The Crowns of Croswald by D. E. Night – Spoiler Free ARC Review

Title: The Crowns of Croswald
Author: D. E. Night
Publisher: Stories Untold Press
Publication Date: July 21, 2017
Genre(s): Middle Grade, Fantasy
Source: NetGalley
Pages: 320
Add to Goodreads | Amazon | B&N

Synoposis

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.

Review

This was an interesting story. Some aspects of Ivy’s story (especially towards the end) were a hair predictable, but not to the level where it would ruin the story. Fans of Middle Grade and the Harry Potter series would really enjoy this one. Harry Potter fans especially will notice some tropes and plot details that are similar to Harry’s story, although this one still stands on its own.

The characters in the book were not fleshed out too much, but they were still likable. Ivy was a fun MC to follow, as the reader learns about the world with her. Fortunately, since this appears to be the first book in a series, I think a trilogy, but don’t quote me on that, there is plenty of time for the characters to be explored more and for arches to grow. The magic system in the books is extremely creative. I love that we’re following two different magic systems that interact and play off each other. I can’t wait to see how this is explored in future books.

The plot was an interesting pace. I honestly did not realize that an entire school year had passed when reading the book, but the pace of the story didn’t feel too slow or too rushed. That being said, there was a lot of exposition thrown at the reader in the last chapter, setting up for the sequels. It will be interesting to see where the plot goes in the future books. I’ll definitely be looking forward to them and continuing on with this series.

Final Thoughts

This was a solid Middle Grade, fantasy book. The story had an intriguing enough premise to keep readers excited while still leaving plenty of story for future books. Fans of Middle-Grade fantasy will enjoy this one. Also not related to the review at all, but the PR* packaging for this book was super cute!

Rating

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ – 4 out of 5 Stars

Huge thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this one in exchange for an honest review!

*Edit: I originially stated that I did not get a PR package for this one. However, after posting this review, I was contacted by D. E. Night and was sent one of the stunning PR Boxes. If you want to watch that unboxing, you can here.