YA Review: The Crowns of Croswald

The Crowns of Croswald (Croswald, 1) by D.E. Night, July 1, 2017. 314 pages. Published by Stories Untold. Source: Author

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.

First Sentence

The village, well, it had a lot of secrets. 

Hey there, ready for some reviews from books I read last year? Good, because I have quite a few in need of coverage! Like this one by D.E. Night!

• First off, I read this one mostly during NaNoWriMo, so I'm a little fuzzy on character names and a few of the finer points of the plot at this point in time. So bear with me as I try to get my thoughts out in some semblance of order.

• The Crowns of Croswald was an interesting read; one that I found myself enjoying the world the author had created, though it took some time for the story to really pull me in. It was a good hundred pages or so before I really connected with the story and with Ivy. Mainly because it felt like it took too much time to get to what really made her different, though it was easily deducible. While I can appreciate trying to keep certain plot points under wraps, it felt like certain things were kept too tightly concealed. There were things, spoiler things, that Ivy should have found/figured out earlier on in the story.

• Even though some of the pacings seemed off, I did find myself enjoying the writing and story that D.E. Night created. I particularly enjoyed the world that was created; it had some very unique qualities that made it spark with life. I wish I could do the world justice in my review, but know that I cannot. The biggest thing I can say, it was quite enjoyable to see the many layers of the world, especially the school and the two courses (or tracks) to be taken by the different students, it was interesting to see how they went hand in hand and how one could not work without the other.  Alas, I have run out of words to adequately speak about one of my favorite aspects of the book. 

•  As for Ivy and her new friends- Well, there were times when I really enjoyed reading about Ivy and her new life, she started out as a scullery maid, but there were also times when she felt way too dense to figure anything of merit out. Don't get me started on the boy (whose name I cannot remember) who knows way too much and tells way too little. It was one of the books where one moment you like the characters, and the next, well, the next you just want to 'bop' them upside the head.

Final Verdict: The Crowns of Croswald- Equal parts fun and frustrating. Yet, the world within made it all worth it.

The Crowns of Croswald earns

A copy of the book was received from the author for review consideration. All thoughts are my own.