A Fairytale in the Making -- The Crowns of Croswald by D.E. Night
D.E. Night
Untold Stories PR
July 21, 2017
Middle Grade Fantasy
What do Cinderella, Harry Potter, and The Crowns of Croswald have in common? Awesome orphans, hiding away, and magic.
Yes, friendship is a theme in this book, however, it is not the first day at school gelled together, it's built like real-life friendships are made - commonalities and personality connections, turn into companionship through struggles which turns into loyalty and hardcore desire for protection.
What makes The Crowns of Croswald different than my old fairy tale favorite, and the ever-popular Harry Potter book series? Ivy Lovely is so much more endearing!! A little Scaldrony Maid who takes care of the dragons that cook the castle food (the fire squad) for the family she works for in the middle of the Slurry Fields on the far outskirts of a village that can't be found without knowing its name since this village is a secret as the author says, we will just call it "The Town”.
The cast of characters in this book are unique. I especially loved Ivy's friend Fyn. The setting, like in Harry Potter, is at a school housed in a castle -- The Halls of Ivy, some hidden spaces, which I will not disclose as it will ruin the fun of the story, and a lot of great adult mentoring and a few questionable, curiously strange professors. Ivy, like Harry, is very much a rule breaker! I mean, come on, there are mysteries to solve! That is where the similarities end. Ivy's transformation isn't guided by teachers, her history isn't given to her straight out and little does she know what her future will hold.
At the beginning of Ivy's story, Ivy is thrown out of the castle she works at because one of the dragons becomes sick and pukes all over Ivy's boss after Ivy slept in. Wondering where she will go, what she will do with her life, Ivy finds a letter and a pouch of money left for her by her friend Rimbrick, "an ancient woods dwarf" who she only sees in the late evenings. In the middle of a foggy rainy open fields, she is picked up by a carriage where she meets Woolem, a cabby, he accompanies her into the carriage where she meets Lionel Lugg a scrivenist who is the admissions officer for the Halls of Ivy.
Ivy can't believe her ears, she is to go to the Halls of Ivy as a Sqwinch and learn to be a scrivenist?! She's just a little Scaldrony Maid!
I became invested in wanting to know who Ivy was, what made her tick, and why all these weird things kept happening to her. The adventures she goes on just add to the mystery and little does Ivy know what her future holds for her.
The Crowns of Croswald is the first book in The Crowns of Croswald Series. The Author D.E. Night created a world that had me hyperventilating off the Dock of an unknown scrivenist underworld; she had me cheering for a little girl who comes into more than she bargains for, the dangers that await her are vast, powerful and yet, I truly believe she can overcome them with her sassiness, her strength and her sense of humor. I look forward to the next book in the series -- The Girl with the Whispering Shadow then on to book three The Words of the Wandering.
To be honest, I thought I was going to be disappointed in this book, with the magical world similarities to Harry Potter, I thought It would just be a shadow of that series. Yet, I truly believe that Ivy Lovely and her friends are so much more realistic, so much more endearing and so much more of a classic than Harry Potter and that is saying much since it is one of my all-time favorite series! I think I might have found my new dreamy fantasy series.
The Crowns of Croswald has the makings of a beloved fairy tale. If you love a good fantasy filled with vibrant characters and/or if your child loves mysteries and magic, this book is for you and them. It is an instant hit for me and I NEED to read the next two books to find out where Ivy goes next.
and her personality and great storytelling!
Thanks to D.E Night's publisher, Daniela of Stories Untold Press for reaching out to me for a review in lieu of my honest opinion. This is that opinion. Thanks to NetGalley for providing the E ARC, and especially to D.E. Night for such a fun, loving, and strong little character. She sure is one of a kind, that little Ivy Lovely.
What’s next?
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