2024 the best fantasy books review

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(as of Dec 14, 2024 14:55:11 UTC - Details)

For those who wish that Narnia, Harry Potter, and Alice in Wonderland could go on forever, the best-selling Croswald series opens up a whole new world of magic!

In this series opener, Ivy believes she is the only unmagical creature in a rich fantasy world, where gems are rife with power, quills cast spells, and dragons fill the sky. She must step into wonderland, discover her power at a magical academy, and find out who she truly is before it’s too late.

As far back as Ivy can remember, she has worked in the Castle Plum’s kitchen as a scaldrony maid, tending the petite kitchen dragons that cook tarts and stews and roasts. On full moon nights, she meets her one connection to the outside world: Rimbrick the ancient dwarf with a dodgy past who brings tales of magic and books of wisdom.

When she crosses a magical boundary, Ivy discovers a realm of enchantment and mystery. And she’s not the only one who makes a discovery: her entry is a shock wave of magic that sends ripples through Croswald. Certain parties—the Dark Queen, a lost pirate, a mad old potions master—have been waiting for this moment and feel a blast of recognition.

Even Rimbrick’s stories and books cannot prepare Ivy for the world of magic—and an uncertain future—that rises up to meet her. Making friends that will last a lifetime—and save her life—she steps into her own abilities and discovers more about her hidden past, her magical blood, and the power of Croswald’s mystical stones. But all is not well: a dark history and an evil Queen threaten all that is good. Will Ivy’s bravery and wit be enough?

Recommended as a read-aloud for families and an independent middle-grade fantasy read, The Crowns of Croswald is an award-winning, four-book series that will carry readers to a whimsical world that they won’t want to leave.

What readers are saying:

“Croswald is just as enchanting as Narnia and Hogwarts.” -Amazon Reviewer

“Just know that Croswald is whimsical, fascinating and undeniably one of the most magical places I’ve ever been to.” -Amazon Reviewer

“I was completely engaged from the beginning to end. This, is now, my new favorite fantasy author.” -Amazon Reviewer

“Your child is going to LOVE this series. I was hooked in the story, and I’m 26. 😂” -Amazon Reviewer

“If you love Harry Potter and Disney, you’re going to love this!” -Amazon Reviewer

From the brand

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CQKJ9CKR
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Stories Untold Press; Second edition (December 18, 2023)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 340 pages
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8985378221
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 10 - 13 years, from customers
Grade level ‏ : ‎ 4 - 7
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 14.4 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.5 x 5.5 x 1 inches
Reviewer: MK Tufft
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Love this book!
Review: Part Cinderella, part Harry Potter, part Alice In Wonderland, I couldn’t put this book down.Full of plot twists and mysteries to unravel… plus the whole destiny thing. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.

Reviewer: Natalie @ ABookLoversLife
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: An amazing world!
Review: Ivy Lovely knows nothing other than her duties as a scullery maid. For years, she has toiled away in the kitchens along side the Scaldron dragons, whom bake food in their mouths. When a smaller dragon gets sick, Ivy tries to hide the fact from Helga, the head of the kitchen. But things happen and both Ivy and the dragon are thrown out. Little does Ivy know that she was placed, there under a magical barrier, to protect her from the people who will do her harm. Once she passes the barrier, her powers awaken and Ivy is thrust into a world of magic and her life is about to change forever.I read this with my son and I have to say, we both thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of it! The world building was magical! We have the Scrivenerists, these are the ones who have a photographic memory and record and draw everything they see. They are assigned to a royal family when they graduate and have to record their whole lives. Ivy is put into this category, which she loves because she loves to draw. Then we have the princesses who have the magic from their stones in their crowns. Different stones produce different magics. Then we have a fantastical array of magical creatures, from dragons to little creatures that produce light and are used in lanterns. I think both my son and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing all the magic and the creatures come to life with the authors descriptive writing. I could clearly see all that was unfolding and I so want this to become a movie!!I also loved the characters. Each was well written and developed. Ivy was such a wonderful character and she was my sons favourite. She had a hard time growing up and its made her all the more lovable because of it. She is smart, brave, compassionate and loving. She is the perfect heroine for kids!! I would love to see more like her in the middle grade books.In all, this was a great read. If you love Harry Potter, then you will love this because it evoked the same kind of feelings from me as I had when reading Harry Potter! It is a magical story filled with action, adventure, unique characters, unique magic and plenty of mischief from the characters. The author has created an amazing world and one I can't wait to dive into again. Highly recommend.

Reviewer: Natalie Gilbert
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Whimsical Middle Grade Read!
Review: The Crowns of Croswald by D.E. Night is the first in new a middle-grade fantasy series. It’s full of whimsy, adventure, and most of all, MAGIC.This book follows Ivy Lovely, an orphan living in the borderland of the magical world. Destined for a life of working in the castle’s kitchen, Ivy has dreamed of change to pursue her education. But, it isn’t until she is mysteriously invited to study to become a Scrivenist (a magical storyteller/recorder), that she thought that her dreams would come true. From the first moments in Croswald, things become weird. Ivy can feel that everything is wrong. Secrets start to come to the surface. Only Ivy can find the truth… and they might just change her life.There were a lot of elements of this story that I loved. The setting was interesting. The characters were a lot of fun. The plot was adventurous and quite enjoyable. I kinda went into this book expecting what the outcome was, but I was pleasantly surprised with the twists and turn along the way.I think that the setting was my favorite part of the story. The Halls of Ivy is a castle-like magic school, where royals and scrivenists study alongside each other. There were so many little details that just made this location so whimsical, between the full tea bar in each dorm room (YES. YOU HEARD ME!) or the performing jester in the dining hall. Also, I can promise you that this book will make you very hungry. There is a lot of yummy food in Croswald!Ivy as a character was an interesting one for me because at the beginning I wasn’t super into her as a character. She seemed a pretty average, but as the story went on, she grew on me. That being said, I think that my favorite characters where actually Fyn and Rebecca. Though they were both side characters, these two were just too much. I just loved the friendship aspect of this book. And without them, you know Ivy would not be where she is by the end. Also, Ivy has a little dragon at school with her and he is the cutest.The downside of this book for me was some of the writing. I got passed it, but there were points, especially in the beginning that felt a little choppy. Maybe with a tad bit more editing, this could have been avoided. As the book went on, I noticed this less and less. Just be wary that the writing might be a little confusing sometimes.(ALSO, I’ve heard a lot of people call this similar to Harry Potter, but as I never read those, I’m not the best to compare the two.)I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. I had a lot of fun with this read and can’t wait to jump into the squeal (which I have already purchased). I think that if I was in the target audience, I would have adored this story! I highly recommend this book to any middle-grade readers!

Reviewer: Angel
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Magical mystery with fun characters
Review: This story remind me a little of Harry Potter with fun, unique characters, a school, a magical mystery, and many new words to learn like glanagerie. Fun reading

Reviewer: Sharz B
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Amazing Read
Review: Received quickly recipient loved the gift be read it quickly Kept thanking me for it

Reviewer: Vonn66
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: I Thoroughly Enjoyed This book
Review: I loved Crowns of Croswald which surprised me because I have the worst reading slump right now. But weirdly enough this book made me think of Percy Jackson, The Lighting Theif. These books are different in a multiple ways but they are both so fun. In middle school all I looked for in a book was something fun and engaging and that’s exactly what Crowns of Croswald is. When I first got the book my first words were “ooh this is nice” and not only was the cover nice but the story of a young girl my own age who was curious, smart and powerful was so enjoyable to read. I also loved how D.E. Night told the story, the book is clever and has its funny moments. I highly recommend this book even if you aren’t in middle school 5/5 stars. This book definitely deserves a five stars because I had fun reading it during a reading slump.- @Penguinpages_

Reviewer: Akanksha
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: This book is the fantasy story the school girl version of me was searching for what never found. It's a Harry Potter lovers delight, but a magic school and a hidden chosen one are all the tropes that are in common.The magical world or Croswald is as multifaceted as are the Crown Stones of the Royals and the curiosity of the scrivenists.The prologue plunges you into the world with no warning but a lot of foreboding, when I finally realised in Chapter 1 that it is Ivy who is the protagonist, I was thrilled.The book is fast paced and ends on a satisfactory note yet has you curious for more. The division of labour in Croswald, between the magic practitioners and their studios archivists is so unique and amusing. The nerdy kids finally have a place of their own in the fantasy world.The author creates wonderful friendships in Ivy's life, female friends, a mentor, a hidden helping hand, and a childhood guardian, all perfectly suited for their roles and compassionate in different ways.This book will fill your imagination with wonderful sights, like you are in your own Glanagerie, read to know what that is!

Reviewer: Megan
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: I was gifted this book from the publisher (Stories Untold) in return for an honest review:‘In Croswald, the only thing more powerful than dark magic is one secret..’This is definitely a page-turning fantasy read full of fairytales, magic and a whimsical world. It really reminded me of Harry Potter because of the magical boarding school and the classes but it’s still very much it’s own world with its own quirks. What’s not to like?I loved how the author sneakily included herself in the book with using Derwin Edgar Night as one of the most mysterious characters.The story ends on quite a cliffhanger as it’s almost as though the story is just beginning where it finishes off. I think the author definitely did this deliberately to keep you hooked enough to read the next book! (Which has worked for me because now I can’t wait to delve into the next one)It’s a wonderful little YA book and something you can definitely try if you’re looking to start a fantasy genre as this is easy to follow and feels very nostalgic.

Reviewer: Hallowedbooks
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: A middle grade fantasy novel and the first one from the series. We follow Ivy whose life changes when she goes from being a maid to screvinist. What follows is the adventure of learning about her hidden magic and face the unknown danger she is under by the dark queen.A story about magical school, hidden beneficiaries and lost princess.A highly engaging and well written plot with lots of twists and turns. A journey of self discovery, hidden secrets and mysteries. The writing style is interesting and the characters are well fleshed. Recommend it for children and young adults or if you like fantasy.

Reviewer: Rejitha
Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: The Crowns of Croswald was a jolly one time read for me. If middle grade fantasies are your thing, give it a go. You might end up adding the sequels to your reading list, after all , like me.