Hey Bookworm friends, for December’s Old Review Dust-Off, I’d like to feature an indie fantasy Middle-Grade book that makes a great holiday read! Fantastical adventures and the holiday season go together like hot cocoa and warm fuzzy blankets; that’s just facts 😉. The book in question is called The Crowns of Croswald and it’s the first book of a finished quartet. So far I’ve read the first and second and I fully intend to finish the series at some point.
If you’re reading this review I invite you to leave a link to an old review of yours and I’ll show it some love!
About The Crowns of Croswald
Author: D. E. Night
Genre(s): Fantasy
Series: Croswald, #1
Publisher: Stories Untold Press
Format Read: E-Book
Year Published: 2017
Cover Artist: Joachim Barrum
Synopsis
All Ivy Lovely knows is the grueling work of tending her Scaldron dragons in the kitchens of a castle. She is 16, lonely, and her only joy in life is sketching by the light of the full moon with her only friend, a dwarf called Rimbrick. When she gets kicked out of the castle, Rimbrick leaves her a letter with a very mysterious message: She’ll be attending The Halls of Ivy, a prestigious magical school! But Ivy is not magical… or is she?
Pace: Fast-Paced, Mix of Character & Plot-Driven
Tone: Adventurous, Mysterious
Mini Review
I enjoyed this book a lot! The world was so enchanting and whimsical. There are all kinds of magical beasts, an evil queen, a pirate ship in a bottle and tons of other magical moments. I especially love the magic system that centers around writing quills and crowns, depending if you’re a squinch or a royal. You’ll have to read the book to find out what that means 😉
It was a fun story that hearkened back to my childhood favourites—I would have adored this if I read it as a kid! It also gave me a healthy dose of chuckles as it’s quite funny. While I found Ivy a tad annoying at times, I really liked the banter between her and her newfound friends, Rebecca and Fyn, and the fact that they always found themselves in comical situations.
The pacing was very quick, it went from one adventure to the next which, yes, was entertaining, but it also felt like the school year had just begun when it ended. There was not much of a middle with which to show the progression of her friendships. That’s just a small qualm and overall I would recommend this book if you like magic schools, middle-grade fantasy, and adventure!
The Crowns of Croswald Rating
Please note that when I wrote this review I was not using the CAWPILE rating method. I’ll attempt to rate the categories as best as my memory allows given I read this earlier in January. (For reference I gave it 4 stars on GR).
| CAWPILE | Rating (0-10) |
|---|---|
| Characters | 7 |
| Atmosphere | 9 |
| Writing | 8 |
| Plot | 8 |
| Intrigue | 7 |
| Logic | 7 |
| Enjoyment | 9 |
Content Warnings
Graphic:
Moderate:
Bullying, Confinement
Minor (Mention):
Fatphobia, Body Shaming, Death of Parent, Abandonment, Blood
Let’s chat in the comments!
What’s the most recent Middle-Grade book that you read? Feel free to share the links for a review you think needs more attention so I can check it out!
This sounds like a lovely warm and cosy read. It’s a shame that you didn’t feel like there was enough of the school year but I guess the fast paced plot is probably to try and keep younger readers engaged (I felt the same with a YA one lately, I wanted a bit more depth at times but could see the swift pacing working well for others).
I’m not sure what the last MG I read was. Probably Amari & The Night Brothers 🤔
Yeah the fast paced-plot really ramps up the action and It’s a really fun read and makes sense for the type of book it is. So it wasn’t like a huge problem just a small personal preference hiccup.
Oh I’ve heard good things about Amari & The Night Brothers, how did you like that one?
Hopefully the school will get more focus as the series goes on.
I really enjoyed it. The world had some quirky elements that I loved. Although I still need to read the sequels.
Ah, I remember this one from when it came out! But I didn’t really read any sypnosis about it, seeing the cover again it brought me back to 2017. Thanks for the review! I am still keeping up with those 2017 releases and I am all for reviewing books that aren’t published in the last 3 years but older.
Oh, amazing, I’m so glad to hear you remember when it came out! Thanks for stopping by my review and I fully agree with you I love reading backlist books and think that it’s also worth reviewing them even if they’re not exactly new, since it’s impossible to keep up with every new book the year they come out.
While this one doesn’t sound like my thing, I do enjoy reading your old reviews revisited.
An old one of mine is from November last year, Wulfsyarn by Phillip Mann.
http://dragonrambles.com/2023/11/16/wulfyarn/
Aw thank you Nic, that means a lot 🖤 I love the links you leave on these posts so I’ll go check it out right away!