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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
The Crowns of Croswald
4/5 stars
This is the first ever book I have gotten sent for review. The cover is absolutely gorgeous. And oh my gosh, my copy came signed which was very exciting!
The Plot:
Many people have compared this book to Harry Potter, and having just read Harry Potter for the first time a couple of months ago, I definitely agree. This story follows Ivy Lovely (which how great is that name for a lead protagonist) who lives a miserable life as a worker in this pretty abusive environment, until one day she leaves and discovers that she actually has an affinity for magic and gets whisked away to this magic school. (sound familiar?)
The magic system was pretty intricate in this one. There are Scrivenists and Royals I believe. They learn to harness their magic either through their blood and these quills they have (along with an assortment of magical items) and the royals have these bitching gems that help them control their magic (usually located in their crowns.
Now I will admit that it took me quite a while to finish this book. But it wasn’t through any fault of the book. It was effective at setting up the world and the magic system. It was effective at being a foundational book in the series, the characters were fun for the most part, and the writing was lush and beautiful. It also had the same whimsy and bounce that is in the first Harry Potter book.
It just took me a while because I was going through a lot of stressful personal things that made it a hard time for me where something that takes a lot of concentration such as high fantasy was difficult.
Since this was setting up things, there weren’t too many events happening back to back, which made the process go a little slower than I would have liked. But oh my gosh The Ball was the most intense and compulsively readable scene in the whole book and the last 60 or so pages just flew by and made me sad that it was over.
Characters:
Ivy-
She was a fun and strong willed protagonist. How her magic and backstory ended up unfolding was fascinating. But occasionally, her impulsiveness and disregard for consequences frustrated me to no end. Like I appreciated her need for answers, but if you’ve lived all your life in a shitty environment and finally have been given a better life, why would you constantly put that in jeopardy?
Rebecca-
I adored her. She was probably my favorite character and I just found her friendship with Ivy to be so endearing. Shit, give me a book in her point of view.
Fyn-
Was a cutie and I think his caring for Ivy, and tendency to always be there in the right moment made him likeable. But I felt like he could’ve been fleshed out more and was unfortunately the least dimensional of the characters.
The Dark Queen-
I LOVED the mysterious air that was surrounding her in the beginning and how her storyline climaxed towards the end. She reminded me of one of the villains in the first volume of Saga. I loved her.
Rimbrick, Winsome, and Derwin-
These men, I’m grouping together because they were all kind of mentors/ pivotal figures in Ivy’s life that shaped her into who she is. I loved them all and am excited to see more of Derwin.
Overall:
I liked this, a lot. And I feel like those feelings can easily turn into love upon a reread in the future. That ending was fantastic and I definitely plan on picking up the sequel whenever it comes out.
4/5 stars
This is the first ever book I have gotten sent for review. The cover is absolutely gorgeous. And oh my gosh, my copy came signed which was very exciting!
The Plot:
Many people have compared this book to Harry Potter, and having just read Harry Potter for the first time a couple of months ago, I definitely agree. This story follows Ivy Lovely (which how great is that name for a lead protagonist) who lives a miserable life as a worker in this pretty abusive environment, until one day she leaves and discovers that she actually has an affinity for magic and gets whisked away to this magic school. (sound familiar?)
The magic system was pretty intricate in this one. There are Scrivenists and Royals I believe. They learn to harness their magic either through their blood and these quills they have (along with an assortment of magical items) and the royals have these bitching gems that help them control their magic (usually located in their crowns.
Now I will admit that it took me quite a while to finish this book. But it wasn’t through any fault of the book. It was effective at setting up the world and the magic system. It was effective at being a foundational book in the series, the characters were fun for the most part, and the writing was lush and beautiful. It also had the same whimsy and bounce that is in the first Harry Potter book.
It just took me a while because I was going through a lot of stressful personal things that made it a hard time for me where something that takes a lot of concentration such as high fantasy was difficult.
Since this was setting up things, there weren’t too many events happening back to back, which made the process go a little slower than I would have liked. But oh my gosh The Ball was the most intense and compulsively readable scene in the whole book and the last 60 or so pages just flew by and made me sad that it was over.
Characters:
Ivy-
She was a fun and strong willed protagonist. How her magic and backstory ended up unfolding was fascinating. But occasionally, her impulsiveness and disregard for consequences frustrated me to no end. Like I appreciated her need for answers, but if you’ve lived all your life in a shitty environment and finally have been given a better life, why would you constantly put that in jeopardy?
Rebecca-
I adored her. She was probably my favorite character and I just found her friendship with Ivy to be so endearing. Shit, give me a book in her point of view.
Fyn-
Was a cutie and I think his caring for Ivy, and tendency to always be there in the right moment made him likeable. But I felt like he could’ve been fleshed out more and was unfortunately the least dimensional of the characters.
The Dark Queen-
I LOVED the mysterious air that was surrounding her in the beginning and how her storyline climaxed towards the end. She reminded me of one of the villains in the first volume of Saga. I loved her.
Rimbrick, Winsome, and Derwin-
These men, I’m grouping together because they were all kind of mentors/ pivotal figures in Ivy’s life that shaped her into who she is. I loved them all and am excited to see more of Derwin.
Overall:
I liked this, a lot. And I feel like those feelings can easily turn into love upon a reread in the future. That ending was fantastic and I definitely plan on picking up the sequel whenever it comes out.
I had no knowlege of this book prior to reading and I can say that the story is so magical - it takes me back to why I read as a girl. I couldn't contain how happy I felt reading it and thought this is what makes a wonderful story.
I dislike comparing one book to another but it has some Harry Potter vibes; however it is unique and the world is beautiful.
Ivy as the MC was well written. I couldn't help but like her. She's kind hearted; and persistant in her need for questions answered. Her story pieces together well.
Strong, likable side characters support Ivy on her journey with an evil queen to beat.
An enchanting fairytale to be enjoyed and one I would definitely recommend.
I need that 2nd book.
I dislike comparing one book to another but it has some Harry Potter vibes; however it is unique and the world is beautiful.
Ivy as the MC was well written. I couldn't help but like her. She's kind hearted; and persistant in her need for questions answered. Her story pieces together well.
Strong, likable side characters support Ivy on her journey with an evil queen to beat.
An enchanting fairytale to be enjoyed and one I would definitely recommend.
I need that 2nd book.
To start off, let me say that I find the writing quirky, but that is not a bad thing. Most of the time it lends itself well to the story, but it did sometimes make things almost confusing. The book is a quick, easy read; it's a nice book if you want to just sit down and finish it in an afternoon. The main character seems to have a permanent case of wrong place, wrong time, but it's not overdone. I enjoy following Ivy on her unusual adventure. The magic system is unusual and seems a little all over the place at first, but once you learn enough of it, it's easy to follow.
All in all, I enjoyed the book and look forward to reading the rest of the series.
All in all, I enjoyed the book and look forward to reading the rest of the series.
This was a book I never normally would’ve picked up, but I’m glad I did. I really enjoyed this book. I loved the character of Ivy and how she sets off on her journey, but ends up finding herself along the way. I love the other characters she meets and how they each play a role in every step along the way. The writing and the story is great, and I could see myself in Ivy, especially when she sets out not knowing where to go or who to meet. That really resonated with me. In the end, I really liked this book and am definitely looking forward to the next one in the series.
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Thank you Net Galley and Stories Untold for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book gave me very much Harry Potter vibes (without the problematic stuff). The Crowns of Croswald follows Ivy, your typical normal girl who finds out she has powers. She stumbles across the Dark Queen who threatens Croswald. Ivy, along with the friends she makes along the way, reflects the past in order to defeat the Dark Queen and save the world she has begun to love.
I wanted to like this book, but it just never got interesting. Most of the book was world-building and setting up for the next books in the series. There was no action or anything engaging whatsoever. The writing was okay, but the plot was so dull. It felt like the book was attempting to be dark academia, but it wasn’t because of the lack of action and there was no darkness. Furthermore, I didn’t know what was going on half the time as there was not enough detail or description.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
DNF - I just can't seem to be able to read it, even if I actually like the plot and the writing style. I will come back to it at some point and give it another chance.
This was a magical feel good fantasy. I truly loved this book and could tell that the author was inspired by some of their childhood favorites like Harry Potter however this story was all their own. I loved the idea of a magic school for royalty and their potential advisor/sorcerers. The magic system itself was also interesting for example the Scrivenists (wizard/witches) had photographic memory and could use their quills to do some spells. That alone would have made this book worth reading but the author also included a lost princess, a curse that had to be broken, evil queen, a love interest and some other mysteries. I felt totally immersed in the world of Croswald and would therefore recommend every young fantasy reader pick this up.
Ivy Lovely is a young girl destined for magic after being thrown out of her kitchen duties she embarks on a journey of finding herself. This is a middle grade book so I personally found it hard to get into. I would love to read it to my daughter one day, though. The world building is pretty and the descriptions of creatures really peaked my imagination. I wouldn’t recommend this to adults but would to a younger crowd.
This honest review is based off an ARC
This book is undoubtedly heavily influenced by Harry Potter, and for the first half of the story it was so obvious and in-your-face that it got frustrating after a while. I find the world-building to be a little too detailed and too long, and although I understand that for a first book in a series it’s crucial for the reader to understand the world the story plays in, in this case I found myself getting lost in the descriptions and having to go back pages to understand why these details are important (they aren’t.) I feel like this book could work well for readers in the target audience, which is mostly 8-12 year olds. I can imagine it being read out loud for an elementary school class as the descriptions although very long and detailed, they are easy to understand and imagine.
The biggest issue I have with this book, however, is the fact that even the protagonist is a flat character, with no thoughts or personality. For a 16 year-old she’s made out to be so innocently dumb that it doesn’t feel realistic, even with knowing about the circumstances she grew up in. Her best friend and love interest are just there as well, with no particular depth to either of the relationships.
Passage of time felt very rushed reading this book, and I can’t help but feel like if more time was spent on the characters’ development instead of the world-building, we could’ve gotten a far more intense and interesting story. I wouldn’t have minded reading 50-70 more pages if that meant a nice ending but it just cut off with a lot of loose ends. I understand the use of a cliff-hanger ending but it did not leave me wanting to know what’s coming next whatsoever.
I’m giving this book 3 stars because I’m hoping that now, that most of the world-building is out of the way, the next book will provide more depth to the characters. I feel like the story has a lot of potential but it could’ve been executed better.
This book is undoubtedly heavily influenced by Harry Potter, and for the first half of the story it was so obvious and in-your-face that it got frustrating after a while. I find the world-building to be a little too detailed and too long, and although I understand that for a first book in a series it’s crucial for the reader to understand the world the story plays in, in this case I found myself getting lost in the descriptions and having to go back pages to understand why these details are important (they aren’t.) I feel like this book could work well for readers in the target audience, which is mostly 8-12 year olds. I can imagine it being read out loud for an elementary school class as the descriptions although very long and detailed, they are easy to understand and imagine.
The biggest issue I have with this book, however, is the fact that even the protagonist is a flat character, with no thoughts or personality. For a 16 year-old she’s made out to be so innocently dumb that it doesn’t feel realistic, even with knowing about the circumstances she grew up in. Her best friend and love interest are just there as well, with no particular depth to either of the relationships.
Passage of time felt very rushed reading this book, and I can’t help but feel like if more time was spent on the characters’ development instead of the world-building, we could’ve gotten a far more intense and interesting story. I wouldn’t have minded reading 50-70 more pages if that meant a nice ending but it just cut off with a lot of loose ends. I understand the use of a cliff-hanger ending but it did not leave me wanting to know what’s coming next whatsoever.
I’m giving this book 3 stars because I’m hoping that now, that most of the world-building is out of the way, the next book will provide more depth to the characters. I feel like the story has a lot of potential but it could’ve been executed better.