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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
Ivy Lovely grew up in Plum Castle, working in the kitchens as a scauldrony maid. She’s responsible for taking care of the scauldrons- the little dragons that provide the heat for cooking. It is neither a glamorous or fulfilling life. An invite to a prestigious magical school saves Ivy from this life and reveals the magic she’s had hidden inside her all this time.
Suddenly, the dreams that Ivy has been having for all her life are starting to mean something. This mystery drives Ivy to find answers that everyone else seems to have forgotten.
“The Crowns of Croswald” introduces a fantastical world of magic. Unique creatures and magical systems will keep the reader engaged. You will feel the sense of wonder and whimsy as you journey alongside the characters in their adventure.
The mystery that drives Ivy is what makes “The Crowns of Croswald” impossible to put down. I read the whole thing in less than 24 hours! Expect my review for Book 2 soon!
TL;DR:
”The Crowns of Croswald” is a middle grades fantasy novel full of magic and adventure, perfect for Harry Potter lovers.
Suddenly, the dreams that Ivy has been having for all her life are starting to mean something. This mystery drives Ivy to find answers that everyone else seems to have forgotten.
“The Crowns of Croswald” introduces a fantastical world of magic. Unique creatures and magical systems will keep the reader engaged. You will feel the sense of wonder and whimsy as you journey alongside the characters in their adventure.
The mystery that drives Ivy is what makes “The Crowns of Croswald” impossible to put down. I read the whole thing in less than 24 hours! Expect my review for Book 2 soon!
TL;DR:
”The Crowns of Croswald” is a middle grades fantasy novel full of magic and adventure, perfect for Harry Potter lovers.
I have only recently delved into middle-grade reads and fantasy is not a genre I would normally pick for myself, however, after reading 'The Crowns of Croswald' by D.E Night I will be picking up more books such as this one.
What a magical and engaging read this was. The entire story enthralled me from the cute illustrations at each chapter head to the magic and adventure to Ivy as a whole. The world-building and character development surprised me to no end.
This book was easy to read and understand despite it being rather chunky and extensive. I would absolutely recommend this to a middle-grade book lover of fantasy.
Thank you NetGalley and Untold Stories for allowing me to read this fantastical book.
What a magical and engaging read this was. The entire story enthralled me from the cute illustrations at each chapter head to the magic and adventure to Ivy as a whole. The world-building and character development surprised me to no end.
This book was easy to read and understand despite it being rather chunky and extensive. I would absolutely recommend this to a middle-grade book lover of fantasy.
Thank you NetGalley and Untold Stories for allowing me to read this fantastical book.
I received a request to review this book and was happy to check it out as it's so far from my normal genre. I'm probably the only person on the planet who hasn't read Harry Potter because I just can't get into magical realms. I'm a realist I guess. But I wanted to give this book a solid try and I'm glad I did. I really enjoyed Ivy's tale of finding her destiny, the journey from the slurry fields to the prestigious school for scrivenists and royals. The friends Ivy made and the mishaps that befall her are all surrounded by the mystery of who she really is and what her recurring dream means. While I have a hard time picturing magical things (so sad), I thought the storyline and plot were well executed and it was a fun read.
Many thanks to Stories Untold and D.E. Night for the arc, I truly enjoyed it!
Many thanks to Stories Untold and D.E. Night for the arc, I truly enjoyed it!
*Spoilers*
I received a copy of this book via Net Galley, and was asked for a review. Usually I don’t review many Middle Grade books, but I am always happy to find new recommendations for customers at my library. I started reading this with zero expectations. I didn’t read the books summary and didn’t read any reviews so I wouldn’t be biased starting out.
All of that being said, I did not like this book. Immediately I realized that the story was meant to be geared towards readers of Harry Potter, and hoped to be the second coming of magical fiction. The author tried so hard to write a book like Harry Potter without actually writing Harry Potter that it fell flat. The prologue tried to build a climax for what was to come but it was just confusing, especially when trying to capture the interest of a Middle Grade reader. It would have been better, in my opinion, if the Prologue was axed, and the book simply started with the first chapter.
We meet Ivy, an orphan working in a castle kitchen where she is verbally and physically abused by a character named Helga. Helga is written to be the equivalent to Harry Potter’s Vernon Dursley without any of his depth. Ivy eventually gets whisked away from her life in some sort of magic carriage and deposited in a less than interesting version of Diagon Alley. As we read more about Ivy she seems, at this point, to be a combination of Ron and Harry, with a splash of Hermione’s intelligence. Basically, she is poor, an orphan, always finds trouble, is highly intelligent, and has no clue how to handle magic.
There is no depth to Ivy. I didn’t feel like I got to know Ivy at all, and that I was just haphazardly following her throughout the book. With each new character introduced: The Selector, Rebecca, Fyn, and Damaris had even less depth than Ivy herself. The Selector remained a distant figure who appeared now and then to discipline Ivy only to fade into the background. It seemed like she was Dumbledore without any of his personality. There was Rebecca, a princess/scrivenist, started out trapped in a cage, then spent the rest of the book trying to figure out what she wanted to be. But again, no depth to her character. She was basically Ivy’s sidekick that constantly got left behind. Fyn just appears out of nowhere any time Ivy is thinking about him, or she’s about to do something dangerous. He comes off as more of an obsessed stalker with a handsome face. Ivy doesn’t even really question it and then develops a crush on him which is just weird. Lastly Damaris is cast as Ivy’s nemesis, and she is written as the female version of Malfoy without any substance.
The rest of the book just follows the plot of Harry Potter to the letter. There are ghosts, huge dining halls, a castle, professors, a secret, an evil villain, the villain’s followers, a final battle between the main character and the villain, and it all wraps up with the main character learning about their past. I finished this book disappointed and frustrated by its lack of originality. I really think this book has the potential to be better and could be if it didn’t try to so hard to be something it’s not.
I received a copy of this book via Net Galley, and was asked for a review. Usually I don’t review many Middle Grade books, but I am always happy to find new recommendations for customers at my library. I started reading this with zero expectations. I didn’t read the books summary and didn’t read any reviews so I wouldn’t be biased starting out.
All of that being said, I did not like this book. Immediately I realized that the story was meant to be geared towards readers of Harry Potter, and hoped to be the second coming of magical fiction. The author tried so hard to write a book like Harry Potter without actually writing Harry Potter that it fell flat. The prologue tried to build a climax for what was to come but it was just confusing, especially when trying to capture the interest of a Middle Grade reader. It would have been better, in my opinion, if the Prologue was axed, and the book simply started with the first chapter.
We meet Ivy, an orphan working in a castle kitchen where she is verbally and physically abused by a character named Helga. Helga is written to be the equivalent to Harry Potter’s Vernon Dursley without any of his depth. Ivy eventually gets whisked away from her life in some sort of magic carriage and deposited in a less than interesting version of Diagon Alley. As we read more about Ivy she seems, at this point, to be a combination of Ron and Harry, with a splash of Hermione’s intelligence. Basically, she is poor, an orphan, always finds trouble, is highly intelligent, and has no clue how to handle magic.
There is no depth to Ivy. I didn’t feel like I got to know Ivy at all, and that I was just haphazardly following her throughout the book. With each new character introduced: The Selector, Rebecca, Fyn, and Damaris had even less depth than Ivy herself. The Selector remained a distant figure who appeared now and then to discipline Ivy only to fade into the background. It seemed like she was Dumbledore without any of his personality. There was Rebecca, a princess/scrivenist, started out trapped in a cage, then spent the rest of the book trying to figure out what she wanted to be. But again, no depth to her character. She was basically Ivy’s sidekick that constantly got left behind. Fyn just appears out of nowhere any time Ivy is thinking about him, or she’s about to do something dangerous. He comes off as more of an obsessed stalker with a handsome face. Ivy doesn’t even really question it and then develops a crush on him which is just weird. Lastly Damaris is cast as Ivy’s nemesis, and she is written as the female version of Malfoy without any substance.
The rest of the book just follows the plot of Harry Potter to the letter. There are ghosts, huge dining halls, a castle, professors, a secret, an evil villain, the villain’s followers, a final battle between the main character and the villain, and it all wraps up with the main character learning about their past. I finished this book disappointed and frustrated by its lack of originality. I really think this book has the potential to be better and could be if it didn’t try to so hard to be something it’s not.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The Crowns of Croswald was an absolutely magical read filled with adventure. Ivy and Wimsome's relationship reminded me a lot of Cinder and the doctor's relationship in The Lunar Chronicles. This magical school and staff also reminded me of Hogwarts.
This book can be enjoyed by any age and by anyone looking for a magical way to escape reality. I'll definitely be continuing this magical series and I recommend this to anyone with middle graders that need some magic in their life.
The Crowns of Croswald was an absolutely magical read filled with adventure. Ivy and Wimsome's relationship reminded me a lot of Cinder and the doctor's relationship in The Lunar Chronicles. This magical school and staff also reminded me of Hogwarts.
This book can be enjoyed by any age and by anyone looking for a magical way to escape reality. I'll definitely be continuing this magical series and I recommend this to anyone with middle graders that need some magic in their life.
This book was a perfect middle grade fantasy story filled with magic and adventure! Ivy Lovely, the main character (who is simply charming and lovable), is a 16 year old dragon working as a scaldrony maid who has dreams of being a scrivenist and going to the revered Halls of Ivy school. Her work as a scaldrony maid leaves her in a windowless space so she doesn’t know how she can possibly make her dream happen. But, one day she gets thrown out with no job, no home and no money. But, out of nowhere she gets picked up by a cabby who has been looking for her to take her to the Halls of Ivy as she has received an invitation to attend. Once at the school, strange things start to happen but Ivy doesn’t shrink back and meets lots of interesting characters along the way. The writing made the story so visual to me so I can only imagine the fun a middle grader would have with this imaginative series.
Thank you to the publisher for sending me an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to the publisher for sending me an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
If you’re into a fun magic read with some nostalgia, this is the perfect book for you! I was worried that this book would be too similar to the Harry Potter series but I felt like the author did a pretty good job making the storyline unique. It was a very cute story. This is the first book in a part three series and I can’t wait to start the next book!
Thank you Goodread Giveaways for giving me a free kindle copy in exchange for a honest review.
4.5/5
Thank you Goodread Giveaways for giving me a free kindle copy in exchange for a honest review.
4.5/5
**I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.**
It is shockingly rare that I actually like a fantasy series. Despite having grown up obsessed with Harry Potter, I have always been really picky when it comes to fantasy novels and series. But I still keep trying them, especially ones that would be appropriate for my fifth graders.
The Crowns of Croswold ended up taking me by surprise. I struggled to get into the story at the beginning. The lore felt a clunky, and I couldn't help but compare it a bit to books like Harry Potter. Then I made an active point to stop comparing it. It's amazing how much more I can enjoy something when I only focus on that thing.
The magic system is unique. The names are silly and fun. I can definitely see several of my students really getting into it. I look forward to starting the sequel and passing along this one to my students.
It is shockingly rare that I actually like a fantasy series. Despite having grown up obsessed with Harry Potter, I have always been really picky when it comes to fantasy novels and series. But I still keep trying them, especially ones that would be appropriate for my fifth graders.
The Crowns of Croswold ended up taking me by surprise. I struggled to get into the story at the beginning. The lore felt a clunky, and I couldn't help but compare it a bit to books like Harry Potter. Then I made an active point to stop comparing it. It's amazing how much more I can enjoy something when I only focus on that thing.
The magic system is unique. The names are silly and fun. I can definitely see several of my students really getting into it. I look forward to starting the sequel and passing along this one to my students.
What a magical world building! This kind of books reminds me of why I fell in love with reading fantasy novels
This was my first middle-grade read! Well, since I was actually a kid, that is. I think books like The Crowns of Croswald prove that a book meant for a younger audience can still be captivating and fun! The magic system felt quirky and lighthearted and yet mysterious too.
I am SUCH a fan of Ivy! I think you can't help but like her - she is curious and determined and also kind to the core. She clearly loves the new friends she makes at school plus the creatures (dragons and porcupines) that she picks up along the way.
The only thing I wish we got more of was time - time with the characters to really get to know them. I feel like we have a high-level knowledge of Ivy and her friends, and the story could really benefit by learning more about them!
Thank you to Stories Untold Press for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review!
I am SUCH a fan of Ivy! I think you can't help but like her - she is curious and determined and also kind to the core. She clearly loves the new friends she makes at school plus the creatures (dragons and porcupines) that she picks up along the way.
The only thing I wish we got more of was time - time with the characters to really get to know them. I feel like we have a high-level knowledge of Ivy and her friends, and the story could really benefit by learning more about them!
Thank you to Stories Untold Press for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review!