The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
kristensreadingnook's review
4.0
A great second book in this series. I was transported back into Ivy’s magical world where her life is being threatened by the Dark Queen and the adults around her are trying to protect her.
raquelzc's review
4.0
Spanish/English Review.
**Gracias a Stories Untold por una copia digital de este libro para una reseña honesta**
Esta reseña será algo corta, pero la verdad es que la historia fue bastante rápida y no quiero dejarles muchos spoilers.
Ivy Lovely ya sabe quien es en realidad, sabe que tiene magia dentro de ella y no sabe que hacer contra la Reina Oscura, quién actualmente está en busca de ella para eliminar por fin la verdadera lÃnea real.
Similarmente a Harry Potter y la Cámara de los Secretos, pero a la vez no, Ivy decide no regresar a la escuela por su propia seguridad, eligiendo quedarse en la ciudad oculta donde el resto de los scrivenists aprendiendo y documentando su vida. Pero bueno, asà como las cosas de la vida, nada nunca sucede como lo esperas.
Toda esta novela fue igual de descriptiva y bella que la primera, pero sentà que al final, la historia fue un poco acelerada en su desenlace. Me encantó como la autora nos introduce el nombre del libro (The Girl with the Whispering Shadow) dentro de la historia, y la verdad me di un golpe en la frente cuando se revela todo y no lo habÃa notado de tan picada que estaba jajajaja
La aventura es un poco más tranquila que la primera novela, pero dado que las apuestas ahora son más altas, se siente como Ivy está no solamente ya perdida descubriendo este nuevo mundo, si no que sabe que hay consecuencias a sus acciones pero de igual manera, hay riesgos que se deben de tomar.
Ivy ha madurado mucho desde que la conocimos como una sirvienta en un castillo olvidado, se siente más cómoda con su magia, quien es, y aprende a confiar aun más en sus amigos y quienes lo rodean.
The Girl with the Whispering Shadow es una excelente secuela y estoy muy emocionada por seguir leyendo la aventura y saber el desenlace de la historia de está reina perdida.
SÃgueme en:
@nocturnal.reads en Instagram
@_nocturnalreads en Twitter
Nocturnal Reads en Youtube
**Thank you Stories Untold for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review**
This review will be short but mostly because the story was really fast and I don’t want to leave a lot of spoilers.
Ivy Lovely now knows who she really is, she knows she has magic within her, and she doesn’t know what to do against the Dark Queen, who is currently on a desperate search to destroy once and for all the the true royal line.
Similar to Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, but at the same time not, Ivy decides not to return to school for her own safety, choosing to stay in the hidden city with other scrivenists learning and documenting their life. But just like how real life works, nothing usually happens the way you expect it to.
This sequel was equally descriptive in such a beautiful and captivating way, the author has a way with words, but I did feel that the ending was a bit rushed. I loved how the author introduced us the name of the book (The Girl with the Whispering Shadow) within the story, and I truly did hit myself in the head when everything is revealed and I didn’t see it coming. That’s how concentrated I was.
The adventure is a lot more calm, slower than the first novel, but given that the stakes are now much higher, you can truly see how Ivy isn’t just some lost student discovering this new world, but knows that her actions have consequences yet there are still some risks still worth taking.
Ivy has matured since we got to know her as a scullery maid in some lost castle, she is more confident in her magic, who she is and she learns to trust and rely more on her friends and those that surround her.
The Girl with the Whispering Shadow is a great sequel to this new world and I’m very excited to continue with Ivy’s story and how the story concludes with this lost queen.
Follow me:
@nocturnal.reads on Instagram
@_nocturnalreads on Twitter
Nocturnal Reads on Youtube
**Gracias a Stories Untold por una copia digital de este libro para una reseña honesta**
Esta reseña será algo corta, pero la verdad es que la historia fue bastante rápida y no quiero dejarles muchos spoilers.
Ivy Lovely ya sabe quien es en realidad, sabe que tiene magia dentro de ella y no sabe que hacer contra la Reina Oscura, quién actualmente está en busca de ella para eliminar por fin la verdadera lÃnea real.
Similarmente a Harry Potter y la Cámara de los Secretos, pero a la vez no, Ivy decide no regresar a la escuela por su propia seguridad, eligiendo quedarse en la ciudad oculta donde el resto de los scrivenists aprendiendo y documentando su vida. Pero bueno, asà como las cosas de la vida, nada nunca sucede como lo esperas.
Toda esta novela fue igual de descriptiva y bella que la primera, pero sentà que al final, la historia fue un poco acelerada en su desenlace. Me encantó como la autora nos introduce el nombre del libro (The Girl with the Whispering Shadow) dentro de la historia, y la verdad me di un golpe en la frente cuando se revela todo y no lo habÃa notado de tan picada que estaba jajajaja
La aventura es un poco más tranquila que la primera novela, pero dado que las apuestas ahora son más altas, se siente como Ivy está no solamente ya perdida descubriendo este nuevo mundo, si no que sabe que hay consecuencias a sus acciones pero de igual manera, hay riesgos que se deben de tomar.
Ivy ha madurado mucho desde que la conocimos como una sirvienta en un castillo olvidado, se siente más cómoda con su magia, quien es, y aprende a confiar aun más en sus amigos y quienes lo rodean.
The Girl with the Whispering Shadow es una excelente secuela y estoy muy emocionada por seguir leyendo la aventura y saber el desenlace de la historia de está reina perdida.
SÃgueme en:
@nocturnal.reads en Instagram
@_nocturnalreads en Twitter
Nocturnal Reads en Youtube
**Thank you Stories Untold for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review**
This review will be short but mostly because the story was really fast and I don’t want to leave a lot of spoilers.
Ivy Lovely now knows who she really is, she knows she has magic within her, and she doesn’t know what to do against the Dark Queen, who is currently on a desperate search to destroy once and for all the the true royal line.
Similar to Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, but at the same time not, Ivy decides not to return to school for her own safety, choosing to stay in the hidden city with other scrivenists learning and documenting their life. But just like how real life works, nothing usually happens the way you expect it to.
This sequel was equally descriptive in such a beautiful and captivating way, the author has a way with words, but I did feel that the ending was a bit rushed. I loved how the author introduced us the name of the book (The Girl with the Whispering Shadow) within the story, and I truly did hit myself in the head when everything is revealed and I didn’t see it coming. That’s how concentrated I was.
The adventure is a lot more calm, slower than the first novel, but given that the stakes are now much higher, you can truly see how Ivy isn’t just some lost student discovering this new world, but knows that her actions have consequences yet there are still some risks still worth taking.
Ivy has matured since we got to know her as a scullery maid in some lost castle, she is more confident in her magic, who she is and she learns to trust and rely more on her friends and those that surround her.
The Girl with the Whispering Shadow is a great sequel to this new world and I’m very excited to continue with Ivy’s story and how the story concludes with this lost queen.
Follow me:
@nocturnal.reads on Instagram
@_nocturnalreads on Twitter
Nocturnal Reads on Youtube
sam_riccio's review
3.0
This is the second book of a series to the number of books I don't know the amount of but I know there's 3 so far. I received this one from Netgalley and the publisher in return for a review.
We follow where we picked up directly after the first book and I like books that have done that so we have somewhat of a clear timeline but other than that there isn't a very well kept timeline.
I said in the last book review for this series that we need more Harry Potter themed books to get attention but some of the themes in this book sound like they were taken directly from Harry Potter or books like it and maybe we have to look over that or just use them as comparisons to who did the theme better.
I loved the first chapter art and I thought we were going to get more art like that and I got excited and then we went right back to the regular chapter art and I was less impressed but still very pretty to look at.
This one felt more like Ivy was rushed into doing things and it was a lot of the quill sport and you lose my attention at sports at all and I get disinterested. They hit me with a good little found family troupe though so I will give them that.
Honestly, the fact that nothing of importance with the stone happened until we were 70% in the book is a large reason this book does not have a higher rating from me. I understand that it's a middle-grade series but getting more done quickly would have been satisfying to me.
I'll be continuing the series, I love to support smaller publishing houses and authors so when I get the chance to sit down and buy the series on Kindle the whole series will be bought.
We follow where we picked up directly after the first book and I like books that have done that so we have somewhat of a clear timeline but other than that there isn't a very well kept timeline.
I said in the last book review for this series that we need more Harry Potter themed books to get attention but some of the themes in this book sound like they were taken directly from Harry Potter or books like it and maybe we have to look over that or just use them as comparisons to who did the theme better.
I loved the first chapter art and I thought we were going to get more art like that and I got excited and then we went right back to the regular chapter art and I was less impressed but still very pretty to look at.
This one felt more like Ivy was rushed into doing things and it was a lot of the quill sport and you lose my attention at sports at all and I get disinterested. They hit me with a good little found family troupe though so I will give them that.
Honestly, the fact that nothing of importance with the stone happened until we were 70% in the book is a large reason this book does not have a higher rating from me. I understand that it's a middle-grade series but getting more done quickly would have been satisfying to me.
I'll be continuing the series, I love to support smaller publishing houses and authors so when I get the chance to sit down and buy the series on Kindle the whole series will be bought.
sam_riccio's review against another edition
This is the second book of a series to the number of books I don't know the amount of but I know there's 3 so far. I received this one from Netgalley and the publisher in return for a review.
We follow where we picked up directly after the first book and I like books that have done that so we have somewhat of a clear timeline but other than that there isn't a very well kept timeline.
I said in the last book review for this series that we need more Harry Potter themed books to get attention but some of the themes in this book sound like they were taken directly from Harry Potter or books like it and maybe we have to look over that or just use them as comparisons to who did the theme better.
I loved the first chapter art and I thought we were going to get more art like that and I got excited and then we went right back to the regular chapter art and I was less impressed but still very pretty to look at.
This one felt more like Ivy was rushed into doing things and it was a lot of the quill sport and you lose my attention at sports at all and I get disinterested. They hit me with a good little found family troupe though so I will give them that.
Honestly, the fact that nothing of importance with the stone happened until we were 70% in the book is a large reason this book does not have a higher rating from me. I understand that it's a middle-grade series but getting more done quickly would have been satisfying to me.
I'll be continuing the series, I love to support smaller publishing houses and authors so when I get the chance to sit down and buy the series on Kindle the whole series will be bought.
We follow where we picked up directly after the first book and I like books that have done that so we have somewhat of a clear timeline but other than that there isn't a very well kept timeline.
I said in the last book review for this series that we need more Harry Potter themed books to get attention but some of the themes in this book sound like they were taken directly from Harry Potter or books like it and maybe we have to look over that or just use them as comparisons to who did the theme better.
I loved the first chapter art and I thought we were going to get more art like that and I got excited and then we went right back to the regular chapter art and I was less impressed but still very pretty to look at.
This one felt more like Ivy was rushed into doing things and it was a lot of the quill sport and you lose my attention at sports at all and I get disinterested. They hit me with a good little found family troupe though so I will give them that.
Honestly, the fact that nothing of importance with the stone happened until we were 70% in the book is a large reason this book does not have a higher rating from me. I understand that it's a middle-grade series but getting more done quickly would have been satisfying to me.
I'll be continuing the series, I love to support smaller publishing houses and authors so when I get the chance to sit down and buy the series on Kindle the whole series will be bought.
irish_bookfairy's review
4.0
I got the chance to read the second Crowns of Croswald book thanks to NetGalley. After reading the first one I was curious about Ivy's future's adventures.
After last year's ball Ivy Lovely was warned not to come back to school, the only place that had her feeling like she belonged. She goes in search of a place to call home for a while, with only an address given by her newly found family's scrivenist as a destination. Somehow she needs to go to the town with the secret name and location, so nobody can find it. Especially the Dark Queen.
After a very confusing and exciting trip she's met with a big surprise once she arrives, one that makes her summer stay instantly better.
I'm going to try not to give anything away, wouldn't want to spoil things for other readers.
Compared to the first book, "The girl with the whispering shadow" is action packed from the start. We get to follow Ivy around the hidden town and joining a secret club with old and new friends. Places, objects and people are described in such a way, you can practically see it.
Still had some moments where I got a lot of Harry Potter vibes, but it was less than the first book. For instance the situation around The Town and how it's hidden unless you know about it. The Town is basically the 'Room of Requirement'.
But all in all I wasn't bothered with any similarities, I guess that has to do with the fact that the story grips you right away, so you just want to keep reading.
When I finished the first book, I was very curious to read the second one and the author did it again. The books end in such a way that you expect there to be more once you turn that last page. But alas.
On to the next!
After last year's ball Ivy Lovely was warned not to come back to school, the only place that had her feeling like she belonged. She goes in search of a place to call home for a while, with only an address given by her newly found family's scrivenist as a destination. Somehow she needs to go to the town with the secret name and location, so nobody can find it. Especially the Dark Queen.
After a very confusing and exciting trip she's met with a big surprise once she arrives, one that makes her summer stay instantly better.
I'm going to try not to give anything away, wouldn't want to spoil things for other readers.
Compared to the first book, "The girl with the whispering shadow" is action packed from the start. We get to follow Ivy around the hidden town and joining a secret club with old and new friends. Places, objects and people are described in such a way, you can practically see it.
Still had some moments where I got a lot of Harry Potter vibes, but it was less than the first book. For instance the situation around The Town and how it's hidden unless you know about it. The Town is basically the 'Room of Requirement'.
But all in all I wasn't bothered with any similarities, I guess that has to do with the fact that the story grips you right away, so you just want to keep reading.
When I finished the first book, I was very curious to read the second one and the author did it again. The books end in such a way that you expect there to be more once you turn that last page. But alas.
On to the next!
bolttasreads's review
5.0
After her acceptance into the school where she can develop her till now hidden magical powers, something strange and unexplained is following Ivy.
After reading the first book I was so happy of the chance to read the second one. As I started to read I noticed better character and a world development. I love how its easy to read and easy to follow what's happening with the main girl - Ivy. This time, #thegirlwiththewhisperingshadow is more detailed than the first book, author includes more action as well. Strangely I also loved that this book doesn't have romantic atmosphere ( even you can slightly feel it).
While reading its so easy to imagine everything that sometimes it feels like you're watching the movie - its so vivid !!!
My recommendation:
Everyone who loves easy magical reads, fairytales, action and ( I would say - a bit of mystery) will love this book.
jessicat10's review
4.0
Wow! This book was even better than the first one. The chapters involving the town were my favorite. It was so nice to move away from the school and get to know more about this incredible world. I enjoyed this story so much I found myself thinking about it when I wasn't reading it. I could not wait to pick it up again. I highly recommend this series.
I received a free digital copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
I received a free digital copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
michela_h's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
shelvesofstarlight's review
4.0
Another fast paced magical adventure filled with excitement and fun!
This sequel answered questions and left others still open, I desperately need to get my hands on the next installment of Ivy's story.
This book was just as wonderful as the first and I once more fell into the world of Croswald, onto this time the stakes were a little higher as The Dark Queen was a much more visible threat!
I cannot wait to see where Ivy's story goes next.
This sequel answered questions and left others still open, I desperately need to get my hands on the next installment of Ivy's story.
This book was just as wonderful as the first and I once more fell into the world of Croswald, onto this time the stakes were a little higher as The Dark Queen was a much more visible threat!
I cannot wait to see where Ivy's story goes next.
escaping_with_books's review against another edition
4.0
The crowns of Croswald 2 - The girl with the whispering shadow
- Detailed World building - check
- Likeable characters - check
- Interesting and unique magic system - check
- Found family - check
- Strong, smart and hardworking MC - check
The world building continues with greater detail in book 2, taking note of even the smallest elements of a town or building allowing me to really picture where Ivy is in my mind.
The descriptions of the magic system are easily embedded into the story so I’m able to collect more and more information about this new world which I find myself enjoying. I love receiving the information and descriptions of this world as Ivy does, as it helps me to feel like we are journeying together.
Watching Ivy welcomed into the belzebuthe community with open arms is so heart warming as she’s suffered so much throughout her life. Then seeing the amount of supportive adults both in the town and at school who genuinely care for these teens is something that is often lacking in a story where the young person is stepping into their gifts and I love watching it within this book.
I particularly enjoyed the unique fantasy elements within the story; the invisitaurs, the cabby rides, the all day night time of The town, the forgotten room, the compass startus which seems like a great way to remember everything you’ve ever learned and The fishing for stars was an extra special magical experience. But the magic quills and magical drawings are extra special! I could go on and on about these magical elements as they really support full immersion into this world but it’s best if you just jump in yourself to have a read.
When the story moves to the big events I feel as though Ivy and her friends are navigating their way through them in a realistic way, making choices that are believable for teenagers who are bold yet inexperienced. This is something I really appreciate, magical but believable.
This is a Middle grade fantasy book which is a fun read for any age. As an older reader I feel like I go back in time to experience my teenage years as a scrivenist and as a mum I am eager to take my daughters to this magical world when we read the book together.
I am so looking forward to reading the next two books.
**I received an ARC from Netgalley and willingly offer my honest review**
- Detailed World building - check
- Likeable characters - check
- Interesting and unique magic system - check
- Found family - check
- Strong, smart and hardworking MC - check
The world building continues with greater detail in book 2, taking note of even the smallest elements of a town or building allowing me to really picture where Ivy is in my mind.
The descriptions of the magic system are easily embedded into the story so I’m able to collect more and more information about this new world which I find myself enjoying. I love receiving the information and descriptions of this world as Ivy does, as it helps me to feel like we are journeying together.
Watching Ivy welcomed into the belzebuthe community with open arms is so heart warming as she’s suffered so much throughout her life. Then seeing the amount of supportive adults both in the town and at school who genuinely care for these teens is something that is often lacking in a story where the young person is stepping into their gifts and I love watching it within this book.
I particularly enjoyed the unique fantasy elements within the story; the invisitaurs, the cabby rides, the all day night time of The town, the forgotten room, the compass startus which seems like a great way to remember everything you’ve ever learned and The fishing for stars was an extra special magical experience. But the magic quills and magical drawings are extra special! I could go on and on about these magical elements as they really support full immersion into this world but it’s best if you just jump in yourself to have a read.
When the story moves to the big events I feel as though Ivy and her friends are navigating their way through them in a realistic way, making choices that are believable for teenagers who are bold yet inexperienced. This is something I really appreciate, magical but believable.
This is a Middle grade fantasy book which is a fun read for any age. As an older reader I feel like I go back in time to experience my teenage years as a scrivenist and as a mum I am eager to take my daughters to this magical world when we read the book together.
I am so looking forward to reading the next two books.
**I received an ARC from Netgalley and willingly offer my honest review**