Stories Untold Press (@storiesuntoldpress) sent me this beautiful magical box to review and I got the opportunity to give one box away to one of my followers on Instagram (@eyeloveprint).

If you are on bookstagram (yes if you didn’t know, that’s actually the name for a bookish community on Instagram) like me, you probably can’t have missed this book. I loved how the publisher did the promoting around it. In the box were a magical glanagerie bottle, a newspaper article, an art print and a personal letter of the writer. They really made the story come even more alive.

The Crowns of Croswald:
Author: D.E. Night
Publisher: Stories Untold Press

Synopsis
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.

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My opinion

Let me first say that the design of the cover and the inside is gorgeous and so well thought out. I’m a sucker for details and in that department the book already won for me. Every chapter has his own illustration and made me curious of what would happen next. I even made up little stories according to them myself, but the writer D.E. Night always knew how to surprise me.

The Crowns of Croswald is about Ivy Lovely who has always been hidden of the magical world. When she crosses the border of where she has always lived, her powers awaken. This means she can go to the Halls of Ivy. A magical school for the scrivenists (those with magical blood) and Royals (those with the power of Croswald’s magical gems). When Ivy’s magic and life is threatened by the Dark Queen she has to find out her history and the truth behind it. Before it’s gone forever.

In the beginning the story is a bit difficult to get into because it’s not completely clear what’s happening with Ivy. That changes as soon as she arrives at the school, the Halls of Ivy. Magical classes, creatures, the diversion between those who have magic by blood or by their mysterious gems. There is so much magic and imagination in this story which makes this book such a fun read. Meanwhile the mystery grows and a lot of questions are rising, but they all get answered eventually. What does bother a bit is that the main character doesn’t seem sixteen years old. In some points there is also some likeliness with Harry Potter, which the story didn’t need at all. Nonetheless a wonderful magical book which is a very promising start for the rest of the series.

* I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review *

International Giveaway

If you also want a chance to win this amazing box, check out my Instagram (@eyeloveprint) to see which steps you have to follow to enter.