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louturnspages 's review for:
The Crowns of Croswald
by D.E. Night
Thank you to Net Galley and Stories Untold Publishing for sending me a digital copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.
"there's magic in you. You're different. The slurry is fighting it. But even the slurry can't win every time."
This book was lovely (no pun intended). If you are a fan of Harry Potter, if you are still waiting for someone to come whisk you away to a magical boarding school, if you are or ever have experienced the confusion and excitement of growing up and figuring out who you are and where you belong in the world, then you should read this book. The story centers around Ivy Lovely, scaldrony maid in the non-magical castle of Plum, living in the midst of the magical-cancelling slurry fields. Her only friend is an aged dwarf named Rimbrick, and she longs for more than a life of working in the kitchens.
As the story begins, Ivy discovers she has magic and is rushed off to the Halls of Ivy (interesting, no?) to learn the art of becoming a scrivener. She is impulsive, headstrong, insecure, and really has no idea what is happening in the world around her. She is such a relatable character. She is chased (sometimes literally) by magic she can't explain, dreams of a scrivener mysteriously forgotten by the world, feels a deep sense that she must save him, and finds herself as an enemy to the enigmatic Dark Queen. Add to this a witty roommate who uncontrollably turns into a mink, a sweet boy who always appears at exactly the right moment, and an ancient mentor who lives in a secret laboratory, and Crowns of Croswald is a recipe for a whimsically good time.
My greatest criticism of the book is that the world-building was so naturally woven throughout the story that I found myself having to flip back and forth to remember terms, places, and names and make sure I was correctly identifying them. A map and/or a glossary would have been a fantastic addition to the book. I've seen some reviews complaining about the lack of depth in some of the characters in Crowns of Croswald, but I felt like all of the main characters were reasonably developed for the first book in a middle grade series. Do I know the characters deeply yet, no, but in part that's because they don't know themselves--a large part of this novel centered around their self-discovery. I enjoyed getting to journey with them as they figured out who they were and connected with each other. It felt authentic and I am looking forward to seeing who they become and how the story develops over the next two books.
Crowns of Croswald was a fun, big-hearted, middle-grade adventure. It ticked all of the boxes for me, and I am looking forward to sharing it with my kids and to exploring the rest of Ivy's story.
"there's magic in you. You're different. The slurry is fighting it. But even the slurry can't win every time."
This book was lovely (no pun intended). If you are a fan of Harry Potter, if you are still waiting for someone to come whisk you away to a magical boarding school, if you are or ever have experienced the confusion and excitement of growing up and figuring out who you are and where you belong in the world, then you should read this book. The story centers around Ivy Lovely, scaldrony maid in the non-magical castle of Plum, living in the midst of the magical-cancelling slurry fields. Her only friend is an aged dwarf named Rimbrick, and she longs for more than a life of working in the kitchens.
As the story begins, Ivy discovers she has magic and is rushed off to the Halls of Ivy (interesting, no?) to learn the art of becoming a scrivener. She is impulsive, headstrong, insecure, and really has no idea what is happening in the world around her. She is such a relatable character. She is chased (sometimes literally) by magic she can't explain, dreams of a scrivener mysteriously forgotten by the world, feels a deep sense that she must save him, and finds herself as an enemy to the enigmatic Dark Queen. Add to this a witty roommate who uncontrollably turns into a mink, a sweet boy who always appears at exactly the right moment, and an ancient mentor who lives in a secret laboratory, and Crowns of Croswald is a recipe for a whimsically good time.
My greatest criticism of the book is that the world-building was so naturally woven throughout the story that I found myself having to flip back and forth to remember terms, places, and names and make sure I was correctly identifying them. A map and/or a glossary would have been a fantastic addition to the book. I've seen some reviews complaining about the lack of depth in some of the characters in Crowns of Croswald, but I felt like all of the main characters were reasonably developed for the first book in a middle grade series. Do I know the characters deeply yet, no, but in part that's because they don't know themselves--a large part of this novel centered around their self-discovery. I enjoyed getting to journey with them as they figured out who they were and connected with each other. It felt authentic and I am looking forward to seeing who they become and how the story develops over the next two books.
Crowns of Croswald was a fun, big-hearted, middle-grade adventure. It ticked all of the boxes for me, and I am looking forward to sharing it with my kids and to exploring the rest of Ivy's story.