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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
I enjoyed The Crowns of Crosswald, it's magical and whimsical. I enjoyed the setting very much and magic system is also pretty awesome. I did however feel in some places it was a bit too much like Harry Potter, but if you enjoyed Harry Potter, you'll probably enjoy this book too.
The characters confused me a little, though. The world feels very much like a middle grade world, but the characters felt inconsistent within it. Some moments they act like twelve year olds (which fit the world perfectly) and sometimes they act their age which is around sixteen.
Overall through, I enjoyed it and would continue reading the series because I love the magical elements of the world and would like to see what happens.
The characters confused me a little, though. The world feels very much like a middle grade world, but the characters felt inconsistent within it. Some moments they act like twelve year olds (which fit the world perfectly) and sometimes they act their age which is around sixteen.
Overall through, I enjoyed it and would continue reading the series because I love the magical elements of the world and would like to see what happens.
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I would like to thank NetGalley and danielastoriesuntoldpress on Instagram for giving me an e-arc. My review is being left voluntarily and honestly.
Overall, I enjoyed the story. I found the magic system and the school really interesting, though I did really struggle with the pacing of this book. At times, I felt extremely overwhelmed because it seemed like after something happens the book would time skip to the next event. I really wanted to see more of the normal days that the students and even Ivy went through. I would’ve loved to see more of her and Rebecca’s friendship, outside of them getting in to trouble, same other characters.
Another thing that pulled me out of the story from time to time was the sudden shift of narrating Ivy to narrating either something else or another person without a warning. Take the quill scene in the beginning for example, I was confused and it took me a second to fully grasp what I had just read. It pulled me out of the story completely. Same with randomly shifting to narrating to another character. It didn’t happen too often, but this is something that dragged my rating down as well.
Again, I LOVED the concept, the events and magic in this world really intrigued me, but I felt like there wasn’t enough fluff, which is a first for me. I adore Ivy and the other characters, the settings were explained beautifully. If there would’ve been more fluff per say, this could’ve been easily a four-four and a half star book for me. The author definitely has a way with words and dragging readers into the world they’re building.
Overall, I enjoyed the story. I found the magic system and the school really interesting, though I did really struggle with the pacing of this book. At times, I felt extremely overwhelmed because it seemed like after something happens the book would time skip to the next event. I really wanted to see more of the normal days that the students and even Ivy went through. I would’ve loved to see more of her and Rebecca’s friendship, outside of them getting in to trouble, same other characters.
Another thing that pulled me out of the story from time to time was the sudden shift of narrating Ivy to narrating either something else or another person without a warning. Take the quill scene in the beginning for example, I was confused and it took me a second to fully grasp what I had just read. It pulled me out of the story completely. Same with randomly shifting to narrating to another character. It didn’t happen too often, but this is something that dragged my rating down as well.
Again, I LOVED the concept, the events and magic in this world really intrigued me, but I felt like there wasn’t enough fluff, which is a first for me. I adore Ivy and the other characters, the settings were explained beautifully. If there would’ve been more fluff per say, this could’ve been easily a four-four and a half star book for me. The author definitely has a way with words and dragging readers into the world they’re building.
Thank you Stories Untold for providing me the e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
My Thoughts:
On the Writing and Theme:
This book has a setting similar to HP, but it is so much better. I felt like I was in some kind of a barbie world and I really enjoyed the warmth that this book gave me. The theme about friendship and love made me all mushy.
I loved the impact this book made on me. It made me nostalgic and I crave for more. I cannot wait to read the second installment.
On the Plot: A cute orphan girl who does not realizes how special she is. The story was familiar and yet full of so many cute moments and unexpected twists. I enjoyed the plot so much. It also gave me a bit of Snow White feeling. I loved the world building - it was so thorough and mesmerizing.
On the Characters: I loved how cute and Innocent Ivy was. I really loved her growth through the book. I enjoyed the bad queen's drama and the side characters were absolutely enjoyable.
Overall: I loved this Middle Grade book - if you are into Middle Grade definitely give it a try. If you know someone who wants to start reading do give them this book / book recommendation
My Thoughts:
On the Writing and Theme:
This book has a setting similar to HP, but it is so much better. I felt like I was in some kind of a barbie world and I really enjoyed the warmth that this book gave me. The theme about friendship and love made me all mushy.
I loved the impact this book made on me. It made me nostalgic and I crave for more. I cannot wait to read the second installment.
On the Plot: A cute orphan girl who does not realizes how special she is. The story was familiar and yet full of so many cute moments and unexpected twists. I enjoyed the plot so much. It also gave me a bit of Snow White feeling. I loved the world building - it was so thorough and mesmerizing.
On the Characters: I loved how cute and Innocent Ivy was. I really loved her growth through the book. I enjoyed the bad queen's drama and the side characters were absolutely enjoyable.
Overall: I loved this Middle Grade book - if you are into Middle Grade definitely give it a try. If you know someone who wants to start reading do give them this book / book recommendation
A big thank you to Stories Untold and the author for sending me this book in exchange for my honest review.
I’m not a big fantasy reader but I wanted to read something different. I really enjoyed reading this book and getting to know the magical land of Croswald. I did have a hard time wrapping my mind over some of the descriptions. At times, it felt like the story got too busy for me with the description of a mythical animal or the staircase of a secret room. Maybe my imagination isn’t smart enough to picture these things.
But I do have to say that I’m looking forward to following Ivy, and will be reading the rest of the series.
I’m not a big fantasy reader but I wanted to read something different. I really enjoyed reading this book and getting to know the magical land of Croswald. I did have a hard time wrapping my mind over some of the descriptions. At times, it felt like the story got too busy for me with the description of a mythical animal or the staircase of a secret room. Maybe my imagination isn’t smart enough to picture these things.
But I do have to say that I’m looking forward to following Ivy, and will be reading the rest of the series.
"I am locked in by the evil one's imagination. We need each other to end this."
This is one of my top picks for the year of 2018! It is chalk full of magic, secrets, a dragon, and some of the truest friendships. The main character's name is Ivy Lovely. Shortly after turning 16 the young girl is tossed out of the slurry fields and whisked away to the Halls of Ivy where she will learn to control her magic and in turn, be threatened by that same kind of magic from the Dark Queen.
I made the mistake earlier trying to see what kind of ratings this book had and became pretty upset. One person kind of ruined the main plot with absolutely no warnings and another person was upset because they stated it was a rip off of Harry Potter. I am here to put the second one to rest. First, you must think of it this way, How do writers come about? Writers find that they love to write after they've read many different works of art and that is where ideas to write books comes from. This book is its own thing, it is a fantasy story filled with royals and scrivenists who both wield magic. There are a few similarities (very, very few) to our beloved Harry Potter. This book is a journey of self discovery whereas HP is about love conquering all. Another difference in The Crowns of Croswald is that the more power it seems you wield such as a scrivenist the lesser you are. It would make you indebted to the royals rather than the other way around. Royals seem to be at the top of the list meanwhile scrivenist seem beneath their station. Scrivenist seem to hold everything together and I would totally rather be that than a royal.
"With a splash, a giant creature breached the water and landed on their tiny boat, half submerging it. It was part horse and part seahorse with hooves encased in flippers."
The world building in The Crowns of Croswald is unique and it almost has a fairy tale feel that has interwoven fantasy into it. I really enjoyed all the unique creatures throughout they really helped to propel the book along. The squinches and royal characters each had unique personalities that brought humor and adventures to the story. This book is underrated and deserves so much love!
I will start my review of this book by saying that I am a proud mom to two little boys who, while still very young, love books. And, as a mom, I feel it is my responsibility to start building a library filled with books for them to enjoy as they grow. That is where The Crowns of Croswald comes into play. I was given an ebook in exchange for my honest review and I jumped up at the opportunity because this middle grade book seemed like something I might want to include in the library I am building for my boys.
I loved this book!!. The story was very whimsy and creative. The setting was magical, and I really enjoyed learning about the school and all the creatures introduced. I was really impressed with the world building. Also, the illustrations at the beginning of each chapter were just lovely and added to the magic of the story.
There were a few times that I struggled with Ivy, our main character. Mostly, I felt her actions were that of someone younger than 16. But, I think that left room for more character growth in the upcoming books, which I most definitely will pick up.
Overall, I think this is a great start to a wonderful series that would be a great introduction for young readers to the fantasy genre. I cannot wait for my boys to give it a go in a few years!
I loved this book!!. The story was very whimsy and creative. The setting was magical, and I really enjoyed learning about the school and all the creatures introduced. I was really impressed with the world building. Also, the illustrations at the beginning of each chapter were just lovely and added to the magic of the story.
There were a few times that I struggled with Ivy, our main character. Mostly, I felt her actions were that of someone younger than 16. But, I think that left room for more character growth in the upcoming books, which I most definitely will pick up.
Overall, I think this is a great start to a wonderful series that would be a great introduction for young readers to the fantasy genre. I cannot wait for my boys to give it a go in a few years!
I received a free copy of the e - book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
When I first started reading the book, I wasn't so sure of how much I would like it. But as I read more and more of the book, I really loved the world, the characters and overall the whole vibe of the book.
Synopsis:
Ivy Lovely has lived her whole life as a scaldrony maid and has no idea about the powers she owns. When she crosses a magical boundary, Ivy is taken to a magical school. There Ivy meets other students, makes friends, learns about her powers and tries to uncover the mysteries related to herself.
Review:
Overall, the book was really good. It feels a lot like Harry Potter but Croswald has its own distinct features (like the Scrivenists, turning tome concepts, etc). I really loved the world building. Everything about Croswald is so whimsical and unique and beautiful. As I was reading the book, I felt like I was back in a place like Narnia and Hogwarts.
The characters were so well done. I loved Ivy, she was perfect. She is brave and curious and such a sweet main character. Her love for reading and sketching made me love her even more! Her friendships with Rebecca and Fyn are so lovely and cute.
The best part about the writing is that everything is so simple and yet perfect! I was a little confused at some points in the story but later figured them out.
Crowns of Croswald is a perfect read for any reader. Even though this is a middle grade book, I recommend this to everyone.
I can't wait to find out what happens next in Ivy's journey!
When I first started reading the book, I wasn't so sure of how much I would like it. But as I read more and more of the book, I really loved the world, the characters and overall the whole vibe of the book.
Synopsis:
Ivy Lovely has lived her whole life as a scaldrony maid and has no idea about the powers she owns. When she crosses a magical boundary, Ivy is taken to a magical school. There Ivy meets other students, makes friends, learns about her powers and tries to uncover the mysteries related to herself.
Review:
Overall, the book was really good. It feels a lot like Harry Potter but Croswald has its own distinct features (like the Scrivenists, turning tome concepts, etc). I really loved the world building. Everything about Croswald is so whimsical and unique and beautiful. As I was reading the book, I felt like I was back in a place like Narnia and Hogwarts.
The characters were so well done. I loved Ivy, she was perfect. She is brave and curious and such a sweet main character. Her love for reading and sketching made me love her even more! Her friendships with Rebecca and Fyn are so lovely and cute.
The best part about the writing is that everything is so simple and yet perfect! I was a little confused at some points in the story but later figured them out.
Crowns of Croswald is a perfect read for any reader. Even though this is a middle grade book, I recommend this to everyone.
I can't wait to find out what happens next in Ivy's journey!
Let me start off by saying this type of book is usually not what I am drawn to. I have read the first Harry Potter book (and disliked it) and this book immediately reminded me of a mix of that first Harry Potter book and Alice in Wonderland.
With that said, I actually enjoyed the book around the 20% mark on. It took me a while to get into it, and to be able to keep track of all the terminology and imagery. From that point on though, I really enjoyed the story.
Overall I gave this book a 3 due to the slow start for me, and as I got to the end it felt like the timing was off. It felt as if a lot was happening (but it wasn’t) and then BOOM it all dropped on us at the very end. I know it’s a tripping, so I do think I’ll be picking up the next one - however, I’ll probably snag a physical copy because I think I’d enjoy reading it better.
With that said, I actually enjoyed the book around the 20% mark on. It took me a while to get into it, and to be able to keep track of all the terminology and imagery. From that point on though, I really enjoyed the story.
Overall I gave this book a 3 due to the slow start for me, and as I got to the end it felt like the timing was off. It felt as if a lot was happening (but it wasn’t) and then BOOM it all dropped on us at the very end. I know it’s a tripping, so I do think I’ll be picking up the next one - however, I’ll probably snag a physical copy because I think I’d enjoy reading it better.
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Just a note: Thanks to the publisher for giving me an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review, this did not impact my review and all thoughts and opinions are my own :)
Okay so, unfortunately, I have quite mixed feelings about this book, I will preface this with saying that I liked this book, but there were just a few gripes that I couldn't really get over. I will start with the things I liked: I loved the characters and the world building. The main character Ivy is very fun to follow through her adventures, and the mystery around here was just really fun. The world building was really well done and the descriptions of the places and buildings and the sensations Ivy was going through was really vivid and I felt really immersed in the book. The magic is very unique and I can't really think of anything I read that is similar. I also really liked the relationships between the characters, and the dynamics between the royals and the scriveners, I dearly loved all the characters and the school setting felt very real to me.
This is also were some of my gripes start unfortunately, I will preface things I'm saying with it happens occasionally, and because parts of the book are so strong the fact that they jolt you out of the story feels even more severe. So just to emphasize, both of these points are minor - they didn't make me dislike the book, I just felt more meh about it by the end?
So one thing that personally kinda took me out of the story where there were these random comments about fat characters sprinkled throughout the book where there were just a few characters who were described as fat and then were all just...either bad or evil or just stupid and incompetent - and like yea it does happen in literature and it doesn't happen that often but it happened often enough to notice and feel weird about the descriptions. This book was just so kind and delightful throughout that I didn't really expect it and it jolted me out of the story the few times that it did happen. That leads me to my second gripe which did end up leading me to lower my rating, which is that there were 0 consequences for Ivy. Everything always turns out great for her, and when she does get in trouble and there is supposed to be some inconvenience there it is sort of glossed over and ignored. The writing can be a little jumpy which in general I don't mind, but the jumps were basically used in a way to not talk about the inconveniences Ivy could experience and on the other end of that, they also mean that we don't really get shown how Ivy earns any of the things she is said to have earned by various adults. There were just a few moments where I was like "what happened to this?" or "When did this happen?" and it just happened enough times that I was a little confused.
Okay so, unfortunately, I have quite mixed feelings about this book, I will preface this with saying that I liked this book, but there were just a few gripes that I couldn't really get over. I will start with the things I liked: I loved the characters and the world building. The main character Ivy is very fun to follow through her adventures, and the mystery around here was just really fun. The world building was really well done and the descriptions of the places and buildings and the sensations Ivy was going through was really vivid and I felt really immersed in the book. The magic is very unique and I can't really think of anything I read that is similar. I also really liked the relationships between the characters, and the dynamics between the royals and the scriveners, I dearly loved all the characters and the school setting felt very real to me.
This is also were some of my gripes start unfortunately, I will preface things I'm saying with it happens occasionally, and because parts of the book are so strong the fact that they jolt you out of the story feels even more severe. So just to emphasize, both of these points are minor - they didn't make me dislike the book, I just felt more meh about it by the end?
So one thing that personally kinda took me out of the story where there were these random comments about fat characters sprinkled throughout the book where there were just a few characters who were described as fat and then were all just...either bad or evil or just stupid and incompetent - and like yea it does happen in literature and it doesn't happen that often but it happened often enough to notice and feel weird about the descriptions. This book was just so kind and delightful throughout that I didn't really expect it and it jolted me out of the story the few times that it did happen. That leads me to my second gripe which did end up leading me to lower my rating, which is that there were 0 consequences for Ivy. Everything always turns out great for her, and when she does get in trouble and there is supposed to be some inconvenience there it is sort of glossed over and ignored. The writing can be a little jumpy which in general I don't mind, but the jumps were basically used in a way to not talk about the inconveniences Ivy could experience and on the other end of that, they also mean that we don't really get shown how Ivy earns any of the things she is said to have earned by various adults. There were just a few moments where I was like "what happened to this?" or "When did this happen?" and it just happened enough times that I was a little confused.
This novel surprised me with its pretty complex and unique magic system, interesting characters and a fast paced plot. I really enjoyed the themes explored within this and liked the magic system a lot, as well as the messages that are put across to younger readers.
I will say that considering that this is aimed at younger readers, the magic was kind of complex and there were a lot of new names and phrases for things within this world that would perhaps confuse younger readers, as sometimes they weren’t fully explained.
This was a quick and fun read, but just didn’t totally grip me the way that I was expecting it to. Definitely pick it up if you’re after a fun and easy fantasy book.
*I was very kindly sent this book for free in exchange for my honest review.
I will say that considering that this is aimed at younger readers, the magic was kind of complex and there were a lot of new names and phrases for things within this world that would perhaps confuse younger readers, as sometimes they weren’t fully explained.
This was a quick and fun read, but just didn’t totally grip me the way that I was expecting it to. Definitely pick it up if you’re after a fun and easy fantasy book.
*I was very kindly sent this book for free in exchange for my honest review.