.png)
*This book has been kindly given to me pre-publication via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.*
The Girl with the Whispering Shadow is the second book in the Croswald series, written by D.E. Night. The series follows Ivy Lovely, a teenager who is unaware of her real fate in life after growing up as a maid in a castle. Having been (literally) swept up into her life of magic she faced her first year of magic school in the first book of the series. The second book tackles her school life being away from the Halls of Ivy, having been warned to stay away for her safety. Darkness always finds a way in, though, even in the safest place possible.
Compared to the first book, I felt the second one dragged a little more, and only really picked up towards the end of the book. Alongside other issues I found throughout the book; a slow beginning made most of the book much less enjoyable than the first novel.
The main issue I found with the second book was it felt much more innocent and immature at times than the first, and while I’m aware the book can be seen as being targeted for a younger audience, I felt it much more in this book. The relationship between the protagonist and her best friend often felt too childish, and sometimes repetitive with phrases like “I’ve missed you so much” being said frequently. When paired with the overuse of exclamation marks, it brought down the overall mood of the book a little for me.
One final, minor issue was when the author broke immersion and described a building as ‘Tudor-style’, in a fantasy world where the Tudor’s don’t exist. While only a minor issue, and one that isn’t going to affect my overall judgement or rating of the book, a comment should be made on it.
For the positives, I still love the plot and characters. While sometimes it can be a little too Harry Potter in style, and I fear the author may fall back into that comfort blanket too often, she proves that she is keen to diverge by creating a plot that does differ from the beloved series. The twist at the end really impressed me, and I continue to love the balance between characters, description and scenery that the author gifts her readers. Excluding the break in immersion mentioned earlier, the author has successfully created a world that is immersive and wondrous to the readers, and one that I find myself wanting to enter again and again. This series is one I am definitely going to be finishing when I can.
Overall, this book is excellent in its writing, characters, and plot. The few criticisms I’ve provided are only minor, in my opinion, and do not take away much from the experience of her series. If you’re a fan of the Harry Potter series, or a big fantasy reader that has that element of familiarity, the Croswald series is one you should read.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐/5