THE CROWNS OF CROSWALD

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.

Genre: Fantasy, Fiction

Age Appropiate: 9 +

Author/Publisher

D.E. Night Is the author of this magical book. This is a pen name by the way as the author is a very private person. ‘The Crowns of Croswald’ is her first novel. D.E. Night is a self-publish author.

Raiting : 4.5/5

Review

I will start by saying that I loved the cover of this book as it is very magical and it stands out from similar books. One of the features of the cover that I found interesting are the lamps and their different shapes with the fairies inside them.

This book has a lot of fantasy elements that are handled in a very light-hearted way such as a fire breathing creature in the kitchen been woken up by a tickle feather to serve as an oven. In this story we can find so many fantastical things and we couldn’t miss the quills, magical creatures and dwarfs in a world that is ruled by magic.

The book was easy to read and has lots of funny comic parts while still being very engaging and entertaining. Although Ivy is a sixteen-year-old girl sometimes I feel like her character felt more like a younger child but this didn’t stop me of enjoying the book as the story is very intriguing and descriptive. It transports you to its magical world and the pace of the story is well balanced and makes you wanted to continue reading.  The characters all have depth and are well portrayed each bringing something unique to the story. D.E. Night the author actually shares her pen name with one of one of her characters which was a nice Easter egg to realise.

Each chapter is introduced with a drawing which represents the chapter and this is a really cute way to create the layout.  I liked this design especially for younger readers as it allows children to have some expectations of what they will be reading. This book can be read by older children on their own although they might find some archaic language such as ‘quill’ and ‘scrivener’ new to them. This is also a book that could be read to a younger audience and would be enjoyed by all but the most sensitive souls who might find the finale a little scary.

While the plot of the book is concluded well there is still plenty to explore in the sequel which is already out and is called ‘The girl with the Whispering Shadow: The Crowns of Croswald Book ll (I can’t wait to read it).

Overall a book full of magic which was fun to read and that made me feel nostalgic remembering similar book series from when I was younger.

Thank you so much to D.E. Night, NetGalley and Stories Untold Press for my copy of ‘The Crowns of Croswald’.