A review by swymore2692
The Crowns of Croswald by D.E. Night

3.0

Ivy Lovely, 16-year-old former scullery maid, is having dreams and visions that aren’t quite making sense to her. When she is thrown out of the Plum castle, she is terrified, as she has no family and nowhere to go. Just then, she is magically whisked away to the Halls of Ivy, school of magic, where she begins a whole new life and embarks on numerous magical adventures.

This book, intended for middle grade children, is cute and fanciful. D.E. Night is creative and her writing is fairly good. She has the imagination, creativity, and talent to become a wonderful fantasy writer. I won’t pretend that the The Crowns of Croswald isn’t Harry Potter fan fiction, because it is. I like that it has a female protagonist, as well as a female villain. I love the romance between Ivy and Fyn - super adorable. Did I know Ivy’s story within the first ten minutes? Yes. Was the double moon disappearing a real mystery? No. But, I’m not a 12-year-old kid. If Night is trying to write a book that is intended for kids, but loved by adults, this book is a start. It is excellent practice, as long as we acknowledge it for what it is. Harry Potter with some tweaks. I’m confident that Night has plenty of her own ideas and creativity to share with us in the future and I will definitely look forward to reading that work in the future.

Thanks to D.E. Night, Stories Untold, and Netgalley for the ARC in return for my honest review.