MG Fantasy review of The Words of the Wandering (The Crowns of Croswald #3) by D.E. Night

The Crowns of Croswald:  The Words of the Wandering by D.E. Night
Publisher:  Stories Untold

Format:  Paperback
Number of pages:  294
Published:  May 30th, 2020
Source: Purchased 

Opening Line:  "The Dark Queen sat shrouded in shadow on her elevated throne."

From Goodreads:  Ivy Lovely needs to look to the future but keeps being pulled back into the past...

As Ivy’s power grows, so does the Dark Queen’s intent to destroy her. Ivy has no idea where to find the third segment of the Kindred Stone, the stone which will restore all her queenly power.   A circus ends in chaos, an enemy turns over a new leaf, a protector can’t be trusted.  Can Ivy work with friends––new and old––to recover what was lost? 

The Worlds of Wandering is the third book in the Crowns of Croswald series, I'd recommend starting with The Crowns of Croswald  and The Girl With the Whispering Shadow before reading D.E. Night's latest book to really appreciate the characters and plot. 

Ivy Lovely is the true Queen, rightful heir to the kingdom of Croswald, but unable to take her place on the throne until she can gather the three pieces of the Kindred Stone and restore her power.  Thus far, Ivy has managed to locate two of the three pieces, but the final piece has been very elusive.   With graduation now complete at the Halls of Ivy, Fyn is off to start his investigator training with the Mattler's and Ivy is headed with Rebecca to Castle Connell until the start of the new term.  With Belzebuthe having been destroyed, there are few places left that are safe from the Dark Queen's watchful eye.  Ivy's summer at the castle is filled with dragon rides, spending quality time with Rebecca and combing for answers within the pages of The Book of Wandering, a book that details the history of her family and the curse that was placed on them many years ago.

When I first saw the new cover, I was really excited about the possibility of Ivy and her friends going to the circus.  Imaging how it would be incorporated into the story.  Sadly the circus doesn't appear until much later in the story, yet I loved that it is the place Fyn takes Ivy to on their first date.  Unfortunately, it doesn't end up being the happy occasion they had hoped for.  

Not to say that I didn't enjoy reading The Words of Wandering, I really did love the story.  Night's books are always so magical.  It's just that the pacing of the Worlds of Wandering was a tad slower.  But I read Night's books for her beautiful style of writing, how she includes all of these rich details into her passages to really immerse you into the magical world of Croswald.  I love reading the details about the classes that Rebecca and Ivy take within the Halls of Ivy and the way that she is able hit all of your senses, from the architecture of the buildings, to the sights and sounds of the castle and Belzebuthe, to the scrumptious sounding foods they eat.   In each book of the series we learn new details about the magical system of Scrivenists, the people who utilize quills, ink and parchment to record the details of events.  And I found myself fascinated by inklink's, teledetecting and Ivy's enlightening trips into a magical bottle or Glanagerie, that felt similar to a penseive.   It's very reminiscent of reading the Harry Potter series for me, well at least gives me that same sort of feeling and  especially enjoyed the slight nod to Dumbleldore's Army with the recruiting for the Quality Quills Club (QQC).  Although the trials for the QQC sounded quite challenging, and especially dangerous.   There's just so much to love here. 

Ivy has come a long way across this series.  She's gaining strength in her magic and getting closer toward her goal, having acquired a new piece of the kindred stone with each new book.  Much of the current story was spent looking into her families past and learning more about her parents.  Some events from earlier books were explained and there were a few especially heartbreaking moments that were challenging for Ivy.  I was worried about her spiraling into a depression, but happy that her friends were able to help her move forward.  Then there's Rebecca, Ivy's best friend, their friendship keeps expanding and she's just the kind of person that Ivy needs, supportive and caring, a shoulder to cry on if you need it.  Overall this has been a lovely series to immerse myself in, though I was a little surprised by the cliffhanger ending, I'm even more eager to read the next book in the series to see what happens next.