Reviews

The Crowns of Croswald by D.E. Night

usakoing's review against another edition

2.0

I’ve been given access to read this in exchange for a honest review. This book had great potential with the steampunk mentioning, but I don’t think I’d exactly call it a middle grade. An orphan being degraded for being an orphan, as well as being chased with a cast iron skillet in hand with the intent of hurting said child, and then threatening to execute an animal..aren’t things I’d say are intended for children 8-12. Though, it does have similarities to Barbie Princess Charm School. Or at least to me it does. Girls servicing, two orphans dropped off somewhere, having to uncover the truth about their identities, entering a school to uncover secrets..16/17..you get my drift. But it’s also relatable with Harry Potter..dropped off somewhere with people who hate them, orphaned, cupboard living, magical school to learn about their magic, having to uncover the secrets of a villain of their story, and meeting characters that become apart of their main gang. Too many similarities, and it’s made it hard to finish the book. A child might not see these things, but as adults, a lot probably can.

kaysiegauvin's review against another edition

3.0

The Crowns of Croswald is a YA/middle grade book filled with fantasy, magic and a good plot. Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This story grabs you from the very beginning. The magic, the creatures and the story itself were fascinating to read. The descriptions of the different settings were well done, it felt like I was standing in each moment of the story. This book was fun to read and gave me some major Harry Potter vibes, in the best way. Definitely a good choice for a middle grade fantasy lover.

atrailofpages's review against another edition

4.0

First I want to thank the publisher for reaching out to me and sending me the ebook via NetGalley!

This book was a fun read! It reminded me of so many books I read when I was younger. It was such a magical book with so many unique creatures, and whimsical magic in it. I thought a lot of Diana Wynne Jones books while I was reading this with the comedy, and wonderful heroine, and of course the magic!

Ivy was fantastic! So spunky and I love that she never backed down! When she wanted answers, she went for it! She got those answers! Nothing and no one, not even cute boys, could stop her. I admired her from the beginning. She never let her rough life get her down. And then when she was suddenly thrust into this magical world, she sought out answers. And I’m glad she did because putting myself in her shoes, I would have wanted answers too!

This book was such a whirlwind of adventure! I wish there was a bit more character building and maybe a little less world building, or maybe school building. I think there was a little too much focus on the school, rather than the story at times, and sometimes I got a bit confused as to what was happening or why, especially at the end.

The end is a nice segway into the next book which I’m sure will be just as magical

jwilson4444's review

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

2.5

This middle grade fantasy follows Ivy Lovely on a Harry Potter type journey as she goes from maidenly rags to adventurous, powerful magic student in a castle where she is called to study. 

I didn’t love this, but to be 100% fair, I didn’t think I was going to. I didn’t care for Harry Potter because a child learning magic and for several hundred pages and then miraculously defeating evil with no skill at the very end is simply not entertaining for me. This story in particular was difficult for me to get through because I could not keep track of all of the fantastical names that were given to both commonplace and magical objects. 

I don’t think this would be the worst story for a middle schooler who really enjoyed Harry Potter and wanted something similar, especially for a girl who wanted to better connect to the main character, but I was just not the correct audience.

Thank you to Stories Untold, D.E. Night, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this novel!

anotherstoryreader's review against another edition

2.0

Well, it took me 20 days to finish this book. Usually, it only takes me a week to read a book of similar size. There were many times I wanted to put it down but then something semi-interesting would happen and I would keep on. By 70% I was done but hey, I’ve come this far-right??
Maybe it was because I was in a bit of a book slump from my last two lackluster books but I REALLY struggled with this book.
I think there is a very fine line between a book that is inspired by a beloved series and a copycat. For me, this book toed the line and occasionally stepped over. Let me give you a few examples.
The Crowns of Croswald Is a story about a girl who lives as a servant in a house where she is hungry and mistreated, she lives in a cellar with no windows. She believes herself to be unremarkable UNTILL one day she finds out she had magic in her blood! WOO HOO! She is sent to a magical school where she meets a boy and a girl who become her best friend. There is even a girl who seems to be cruel to her for no apparent reason besides that she was once a servant. Does this sound familiar?
Here is an excerpt from 43%
Since she had been at the halls, the setting of her recurring dream with the mysterious man had changed. Her nightly adventure narrowed to a single unfamiliar door. The only Clear detail of the entry was a lock the size of a clobber coffee mug. In the dream, Ivy knew that she needed to see what was in the room behind the door, but she had no way of getting in. She stood before the door feeling stumped and powerless. Then, as soon as she recognized that it was a dream, the door disappeared as if it were never there. The dreamscape went blank and Ivy woke in a state of confusion.”
This is a 97%
“Your magic, it comes from your mother. But your smile and your eyes favor your father,” Derwin said softly.
This was said to Ivy right after she sees a picture of her parents for the first time in her life.
My husband loves to play Devil’s advocate and asked If there is a difference between a fairy tale retelling where the events are the same and the story is the same but still it’s not the same. And books such as this. Is it just because Harry Potter is relatively newer than Cinderella that the likenesses bothered me? I’m not exactly sure what the difference for me is. But parts of this book just felt like the opposite of Potter was used without a personal unique spin...The girls were made boys, the boys made girls.. Dark Lord, Evil queen. And passages like the above that almost seem idea for idea.
Now that I’ve unloaded (some of) my grievances. There was enough originality in this book to keep me hanging on to get to the ending. But there were other flaws that make reading hard for me.
For one the book opened in a flashback. I was completely lost. It talked about scrivenistist. I actually googled this word because I felt like I should know what they are. There wasn’t really an explanation. Google didn’t have any info for me.. But I figured out they are a kind of scholarly wizard.
Then we find out that when Ivy was an infant after her parents were killed in an attack by the evil queen her “guardian” sent her to the Slurry Fields so the evil queen couldn’t find her and kill her. (See the parallel again?) Anywho, I digress... I never actually figured out what the slurry field is... A castle... In a lavender field… I’m not sure what about it kept the queen from sensing her magic. Was there some kind of barrier and if so why was it there?
There there are Hairies. I’m not sure what that is either. I know they are some kind creature, people carry them around in lanterns for light. They have hair that glows. Aside from there I never got a picture for what exactly they are.
Overall these were the things that make this book unenjoyable for me. There was a lot of potential with the stories premise and there was some very nice writing.
Thank you to NetGalley and Stories Untold for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

amauberzinski's review against another edition

4.0

I received this book in an exchange for an honest review. If your middle grade child/ student likes Harry Potter they will love this book! My 11 year old found it easier to read than Harry Potter and we liked that the chapters were pretty short. Great read!

jcaesara's review against another edition

4.0

This was a nice reading, without drama or too much tension throughout the book.
The writer has a great imagination and provides us with vivid images while deschid the castles, the school, the surroundings and the ball dresses

thebooklovingpanda's review against another edition

4.0

The story that you seek is dangerous, Ivy. For you and for others.

This was a fun and adventurous romp through a refreshingly original take on the magical boarding school premise! It recalled the wonder and warm comfort of 'Harry Potter', and it was like I got to experience the magic all over again in a different world.

The prologue, set years before our protagonist (Ivy) appears, builds up an intriguing mystery that the book gradually unravels. There were several really nice hints and exposition scenes - I particularly liked the allusions to shifting portraits (evoked a bit of Dahl's 'The Witches') and the entire Hollow Shaft segment was excellent.

Having lived her whole life slaving away as a scaldonry maid (basically a kitchen maid who tends to adorable little mini-oven dragons), Ivy is ostensibly ordinary, but there's certainly more to her than meets the eye. Side note: I found it utterly hilarious that I spent 97% (NINETY-SEVEN PERCENT!) of this book thinking Ivy was 11, like Harry Potter. She is, in fact, 16. Oops!

Ivy has hidden powers, might even be the 'Chosen One' - but the real questions are how and why. (Okay, also who, but then it just turns into the 5 W's.) While Ivy does show traits of the 'Chosen One'/hidden identity tropes, it doesn't feel rehashed or stale. At times though, she felt more like a plot vessel than a person - some of her actions felt contrived to extend the mystery and tension, for example

Spoiler

Ivy fleeing from the glanagerie captain who was trying to tell her something essential

felt out of character, as she's typically impulsive and inquisitive to a fault. This wasn't a big issue though, and most of the time Ivy reads like a realistic person.

Trust the magic in you and know I will forever be in the shadow of its light.

Whole stars should go to the school (Halls of Ivy), the magic system and the secondary characters Rebecca and Fyn. The names of the professors, shops, textbooks and spells were all so quirky and I loved it! (Similar wacky vibes to 'Harry Potter', as I've already mentioned.) I particularly liked the glanageries, which are little enchanted bottles that hold a miniature scene inside, sprung from the imagination of their owners. Glanageries may sound whimsical and cute, but rest assured, they can be very dangerous and play an integral role in this book's plotline. Rebecca was my favourite character - everyone needs a friend like her (and she was the real MVP in the ballroom scene) - and Fyn Greeley is just adorkable. To paraphrase Nina Zenik, Fyn's sweeter than mint meringues! (You know a budding romance is cute when you literally put down the book to smile at their exchanges.)

Throughout the book, the antagonist hovers like a storm cloud on the horizon - their motives are kept in the shadows for most of the book, but their unexplained, uninvited presence is enough to feel unsettling. However, during the actual confrontation, I did feel like the villain's monologues came off a little cartoonish. That being said, the spell used by the antagonist was certainly twisted

Spoiler

was not expecting them to start trying to drown kids

- and I definitely took them seriously after that.

A slurry girl is far better than a dead girl, don't you think?

I think there's definitely more to the story (along with certain authority figures that I don't quite trust), and I'm really looking forward to the sequel! There's a major question that I felt went unanswered by the Big Reveal™ (re: Ivy and the Forgotten Room) and I really hope that gets addressed in 'The Girl with the Whispering Shadow'.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review!

dejayeariel's review against another edition

4.0

The Crowns of Croswald By D.E Night :
Ivy lovely is a 16 year old “orphan” who has no idea who she truly is. Then one day her whole world changes! Ivy soon learns how to become a Scrivenist and soon finds out some very viable information

kenzee06's review against another edition

3.0

*I won this book in a GoodReads Giveaway*

This book was not quite what I was expecting. It definitely Harry Potter inspired, but the writing was whimsical and fast-paced in a way that honestly made the book hard to follow.

There's certainly interesting things going on in this book - but maybe it's too much? It touches on all kinds of interesting creatures and magic - but it's always only at a surface level and before you have time to even process what little information you were given, it's on to the next thing. It just didn't have enough explanation to work for me totally. None of the characters quite felt real - or had their personalities explained in a way that their actions made sense. I couldn't get a handle on the pacing either.

Regardless, I'm interested enough to read the next book (which I also won - luck is with me!).