The Crowns of Croswald Review

The Crowns of Croswald

Author: D.E. Night

Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy

Rating: 3,5 / 5 stars

The Crowns of Croswald is a middle grade fantasy story which follows a young girl who has lived a rather ordinary life as a servant in a castle until one day she has no other choice but to cross the enchanted boundary. Following this, she is invited to attend the magical school – Halls of Ivy, where royals and scriveners study the ways of magic. We then get to see her develop great friendships, discover dark secrets and fight for what she believes in.

What I liked was the magical element which I found quite unique. There are 2 types of magic systems– one depending on the stone colour which you are carrying and the other one depending on the magic in your blood. Needless to say, the talking books were my favourite as well as the magical creatures! Throughout the book there are many mysteries waiting to be unveiled – Ivy is determined to discover why her dreams are haunted by Derwin Edgar Night (I see what the author did there and I love it!) and how the two of them are connected or why are some books taken into The Forgotten Room and being erased from people’s memory? I liked the idea of Ivy and Fyn, I think they work together quite well and I enjoyed their teasing and constant back and forth.

What I think should have been done better is definitely the world building. I missed a bit of details here and there and I think this made the book a bit overwhelming at times. It starts pretty slow but towards the end I was on constantly on the edge and couldn’t put it down! Especially the ending was quite unexpected and I wish to pick up the next book in the series.

Overall this was a light and fun read. It reads very young so I was not the targeted audience but I’m sure I would’ve absolutely loved this book as a teenager. If you are a fan of Harry Potter or any whimsical story involving magical schools, I think this book will be to your liking. I can definitely see the resemblance but it still shines on its own!