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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
2.5 ⭐
“Helga was as unfortunate looking as a scaldron’s back end. Perhaps her horrid personality had seeped out and shaped her appearance.”
I was approached to review this book honestly, and so here are some thoughts. The story follows a young girl, Ivy Lovely, who finds herself with magic as soon as she crosses the magical boundary. There are A LOT of comparisons to Harry Potter. Sensible given it’s a coming-of-age story set in a fantastical world. I love that aspect of it, and what the author does really well throughout is to build a really special world with really cool magical tricks up its sleeve. The plot isn’t bad either, but where the book does stumble a bit, is in character development, pace and dialogue. Ivy doesn’t feel real at times and I think fleshing her out a little more would’ve made a big difference. So some parts could've done with a little bit of polish, but if you look past that, The Crowns of Croswald is an easy, whimsical read.
Read if you like magic, whimsy and some downright goofy (but very fun) imagery.
“Helga was as unfortunate looking as a scaldron’s back end. Perhaps her horrid personality had seeped out and shaped her appearance.”
I was approached to review this book honestly, and so here are some thoughts. The story follows a young girl, Ivy Lovely, who finds herself with magic as soon as she crosses the magical boundary. There are A LOT of comparisons to Harry Potter. Sensible given it’s a coming-of-age story set in a fantastical world. I love that aspect of it, and what the author does really well throughout is to build a really special world with really cool magical tricks up its sleeve. The plot isn’t bad either, but where the book does stumble a bit, is in character development, pace and dialogue. Ivy doesn’t feel real at times and I think fleshing her out a little more would’ve made a big difference. So some parts could've done with a little bit of polish, but if you look past that, The Crowns of Croswald is an easy, whimsical read.
Read if you like magic, whimsy and some downright goofy (but very fun) imagery.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
This is the first in a four part series and I think it provides a really strong base for what I think will be a great story!! We meet the mysterious Derwyn Edgar Night in the first chapter before being thrown in to the world of Ivy, a scaldrony maid in a castle.
The Crowns of Croswald gave be nostalgic vibes, reminding me of a certain other magical school but with more weird and wonderful creatures and classes. I really enjoyed the idea of training to be a Scrivenist and how the teens individual proclivities were nurtured and encouraged.
I loved the characters in this book, I wish they had been a little more fleshed out at times but I knew more than enough to be invested in each and every one of them! My heart broke a little at certain parts which is always a great sign of a well loved character.
On a note that's not about the story, I adored the beautiful illustrations at start of each chapter!
Overall I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be purchasing a hard copy for my shelves along with the rest of the series!
I can't wait to read more about Ivy, Rebecca and Fyn and hopefully learn more about Rimbrick, Derwyn and return to the Wonderful Halls of Ivy.
The Crowns of Croswald gave be nostalgic vibes, reminding me of a certain other magical school but with more weird and wonderful creatures and classes. I really enjoyed the idea of training to be a Scrivenist and how the teens individual proclivities were nurtured and encouraged.
I loved the characters in this book, I wish they had been a little more fleshed out at times but I knew more than enough to be invested in each and every one of them! My heart broke a little at certain parts which is always a great sign of a well loved character.
On a note that's not about the story, I adored the beautiful illustrations at start of each chapter!
Overall I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be purchasing a hard copy for my shelves along with the rest of the series!
I can't wait to read more about Ivy, Rebecca and Fyn and hopefully learn more about Rimbrick, Derwyn and return to the Wonderful Halls of Ivy.
If you love Harry Potter and magic boarding schools - this is the right book for you!
The Crowns of Croswald is the first book in the Croswald Series and a perfect introduction to a new world. The main character is Ivy Lovely, a 16 year old girl who works as a maid in the kitchen of a castle and never would have thought to be special. After an incident she and the scaldron Humboldt get kicked out. They cross the border that separates the mundane from the magical and Ivy suddenly has powers. She then gets to "The Halls of Ivy" - a boarding school for people like her. There they learn to control their magical blood and the power of their gems. She meets friends and gets sucked into an adventure, cause somehow she remembers someone she shouldn't know and noone else knows.
I personally love books with magical school or camps. But I sadly couldn't connect with the Halls of Ivy, maybe because I had so many unanswered questions. Ivy is a great main character, she is brave and sweet. But I don't think that she acted her age. Ivy's emotions weren't conveyed, what I personally found to be missing. But I loved her roommate and best friend Rebecca. At first I thought that she would be snobbish and bragy but she was the complete opposite! Fun was great too but I have so many questions about him. He appeared a lot but they never talked about him. Another thing I loved was how mysterious everything was! The Dark Queen and the Selector were mentioned a lot but I know close to nothing about them! I loved the cover and the illustrations at the beginning of every chapter, they were gorgeous and magical. But there are a few things I disliked. Firstly, the plot was too slow! It took me more than 10 chapters to actually get into the storyline. But then, the last chapter was too fast! Too much happened in a short amount of time, which I found really confusing. In addition to that, the world building was really confusing for me too.
I loved D.E Nights writing! She worked with detailed and awesome descriptions and created a magical feeling and image throughout the whole book.
The book reminded me of Harry Potter and the school for good and evil.
I highly recommend this to young fantasy readers.
All in all, I gave "The Crowns of Croswald" 4 out of 5 stars. It was a fast read and really enjoyable.
The Crowns of Croswald is the first book in the Croswald Series and a perfect introduction to a new world. The main character is Ivy Lovely, a 16 year old girl who works as a maid in the kitchen of a castle and never would have thought to be special. After an incident she and the scaldron Humboldt get kicked out. They cross the border that separates the mundane from the magical and Ivy suddenly has powers. She then gets to "The Halls of Ivy" - a boarding school for people like her. There they learn to control their magical blood and the power of their gems. She meets friends and gets sucked into an adventure, cause somehow she remembers someone she shouldn't know and noone else knows.
I personally love books with magical school or camps. But I sadly couldn't connect with the Halls of Ivy, maybe because I had so many unanswered questions. Ivy is a great main character, she is brave and sweet. But I don't think that she acted her age. Ivy's emotions weren't conveyed, what I personally found to be missing. But I loved her roommate and best friend Rebecca. At first I thought that she would be snobbish and bragy but she was the complete opposite! Fun was great too but I have so many questions about him. He appeared a lot but they never talked about him. Another thing I loved was how mysterious everything was! The Dark Queen and the Selector were mentioned a lot but I know close to nothing about them! I loved the cover and the illustrations at the beginning of every chapter, they were gorgeous and magical. But there are a few things I disliked. Firstly, the plot was too slow! It took me more than 10 chapters to actually get into the storyline. But then, the last chapter was too fast! Too much happened in a short amount of time, which I found really confusing. In addition to that, the world building was really confusing for me too.
I loved D.E Nights writing! She worked with detailed and awesome descriptions and created a magical feeling and image throughout the whole book.
The book reminded me of Harry Potter and the school for good and evil.
I highly recommend this to young fantasy readers.
All in all, I gave "The Crowns of Croswald" 4 out of 5 stars. It was a fast read and really enjoyable.
A fun, engaging read for fans of Harry Potter, Diana Wynne Jones, and other magical worlds. It’s the kind of book you want to curl up with in front of a fire with a cup of tea - the setting draws you in, and the story has enough twists to stay interesting while not getting bogged down in unnecessary complexity. I’m looking forward to the next installment!
Thank you to the publisher, Stories Untold, for bringing this delightful book to my attention. I think it has a place right alongside Harry Potter and Nevermoor (by Jessica Townsend). This book will also especially appeal to fans of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, since the magical creatures in this book are so well imagined and described.
The Crowns of Croswald tells the story of Ivy and her adventures in this fantasy world's magical school, the Halls of Ivy. I really enjoyed how every student had some kind of different magic, and how their incredibly patient teachers taught them to control this magic. As Ivy learns of her magic, and through her classes, she discovers a scrivenist, with magic similar to her own, who is being forgotten to history. Ivy discovers that there is more to this than she realizes and she is the only one who can use her magic to uncover the truth.
The setting of this book was incredibly magical. I found myself wanting to spend time in the Halls of Ivy, wandering around the beautiful classrooms and especially the library. Oh, that library. What I would give to hang out in that library! I loved reading about Ivy's classes and friends, especially Rebecca and little Humboldt.
The only thing I didn't love about this book was the prologue, but I'm glad I got past it, because once I did the book got much better. I loved how fast paced this book was, and would be absolutely perfect for those reluctant readers. Though the book was told from 16-year-old Ivy's perspective, the book is written at a middle grade level, and has the innocence of a middle grade novel. This works for those higher middle grade readers, as well as teens who want to read about a teen, but may not want the more mature content or reading levels of other YA novels. There is definitely a place for this book among library shelves, both in the middle grade and YA sections.
The Crowns of Croswald tells the story of Ivy and her adventures in this fantasy world's magical school, the Halls of Ivy. I really enjoyed how every student had some kind of different magic, and how their incredibly patient teachers taught them to control this magic. As Ivy learns of her magic, and through her classes, she discovers a scrivenist, with magic similar to her own, who is being forgotten to history. Ivy discovers that there is more to this than she realizes and she is the only one who can use her magic to uncover the truth.
The setting of this book was incredibly magical. I found myself wanting to spend time in the Halls of Ivy, wandering around the beautiful classrooms and especially the library. Oh, that library. What I would give to hang out in that library! I loved reading about Ivy's classes and friends, especially Rebecca and little Humboldt.
The only thing I didn't love about this book was the prologue, but I'm glad I got past it, because once I did the book got much better. I loved how fast paced this book was, and would be absolutely perfect for those reluctant readers. Though the book was told from 16-year-old Ivy's perspective, the book is written at a middle grade level, and has the innocence of a middle grade novel. This works for those higher middle grade readers, as well as teens who want to read about a teen, but may not want the more mature content or reading levels of other YA novels. There is definitely a place for this book among library shelves, both in the middle grade and YA sections.
3 1/2 stars.
The talented young scrivener Derwin Edgar Night is certain he is destined for greatness. Scaldrony maid Ivy Lovely knows only a grueling day in service to the Castle Plum and the occasional evening spent in the company of an ancient woods troll. Neither could possibly foresee what their futures would actually hold.
The Crowns of Croswald is a dream for middle grade readers of Harry Potter or Nevermoor or Gail Carson Levine. That said, fans of magical worlds with their magical schools will find Night’s imagination to be a singular one. The greatest pleasure in pulling the cork and popping into The Crowns of Croswald is the marvelous glanagerie Night has created. The creatures, the school, the magics, the pie…
The world of Croswald unfolds alongside the narrative. Night proves adept at helping the reader navigate both what would be familiar and unfamiliar to the narrator, her introductions to things like scaldrons and scrivenry smoothly slipped into the story. Creatures or magics less analogous will prove new to Ivy as well. Her new learning environment will become ours. And Ivy has a lot to learn.
The mystery surrounding Ivy Lovely is introduced early on, and I appreciate that Night doesn’t go small. The reader knows Ivy isn’t going to stay at Castle Plum long; her abilities are the very description of a future-scrivener. No, dear reader, there is something far stranger about Ivy Lovely. Don’t think the story won’t get bizarre—delightfully so.
Night not only rewards the reader collecting hints toward the mystery, but those with a sense of humor and a love for whimsy and fart jokes. The school’s means of transport and recruitment are humorous and perilous. I really love the Compass books, the maps, glanagerie and scrivenry. Of the way the school is arranged: the royals beside the sqwinches (scrivenry students), I’m intrigued more by the sqwinches. Even so, the variation and various attribution of the stones belonging to the royals are wonderful.
The school I keep mentioning is called Halls of Ivy… It is a cool set up, and Night draws an intriguing map of interior and exterior settings. I hope we get to return for further exploration. As it is, Night keeps the cast small and the exploration relevant and to the point; which isn’t to say the story will be brusque and without personality.
Where Night doesn’t rely on shorthand for her settings, she does with some of her cast. It isn’t a criticism when it comes to the supporting characters like Damaris, Hannelore, or Hayword. It is a bit of a problem with someone like Fyn Greeley, who happens to be quite convenient—and not in a delicious enough way…which is tricky because he has all the ingredients for “swoon worthy” and I think plenty of readers will hardly mind his strange propensity for popping up when and where he does. And Night makes it very easy to get as caught up in the ‘what-next’ as the plot is. Night tantalizes the reader with questions as to who Ivy is, what happened to a particular scrivener, and just what is going on with that Selector?
I enjoyed that surprising turn with Rebecca (e.g. bird), and I enjoy her and Ivy’s friendship. I am thoroughly impressed with the consistent characterization with which Night writes Ivy. Ivy is impulsive, which creates a great deal of exciting plot movement and development. The Crowns of Croswald is an excellent choice for the plot-driven reader. While you’ll be properly enchanted by the magical world, Night knows how to keep the reader focused on the intrigues at hand.
Night’s skill in translating her imagination, building worlds, and executing a plot with some beautifully unexpected turns makes for an exciting read and an easy recommendation. Add this one to your young insatiable reader’s magical library.
The talented young scrivener Derwin Edgar Night is certain he is destined for greatness. Scaldrony maid Ivy Lovely knows only a grueling day in service to the Castle Plum and the occasional evening spent in the company of an ancient woods troll. Neither could possibly foresee what their futures would actually hold.
The Crowns of Croswald is a dream for middle grade readers of Harry Potter or Nevermoor or Gail Carson Levine. That said, fans of magical worlds with their magical schools will find Night’s imagination to be a singular one. The greatest pleasure in pulling the cork and popping into The Crowns of Croswald is the marvelous glanagerie Night has created. The creatures, the school, the magics, the pie…
The world of Croswald unfolds alongside the narrative. Night proves adept at helping the reader navigate both what would be familiar and unfamiliar to the narrator, her introductions to things like scaldrons and scrivenry smoothly slipped into the story. Creatures or magics less analogous will prove new to Ivy as well. Her new learning environment will become ours. And Ivy has a lot to learn.
The mystery surrounding Ivy Lovely is introduced early on, and I appreciate that Night doesn’t go small. The reader knows Ivy isn’t going to stay at Castle Plum long; her abilities are the very description of a future-scrivener. No, dear reader, there is something far stranger about Ivy Lovely. Don’t think the story won’t get bizarre—delightfully so.
Night not only rewards the reader collecting hints toward the mystery, but those with a sense of humor and a love for whimsy and fart jokes. The school’s means of transport and recruitment are humorous and perilous. I really love the Compass books, the maps, glanagerie and scrivenry. Of the way the school is arranged: the royals beside the sqwinches (scrivenry students), I’m intrigued more by the sqwinches. Even so, the variation and various attribution of the stones belonging to the royals are wonderful.
The school I keep mentioning is called Halls of Ivy… It is a cool set up, and Night draws an intriguing map of interior and exterior settings. I hope we get to return for further exploration. As it is, Night keeps the cast small and the exploration relevant and to the point; which isn’t to say the story will be brusque and without personality.
Where Night doesn’t rely on shorthand for her settings, she does with some of her cast. It isn’t a criticism when it comes to the supporting characters like Damaris, Hannelore, or Hayword. It is a bit of a problem with someone like Fyn Greeley, who happens to be quite convenient—and not in a delicious enough way…which is tricky because he has all the ingredients for “swoon worthy” and I think plenty of readers will hardly mind his strange propensity for popping up when and where he does. And Night makes it very easy to get as caught up in the ‘what-next’ as the plot is. Night tantalizes the reader with questions as to who Ivy is, what happened to a particular scrivener, and just what is going on with that Selector?
I enjoyed that surprising turn with Rebecca (e.g. bird), and I enjoy her and Ivy’s friendship. I am thoroughly impressed with the consistent characterization with which Night writes Ivy. Ivy is impulsive, which creates a great deal of exciting plot movement and development. The Crowns of Croswald is an excellent choice for the plot-driven reader. While you’ll be properly enchanted by the magical world, Night knows how to keep the reader focused on the intrigues at hand.
Night’s skill in translating her imagination, building worlds, and executing a plot with some beautifully unexpected turns makes for an exciting read and an easy recommendation. Add this one to your young insatiable reader’s magical library.
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.
I received an e-book from the publisher in exchange for a honest review.
The Crowns of Crosswald is a middlegrade about magic, dragons, fairies, and a magical school. It was whimsical, imaginative and perfect for anyone.
Ivy Lovely is the main character, a 16 years old orphan who is thrown out of Castle of Plum and doesn't know she has magic until someone finds her and she's sent to The Halls of Ivy. And her adventure begins.
I personally love magical school trope, it's one of my favourites, so this was quite enjoyable. It was very magical, reminds me a lot of Harry Potter. Ivy is a girl who's always in trouble, she doesn't listen and she wants to find everything about her past and why she can see or do or remember things no one else can.
The magic system is very interesting and fun, it's based on magic stonesand quills instead of wands. The pacing of the book is full of action, you don't have time to get bored, especially after Ivy gets to school. I think my favourite character is Rebecca, so glad she's not a snob. She's a real friend, even if Ivy doesn't treat her very well. I don't trust Fyn though.
Overall, it's an easy and fun read. It's perfect for children, even if the main character has 16 years. I don't usually read this kind of books, but sometimes it's good to take a pause from high fantasy. I think it's a promising start for the series and i'm curious of her next adventures. The ending was pretty good, i'm happy how things turned out in the end. I recommend it.
The Crowns of Crosswald is a middlegrade about magic, dragons, fairies, and a magical school. It was whimsical, imaginative and perfect for anyone.
Ivy Lovely is the main character, a 16 years old orphan who is thrown out of Castle of Plum and doesn't know she has magic until someone finds her and she's sent to The Halls of Ivy. And her adventure begins.
I personally love magical school trope, it's one of my favourites, so this was quite enjoyable. It was very magical, reminds me a lot of Harry Potter. Ivy is a girl who's always in trouble, she doesn't listen and she wants to find everything about her past and why she can see or do or remember things no one else can.
The magic system is very interesting and fun, it's based on magic stonesand quills instead of wands. The pacing of the book is full of action, you don't have time to get bored, especially after Ivy gets to school. I think my favourite character is Rebecca, so glad she's not a snob. She's a real friend, even if Ivy doesn't treat her very well. I don't trust Fyn though.
Overall, it's an easy and fun read. It's perfect for children, even if the main character has 16 years. I don't usually read this kind of books, but sometimes it's good to take a pause from high fantasy. I think it's a promising start for the series and i'm curious of her next adventures. The ending was pretty good, i'm happy how things turned out in the end. I recommend it.
I loved this book, it was one of those books I couldn't put down. I just had to know what was going to happen next. I would describe it as a harry potter type world with a prince/princess twist. I haven't read anything like this since Harry Potter. I really enjoyed it and highly recommend it. I can't wait for the next book to come out, luckily it will be in a couple of weeks.