Thanks to NetGalley, Stories Untold Press, and D.E. Night for this free digital copy in exchange for an honest review. 😊 This is the second book in the Crowns of Croswald series and is available now!
I find it hard at times to write reviews of books in a series because I don’t want to give anything away! (Click here for my review of the first book in the series.) Ivy Lovely’s quest to discover more about who she is and what she can do with her magic continues in D.E. Night’s The Girl with the Whispering Shadow. She is joined by her friends Rebecca and Fyn (who is adorable and I’m here for his and Ivy’s sweet little moments) as well as a group of new friends who introduce Ivy to a competitive Quill game called Quogo–which was such an imaginative and creative aspect of this story. I really liked the descriptions of Belzebuthe–the magical, hidden town that Ivy spends time in–and getting more backstory that explains more about Ivy’s heritage and how the Dark Queen came to be.
As with the first, I found the pacing a bit rushed throughout–I just wanted more story to fully fill out some sections! 😊 The other thing is that this is considered a middle-grade fantasy, but the characters are 16+. Because of this, at times it feels like the characters are younger than they are. I noticed this mostly in the dialogue. Overall though, I found this an enjoyable read and I will definitely read the next in the series! I can see this being a favorite with younger readers.
The Bookish Bird 