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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
THE CROWNS OF CROSWALD (Book 1) by D.E. Night⠀
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Ivy Park is a 16-year old maid steps into a magical world and comes in contact with an evil Queen threatens to ruin all that is good. ⠀
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As the Goodreads description says, this is for fans of Harry Potter, Alice in Wonderland and Chronicles of Narnia. ⠀
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The Crowns of Croswald is a 4-part middle grade series filled with enchanting magic and fantasy. ⠀
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As a huge Harry Potter fan and having grown up with that series, these are some pretty big shoes to fill, so I think this may be why I struggled to not compare it to HP. ⠀
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I would definitely recommend this for younger readers who has a love for the fantasy and whimsical genre. ⠀
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Thank you to NetGalley and Stories Untold Press for giving me a free copy of this novel in turn for an honest review. ⠀
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3/5
⠀
Ivy Park is a 16-year old maid steps into a magical world and comes in contact with an evil Queen threatens to ruin all that is good. ⠀
⠀
As the Goodreads description says, this is for fans of Harry Potter, Alice in Wonderland and Chronicles of Narnia. ⠀
⠀
The Crowns of Croswald is a 4-part middle grade series filled with enchanting magic and fantasy. ⠀
⠀
As a huge Harry Potter fan and having grown up with that series, these are some pretty big shoes to fill, so I think this may be why I struggled to not compare it to HP. ⠀
⠀
I would definitely recommend this for younger readers who has a love for the fantasy and whimsical genre. ⠀
⠀
Thank you to NetGalley and Stories Untold Press for giving me a free copy of this novel in turn for an honest review. ⠀
⠀
3/5
“The life of a captain, while interesting, does not compare to my true calling,” he said, shaking water out of his ear. “Now would it be possible for a gentleman to get a bubble bath?”
The Crowns of Croswald is a fantasy novel that follows Ivy Lovely, a girl who works as a ‘scaldrony’ maid alongside the most mystical of creatures, dragons! She leads a boring if lushly described life alongside her friend the dwarf Rimbrick who feels like a father figure to her, and brings her books on the ancient and arcane study of ‘scrivenry’, (the form magic takes in D.E Night’s whimsical world) and here she is introduced to the famed scrivenist Derwin Edgar Night, (the very author of the Crowns of Croswald themself?) A mysterious stranger, a prophecy and the twisting threads of fate in the whimsical and Ghibli-esque world D.E Night creates leads Ivy to a school of Magic where she learns that nothing is what it seems!
I adored this book. It brought me back to the days of reading Harry Potter for the first time and both the way setting were described and the characters in it were absolutely charming. Some might say that the Crowns of Croswald could be a little derivative, as the genre has been entirely saturated by ‘Magic School’ novels, but I feel that it is with the author’s voice whereupon the task of distinguishing the book from its peers lies, and D.E. Night’s storytelling is reminiscent of a warm summer’s day in childhood; cheery and bright and full of magic!
If you are looking for a rich new fantastical world then this is a delight. Even if it is sure to be a hit with a younger audience, it’s fast-paced enough and has enough exciting twists to make it a fun quick read for older readers too. It’s also surprisingly funny, and characters like the Captain or ‘Ivory Lucky’ – who is especially excellently imagined, are easy to connect with because of it.
I really enjoyed Winsome as a character, and the tension leading up to the Ball was especially fun. One detriment to the Crowns of Croswald I would say, as I can see it intends to be an action packed series building up to a thrilling conclusive battle against the villain introduced in this book, is that some parts seemed a little bit rushed. The book could have perhaps stayed longer in some parts, just to really explore the cast of characters and the setting. I hope Damaris, Rimbrick and Fyn’s characters are delved into in the next book, which I will definitely think about reading!
Thank you to the publisher Stories Untold for supplying me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 stars!
The Crowns of Croswald is a fantasy novel that follows Ivy Lovely, a girl who works as a ‘scaldrony’ maid alongside the most mystical of creatures, dragons! She leads a boring if lushly described life alongside her friend the dwarf Rimbrick who feels like a father figure to her, and brings her books on the ancient and arcane study of ‘scrivenry’, (the form magic takes in D.E Night’s whimsical world) and here she is introduced to the famed scrivenist Derwin Edgar Night, (the very author of the Crowns of Croswald themself?) A mysterious stranger, a prophecy and the twisting threads of fate in the whimsical and Ghibli-esque world D.E Night creates leads Ivy to a school of Magic where she learns that nothing is what it seems!
I adored this book. It brought me back to the days of reading Harry Potter for the first time and both the way setting were described and the characters in it were absolutely charming. Some might say that the Crowns of Croswald could be a little derivative, as the genre has been entirely saturated by ‘Magic School’ novels, but I feel that it is with the author’s voice whereupon the task of distinguishing the book from its peers lies, and D.E. Night’s storytelling is reminiscent of a warm summer’s day in childhood; cheery and bright and full of magic!
If you are looking for a rich new fantastical world then this is a delight. Even if it is sure to be a hit with a younger audience, it’s fast-paced enough and has enough exciting twists to make it a fun quick read for older readers too. It’s also surprisingly funny, and characters like the Captain or ‘Ivory Lucky’ – who is especially excellently imagined, are easy to connect with because of it.
I really enjoyed Winsome as a character, and the tension leading up to the Ball was especially fun. One detriment to the Crowns of Croswald I would say, as I can see it intends to be an action packed series building up to a thrilling conclusive battle against the villain introduced in this book, is that some parts seemed a little bit rushed. The book could have perhaps stayed longer in some parts, just to really explore the cast of characters and the setting. I hope Damaris, Rimbrick and Fyn’s characters are delved into in the next book, which I will definitely think about reading!
Thank you to the publisher Stories Untold for supplying me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 stars!
This book was a delight. There’s a lot to be said for the magical boarding school trope, and this one sits perfectly within the genre.
The world building is tremendous. Part magical, part mysterious, part quirky and part whimsical, DE Night trusts the reader and lands them in an unpredictable, critter-filled land of imagination. Ivy Lovely and her cast of friends and mentors were also sweet and complemented the mood and tone of the book. Like Ivy, I now have a little crush on Fyn and hope this relationship develops!
Is it perfect? No. The action climax builds the tension but then feels a little rushed. There’s also a touch too much explanation by way of dialogue in the final chapter, and certain elements were overly predictable. That said, I wish this had been published when I was a wee reader because I would have absolutely inhaled this. It makes me nostalgic in a way I don’t often feel - not to mention, the perfect escapism during a busy time of life.
I received a free copy from the publisher on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The world building is tremendous. Part magical, part mysterious, part quirky and part whimsical, DE Night trusts the reader and lands them in an unpredictable, critter-filled land of imagination. Ivy Lovely and her cast of friends and mentors were also sweet and complemented the mood and tone of the book. Like Ivy, I now have a little crush on Fyn and hope this relationship develops!
Is it perfect? No. The action climax builds the tension but then feels a little rushed. There’s also a touch too much explanation by way of dialogue in the final chapter, and certain elements were overly predictable. That said, I wish this had been published when I was a wee reader because I would have absolutely inhaled this. It makes me nostalgic in a way I don’t often feel - not to mention, the perfect escapism during a busy time of life.
I received a free copy from the publisher on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book is lovely. To me, it feels like a mix of Harry Potter, Diana Wynne Jones, Alice in Wonderland, and many other favorites and classics.
To start, the story was from a perspective that made it very easy for one to relate to the characters. This is where the Alice component came in. Similarly to Carroll’s famous tween, Ivy is written in a very relatable fashion. This is in part to the POV, but also to the character. Ivy had a great, genuine, childlike personality. Yet, she is written in a way that makes it very easy for readers to become her.
The world building was great as well. Although it was very Harry Potter-esque, the story and world were beautifully unique and magical. It was written in such a charming style, nothing taken too seriously, all the while maintaining a ‘rather serious’ plot line. This is where I saw a lot of similarities to Diana Wynne Jones (who you all know I love). It was such a happy, and light story, that really captivated me.
The plot itself was well written, in a way that made you forget that there was a story. As in, you were experiencing it along with the characters, rather than trying to read purely for the plot line (if that makes sense). It was more of an experience than a story – which was marvelous.
Overall, I really loved it. It is truly appropriate for all ages – again, very Harry Potter-esque in that quality. I highly suggest you all go check it out on July 21st!
To start, the story was from a perspective that made it very easy for one to relate to the characters. This is where the Alice component came in. Similarly to Carroll’s famous tween, Ivy is written in a very relatable fashion. This is in part to the POV, but also to the character. Ivy had a great, genuine, childlike personality. Yet, she is written in a way that makes it very easy for readers to become her.
The world building was great as well. Although it was very Harry Potter-esque, the story and world were beautifully unique and magical. It was written in such a charming style, nothing taken too seriously, all the while maintaining a ‘rather serious’ plot line. This is where I saw a lot of similarities to Diana Wynne Jones (who you all know I love). It was such a happy, and light story, that really captivated me.
The plot itself was well written, in a way that made you forget that there was a story. As in, you were experiencing it along with the characters, rather than trying to read purely for the plot line (if that makes sense). It was more of an experience than a story – which was marvelous.
Overall, I really loved it. It is truly appropriate for all ages – again, very Harry Potter-esque in that quality. I highly suggest you all go check it out on July 21st!
The Crowns of Croswald is for anyone, young or old who loves magic, fairytales and dreamt once of wearing a crown.
Royalty with magic in their crowns, ’Scriveners’ with the talent and knowledge to create magic bring this book to life. There's a missing Royal family, a forgotten crown with no one there to collect, a dwarf who has stories filled with mystery and a Dark Queen you can't help but want to boo at.
D.E. Night has created a world filled with magic worthy of any fairy-tale and a mystery to keep you reading to know more. The good characters are both loveable and wonderfully well written, I could easily imagine reading this to my children when they were younger and them then booing at the baddies that are as much a part of a good story about magic as the heroes.
I loved this book so much and the sequel is sitting on my lap ready to go as I want to know what happens to Ivy Lovely and her friends and foes, now that school has come to an end of The Crowns of Croswald.
It's a magical tale in every sense and I truly believe that the series will be one to become beloved by many.
Thank you to Netgalley and Stories Untold for letting me read this in return of an honest review.
Royalty with magic in their crowns, ’Scriveners’ with the talent and knowledge to create magic bring this book to life. There's a missing Royal family, a forgotten crown with no one there to collect, a dwarf who has stories filled with mystery and a Dark Queen you can't help but want to boo at.
D.E. Night has created a world filled with magic worthy of any fairy-tale and a mystery to keep you reading to know more. The good characters are both loveable and wonderfully well written, I could easily imagine reading this to my children when they were younger and them then booing at the baddies that are as much a part of a good story about magic as the heroes.
I loved this book so much and the sequel is sitting on my lap ready to go as I want to know what happens to Ivy Lovely and her friends and foes, now that school has come to an end of The Crowns of Croswald.
It's a magical tale in every sense and I truly believe that the series will be one to become beloved by many.
Thank you to Netgalley and Stories Untold for letting me read this in return of an honest review.
Fun, magical and full of new words! Ha this book is sheer fantasy and has an air about it that lends heavily to Harry Potter. Many similarities. I basically had to imagine this book coming out before HP. Mostly because if it had, HP might have a had a real contender. I gave into this book though and tried to not let that bias affect my review. What I am saying is, if you love the Potter... this book will connect with you. It was an easy read. Could def be a gift for the 9-14 range kid. I am looking forward to more from D.E. Night!
Got this from the publisher and from Netgalley for a review!
We all grew up with Harry Potter in some way - we had a best friend, a sibling, a parent, or we ourselves loved it so much that it shaped our reading habits for the rest of our lives...but now years later we have all of this information about the author and times are changing and I for one think that it's time we lift up other authors who have taken up the sort of theme of the books and elevated them into their own imagination and The Crown of Croswald is one of the books I'd like to start with.
Truthfully, if this book hadn't been suggested to me I would not have known about it but now that I do I'm digging it. I'm digging it so much that when my pay from work comes in I'll be ordering all three books from the closest store for my niece because I think she would love it, and also so I can see the pretty cover art in my shelves.
One of the unique aspects of this series so far is the difference in magic compared to how other people use magic in books.
They use porcupines (the poor things generally scare easy) and sketching for magic as well as royal crowns and stones and I love it. I'd buy an entire novella dedicated to the history of the magic system in this world because I've read a ton of books and this is the most out-there one so far.
For a middle-grade series, I feel like she aged up the characters too much. 16-17 for this sort of series doesn't seem right to me because I think that they should be the same age as the readers but the way that it's paced and worded makes it easy to follow and guess what's going to happen so it's a good starting point. It's a slow build up to an intense end of the book and I like that in a book but some younger kids might not, depending on their individual reading level.
We all grew up with Harry Potter in some way - we had a best friend, a sibling, a parent, or we ourselves loved it so much that it shaped our reading habits for the rest of our lives...but now years later we have all of this information about the author and times are changing and I for one think that it's time we lift up other authors who have taken up the sort of theme of the books and elevated them into their own imagination and The Crown of Croswald is one of the books I'd like to start with.
Truthfully, if this book hadn't been suggested to me I would not have known about it but now that I do I'm digging it. I'm digging it so much that when my pay from work comes in I'll be ordering all three books from the closest store for my niece because I think she would love it, and also so I can see the pretty cover art in my shelves.
One of the unique aspects of this series so far is the difference in magic compared to how other people use magic in books.
They use porcupines (the poor things generally scare easy) and sketching for magic as well as royal crowns and stones and I love it. I'd buy an entire novella dedicated to the history of the magic system in this world because I've read a ton of books and this is the most out-there one so far.
For a middle-grade series, I feel like she aged up the characters too much. 16-17 for this sort of series doesn't seem right to me because I think that they should be the same age as the readers but the way that it's paced and worded makes it easy to follow and guess what's going to happen so it's a good starting point. It's a slow build up to an intense end of the book and I like that in a book but some younger kids might not, depending on their individual reading level.
I received a free copy copy of this book in return for and honest Netgalley review, so here goes!
When I first started reading this book, I instantly got high HP vibes. The story is about Ivy Lovely who works as a kitchen maid for a magical family, where love is hard to come by.
When she gets thrown out, she finds out she has the chance to go to the magical school. She makes friends for the first time in her life, discovers the magic inside herself and learns about herself and her family's past.
This book is perfect for people who love books such as HP and Narnia, with an extensive word-building. The language is clear and there are no difficult passages so this book is perfect for teens or for reading with/to kids.
The only negative thing I can think to mention is that at times the settings were too confusing. There were parts where I had no idea where Ivy was or why.
But overall I really enjoyed reading it and I'm curious to see what lies in Ivy's future. I just hope the storyline won't be exactly as it is in HP where she'll fight some evil force a few times, before she gets to the final epic battle.
3.5 ⭐
When I first started reading this book, I instantly got high HP vibes. The story is about Ivy Lovely who works as a kitchen maid for a magical family, where love is hard to come by.
When she gets thrown out, she finds out she has the chance to go to the magical school. She makes friends for the first time in her life, discovers the magic inside herself and learns about herself and her family's past.
This book is perfect for people who love books such as HP and Narnia, with an extensive word-building. The language is clear and there are no difficult passages so this book is perfect for teens or for reading with/to kids.
The only negative thing I can think to mention is that at times the settings were too confusing. There were parts where I had no idea where Ivy was or why.
But overall I really enjoyed reading it and I'm curious to see what lies in Ivy's future. I just hope the storyline won't be exactly as it is in HP where she'll fight some evil force a few times, before she gets to the final epic battle.
3.5 ⭐
I would rate this book 3,5/4 I don't know ... =)
I was really enjoying reading this book : Harry Potter meets Mysterious lost princess ... Hell Yeah right ?
I found the plot amazing really ! The writing was good as well... What didn't set with me was the time gaps and the lack of description sometimes.
English isn't my first language obviously ^^ So some words or expressions were hard to get around.
I have the feeling that there should have been more background to the story that's all.
I will read the next book for sure, now I need to know what will happen =)
I was really enjoying reading this book : Harry Potter meets Mysterious lost princess ... Hell Yeah right ?
I found the plot amazing really ! The writing was good as well... What didn't set with me was the time gaps and the lack of description sometimes.
English isn't my first language obviously ^^ So some words or expressions were hard to get around.
I have the feeling that there should have been more background to the story that's all.
I will read the next book for sure, now I need to know what will happen =)
(I have received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.)
Let me start by saying that I thought this book was phenomenal! It is difficult to write a book these days that isn't compared to another popular book or series. While I can see similarities to Harry Potter, this book felt completely different to me. I can honestly say that I haven't read anything like it and I was left in wonder the entire time.
This book transports you to a new world full of magic, curses, buried secrets, and one big prophecy. Ivy Lovely is an easy character to like and invest in. Going from an invisible scaldronly maid and thrust into the world of magic and scrivenry, you really have no idea what awaits you in each chapter. It seems as though anything and everything is possible so long as you believe in the power of yourself and the magic within you.
D.E. Night does a fabulous job of constantly keeping you on your toes. Always craving more.
Who is Ivy Lovely? Why is she so different from everyone else? The reader gets enough tidbits revealed to keep the story moving and the pages turning. I am already so glad that I have the second book in the series as I am incredibly eager to dive in and discover all there is to know about the 'Town.'
I highly recommend this book to anyone who dreams of traveling to a new world where you can yield the power of magic and discover your true destiny. It won't disappoint.
Let me start by saying that I thought this book was phenomenal! It is difficult to write a book these days that isn't compared to another popular book or series. While I can see similarities to Harry Potter, this book felt completely different to me. I can honestly say that I haven't read anything like it and I was left in wonder the entire time.
This book transports you to a new world full of magic, curses, buried secrets, and one big prophecy. Ivy Lovely is an easy character to like and invest in. Going from an invisible scaldronly maid and thrust into the world of magic and scrivenry, you really have no idea what awaits you in each chapter. It seems as though anything and everything is possible so long as you believe in the power of yourself and the magic within you.
D.E. Night does a fabulous job of constantly keeping you on your toes. Always craving more.
Who is Ivy Lovely? Why is she so different from everyone else? The reader gets enough tidbits revealed to keep the story moving and the pages turning. I am already so glad that I have the second book in the series as I am incredibly eager to dive in and discover all there is to know about the 'Town.'
I highly recommend this book to anyone who dreams of traveling to a new world where you can yield the power of magic and discover your true destiny. It won't disappoint.