I’m a 4th grade teacher and was excited to dive in to this middle-grade fantasy! Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for sharing this story with me!

Crowns of Croswald is full of magic and adventure. After looking at the author’s website (it’s amazing) for the series, I couldn’t wait to learn more about this magical world. While it was very fun to imagine, there were many times when I was confused and felt like a glossary and/or map would have been helpful. I had to do a lot of rereading to understand what was going on.

Ivy is a fun character that I enjoyed reading about, but I never felt connected to her. I kept picturing her as a 10 or 11 year old, but in reality her character is 16. The way she speaks and acts didn’t feel like a teenager to me which kept me from truly getting to know her.

At times this book was moving slowly and other times it was full of action so my opinions about this book kept wavering. I would recommend this series to experienced fantasy readers with great imaginations who can truly appreciate the creative and magical world of Croswald.

The Crowns of Croswald
3/5 ⭐️ to The Crowns of Croswald by D.E. Night

Thank you to the publisher for reaching out and giving me an egalley through NetGalley to review!

This is the first book to a fun, unique, and magical fantasy series that follows a young girl (Ivy Lovely) who is whisked away to a magic school after she turns 16 to become a scrivener (a recorder of magical history and discoveries). This by no means is a bad series, but it didn’t capture my attention and heart the way some YA and middle grade series have.

What I liked:
I really enjoyed the overall storyline, idea, and setting of the story. It was familiar enough with the idea of the magical school, which is a favourite trope in the genre, while being unique enough to be distinguishable as its own. I enjoyed the writing, which brought me right into the book with our characters to this wonderful magic school setting with all sorts of new & wonderful magical creatures. I thought the overall storyline fit the characters well, and it was familiar enough but with its own flavour. There was enough complexity to keep me interested, and the pacing made a lot of sense! I do have a different comment about our MC, but overall I loved getting to know her, and following her on these adventures. She learns a lot about herself, grows in confidence, and helps the people who she meets at the school who have helped her. So sweet!

Other comments/what I might change:
The first thing that I felt was a little jarring and took me out of the story a bit was that there is an author/mystery person who our MC is trying to find and help, and this person has the same name as the author of the actual book. I realize that this was an intentional choice by the author and some younger readers may find that cool, but it didn’t work for me personally as a reader.
My other comment, not that this is a bad thing at all, but this book and our MC very much felt like a middle grade book even though Ivy is supposed to be 16. Again, this did not take away from my enjoyment of the story or our MC at all, but it was something I observed while reading.

Would I recommend this book? Definitely, if magic and magic schools are your thing and especially if you like MG/early YA fantasy stories! Will I continue with the series? Maybe. Thank you again to the publisher for this review copy!

3.5
I quite enjoyed this book. I am not one to often read middle grade but I can really appreciate it by looking at it from the point of view of its intended audience. I really enjoyed Harry Potter and the Spiderwick Chronicles growing up and this book took me back to the days of reading those series.

The story follows Ivy as she leaves her home behind, gets whisked away to the school of Halls of Ivy where she starts learning to be a scrivenist. We follow her as she learns more about the trade, magic and the world she has been closed off to her whole life.

I enjoyed the story and Ivy's character. The story is whimsical and easy to read which means that it is easy to get into and follow. I enjoyed reading the descriptions of the magic, the lessons, and the magical creatures though I sometimes felt that the descriptions came at weird points of the story. Some times the descriptions felt out of place, disrupting the dialogue or coming out of nowhere. Even so, I think the world was well crafted and fun to get to know.

I would recommend this book and the series for fans of Harry Potter and to those who enjoy reading about someone discovering and learning about magic for the first time.

I want to thank @storiesuntoldpress for the digital @netgalley copy of The Crowns of Croswald by @author.denight in exchange for an honest review.

This debut novel features Ivy, a teenage orphan who works in a castle’s kitchen as a scaldron maid. Soon after being kicked out, she learns that she has magic in her blood and finds herself being sent to a school of magic. With her small dragon companion, Ivy works to learn more about her abilities and begins to unearth the truth about her family and the secrets during the evil Dark Queen.

I have seen reviews comparing this book to Harry Potter, and I can’t disagree with the magical main character and her school environment. However this is far from a carbon copy of HP, and the author does a beautiful job worldbuilding a system that includes two kinds of magic implementation and many kinds of unique magical creatures. It is full of whimsy as well as the witty and lovable new friends of Ivy. As a protagonist, Ivy is relatable and a strong female lead that will be great for the intended middle grade reading level (though the character is 16 years old).

This book was published in 2017 and I see that four books are planned in the series (book 2 and 3 are available so far). I have only read this first book, but what I would hope to see as the series continues is more insight on Ivy’s feelings and development as well as more of the story behind the headmaster’s place in Ivy’s circumstances. As was true here, I’m sure the reader will continue to learn alongside Ivy.

I can see this storyline being a great one to read aloud as a family or for anyone who loves the world of HP but is over Mrs. Rowling. It was fun, and I really enjoyed reading it. 4/5⭐️

I’d like to thank the publisher to send this e-book my way to review as a result of my collaboration with the author.
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The Crowns of Croswald is a story of a girl named Ivy Lovely who apparently is a scaldrony maid. The books reveals the biggest secret of her life. The truth that has to do with her family and friends.
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The author @author.denight ‘s imagination is brimming with magic and fantasy. Once you start reading the book, you’ll be unable to put it down.
The story, the writing style, the character building; everything is magic-filled. Language is easy and scenes are embroidered around each other in such a way that makes the book captivating and enthralling.
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I definitely recommend this book to all!
Especially if you’re a HP fan, this book is for you. And believe me, you’ll love it even a little more than that.

Calling all Harry Potter and world of magic fans. The Crowns of Croswald is the first book in a four book series and is full of conjuring, creative creatures, and colorful characters. Book 2 and 3 are out now and Book 4 will be released this year (2021).

A novel that is a thoughtful, action-driven fantasy and will leave you clamoring to find out what happens next.

This is not my fav genre, but this was a cute YA about a girl who goes from being a scullery maid to having magical powers. Kind of a take off of Harry Potter. I enjoyed the details about her learning how to master her powers, but I think my fav parts were what her life was like as a maid-using dragons as ovens for example. I’m probably not the intended audience for this series, but I would definitely record it to fantasy lovers.

I was sent Crowns of Croswald from the author in return of an honest review. Not usually reading Middle-grade, I was a bit skeptical. But, I found the book enthralling. The chapters were well written and didn't cram too much information in each one. As the story went along, there were a couple of things that were kept a mystery. These 'mysteries' were not increasingly obvious as it usually happens in middle-grade novels and I found myself shocked at some points. That being said, There were a couple of things that I wasn't a big fan of. I found Fyn and Ivy's relationship forced. It felt like it was just there for the sake of the plot. Rebecca suddenly brought up that Ivy had a crush on Fyn and Ivy seemingly agreed. It happened instantaneously and there was no build up. I would have enjoyed the book more if Fyn was given the role of an elder brother or so. The book started off a bit rough (1-3 chapter) but after that it was a smooth ride. My favorite part was the connection of the authors name and Derwin Edgar Night. I felt like it was a clever take leaving the readers wondering if D.E. Night and Croswald really existed. The ending was not unexpected and ended in a way that left the reader wanting more. If you are a fan of Fantasy and Harry Potter, I would certainly recommend Crowns of Croswald to you!

The mere moment I dipped into D.E. Night’s Crowns of Croswald, I was drawn into a timeless universe of magic I couldn’t wait to share and would read time and time again.

In a world unexplainable to the untrained eye by its magical characters of dwarfs, Scauldrons, Harries, handsome Scrivenists and the horrors of a haggled cook, I alongside ivy dreamed of becoming a scribe.

fantastical settings of mysterious caves, darkened shores, hidden staircases and partaking in sorcery studies from Ivy’s point of view, we unravel the mystery that is Darwin Edgar and how his and ivy’s past is intertwined.

D.E. Had me turning pages with every clue she gave, I was desperate to seek the answers given in Ivy’s daydreams, much inspired by Harry Potter a book any reader who seeks a magicial fantasy filled universe would find unique and stunningly captivating.

Along the journey we made friends with Rebecca and Fyn.

Rebecca was a gem to get to know, I was fascinated with her character and, her charming friendship with ivy held true throughout the book. I could always rely on Rebecca.

Fyn had me second guessing his character throughout the novel, up until his charm and sarcastic wit however had me hooked, his continued friendship with Ivy throughout the story will have the reader overjoyed and attached to every page of the book.

The imagery immerses throughout the book of things such as Boysenberry Bubbly (my new favorite name for a concoction), darkened shores, and pearl covered ballrooms captured on the essence of romance and underlining fear lingering in the halls.

The snarl of the Dark Queen her character although lengthily anticipated was so marvelously evil and compelling we had long awaited her reveal and her cruel powers did not disappoint.

Once the mystery was solved I was itching for more Croswald! I’m eager to see how Ivy enchants things in the town of....Read the continuation to find out!

My one honest tip for The Crowns of Croswald would be shoot for the stars! the books are made for a higher level reader, I felt more than once Crowns of Croswald with its immense vocabulary and characters belonged in a YA Genre and that’s a beautiful thing! I felt as though Ivy’s story was aimed at a Harry Potter middle level ground, which I loved but this mystical world belongs in a YA It allows the novel to expand on more in depth to the YA side.
I look forward to reading more of Croswald and exploring D.E's beautifully written expansive arts.

Sometimes it takes a catastrophe for a girl to realise her own strength.

The Crowns of Croswald is a story developed in Croswald, the land of scrievenists and royals. It creates a magical land with its own share of good and bad people. The protagonist Ivy is a simple maid before she is invited to the Halls of Ivy, a very prestigious institution meant for the people with magic in them. Little does she know that the dreams that have been plaguing her, will soon turn into a reality she cannot even fathom that she is a part of.

I loved this book! The fantasy land created was so magical and very simple to understand and love. Reading the book, I felt as if I was a part of the land! The narration was lucid and the story was enrapturing. The language was not very simple but not very sophisticated either. In fact, it was just right to give a good intrigue to the reader. The events did seem a little disjointed in the beginning but it all came together in the end :) The number of characters was pertaining to the story which was well structured and beautifully written. At some points, I found it very similar to the Harry Potter world though.

Loved the nameplay with the author's name too :) Definitely looking forward to reading the next book!

If you loved Harry Potter or Percy Jackson and the worlds they created you will definitely love this book :).

[ Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher, Stories Untold, for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. ]

I would like to first point out that if you’re a big Harry Potter fan and you loved the magical storytelling then you may like this book and the ones that follow. I think that’s one of the things I enjoyed about it being a big HP Fan myself, I love magical adventures and fun magic systems.

Though I wish I could connect with the MC, she is 16 but it was very hard to connect with her on any level because at some points it felt like she was acting a little younger than 16, but I do enjoy a character acting closer to their age some YA do differentiate from the age represented but something about her I just couldn’t connect with.

Overall the story was a good in a storytelling point, and the adventure but the character I just wasn’t vibing with her. Ending up giving this book a solid 3 star review.

Thank you Stories untold and NetGalley for gifting me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I’m going to start with the cons first. Unfortunately I just couldn’t connect with the main character at all. It’s stated that she’s 16 years of age, but on a maturity level she acts much younger.

On a better note, the writing was really lovely. I enjoyed the magical atmosphere provided in its world building. It reminded me of Harry Potter in many ways. So if you’re a Potter fan, chances are you’ll probably enjoy this book too.

Interesting, Unique and a book I will be collecting for my forever shelf I have found this one hard to put down and have been completely captivated.
I adore the writing style, plot and characters. A great book!

Thank you to Stories Untold Press and NetGalley for this digital copy of The Crowns of Croswald.
The Crowns of Croswald is about Ivy Lovely, a maid living in Castle Plum’s kitchen. She has been working there ever since she was a baby. One day, there is a huge disaster in the kitchen that Ivy only makes worse, and so she runs away with a scaldron. Out in the slurry fields, a huge taxi cab with 3 houses strapped on comes to pick her up and take her to The Halls of Ivy, which is a school where squinches and royals go to learn magic. She goes in the cab to a big city bordering The Halls of Ivy. There she buys all her school supplies, but she is chased by a bunch of quills(basically like wands) into the castle before she is supposed to be there. She soon starts her classes and starts causing trouble. She gets involved with curses, ghosts, and the frightening government of Croswald.

I really, really liked this book! Is it a little confusing? Yes. Does it take a few chapters to really get going? Yes. But those don’t stand a chance against the fact that this story is so intricate and fascinating. Now, I usually am not a fan of magical land stories with dwarves and other magical creatures, but this was different. While I wish there was a little more explanation for all the fantastical elements, this was a book that I thoroughly enjoyed. You can really tell it was completely planned out from the beginning. And I’m not saying that in the sense that the author didn’t just write it randomly as she went along, I’m saying that like it was a huge puzzle with missing pieces that were starting to fill in since the first page. Another good thing was that the mysteries were compelling, but they didn’t drive you mad. With some books and TV shows, there is so little information, so many mysteries, and they don’t answer any questions until the finale. This wasn’t like that. Ivy actually solved the mysteries instead of going on a bunch of pointless side quests that give you a tiny fraction of information that just makes you even crazier. Also, the setting is completely genius, but the explanation of the setting needs a bit of work. I was kind of confused when it all started.

I really wish there was a glossary on this book. Maybe there was and I missed out because I had a digital version, but it would’ve been so helpful to be able to look up what the book was talking about. Also, I know this takes place in a world not-so-similar to ours, but describing the book’s time in “moons” which is very close to months if you’re planning on reading this book(which I suggest, it’s very enjoyable) left me wondering how long had just passed. I also wish that there wasn’t this huge time jump in the middle of the book. It was confusing and I’m still wondering if anything interesting happened. Other than that, there isn’t much to say. The final battle was a great way to fill in the blanks and was super awesome, but was difficult to visualise what was happening. I am planning on reading the next book eventually(I’m mostly not reading it now because I have yet to get my hands on it), but for now I’m going to take a break for a while.

The Crowns of Croswald was an interesting, planned out story that was very fun to read and leaves you wanting the next book immediately.

If you’re a big fan of HP and magic filled stories like it, then you’ll enjoy this middle grade fantasy novel by DE Night!

Synopsis: Ivy, who has never left the wall of Castle Plum, is just your average 16 year old who has known nothing but hard work in her short life. She works as a poorly treated scullery maid for a wealthy family, but ends up being cast out after a mishap in the kitchens. What seems like the end of the world for Ivy is just the beginning, and she is thrust into a new world full of magical creatures, evil queens, and adventure. Ivy learns that she’s not so ordinary after all, and that not everyone in this world has her best interests in mind...

Thoughts: The Crowns of Croswald is a fun and imaginative coming of age story with wonderful world building and interesting characters. While it is meant for younger readers, it’s a good fantasy story for all ages. I did get a little flustered with how confusing the story gets towards the end, but I understand that is the first book and all the questions I’m left with will be answered in the other books. Overall not bad!

Sixteen year-old and scaldrony maid Ivy Lovely can usually be found either lost in her sketching or helping out horrific Helga Hoff in the kitchen of Castle Plum. Her dear friend Rimbrick, an ancient woods dwarf, knows that there's magic in Ivy. She is ultimately thrusted into the Halls of Ivy as a student where she can finally put her interests in scrivenry (magic) into action while her pet dragon, Humboldt, accompanies her along the way. By the end of the story, Ivy has learned much more than she ever thought she would about her magical bloodline and how much of an impact she really has on the future of Croswald.

While I really loved the fantasy and adventure components the story offered, this reminded me too much of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. It also had a bit of a Cinderella vibe to it as well which I didn’t hate and made it a little bit more of a unique storyline. It was great to be a part of Ivy's story and seeing a strong female character as the lead, but if I'm being honest I just could not stop thinking of Harry Potter as I kept going. Even the artwork that headed each chapter was a little reminiscent of the artwork found within each chapter of Harry Potter although I know it wasn’t intentionally done to resemble this. There was just so many similarities I noted. I tried giving it a chance and I'm not regretful that I did since I felt like I needed a break between the monotony of the typical genres I've been gravitating towards as of late (i.e. rom-coms and women's fiction). If you're looking for something very similar to the Harry Potter series with a little bit of a Cinderella-esque twist, I would recommend picking this one up. It was not terrible by any means, it just wasn’t it for me.

This was such a fun and cute read! It was full of magic, twists and turns, and an awesome villian!

The story centers around Ivy, a seemingly ordinary maid who comes to discover that she actually has magical powers! Ivy then attends a school for people with powers and sets on a journey to uncover the mysteries of her past and all the strange occurrences in the school. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the world of this book! While it felt somewhat similar to Harry Potter (I mean, every school of magic reminds me of Harry Potter), this world was unique in its magic system and its creatures. The characters were very cute, and I loved reading about Ivy's adventures with Rebecca and Fyn! I particularly thought Rebecca's powers were super cool.
I wish more time was spent explaining, as I got lost in the different terms and the pacing felt a little rushed. I also wanted some more character development, particularly with Ivy and the extent of her powers.

Overall, a fun read for all ages!

I received an e-copy of this title from the publisher Stories Untold via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher, Stories Untold, for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Ivy Lovely has lived her life as a scaldrony maid, safe from the magic that surrounds the castle where she works. But after a series of disasters, she leaves the safety of the castle and finds her way beyond the borders. Here her magic abilities become apparent and she is invited to study as a scrivinist at Ivy Halls, where scrivinists mix with royals in order to learn how to control their magical abilities.

During her first year, Ivy comes to realise that she is aware of things that others in the hall are not and must learn how to harness the power within her to fight against dark powers.

It is impossible to ignore similarities with another magical series: child unaware of magical past heads to magic school and must overcome adversity to defeat evil. However, this is still an enjoyable read and the characters are interesting (there is the clear 'baddie' and the two good friends along with a selection of professors, obviously).

For fans of magical books, this is a good read and I would be interested in reading the other books in the series.

Also available on my blog:
https://thebookishgarden.com/2020/12/23/review-the-crowns-of-croswald-d-e-night/

So, big Harry Potter vibes in this one. And I am not going to lie, it felt great. Because it was like discovering those book that kind of got me into reading all over again. Because, yes. It was good and I loved it for the world-building. But even for a middle grade, it was maybe too academical to me. Meaning, everything happens when it is supposed to, every character exactly is what we expect from them, there is nothing very surprising. Which is not so great for a young adult reading this, but perfect for a younger reader - and that's great since this book is a middle grade.

I loved the characters and the world-building, as I already told you. It's witchy and rich and full of magic, and I loved every second spent in the Halls of Ivy. Because that's the kind of school I imagined myself into when I was younger, where I wanted to go. The main character, Ivy, is a sweet and curious girl with a big heart. But outside from her, unfortunately, I found the characters building a little weak. A little cliché, maybe. And I have to say it now because it has been eating me while reading: there is a side character who's fat. And that's literally all about him. He is only here to be the fat guy, who eats and doesn't do anything else. And this, in case you didn't know, is fatphobic as f*ck. So, yeah, it kind of pissed me. Because this is a middle-grade book, one meant to be read by younger people, still building the way they see the world. And that is not something anyone should teach them, that a fat person's only personality trait is to eat and be a bit stupid. Here. Now that I said it, let's talk about the plot!

The world-building is great, and the plot follows. It is original and uses every side of the universe the story is built into, which is very great. Because whenever you are in the story, you can feel there is much more stuff behind the main ideas. And it is very great. Very deep. I liked the way the author has to bring the elements and the important events of the plot in her smooth and simple way. In this manner, it is a very great middle-grade book, full of action and magic and interesting characters. Of course, when reading such a book, I have to put my teenage shoes back on, as I'm used to, and it works well. I can't wait to read book two, because it really feels like there is much more to this universe the author wants to write about, and I can't wait to discover more myself!

In conclusion,The Crowns of Croswald is like a whole trip to another world. If you like Harry Potter, there is no doubt you will love this one! The world-building echoes the storytelling for a fantastic ride into Croswald itself! Enjoy!

Ivy has only ever known Helga, the mean kitchen warden, the dark room she sleeps in, and the rolling slurry fields, even though her only friend (Rimbrick) tells her she may be destined for more. When a disastrous morning thrusts Ivy out of her dark tower, and the slurry fields altogether, Ivy's magic awakens and she must find her way among a world of magic she didn't know existed.

I really enjoyed this fast-paced fantasy! I love a good chosen one trope and this book definitely delivered. I thought this world was creative and had some really cool elements that I haven't seen before. One of those is that even though it seemed to be a chosen one trope, the whole world didn't just revolve around Ivy out of nowhere. It's clear she will play an essential role in the world but she is not the center of the whole thing.
That being said, I think that was taken too far in some regards. I felt as though the lack of care character's seemed to have towards, well everything, that it made many of them fall flat. I think if you have too many characters that seem disinterested in the plot AND all the other characters that it makes the stakes too low to create a story that has consequences. Also, I just felt bad for Rebecca a lot in this book, for some reason people not caring seemed to affect her disproportionately. In addition, I wasn't really ever sure what age Ivy was supposed to be. It said in the synopsis that she had been in the slurry fields 16 years but she definitely read much younger. This brings me to my final writing point, I felt like sometimes we were being told things by our narrator that there's no way Ivy could have known (and doesn''t seem to sometimes) but it got very confusing what Ivy knew/learned and what the narrator was telling us as the reader.

Though this wasn't my favorite fantasy of the year, I think fans of middle grade fantasies will vibe with this, especially if they're looking for a new world to explore with plenty of options for imagination.