And we are back in the magical world of Croswald with Ivy Lovely, who has now learnt of her true identity. Armed with the first fragment of the Kindred Stone, which has been split into 3 pieces, she is on a new mission to recover its second fragment. For her safety, Ivy is sent to Belzebuthe, a magical town that is protected from the Dark Queen. While living with Fyn and his mother, Ivy also gained a new group of friends when she joined the Quality Quills Club (QQC), where Fyn and his friends practise magic using real quills. Haunted by strange shadows sent by the Dark Queen who also seeks the Kindred Stone, Ivy will need all her wits, magic, and close friends to stand up to her wrath.

This is book 2 of a middle grade fantasy series by D.E. Night. Picking up right where we left off in book 1, we continue our adventures with Ivy Lovely, who now has a lot more on her plate with the knowledge of her true identity and the responsibilities that come with it. The friendship between Rebecca, Fyn and Ivy is as solid as ever, even as they gained new friends from the QQC (although I was initially a little overwhelmed by the introduction of so many new characters. It took a while to sort the names and characters out). The relationship between Fyn and Ivy also seems to be very slowly inching towards a romantic direction - a development I’m rather looking forward to. I loved the magical creatures introduced in school in this book - the invisitaurs (Silius is such a dear ❤️).

Towards the last quarter of the book, the pace really picked up and I found myself on tenterhooks journeying alongside Ivy and Fyn in their frantic search for the stone fragment while fighting against the Dark Queen. D.E. Night’s writing is smooth and I definitely enjoyed the magical adventure that this book has brought me on. I’m looking forward to Ivy’s search for the final piece of the Kindred Stone in the next book.

Thank you D.E. Night, her publicist Daniela, and Stories Untold Press for the e-copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really like the world D.E. Night created, it's so complete and magical! I fell in love with it since the first book! Now I want to have a scaldron 😅 The book really transports you to Crosswald ✨

I think the plot was very interesting, if only a little slow, but very original. I felt like the story development was slow sometimes, and then the ending was so fast I felt like sometimes was missing.
I would have liked to see more character development, but I am glad there are more relevant characters than in the first book!

It is a light reading with an incredible fantasy world 💖

After reading the first book in this series, I have to say, this book was amazing. It was everything I was wanting out of a second book and I think the author did an amazing job.

If you enjoy fantasy, I not only recommend this book but the authors entire series. I will say this is a high fantasy book so there is a lot of words and parts of this book that was hard for me to pronounce. I was planning on reading this with my son but it truly is one of those books that you should read to yourself. This is not a knock to the book, but you must be fine with not 100% being able to pronounce things.

I love the world and magic that the author has created. I think this a wonderful book for anyone that loves fantasy and it reminds me a lot of harry potter.

This is the second book in the crowns of croswald series,we follow a girl called Ivy Lovely on her magical adventures ✨

Really enjoyed the second book more then the first because you’ve gotten to know the characters and most of the magical elements now so it’s just pure enjoyment ☺️
Ivy Lovely is an amazing heroine who is growing in herself and with her abilities and it’s just a joy to witness. Excellent supporting characters that help Ivy along the way and lovely relationships developed.

Book sucks you into this amazing magical world with all it’s characters. Highly recommend this series !!! ✨✨☺️☺️

Please pick up this series your in for a magical treat ✨

This is the second book from this series

I think I honestly love this more than the first one. The story is fast paced, well written, and full of magic

Ivy is growing so much as a character and I love the friendships throughout.

I really enjoyed this book. I definitely going to read more books by D.E. Night.

Review will be posted on my website.

This review will be short but mostly because the story was really fast and I don’t want to leave a lot of spoilers.

Ivy Lovely now knows who she really is, she knows she has magic within her, and she doesn’t know what to do against the Dark Queen, who is currently on a desperate search to destroy once and for all the the true royal line.

Similar to Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, but at the same time not, Ivy decides not to return to school for her own safety, choosing to stay in the hidden city with other scrivenists learning and documenting their life. But just like how real life works, nothing usually happens the way you expect it to.

This sequel was equally descriptive in such a beautiful and captivating way, the author has a way with words, but I did feel that the ending was a bit rushed. I loved how the author introduced us the name of the book (The Girl with the Whispering Shadow) within the story, and I truly did hit myself in the head when everything is revealed and I didn’t see it coming. That’s how concentrated I was.

The adventure is a lot more calm, slower than the first novel, but given that the stakes are now much higher, you can truly see how Ivy isn’t just some lost student discovering this new world, but knows that her actions have consequences yet there are still some risks still worth taking.

Ivy has matured since we got to know her as a scullery maid in some lost castle, she is more confident in her magic, who she is and she learns to trust and rely more on her friends and those that surround her.

The Girl with the Whispering Shadow is a great sequel to this new world and I’m very excited to continue with Ivy’s story and how the story concludes with this lost queen.

I love sequels because you can jump in, and you already know the character. 's. Same with this book. We continue to follow Ivy on her adventure in the pursuit of the Kindred Stone. This is such a wonderful and imaginative world to get lost in. I really have come to love the work of Scrivenist's and what they do. All the characters from adorable dragons and to the town. We see friendships building ( just like any other school). We follow Ivy from the secret town back to the Halls Of Ivy, where she will battle shades and shadows on the way.

We watch Ivy grow into herself in this book with the support of all characters. Anyone who loves magic and royalty will love this book. I am not the demographic for this book, but I enjoyed reading it, and I think it would be a great book for kids to read. Even a book to get them to start their love of reading. Thank you NetGalley and Stories untold for providing a copy of this book.

I loved the first book and thanks for providing me with the second!
And I loved this even more!!
Ivy’s character grows beautifully in this sequel and I loved the villain too. Can’t wait to finish this series!!

Another fabulous fantasy read by D.E, Night! Book 1 didn’t disappoint, and book 2 definitely didn’t either! Continuing Ivy’s story continued on an adventure that kept you engaged throughout. Subtle clues throughout the book keeping you on your toes and trying to guess what was to come next! I loved every second of this book and love how the characters contribute to develop in the series. I can’t wait to have my students read this one!!

You will enjoy this book if you enjoy magical middle-grade fantasy worlds. This is the second book in a series so be sure to read the first one. There is a lot going on in these books and I still struggle sometimes to keep up with the vocabulary. I liked Ivy more in this book.

Thank you to the publisher stories untold press, net galley, and the author for this e-Arc in exchange for an honest review. The series is quickly becoming a new favorite. The second book in the series I enjoyed just as much as the first, maybe even more. I loved that we got to explore more of the Croswald world. I can’t get enough of Ivy Lovely, her friends and Ivy’s adventures. I can’t recommend these books enough. I can’t wait to find out what happens next in Ivy Lovely’s story. If you love a great well written middle grade fantasy with fantastic world building, this is definitely the book for you!!

Harry potter meets Alice in Wonderland in this second book of the Crowns of Croswald series!

"The girl with the whispering shadow" starts exactly where the first book left off.
Ivy, our Mc, has to deal with the aftermath of her encounter with the Dark Queen, so for a while, she has to leave Ivy Halls, the boarding school of magic where she has been studying to become a scrivenist, but that doesn't mean that the story gets any boring! There is still plenty of magic, potions and adventure, since Ivy seems to be a magnet for troubles! It may also have to do with her mischievous friends, which I loved to read more about (especially Fyn and the whole Quality Quills club).
And, of course, when she does go back to school, things get even more interesting! (I mean, as a fantasy lover I have a penchant for Hogwarts like settings 😍)
I also enjoyed learning more about the mysterious town whose name can't be said out loud: I loved the fishing for a star thing, it made me wish that such a place existed in the real world too 😟
I would have appreciated more mature dialogues between Ivy and Fyn, since they are 16 and 19 years old respectively, but I understand they fit the book's intended target audience, which is middle grade children. Even so I think any fantasy reader would enjoy it, no matter their age!

This series is perfect for Harry Potter fans who love reading about magic, adventures and a touch of romance!

Many thanks to Netgalley, D.E. Night and Stories Untold for the free Arc ❤

Set outside the prestigious magic school the Halls of Ivy, and following on from the Crowns of Croswald, our heroine Ivy sets to spend her summer holidays at the Town - a secret scrivenist town where Ivy will hopefully be safe.
Reading this book would benefit from having read the first book in the series (which luckily I have).
This magical story about a school aged girl who has been asked not to return to school for her own safety leads us into realms of dark magic, into a story about friendship, kindness, overcoming odds and battling the Dark Queen.
Something lurks in the shadows, and this anticipation will have readers gripped.

I'm going to start by saying this is my new favourite book series.

I read the first novel, The Crowns of Croswald by D. E. Night back in March when the lovely Netgalley and Stories Untold Press gifted me an eARC.

The age range they give for this book is 13-17 years old, however, I honestly don't think you can give a maximum age limit on art, because no matter your age, you can be young at heart, and enjoy these things just as much as a child (if not more as you can appreciate the work that goes into it).

'After the events of the previous year, Ivy Lovely is anticipating her arrival back at the Halls of Ivy. However, with the Dark Queen still at large, Ivy has been told not to return to the Halls, and to stay somewhere hidden where the Dark Queen cannot find her.
After arriving in a place called The Town, Ivy sets upon finding the remaining parts of the Kindred Stone, the only thing that can stop the Dark Queen from destroying everything she loves.'

I really enjoyed every single aspect of this book. The blossoming friendships between Ivy, Fyn, Rebecca and some new characters, such as Gretta and Glistle were heart-warming and left me aching for more (I really want some romance to happen, either Ivy and Fyn or Ivy and Glistle; either is fine with me!).

The description of The Town, the Quogo game and the creatures (including the Orbis) were magical and I could picture everything.

The world that D. E. Night has created is just beautiful.

There are some similarities again to Harry Potter, but nothing at all that felt like she was copying it, everything has been made her own and unique and I am so impressed.

I am so excited to read the next instalment in the series when I can get my hands on it; I need to know what else is in store for Ivy Lovely!

5 out of 5 stars!

I love the magic in this book. I also love following Ivy as she learns even more about who she is and grows into her own. Full of lots of little adventures that just keep getting better and better.

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I think this book was even better than the first, and i loved the first book. The character development in this showed so much growth, not only in the characters themselves, but also in the author. I really loved going back to the world of Croswald, and being there this book made me feel as if I never left. I cannot wait to read this to my little ones when they get a bit older. I think this series would be a perfect introduction to the fantasy world.

The second installment in this series was just as enchanting as the first book! I loved seeing Ivy learn to use her magic and grow in her confidence. It was also so cute to see the relationship between Ivy and Fan grow throughout this book as they went on adventures together! The chapters spent In The Town were so vividly described and I had so much fun reading about all the magical adventures Ivy and her new friends got into! I also love the small detail of the illustrations at the top of each chapter because the drawings are always so beautiful and help me connect more to the story. One of the reasons I love this series so much is that the plot for much of the books are super focused on immersing you into the world and then towards the beginning and the end the action really picks up so it ends up being a cool combination of imagination and action!

Thank you to NetGalley, D.E. Night and Stories Untold Press for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

“The Girl with the Whispering Shadow” is the second installment of the “Croswald Series” by D.E. Night. The adventures of Ivy Lovely, the last of the royal bloodline, continues in this book. The Dark Queen’s threat is growing across the land and the Town (which we now find out what it’s called, but I won’t spoil it for you!) is now facing her wrath. Ivy’s friendships with Rebecca and Fyn develops further in this book and we are introduced to a number of other students at the Halls of Ivy including Gretta and Glistle, sister and brother. Their love of the game of Quogo brings them together and Ivy is now surrounded by a larger group of close friends who are sqwinches. Ivy is determined to find the other two pieces of the Kindred Stone but danger is lurking everywhere, even in the shadows! Gretta’s shadow becomes cursed and causes chaos and havoc for the Town, Ivy and her friends.

The continuation of Ivy’s adventures opens up new locations in the Croswald world including the Town, the Hex beneath the Quill Keep and the trip to see the Occulyst, which will grab a young reader’s attention and really entice them to want to find out more about the kingdom. I really enjoyed the expansion of the characters within the series and the relationships and dynamics between the main characters and this new cohort of figures.

More magical creatures are introduced by Night in this book. These creatures are one of my favourite parts in the author’s books, as she makes them come alive on the page. The description of these characters, especially the Invisataurs, BogDogs and Shades really makes you feel as if you can see them standing before you. Night’s imagination when it comes to magical beings seems to have no limits and I can see how this book is so appealing to children and their own never-ending creative minds!

The themes of loneliness, doubt, grief are all explored in this book with Ivy feeling like she is left behind when she has to stay in the Town and the impact of loss not only for Ivy but for young Fyn when we realise his father disappeared without a trace when he was very young. The way in which these issues are dealt with and discussed by the characters in the book makes them very relatable for a young reader. The book also focuses on inner strength, confidence and bravery which are all positive attributes and qualities to be promoted for the younger audience.

This book is darker than the first, and there is a real sense of the building tension and danger throughout the novel. Ivy is getting older and I think the darker elements matches well with the ageing of the characters into older teens. Similarly to the first book in the series, Night brings the novel to a crescendo with the battle against the evil forces of the Dark Queen and her cruel & vicious servants. Ivy has to be brave again and stand her ground against those who threaten not only her life but those closest to her, the only family she has- her friends.

I would highly recommend this book and series for the middle grade age group. It has everything a young reader loves: magic, mystery, adventure, danger and a wide assortment of creatures to make their imaginations go wild! I look forward to reading the remaining book in the series.

A fantastical, whimsical story.

Book two of the Crowns of Croswald did not disappoint. We are thrust right back in after the events of book 1 and continue our fantastic journey.

This book has a lot of world building and really draws you in to it. The characters have some great growth and the interactions between them felt authentic. I did feel that for the length, the plot wasn’t as jam packed as the first, but I still enjoyed the ride.