D. E. Night

In a tale of magic, intrigue, and danger, Ivy Lovely searches for the enchanted Kindred Stone. Along the way, her friendships grow deeper and she confronts the Dark Queen.

The Girl with the Whispering Shadow

Moonchild

I was granted a copy of this book by Netgalley, in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you so so so much for this opportunity to read this second book.
The Girl with the Whispering Shadow is the continuation to the Croswald series! 
It takes the base of the first book and develops from there.
Honestly what tells me that this series it’s a great deal, is the fact that it’s been a wile since I read the first one and I can remember to detail the adorable character and her adventures to finding her place and identity.
We start to explore the land outside of the Halls of Ivy to a Secret Town, which is where Ivy meets new friends and like usual gets into troubles! 
Back at the Halls, Ivy and her new friends must race against time to find out the mystery before its too late! 
This world magic it’s so adorable and whimsical , new and fun and adventures, it was impossible to put down! 
If you haven't read This series... please pick it up! You will be not be disappointed, it will sweep you away, I can’t even explain how it touched me definitely a beautiful series that i cannot recommend enough.

Moon Child

Janna Niemi

The second instalment to the Crowns of Croswald is full of adventure, suspense, and magic. 

I was looking forward to reading this book so much! I loved the first book in the series and couldn't wait to read what happens next to Ivy and her friends.

It is super easy to get into this book now that I know the world of Croswald and all the magical things that can happen. This book is even more interesting than the first as it is action and adventure packed from the start. There are things that you guess at the beginning but that isn't a bad thing and the whispering shadow curse makes the book so much more interesting. 
I really like that the Halls of Ivy are still the main milieu for this book. I really like the Quogo matches as well, it brings another level of magic into the book plus it totally brings up my Quidditch feels from Harry Potter. 
I also like that there aren't too many new characters introduced in this book but that you get to follow your old "friends" in their journey to try and bring down the Dark Queen. Of course, Ivy is special, but I really, really like Fyn as well and I so hope that he is part of the third book. There's no way that he isn't :)

All in all, it was an interesting second book to the series. I now understand a lot of the things better and I cannot wait to read the third book! 

*ARC received from the publisher via Netgalley

Carrington Kinslow

** spoiler alert **
            "You can be trapped in a castle, trapped in a scaldrony. Trapped by people. But the worst is being trapped by fear." 

This was a fun second installment in The Crowns of Croswald series! It was even more magical and heartwarming than the first, and it also brought some new things to the table. Mostly importantly, the stakes were much higher and there was a lot of emotional investment involved. Now that Ivy is aware of her heritage, it makes everything going on with the Queen much more important. I really appreciate the emotional maturity that this installment consisted of compared to the first. 

And like the first, the characters really carried the book. Ivy is a lovely main character and I still love Rebecca. I don't care much for Fyn as I found him to be rude to Rebecca, and I don't like when a love interest has beef with the MC's best friend for no reason. I also enjoyed Damaris' antics and the other side characters added a lot of humor into the story.

The last three or four chapters were my favorite, and it really sets up the rest of the series well. It was not a happy ending by any means and the loss of Belzebuthe was pretty sad. Again, I appreciate how dramatic this book was the consequences that it entailed. 

While I found this book fun, I also found it repetitive. It seemed like a lot of things that happened were repeats of events in the first book, and the first several chapters were really slow to me. Since Ivy ended up going to school anyway, it felt like all that time spent with her establishing Belzebuthe ended up being pointless. Especially the excessive scenes Quogo club scenes. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Stories Untold Press for the free E-copy in exchange for an honest review! 

The Girl with the Whispering Shadow - 3/5 Stars

Marissa Davis

I think I loved this one more than the first. I think that is because there was more action in it. But regardless I am loving this series a lot and cant wait to get a hold of the 3rd book. I also wonder when the 4th book will be released. But before I go I have to say Ivy, Fyn, Rebecca and Professor Night (D. E. N.) are my favorites and that I really dislike the Dark Queen alot.

It's not often that the second book in a series is even better than the first, but this one definitely hooked my attention. In this installment, we dive deeper into the world of Croswald and Ivy Lovely's wild adventures. I love Night's world building and the care she puts into her characters because it really shines through. Each character, from Rebecca to Mrs. Greeley has traits that are so lovable and realistic that I want to get to know them. As Ivy grows closer to retaking her throne, it's exciting to see the bonds she forms along the way, and the challenges she perseveres through. Everyone can find themselves rooting for her, a strong, relatable main character. Thank you to Stories Untold for the opportunity to read and review the second book in this series!

Laura Kehoe

This was such a fun addition to Ivy's story! I enjoyed getting to know my favorite characters better, and meeting some great new ones as well. And it was so cool to learn more about this fascinating and unique world!

That being said, this book started out kind of slow for me. It didn't feel like much happened during the first third of the book and I had a harder time staying invested because of that. Once the action picked up, however, I was hooked!

I mentioned before, but one thing I love about this series is the world Night has created. It's so interesting to learn about all the different creatures and magical aspects. I really feel like I could step into this world and have an adventure of my own.

If you enjoyed the first book in this series, I would recommend giving this one a read. While I had a harder time getting into it, I still ended up enjoying this book quite a bit! I'm so interested to find out where the story goes next!

Thank you to NetGalley and Stories Untold LLC for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review!

Olivia Camarena

In the second installment of The Crowns of Croswald series we return to a magical world that expands before our eyes. This time, Ivy continues to learn about her family and what it means to be part of the Queenly bloodline. 

Although she is theoretically accompanied by her family's scriventist, his presence is rather rare; I would have loved to see him more present, a little beyond the decisive moments. Who does Ivy turn to? This book introduces us to new allies and friendships, characters I loved and it breaks my heart to know that they may not be as present in the next one now that they have graduated. Besides, Ivy gathers more knowledge that constantly helps on the quests.

Oh, the dynamic between the club and Ivy was one of my favorite parts and Quogo! This game of scriventists was fascinating. Instead of fighting with wands, they fight with the quills of the scriventists who have passed, bringing the scriventists with them for a bit. 

Without a doubt, the magic system and the spaces we visit in this book continue to be unique, intriguing. They encourage you to keep reading. It's not dark, like my other reads, but it's not honey on top either. Truth be told, I've grown quite fond of the series. 

Btw, this is a read I would totally recommend for kids aged between 9 and 14-ish, and older too, haha.


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En la segunda entrega de la serie de The Crowns of Croswald volvemos a un mundo mágico que se expande ante nuestros ojos. Esta vez, Ivy sigue aprendiendo sobre su familia y lo que significa formar parte del linaje de la Reina. 

Aunque en teoría la acompaña el scriventist de su familia, su presencia es más bien escasa; me hubiera gustado verlo más presente, un poco más allá de los momentos decisivos. ¿A quién recurre Ivy? Este libro nos presenta nuevos aliados y amistades, personajes que me encantaron y me rompe el corazón saber que quizás no estén tan presentes en el siguiente ahora que se han graduado. Además, Ivy reúne más conocimientos que ayudan constantemente en las misiones.

La dinámica entre el club e Ivy fue una de mis partes favoritas y ¡Quogo! El juego de los scriventists fue fascinante. En vez de luchar con varitas, luchan con las plumas de los scriventists que han pasado, llevando a los scriventists con ellos por un rato. 

Sin duda, el sistema de magia y los espacios que visitamos en este libro siguen siendo únicos, intrigantes. Te animan a seguir leyendo. No es oscuro, como mis otras lecturas, pero tampoco es miel sobre hojuelas. La verdad es que le he cogido bastante cariño a la serie. 

Por cierto, es una lectura que recomendaría totalmente para niños de entre 9 y 14 años, y mayores también, jaja.

Chiara Vitale Zelaia

I was sent a copy of the book by the author in exchange for an honest review

The Girl with the Whispering Shadow picks up the story shortly after the events of 
  The Crowns of Croswald
. After the Dark Queen’s attack at the school ball, Ivy is sent to Belzebuthe, a secret town for those who have magical blood. Belzebuthe is the only place where Ivy is safe from the Dark Queen’s reach, but that doesn’t stop Ivy from setting out on a mission of her own: she must find the missing pieces of the Kindred Stone and embrace her own magic if she is to have a chance at fulfilling the Moonsday promise and defeating the Dark Queen. Ivy is not alone in her adventure. She can count on the help of her shapeshifting friend Rebecca and Fyn, the boy she is falling in love with, as well as other friends she meets in Belzebuthe. 

As I already appreciated when reading Crowns of Croswald, one of the elements I enjoyed most in The Girl with the Whispering Shadow was the setting of the story. Magic in the world of Croswald has a delightfully whimsical quality to it and it plays a huge role in the world-building of the story. That same whimsicality also belongs to the characters you meet along the way. Reading these books is like reading a modern fairytale where Harry Potter meets Alice in Wonderland.

The characters, however, lack a certain depth. At this point in the story, there is still little space for a gray area. The divide between the good heroes and the evil villains is still quite stark and the characters fall into the stereotypes of the middle grade genre. 

Although there were several moments of down time that slowed down the pace of the narration, I found The Girl of the Whispering Shadow to be a good read. I would recommend this series to lovers of middle-grade fantasy and fairytales.

Kayleigh Bekisz

This was a fun book to read! I tore through the first book, and I have to admit this took me a little longer to get through, but the story was interesting and I wanted to know what happened as I was reading. I will say that it borrows a lot of themes from books like Harry Potter. This isn't a bad thing, but it was a little distracting for me. If you liked book 1 in this series, it's worth continuing. There are new characters introduced, and The Town that's briefly alluded to in the first book is explored! It did seem like there were some things that weren't well-explained in terms of magic, but maybe they'll be explained later on!

Kimi 

Thank you to Netgalley and D.E. Night for the eARC in exchange for a review

The second book in the series we follow Ivy on her journey to pursue her dream of becoming a scrivenist. The story is mainly focus on her finding a magical stone while hiding from the evil queen.

The characters have developed more and we get introduce to more. We meet Fyn's mother and he is super sweet. The world building is magical and it has a game/competition within which the characters participate in for fun. The game is called Quogo and I think it's such a fun idea that the writing made up for her characters and to be in a part of secret club. The writing is easy to read and follow.

I do like that there is a bit of romance between Fyn and Ivy. I enjoyed Fyn protecting her. The atmosphere does feel more middle grade even though the age for the main characters are older in their upper teens (16-19 years old). Overall, I really did enjoy this series very much and look forward to continuing on with the series.

Recommended to those who like fantasy, magical adventures, YA, and middle grade reads.
Definitely for those that are fans of Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, and The School for Good and Evil.


Sarah

*ARC received in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are mine* 

 4 stars 

 What I liked 

It was really nice to be back in the world of Croswald! This is a strong sequel to a first book that really surprised me and I ended up enjoying it more than I thought.
The setting and the magic system are, in my opinion, the strong points of the series. I just want to visit this world sometimes, it really is that magical.
This second book had so much more plot and felt more high stakes. Ivy has found her place, she knows who she is and she knows what she has to do in order to win (spoiler alert: friendship is important!)
Nothing can stop Ivy and I love this about her! It’s so fun to follow her through all the mischiefs and adventures. It keeps reminding me of Harry Potter and I love that!

 What I didn’t like 

I realised that I didn’t mention this in the review of the first book, but the only critique I would give to this series is the age of the characters and the genre of the book. The characters are between 16/18 years old and they act like children because it’s a middle grade. It really bothers me sometimes. I also feel like sometimes they can’t get the depth they deserve because of the genre. Either the characters should have been younger or the genre should have been YA so they could act their age.

 Final thoughts 

This is a strong series that I’m really liking and would definitely recommend. I’m for sure continuing reading Ivy adventures!

Ethel

A captivating story set in a gorgeous and mysterious universe

Key words: young-adult, fantasy, magic, romance, teenagers, friendship

This book is the second volume of the series The crowns of Croswald. I just love it. This book was better than the first in the way that its unique universe was more developed and it didn’t feel like a remake of Harry Potter anymore. 
However, the beginning was a bit slow. It took me quite some time to go through the first hundred pages but the last hundred pages went very quickly. I finished the book in one-go. It was just so captivating with so much action that my heart was beating fast for Ivy, who I liked even more than in the first book. I so wanted to know what was going to happen that I sometimes skipped sentences just to get to the bottom faster. By the end of the book, I even had tears in my eyes. 
I was sad that I didn’t get to read a lot about Fyn and Ivy’s romance but I’m hoping book three will be full of love. This slow-burn is killing me. Overall, the characters are all lovable, funny and inspiring. The story is full of twists and action and the universe created here is gorgeous. This series is definitely a must-read for all fantasy fans. 

4.5/5

Thank you to the author for this eArc in exchange of my honest opinion.

Janne Janssens

I wish I could have read this series as a kid. I am sure it would have been one of my favorite series!
The world building is so magical and perfect to escape real life. The characters are colorful and lovable and unique. I would definitely like to spend more time in this world.
My only criticism is that the story start to unroll rather late. I feel like I was already halfway through the book before things really started happening. But the second half was so action packed, it made up for the first part.
I definitely recommend this book to children and middle graders!

Jess Wragg

5⭐️

“He, she, who dare dart a quill,
Swears be the silence,
Or blood will be spilled.”

I really enjoyed the first book in this series...and I absolutely loved the second! 

Once again I was thrown into the magical world of Croswold, following Ivy Lovely through the highs, lows, adventures and dangers of being the last in the Queenly Line. Ivy develops so much as a character in this book, she is so strong and so selfless, the ultimate young heroine, willing to take on the Dark Queen to save the world. 

There was a great introduction of side characters in this, who join Fyn and Rebecca in supporting Ivy. They each bring a new dynamic to the story, sharing such a loyal and beautiful friendship. And of course, not forgetting the intriguing scrivenist, Derwin Night! 

I am desperate to know what happens in book 3, can’t wait! 

A huge Thank You, to D. E. Night, Stories Untold Press and Netgalley for a copy of this book in return for a honest review.

The Girl with the Whispering Shadow

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