The Crowns of Croswald recenzja

Ivy Lovely has spent all 16 years of her life in Castle Plum, where she served as a maid. She loves to learn and read about famous scrivenists, but she never thought there might be anything magical about her. Until one day she crosses a magical boundary and everything changes. When she begins her studies in the Halls of Ivy - the prestigious school of magic, for the first time in her life she feels like she found her home, but with new knowledge comes a great danger. Will Ivy be strong enough to overcome it?

‘The Crowns of Croswald’ is book one of the same-titled trilogy by American author D.E. Night. She created a beautiful, complex, magical world, full of amazing places I wish I could visit, and fantastic creatures, some of which I’d rather avoid ;) The book has a certain Harry Potter vibe - an orphan learns she has magical abilities, she comes to a school of magic, where numerous adventures are waiting for her, and there even is a rich girl who bullies her, but apart from that it’s a completely different, skillfully crafted world. Some of the author’s ideas amazed me and I’m truly in awe of her imagination, but I don’t want to spoil anything, so it’s better if you see for yourselves what I mean.

Ivy lives up to her last name, as she really is a lovely girl. She could be bitter and unfriendly, after being treated badly her whole life, but she’s not - she’s brave, she loves to learn and to help others, even when it gets her in trouble. Sometimes she was too stubborn and reckless, but still it was really interesting to read about her journey to self-discovery, her adventures in school and her first crush.

The author used a very graphic language, creating vivid images of places and characters she described in her book, so it was easy to picture them in my head as I was reading. Though I have to admit that for someone like me, whose first language is not English, some parts were pretty challenging, so it might not be the best choice for someone who rarely reads in this language, especially fantasy books.

Overall, it was a very enjoyable book, suitable both for kids and for adults who still like to read about magical lands and adventures. I’m curious what else the author has planned for Ivy, so I’m definitely going to read the rest of this trilogy in the future.