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bookedoutvez 's review for:
The Crowns of Croswald
by D.E. Night
⭐️2.5 out of 5⭐️
Ivy’s a castle kitchen maid who loves to sketch and listen to stories. When events involving a scaldron get her kicked out, her magic awakens. Being invited to attend the most prestigious magical school – the Halls of Ivy – was beyond anything she’d ever imagined and it's there that she learns the art of scriveny whilst also trying to navigate the politics of the classroom. But something bigger is at play that involves a mysterious man that no one but Ivy can remember and the powerful Dark Queen.
This story was bursting with magic with a whimsical tone. The system was interesting between the scrivenists with their quills and the royals with their crowns. And there is still so much of the world to discover. There was a strong, entertaining plot that kept me engaged to find out what was going to happen next.
But the passing of time and pacing was a bit jarring. I think including a change of season over the school year could have really helped with this. Initially you’d think only a couple of days had passed but it had been months. Or it would be very fast-paced and then suddenly slow down. For example
Also I felt that character development was sacrificed for plot and magic. Ivy didn’t feel fully fleshed out and although she’s 16, sometimes she behaved much younger. For one thing, given she’d spent her life as a servant, I can’t imagine why Ivy would constantly skip meals. There were just quite a few things that didn’t make much sense. Her relationships with Rebecca, Winsome, Fyn, Damaris, and the Selector were weak. Rebecca is meant to be her best friend at school but Ivy, for the most part, ignored her friend’s worries and own struggles. (Side note: why weren’t the school worried that they had a missing student for almost two days when she was locked in a cage?) Winsome is meant to be a mentor but there weren’t key defining moments shown to enhance this bond when they were training together. The fledgling romance felt forced. It would have been better if it was delayed till later books and instead focused on the build-up and strengthening of their connection. And I still don’t know why Fyn consistently popped up randomly at just the right moments, but I’m very suspicious. After the climactic end, where is the Selector?
Every moment felt like it was there to push the plot along rather than to grow the characters and their relationships. There were a few plot holes too but I’m hoping they will be resolved in later books. To be honest, my critique towards this book reminded me of how I felt about the first book in The Hollows series, Dead Witch Walking (a completely different story and genre so want to make it clear that I’m not comparing this aspect). I think perhaps both authors just had too many ideas that they wanted to squeeze into the first book because they had big plans for the series. Now, The Hollows is one of my absolute favourite book series. So although I wasn't completely swept away by The Crowns of Croswald, I do want revisit this world and find out what happens next with Ivy and Derwin Edgar Night.
Thank you to the publisher who provided me with a copy to review.
Ivy’s a castle kitchen maid who loves to sketch and listen to stories. When events involving a scaldron get her kicked out, her magic awakens. Being invited to attend the most prestigious magical school – the Halls of Ivy – was beyond anything she’d ever imagined and it's there that she learns the art of scriveny whilst also trying to navigate the politics of the classroom. But something bigger is at play that involves a mysterious man that no one but Ivy can remember and the powerful Dark Queen.
This story was bursting with magic with a whimsical tone. The system was interesting between the scrivenists with their quills and the royals with their crowns. And there is still so much of the world to discover. There was a strong, entertaining plot that kept me engaged to find out what was going to happen next.
But the passing of time and pacing was a bit jarring. I think including a change of season over the school year could have really helped with this. Initially you’d think only a couple of days had passed but it had been months. Or it would be very fast-paced and then suddenly slow down. For example
Spoiler
Ivy was about to go rescue Rebecca and then her friend flies in through the window. On the one hand I quite liked that Rebecca saved herself but then it didn’t make much sense why Rebecca got trapped in the first place. If it was so that she could provide the information about the shorehorse, then it was a clunky of way of doing it.Also I felt that character development was sacrificed for plot and magic. Ivy didn’t feel fully fleshed out and although she’s 16, sometimes she behaved much younger. For one thing, given she’d spent her life as a servant, I can’t imagine why Ivy would constantly skip meals. There were just quite a few things that didn’t make much sense. Her relationships with Rebecca, Winsome, Fyn, Damaris, and the Selector were weak. Rebecca is meant to be her best friend at school but Ivy, for the most part, ignored her friend’s worries and own struggles. (Side note: why weren’t the school worried that they had a missing student for almost two days when she was locked in a cage?) Winsome is meant to be a mentor but there weren’t key defining moments shown to enhance this bond when they were training together. The fledgling romance felt forced. It would have been better if it was delayed till later books and instead focused on the build-up and strengthening of their connection. And I still don’t know why Fyn consistently popped up randomly at just the right moments, but I’m very suspicious. After the climactic end, where is the Selector?
Every moment felt like it was there to push the plot along rather than to grow the characters and their relationships. There were a few plot holes too but I’m hoping they will be resolved in later books. To be honest, my critique towards this book reminded me of how I felt about the first book in The Hollows series, Dead Witch Walking (a completely different story and genre so want to make it clear that I’m not comparing this aspect). I think perhaps both authors just had too many ideas that they wanted to squeeze into the first book because they had big plans for the series. Now, The Hollows is one of my absolute favourite book series. So although I wasn't completely swept away by The Crowns of Croswald, I do want revisit this world and find out what happens next with Ivy and Derwin Edgar Night.
Thank you to the publisher who provided me with a copy to review.