The Crowns of Croswald

3.5 stars

This is the first book in a middle grade/YA fantasy series by D. E. Night. It follows Ivy Lovely, who has watched year after year as students receive their invitations to attend the Halls of Ivy magic school (where students with magic in their blood study scrivenry- magical sketching, and royals study the magic in different stones embedded in their crowns). She's always wished to go, but as a kitchen servant, it's not a possibility for her. Until she gets kicked out of the castle she worked in. Then, events happen that allow her to attend the school (not a spoiler, this happens right away), make new friends, and learn more about her own history - that just may impact the future of all of Croswald.

Let's start with what I loved:

I really loved Ivy, the main character. She was stubborn and determined but still sweet, and she had insecurities and weaknesses that made her more real and relatable. She was fantastic. I also loved her friends Fyn and Rebecca. They were so much fun and added so much character to the story. I want to be friends with them too.

I also really loved the school & classroom element of the story. It's always so fun to go to class with book characters, especially if it's a fantastical class that I can't take in real life. Ivy's classes on sketching and potions and creatures were so entertaining to experience.

The way the plot unfolded was interesting too, the mysterious element to it. I enjoyed figuring out Ivy's backstory along with her. It may not be the most original plot, but it was definitely a fun one!

Now for some downers:

Like I just mentioned, parts of the plot were predictable (this is a typical “chosen one” story). This is not a negative thing in itself; those tropes work so well because readers love them! But it was something that stood out to me. And there were places where the choice of wording felt a little awkward.

Overall, though, I had a fun time reading this and recommend it! I'm in the middle of book 2 and am enjoying that as well!

Content warning: there is magic in this story (if you couldn't already tell) and it got a little dark at the end, so if you want to stay away from that, then this probably isn't the book for you. I personally didn't find it problematic though.

I received a copy of The Crowns of Croswald from the author in exchange for my honest review.