The Crowns of Croswald by D. E. Night book thoughts

Title: The Crowns of Croswald
Series: I think so
Author: D. E. Night
Published Date: July 21st, 2017
Publisher: Stories Untold
Source: Publisher
# of Pages: 310
Format: Physical
Genre: Middle Grade/Fantasy
Days to Read: 5
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Would I recommend it?: Yes
Would I read more books by this Author?: Yes
My Social Media: Goodreads/My Booktube Channel/Twitter/Instagram

Goodreads Synopsis

In Croswald, the only thing more powerful than dark magic is one secret...

For sixteen years Ivy Lovely has been hidden behind an enchanted boundary that separates the mundane from the magical. When Ivy crosses the border, her powers awaken. Curiosity leads her crashing through a series of adventures at the Halls of Ivy, a school where students learn to master their magical blood and the power of Croswald’s mysterious gems. When Ivy’s magic—and her life—is threatened by the Dark Queen, she scrambles to unearth her history and save Croswald before the truth is swept away forever.

My Thoughts

Thank you to the Author and Publisher for giving me this free book in exchange for an honest review.

A girl, Ivy, lives as a maid in a castle that has beautiful slurry fields where she sometimes meets her friend that is a dwarf while she enjoys sketching. One day she is kicked out for stuff that isn't even her fault, along with a dragon that had gotten sick (a temporary illness like a cold) that ends up being like a pet to her, she is almost 16, and she gets picked up by people that had been looking for her, because of her magical blood, in a flying carriage to go off to the Halls of Ivy to hone her skills as a scrivenist, in a town that as an evil Dark Queen for a ruler.

I ended up reading this entire book with a migraine, which I still have. Not because of the book, I think it's the changing seasons but i'm not sure. If I hadn't had said migraine I could have finished this book in 2-3 days. It's a light middle grade fantasy read, full of magic, adventure, and danger! So that may have clouded my enjoyment a bit.

It started off a bit slow for me. It does have the trope early on of an ugly woman with an ugly personality to match, even saying "Perhaps her horrid personality had seeped out and shaped her appearance." Yes, I really enjoyed this book but I always try to mention stuff I liked and didn't like in reviews. Maybe this is a me thing but i'm getting tired of seeing, especially in middle grade books where it seems to be most common, (from what i've seen), an ugly or disfigured person being evil or an asshole, as if someone's appearance and personality have to match. There was also a bit of talk about bodily emissions that, due to personal medical issues, I didn't quite appreciate. However all this is early in the book and doesn't last long.

It did pick up and I really enjoyed the rest of the book. It reminded me a bit of Harry Potter, in all the right ways, while still being different and standing on it's own! It did have some nice messages through-out the book too that I really did appreciate. The writing was easy to read and flowed well for me. I really enjoyed Ivy once I got to know her. She hasn't had an easy life but she is a nice girl, with a bit of a rebellious and stubborn side to her which I frankly loved! She knows people are keeping stuff about her from her and she is determined to find answers that she deserves to have about herself! I did enjoy the friendships in the book too and hope to see more of them in future books.

I loved the magic system in the book, no wands are needed! I did also enjoy the world-building, though I do still have some questions but the way it leaves off i'm assuming there is going to be more books, and if so hopefully we'll get some answers in them. I can't stop wondering if the hairies, little fairy creatures in lanterns used as lights, enjoy being used in that way, are they happy like that? How did that come about?

There was a twist that I loved and, personally I didn't see coming, but someone more read in fantasy might? I have no idea, but I enjoyed it just the same! Getting to figure out what secrets were being kept. There is still danger for the town, in the form of the Dark Queen that rules the place, and someone that betrayed Ivy and the school that is still unknown who it is. I have my guesses but will just have to wait for the next book to see if any of them are right!

It's truly a tale that gets more magical and exciting as you read with secrets being revealed through-out the story. If you enjoy middle grade fantasy with magic, adventure, secrets, rule-breaking, and an evil Queen in power i'd definitely recommend checking this out!