight’s novel stand out and shine on its own. She’s created a lovely new magical universe that makes one root for the heroes and cheer at their triumphs. This book ends on a bit of a cliffhanger but for good reason: there’s a sequel or two which I am confident we, the readers, will truly enjoy.

What a beautifully magical book! We get to follow the protagonist Ivy who discovers she has magical powers after having been banished from home. She is taken to a magical school where she must past through the trials that she is put through to determine what her future will be. If you love magic, adventure and a bit of mystery, this book is for you. It is definitely captivating and easy to read. I would recommend this to young middle school kids as I feel it is the best age group for it. Overall, it’s a fun read…very reminiscent of when I was younger and read Harry Potter for the first time :)

I was very kindly provided an e-copy by Net Galley and author D.E. Night in exchange for an honest review!

📖 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐝 (#𝟏)
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: D.E. night
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Middle Grade Fantasy
𝐓𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬: 249
𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬:
Ivy Lovely is 16 and she has no idea who she is—or what her powers could be. When she crosses a magical boundary, she discovers a whole new world of enchantment and mystery. Making friends that will last a lifetime—and save her life—she steps into her own abilities and discovers more about her hidden past, magical blood, and the power of Croswald’s mystical stones. But all is not well: a dark history and an evil Queen threatens all that is good. Will Ivy’s bravery and wit be enough?

𝐌𝐲 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬:
It is a wonderful magical book. It's light, breezy and fun, just what I needed at the moment. I loved the magic of Croswald. I loved how the writer created newer versions of some well known creatures often seen in fantasy books. There were Hairies - fairies whose hair lights up, so they are used as lamps. There were dragons who helps cook food! It was a book full of childish wonders and who can say no to that.

I love seeing a strong female protagonist and Ivy Lovely fits the description just right. The book contains some very common and well loved tropes, the chosen one and the dark lord. These were pretty well executed. The storyline was well written. It had twists and turns, nail biting climax sequences, beautiful moments of friendship and love. The school setting gives major Harry Potter vibe and honestly who can get enough of that?! I can't wait to dive into the next installment of this series.

Thankyou @author.denight and @storiesuntoldpress for giving me a free copy via @Netgalley in exchange of an honest review

The Crowns of Croswald follows the story of Ivy Lovely, sixteen year-old, a scaldrony maid who ends up attending a magical school, the Halls of Ivy. As she learns to master her power, the Dark Queen threatens her life. She must uncover the mystery of her past to save herself and Croswald.

⚜️⚜️⚜️

This was a fun and magical middle grade fantasy! It's full of excitement and thrilling adventure. It started confusing and slow then it picks up the paced when Ivy finds herself in The Halls of Ivy. The author did an amazing job with the world building, it's amazing! I love how the settings was described, they were breathtaking and magical. The plot flowed easily although a bit predictable. The writing style was beautiful, enjoyable and descriptive. I especially enjoyed the unique magical objects, and supernatural creatures. I love the scrivenry, glanagerie, notcials and the maps. I would have enjoyed this more if there was a map and a glossary.

There are a lot of fun characters although the side characters could've been fleshed out a bit more. The Dark Queen could use a little more background, too. Ivy, the protagonist, was intriguing and likeable enough to keep my interest. She's curious, brave, and intelligent. She's endearing with an obvious personality.

As many other reviewers have mentioned, The Crowns of Croswald is heavily inspired by Harry Potter. While there are similarities, D.E. Night creates a unique and entertaining magical world.  It is perfect for middle grade children, and to anyone who are fans of magical school trope.

Thank you Stories Unfold and Netgalley for the opportunity to read The Crowns of Croswald.