The Crowns of Croswald, by D.E. Night

Kirkus Review

In this YA fantasy sequel, a teenage magic student who goes into hiding to avoid a murderous monarch must embark on a secret mission. In Night’s (The Crowns of Croswald, 2017) first book in this suspense-filled series, orphan and former castle maid Ivy Lovely explored her magical birthright at a school for those with the ability to become scrivenists (spell-casters using quills), came into possession of a broken gemstone of great power, and confronted the terrifying Dark Queen. The repercussions of that encounter and Ivy’s desperate need to find the missing pieces of the Kindred Stone before the Dark Queen does fuel Book II with more chilling mysteries—shadows and shades that seem to have a will of their own and the ominous theft of a black quill, corrupted by its dead owner and locked away for safety—and more of the author’s fertile flights of fancy. Ivy is sent by a storm-propelled, flying “cabby” to the secret town of Belzebuthe, where the sky is lit by stars made of wishes. She warms her feet on her pet scaldron, a small, fire-breathing dragon; “hairies,” Croswald’s common light source, tiny beings whose hair lights up in response to human speech, appear; and Ivy bonds with a wild “invisitaur,” a giant creature that can be seen only when outlined by falling rain or snow. (Night again gives any Harry Potterish similarities her own twist: Quogo matches aren’t a Quidditch-like sport, but a plot-driving competition between resuscitated quills and the magical specialties of departed scrivenists.) The author’s inventiveness doesn’t eclipse her well-defined heroine. Ivy still has fears and insecurities rooted in her past (trepidations the Dark Queen tries to exploit), yet she has gained confidence, made friends, and realized her strength during a brutal incursion into Belzebuthe. That dire event and words that Ivy discovers in a forgotten book set the stage for Night’s third installment of the series. With a relatable heroine facing challenges in a vivid world of magic and mystery, this tale remains an action-packed treat.

Foreword Reviews

The Girl With the Whispering Shadow is a strong, sensitive fantasy novel about coming of age and coming into your own natural-born powers.

Filled with fanciful flourishes, The Girl with the Whispering Shadow is the second volume of the Crowns of Croswald series. Ivy Lovely adventures through an extremely enjoyable fantasy world drawn with unusual care by author D. E. Night. This young adult fantasy novel weaves together themes of growing up and learning to become your true self—life’s greatest magic trick.

Ivy returns home from school in a soaking-wet feather gown with no memory of what happened the night before. Her natural-born magic is no help; all she knows is that she still carries the Kindred Stone hidden in a deep pocket of her cloak. And she stinks of the Dark Queen, her wicked adversary, a sorceress who’s determined to keep Ivy from fulfilling the Moonsday promise. Ivy must use her magic quill and every resource at her disposal to find the missing facet of the Kindred Stone and return to school at Halls of Ivy.

Fast paced and densely detailed, The Girl With the Whispering Shadow leans on lyrical language to bring Ivy Lovely’s world to life. The text spends little time in backstory, so the novel’s plot whips along; without the benefit of the first volume, most fantasy elements can be figured out through context or tightly written passages that explain how Ivy’s world works. Names are particularly fun. For example, Ivy visits a magical town called Belzebuthe; she engages in spell-casting combat with her quill, or wand; she uses inklink for teledetecting “beyond what the scrivenist or sqwinch knows.”

Under these phantasmagorical themes is Ivy herself, a canny, able heroine who’s just stepping into her own power. As she learns her own limitations and abilities, she’s engaged on an empowering journey to connect with her inner self. The Girl With the Whispering Shadow builds on Ivy’s self-discovery, and as she pursues the second facet of the Kindred Stone, she also learns what her true purpose is. She is supported by a lively group of friends and her loving parents. There are no stereotypes here; Ivy’s world is populated by well-drawn, diverse characters and feels natural, even with all its magical elements. The novel has a wonderful balance of description and dialogue, and it maintains a playful tone even in difficult scenes of conflict or battle.

The Girl with the Whispering Shadow is a strong, sensitive fantasy novel about coming of age and coming into your own natural-born powers.

Midwest Book Review

The Girl with the Whispering Shadow is the second book in the series and is especially recommended for prior fans The Crowns of Croswald. This is because D.E. Night creates a rich, complex world whose foundations are nicely laid out in the prior book, and those with this foundation will find renewed and easy access to the events befalling Ivy Lovely on her latest quest to locate the last pieces of the Kindred Stone which will save Croswald from the Dark Queen.

In this surprise sequel, Ivy finds her destiny lies not at the school she loves, but in the secret town of Belzebuthe. At this point, her quest becomes two-fold: to find the rest of the Stone and save the world, and to return to her beloved Halls of Ivy school. At this point, these seem to be impossible goals.

Ivy's nightmares about the Dark Queen's threat spills into her walking life as she is charged with new tasks, reunites with the now-older Fyn, confronts her feelings about her own growth and mission, and tackles a mystery that returns favorite characters to the foreground and adds new challenges.

Obviously, Ivy has matured, but her journey of self-discovery is no less vivid in this sequel. It's this growth process and journey which fuels the magical action and encounters with good and evil in The Girl with the Whispering Shadow, which really comes into its own as Ivy confronts more trouble, is deemed "strong even though she is small," and confronts a school curse that began the prior year and has gained in strength.

As Ivy comes to grasp the Stone itself and realize its long-hidden truth, so she begins to realize her own powers, her resources, and the ultimate consequences of her actions.

Once again, the story is directed to ages 9-12; but many an adult who appreciated Harry Potter's stories and who also seeks a story spiced by a feisty young protagonist's journey will find that The Girl with the Whispering Shadow gives Harry a run for his money both with a complex, involving, believable background story and in a tale that is filled with action, revelation, and satisfyingly unexpected twists and turns.

Ivy is growing up; and she's bringing her readers along for the wild ride into maturity, magic, and achievement.

Readers' Favorite

In Book II of D.E. Night’s The Crowns of Croswald, The Girl With The Whispering Shadow, Ivy Lovely’s adventures begin right at the end of the previous story. Ivy still has so much to learn, and despite the fact that the Dark Queen is looking for her, she wants to spend the summer with her best friend, Rebecca, whose family dwells in a castle. But, Ivy is troubled by a letter left behind by the scrivenist Derwin Edgar Night, whom she once freed. She must find her way to the hidden town of Belzebuthe, where she can hide from the Dark Queen, who wants her dead, and where she can also continue her quest to discover the next piece of the Kindred Stone. But, a shadowy presence has begun to haunt her. As time draws short, will she find what she needs?

D.E. Night gives us as much of an enchanting story in The Girl With The Whispering Shadow as she did in The Crowns of Croswald. This is an imaginative story with wonders and delights for readers at every turn. Croswald is about as fully conceived and realized as any of the other currently popular magical worlds without dumping too many details on us at once. This is one of the best put together books I have read in a while. The story advances from scene to scene smoothly. With her wide-eyed innocence, Ivy moves forward in her discovery of her natural magical ability and in her attempts to fulfill the destiny thrust upon her, in spite of her being mostly an untried teenager. This is an enjoyable read.

The Children's Book Review

History and destiny come together to create a compelling and complex tale of the present in the fantastical realm of Croswald. Quills dance, precious stones possess magic, and magical creatures and folk fill the pages of this fantasy series by author D.E. Night. In this second installment of The Crowns of Croswald, the cloud cover over the protected town of Belzebuthe is as dense as ever. The air is thick with magic, and colder than usual. Since the reclusive Dark Queen made an appearance at the Masquerade Ball at Halls of Ivy, the wellbeing of the scriveners is now in question. With a magic quill appearing at the same time that another famous quill disappears, there are many questions to be answered. Unbeknownst to many, orphaned Ivy Lovely, known as the girl who stood up to the queen, has royalty in her blood and is in possession of one-third of the Kindred Stone—a stone the Dark Queen would murder for. Ivy finds herself in danger as she looks for the stone’s missing pieces. Reuniting the three pieces is the only hope of dethroning the Dark Queen, who is more dangerous than ever before. Author D.E. Night has created an enthralling mystique through the use of plot, character, and setting. An enigmatic character that offers guidance, Derwin Edgar Night, propels Ivy’s mission with just enough information, but never too much to impede her destiny and tenacity. Ivy’s friends have been carefully structured so that their individual qualities often propel the story along at the right times: Rebecca provides Ivy with connection and a little sparkle, Fyn seeks out adventure, and Glistle is a great prop as the popular kid—her friends are often the gateway to opportunities of personal growth that ultimately help her in a dangerous time of need. Danger and excitement abound with the presence of shadowy figures that surely mean harm. Enchanted skies filled with stars and detailed scenery bind the plot and characters together. “Old world Gothic buildings with carefully wrought iron balconies squeezed in tight along cut-stone facade.” Both complex and exciting, The Girl with the Whispering Shadow is filled with action and is best read after reading the first book in the series. The end of an era of safety for the scriveners tells us that book three is shaping up to be dark and enticing. With danger heightened, readers will be dying to seek out the third book to discover if order can be returned to the world of scrivenry.

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