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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
Review: Crowns of Croswald
( ⭐️✨)
A fantasy novel marketed to young adults, middle schoolers to be specific, about a secretforst and tons of mythical creatures. The main character is taken by suprise when she learns that she is also a scryve and will be headed to the secret forest.
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i didnt finish this one...which I rarely do. I loved the premise of the novel and fully expected to dive right in. However, it was dense I couldnt follow the story line and I couldn't keep the different universes and places straight. I wish more than anything I could've gotten into this one as i had such high hopes but this was a flop for me.
( ⭐️✨)
A fantasy novel marketed to young adults, middle schoolers to be specific, about a secretforst and tons of mythical creatures. The main character is taken by suprise when she learns that she is also a scryve and will be headed to the secret forest.
--
i didnt finish this one...which I rarely do. I loved the premise of the novel and fully expected to dive right in. However, it was dense I couldnt follow the story line and I couldn't keep the different universes and places straight. I wish more than anything I could've gotten into this one as i had such high hopes but this was a flop for me.
Thanks to NetGalley and Stories Untold Press for a free digital copy in exchange for an honest review.
When 16-year old Ivy Lovely leaves behind her life as a scauldrony maid and crosses a magical boundary, she learns that she is to attend The Halls of Ivy: the school of her actual dreams, where she will study to be a Scrivenist. Once there, she discovers that all is not what it seems and that it's up to her to unravel a few mysteries...including the one about who she really is.
The Crowns of Croswald is a fun middle-grade fantasy. As the story went on, I found myself more and more invested in Ivy's determination to find the truth that many seem to be hiding from her. I appreciated all of the descriptions of the more fantastical elements..but the glenageries in particular! They sound so cool that I want to take a trip into one! I will admit, it took some time for me to get into this story. The pacing felt rushed in many places. However, creativity shines throughout this book and by the end, I couldn't put it down. I can definitely see this as a book many of my students will enjoy!! This is the first in a series and I am looking forward to reading more of Ivy's magical journey as well as seeing how her friendships grow and deepen. I recommend this for younger readers and fans of middle-grade fantasies...also getting some Eva Ibbotson vibes!
When 16-year old Ivy Lovely leaves behind her life as a scauldrony maid and crosses a magical boundary, she learns that she is to attend The Halls of Ivy: the school of her actual dreams, where she will study to be a Scrivenist. Once there, she discovers that all is not what it seems and that it's up to her to unravel a few mysteries...including the one about who she really is.
The Crowns of Croswald is a fun middle-grade fantasy. As the story went on, I found myself more and more invested in Ivy's determination to find the truth that many seem to be hiding from her. I appreciated all of the descriptions of the more fantastical elements..but the glenageries in particular! They sound so cool that I want to take a trip into one! I will admit, it took some time for me to get into this story. The pacing felt rushed in many places. However, creativity shines throughout this book and by the end, I couldn't put it down. I can definitely see this as a book many of my students will enjoy!! This is the first in a series and I am looking forward to reading more of Ivy's magical journey as well as seeing how her friendships grow and deepen. I recommend this for younger readers and fans of middle-grade fantasies...also getting some Eva Ibbotson vibes!
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
If you are a fan of Harry Potter and want to magic to live on, you should read this. Though the story lacked a bit of originality because some parts greatly reminded me of Harry Potter, it still felt different and I still enjoyed the book a lot.
The introduction showed great world building. We were introduced to Ivy, the main character and the magical world in a way that piques our imagination. Dragons, dwarves, cabby drivers, castles, porcupines, potions, quills – all so creative and imaginative in setting up this Town and magical school. Although I felt like we were missing a few pages because the story started out slow with the world building and then suddenly she is breaking the rules and doing adventures. While I was reading it, I felt like missed something because all of a sudden Ivy is this daring girl.
The magic system is really interesting. I especially enjoyed the part with the Hollow Shaft. I would’ve loved to see more of what the royals and what the scrivenists could do. But, maybe in the next books there’d be more details.
This book is the first in a series, even though I enjoyed it, I don’t think I will carry on with the rest. This isn’t just the kind of books for me now, maybe if I was younger I would’ve enjoyed it more. This is perfect for kids at heart!
*I was given a copy of this book for free, to review. All thoughts are mine and not influenced by the publisher.
The introduction showed great world building. We were introduced to Ivy, the main character and the magical world in a way that piques our imagination. Dragons, dwarves, cabby drivers, castles, porcupines, potions, quills – all so creative and imaginative in setting up this Town and magical school. Although I felt like we were missing a few pages because the story started out slow with the world building and then suddenly she is breaking the rules and doing adventures. While I was reading it, I felt like missed something because all of a sudden Ivy is this daring girl.
The magic system is really interesting. I especially enjoyed the part with the Hollow Shaft. I would’ve loved to see more of what the royals and what the scrivenists could do. But, maybe in the next books there’d be more details.
This book is the first in a series, even though I enjoyed it, I don’t think I will carry on with the rest. This isn’t just the kind of books for me now, maybe if I was younger I would’ve enjoyed it more. This is perfect for kids at heart!
*I was given a copy of this book for free, to review. All thoughts are mine and not influenced by the publisher.
This is a great middle grade book - a little bit young for my liking, but I think young teens would love this.
It did remind me a little bit of Harry Potter - I haven't read the books, just seen the movies.
I loved the whole setting for this story and the creatures in it like the Hairies sounded really fun. I enjoyed the story but I knew from the very start of the book what would happen to the main character, but that may be because of my age, Kids maybe wouldn't click on straight away.
Great book for kids and I've heard the second book is even better
3/5 stars for me
It did remind me a little bit of Harry Potter - I haven't read the books, just seen the movies.
I loved the whole setting for this story and the creatures in it like the Hairies sounded really fun. I enjoyed the story but I knew from the very start of the book what would happen to the main character, but that may be because of my age, Kids maybe wouldn't click on straight away.
Great book for kids and I've heard the second book is even better
3/5 stars for me
Crowns of Croswald is book one of a series. Protagonist Ivy Lovely is an orphaned maid living in a dull castle until she unexpectedly discovers that she has magical powers. As she embarks on her training to become a sorcerer and advisor to royalty, Ivy and her new friends find themselves at the center of a centuries old mystery.
Crowns of Croswald is a classical example of a coming of age story with Ivy discovering her magic and her family’s history throughout the course of the story. The atmosphere of the story is very whimsical and reminded me of the fairytales of my childhood. Having a dragon companion and the idea of using a quill to do magic definitely appealed to my inner bookworm. My one complaint was that at times the pace of the story was slower than I would have liked.
This is not a book I would typically gravitate towards but if you are a fan of the Chronicles of Narnia or the Percy Jackson series then I think you’ll enjoy this one.
Crowns of Croswald is a classical example of a coming of age story with Ivy discovering her magic and her family’s history throughout the course of the story. The atmosphere of the story is very whimsical and reminded me of the fairytales of my childhood. Having a dragon companion and the idea of using a quill to do magic definitely appealed to my inner bookworm. My one complaint was that at times the pace of the story was slower than I would have liked.
This is not a book I would typically gravitate towards but if you are a fan of the Chronicles of Narnia or the Percy Jackson series then I think you’ll enjoy this one.
I received a copy of this book for an honest review!
I gave this book 3 stars. For me, this book didn't hit as hard as I really hoped it would. The language was very beautiful, but could not keep my focus for very long. My eyes would graze the page without taking in all the information given to me.
As most other reviewers have said, the basic premise is a 16-year-old girl named Ivy finds out about magic and goes to a school to learn about it. At first, it sounds a bit like Harry Potter, but other than my super watered-down version of the premise, there are not many similarities. I found the world of this book to be closer to a Spiderwick novel or something of the like. But, that may just be me! It leaned more into a fairytale-esque world in my head that was full of whimsy.
Pros:
-The magic system is super unique. I haven't read anything quite like it, and I loved the concept.
-Our main character is very likable, and especially for YA readers and Middle-Grade readers, I think a great character to learn from.
-Lots of fun and distinct characters! Seriously, the descriptions and uniqueness of this world is unmatched.
-The worldbuilding was also really well done and felt very much like an escape from reality.
Cons:
-Dragging pace and dialogue. It felt like we were slogging through mud at times to get anywhere.
-Flowery language-- I know for some this is a huge plus, but for me, it really took away from the action of the book and made it hard for me to read for more than 15 minutes at a time.
-There was SO much happening at once, that it was hard to follow the story. That, mixed with the language, was a potion that made my ADHD brain unable to compute while reading.
Overall, I would recommend this book to younger readers who like things like Harry Potter or Percy Jackson. There are some wonderful things to be had within its pages.
I gave this book 3 stars. For me, this book didn't hit as hard as I really hoped it would. The language was very beautiful, but could not keep my focus for very long. My eyes would graze the page without taking in all the information given to me.
As most other reviewers have said, the basic premise is a 16-year-old girl named Ivy finds out about magic and goes to a school to learn about it. At first, it sounds a bit like Harry Potter, but other than my super watered-down version of the premise, there are not many similarities. I found the world of this book to be closer to a Spiderwick novel or something of the like. But, that may just be me! It leaned more into a fairytale-esque world in my head that was full of whimsy.
Pros:
-The magic system is super unique. I haven't read anything quite like it, and I loved the concept.
-Our main character is very likable, and especially for YA readers and Middle-Grade readers, I think a great character to learn from.
-Lots of fun and distinct characters! Seriously, the descriptions and uniqueness of this world is unmatched.
-The worldbuilding was also really well done and felt very much like an escape from reality.
Cons:
-Dragging pace and dialogue. It felt like we were slogging through mud at times to get anywhere.
-Flowery language-- I know for some this is a huge plus, but for me, it really took away from the action of the book and made it hard for me to read for more than 15 minutes at a time.
-There was SO much happening at once, that it was hard to follow the story. That, mixed with the language, was a potion that made my ADHD brain unable to compute while reading.
Overall, I would recommend this book to younger readers who like things like Harry Potter or Percy Jackson. There are some wonderful things to be had within its pages.
- thanks to the publisher for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review-
Tl;dr: a whimsical world with a magical school and a scary evil queen
Tl;dr: a whimsical world with a magical school and a scary evil queen
First I would like to thank Stories Untold Press for contacting me on behalf of D. E. Night and giving me the ebook for Crowns of Croswald through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Crowns of Croswald is the first book in a middle grade fantasy series.
It is about a 16 year old orphaned girl named Ivy Lovely and her journey in The Halls of Ivy - a magic school for Royals and Scrivenists in training (Sqwinches).
Royals get their magic from the stone in their crown. Scrivenists are born with magic but they direct that magic through a quill.
For pretty much her whole life Ivy has been a Scaldrony Maid at Plum castle, which basically means that she has been in charge of looking after the little dragons called Scaldrons and using them to help cook food for the castle. The only time she ever gets to go outside is when she sneaks out at night to draw and stare at the moon.
Then, one day after she’s finally had enough of being treated terribly by the head cook Helga, she leaves the castle with her few belongings and her new Friend Humboldt the Scaldron.
Almost immediately upon leaving the castle she is found and whisked away to The Halls of Ivy, with just enough time to go shopping and gather her supplies for school.
This all comes as a surprise to Ivy, as she had no clue that she had magic and was capable of becoming a fully trained Scrivenist.
Strange things start happening to Ivy while at school and she can’t help but try to figure out what is going on, with the help of her two new friends Fyn (a fellow Scrivenist student) and Rebecca (her roommate and a royal that is more interested in Sqwinch studies).
Now for my thoughts on the book:
First, I would like to say that overall I enjoyed this book - it was a fun and easy read!
Ivy’s journey and finding out who she really is kept me interested and looking forward to seeing if my predictions were correct or not. Ivy’s past was particularly interesting because at the start of the book she doesn’t know anything about who she is and where she came from, and though I guessed and realised certain things about her past before she did, I still liked seeing her figure it out and watch things click into place and start to make sense.
However it was not a perfect book, which is okay because no book is perfect!
Something that bothered me is how the main characters are all about 16, but they read more like 13 year olds. Although, that might just be the fact that I haven’t read Middle Grade in a while and have gotten very used to reading YA.
I predicted a few things, including something pretty major at the start of the book that is revealed at the end. So, I would say that this book is predictable at times, which didn’t bother me too much because it happens with other books too, but i mention it because It might be more bothersome to some people.
I found it a bit difficult to get into this book at the start, but I powered through, hoping that it got more interesting soon (which it did) but I would have liked to have been captivated from the start. I understand though that this is the first book in the series, and the author had to set up the story and characters.
I don’t read too much Middle Grade, but I might read the next books in this series eventually because I’d like to know what happens
The Crowns of Croswald is the first book in a middle grade fantasy series.
It is about a 16 year old orphaned girl named Ivy Lovely and her journey in The Halls of Ivy - a magic school for Royals and Scrivenists in training (Sqwinches).
Royals get their magic from the stone in their crown. Scrivenists are born with magic but they direct that magic through a quill.
For pretty much her whole life Ivy has been a Scaldrony Maid at Plum castle, which basically means that she has been in charge of looking after the little dragons called Scaldrons and using them to help cook food for the castle. The only time she ever gets to go outside is when she sneaks out at night to draw and stare at the moon.
Then, one day after she’s finally had enough of being treated terribly by the head cook Helga, she leaves the castle with her few belongings and her new Friend Humboldt the Scaldron.
Almost immediately upon leaving the castle she is found and whisked away to The Halls of Ivy, with just enough time to go shopping and gather her supplies for school.
This all comes as a surprise to Ivy, as she had no clue that she had magic and was capable of becoming a fully trained Scrivenist.
Strange things start happening to Ivy while at school and she can’t help but try to figure out what is going on, with the help of her two new friends Fyn (a fellow Scrivenist student) and Rebecca (her roommate and a royal that is more interested in Sqwinch studies).
Now for my thoughts on the book:
First, I would like to say that overall I enjoyed this book - it was a fun and easy read!
Ivy’s journey and finding out who she really is kept me interested and looking forward to seeing if my predictions were correct or not. Ivy’s past was particularly interesting because at the start of the book she doesn’t know anything about who she is and where she came from, and though I guessed and realised certain things about her past before she did, I still liked seeing her figure it out and watch things click into place and start to make sense.
However it was not a perfect book, which is okay because no book is perfect!
Something that bothered me is how the main characters are all about 16, but they read more like 13 year olds. Although, that might just be the fact that I haven’t read Middle Grade in a while and have gotten very used to reading YA.
I predicted a few things, including something pretty major at the start of the book that is revealed at the end. So, I would say that this book is predictable at times, which didn’t bother me too much because it happens with other books too, but i mention it because It might be more bothersome to some people.
I found it a bit difficult to get into this book at the start, but I powered through, hoping that it got more interesting soon (which it did) but I would have liked to have been captivated from the start. I understand though that this is the first book in the series, and the author had to set up the story and characters.
I don’t read too much Middle Grade, but I might read the next books in this series eventually because I’d like to know what happens
Whenever I start a new fantasy fiction novel, I always wonder how they are going to make it different for the hundreds and thousands of other novels out there. The Crowns of Croswald is truly unique.
Slightly similar to a certain wizarding world franchise at the beginning, orphan girl living a hellish life until she finds out she is magical and is whisked off to a fantastic school.
However, that’s where the similarities end.
Every single character is unique, the weird and wonderful names, the different creatures, the fact that the school teaches ‘royals’ and ‘scrivenists’ (the truly magical ones IMO). All of it is just so incredibly clever.
It’s taken me just over two days to devour this book.
I’m now desperate for the second novel!
I’m not sure on the age of audience this is particularly aimed at, but I will say that it is quite ‘wordy’, so anyone under 14 may find it a bit tiresome (I myself did skip over a few parts that were mainly describing lessons or objects within the magical world), but it certainly doesn’t take away from how incredible it is.
I honestly can see this becoming a well-received, highly popular and successful movie (if done right).
Thank you to Netgalley, Stories Untold Press & Daniela at Stories Untold Press for gifting me this eARC and introducing me to the wonderful world of Ivy Lovely.
Slightly similar to a certain wizarding world franchise at the beginning, orphan girl living a hellish life until she finds out she is magical and is whisked off to a fantastic school.
However, that’s where the similarities end.
Every single character is unique, the weird and wonderful names, the different creatures, the fact that the school teaches ‘royals’ and ‘scrivenists’ (the truly magical ones IMO). All of it is just so incredibly clever.
It’s taken me just over two days to devour this book.
I’m now desperate for the second novel!
I’m not sure on the age of audience this is particularly aimed at, but I will say that it is quite ‘wordy’, so anyone under 14 may find it a bit tiresome (I myself did skip over a few parts that were mainly describing lessons or objects within the magical world), but it certainly doesn’t take away from how incredible it is.
I honestly can see this becoming a well-received, highly popular and successful movie (if done right).
Thank you to Netgalley, Stories Untold Press & Daniela at Stories Untold Press for gifting me this eARC and introducing me to the wonderful world of Ivy Lovely.