Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow

Reviews

The Trials Of Morrigan Crow throws the reader headfirst into the quirky, "like-nowhere-you've-ever-been-before" world of Nevermoor. This is a cracking fantasy about a girl who escapes death, only to find herself in a strange land, competing for a chance to join the mysterious Wundrous Society. Polished and inventive, this debut author has created a rich and peculiar world that will appeal to readers across ages. Nevermoor was everything a magical, children's adventure book could possibly need to be amazing. Yet another Aussie fantasy star arrives, with Jessica Townsend's beautifully crafted debut novel. Children will love Nevermoor - but so will most other fantasy fans. The story of Morrigan Crow is funny, clever and intriguing all at once...It really is brilliant, with an engaging plot, plenty of twists, memorable characters and a marvellous sense of humour. Pick it up and the hours disappear, just like magic. I loved the storyline and how suspenseful each page was, and I loved reading about the exhilarating events that Morrigan experienced, and meeting strange new characters.

Anyone who loves Harry Potter will like Nevermoor. They both share magic, trials and suspense. Fearsome and funny and original, it's requisite reading for fantasy lovers of all ages. Unexpected, exciting and funny. Like Alice in Wonderland, Harry Potter and Doctor Who swirled up together. I loved Morrigan Crow, and I want to check in at the Hotel Deucalion. Exciting, mysterious, marvellous and magical . . . quite simply one of the best children's books I've read in years. Townsend keeps the reader guessing with some wonderfully crafted twists and turns. She also brings to the page a memorable young heroine who is sure to be a hit with boys and girls alike Townsend's intensely cinematic writing, quirky humour and superior world-building conjure a genuinely fresh take on magical fantasy. Nevermoor is brimming over with imagination and fun . . . A wonderfully assured debut from a young Australian author, Nevermoor sparkles with zest, wit and inventiveness. ...a compulsively readable romp that fans of 'Harry Potter', Terry Pratchett or Studio Ghibli will gobble up. Some important themes underpin this vibrant, magical adventure. An extraordinary story full of magics great and small, from the Hotel Deucalion to the Magnificat... Townsend has created a book of wunders. In Morrigan Crow I've found a heroine I'm willing to step boldly after, and follow her wherever her adventure takes her next. Jessica Townsend's Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow is more than just a spectacular debut. Exciting, charming, and wonderfully imagined, it's the sort of delightful grand adventure destined to be many a reader's favorite book. I am impressed by Jessica Townsend's success with her debut novel A world full of amazing surprises and an exhilarating plot. Jessica Townsend's debut novel unveils the mystifying, magical world of Nevermoor filled with 'Wunder', extraordinary larger than life characters and gothic drama. The Trials of Morrigan Crow compellingly delivers the quintessential fantasy in a beautifully crafted world. Readers will feel as though Harry Potter is meeting Alice in Wonderland. The Queensland author has created a wonderful new fantasy series that could well fill the post-Harry Potter void with her debut novel, Nevermoor. Townsend has carved herself out a unique word with a distinct voice that you'll want to return to again and again. Her work is full of wit, humour and clever word play and, although Townsend thinks she is probably wittier on the page than in real life, she points out being the youngest of five meant that to survive you had to come back with a zinger. Readers, like Morrigan herself, will feel at home in this evocative novel where magic and confidence go hand in hand. An excellent and exciting work. I am so excited about this new author, and the rest of this series... I would recommend this book to anybody who loves fantasy, no matter their age. A fantastic new fantasy series from an Australian author. I love the attention to detail the author gave and the complexity of the characters The world and characters are captivating and Townsend's writing is exceptional. Nevermoor is Harry Potter meets Doctor Who, but with its own distinct and unique serving of magic. It's undeniably the best middle grade novel I've read all year. It was so unique and fun, with ridiculous and quirky characters and settings, and just such an entertaining read. Nevermoor is packed with original characters and places. The book is well written with an entertaining storyline throughout. It reminds us of the importance of our own self-belief and that our real family is the ones whom we can be ourselves with. It's charming, magical, mysterious, fun and wildly inventive. And between all the fantastical moments, and the blockbuster action scenes, is a sweet story about friendship and belonging. Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow is fiercely unique and one of the best children's books I've ever read. There is so much to recommend this book, the combination of magic and humour, the wonderful activities of Nevermoor such as the delightful Christmas celebrations and the unique, amazing rooms at the Deucalion. The characters and scenes are vivid and very theatrical. Morrigan herself is a wonderful heroine, steadfast and brave while making witty comments about the goings on around her. Nevermoor is a boldly imagined world, perfect for middle-grade readers seeking for their next magical refuge. I keep comparing it to childhood favourites of mine - Alice in Wonderland, Harry Potter and Roald Dahl - because it feels like a classic right away. Children will grow up loving this book and its characters. Young girls will grow up looking to Morrigan as a role model the same way I grew up idolising Hermione Granger - and that makes me so incredibly happy. a great adventure tale about an interesting character who finds herself in a world which is much more exciting than her own filled with humour, charm, love, despair, spookiness and good fun. If you are looking for a charming, funny and enthusiastically wacky read, Nevermoor by Jessica Townsend is the book for you. It will take you on a wunderfully magical journey that you wont want to end. This book was very enchanting and sends you into a world of Wunder and Magic!!! I loved it so much. The book is very well written and the storyline captivated me from page one. Although the characters are young in age, the content is definitely suitable for fans of YA Fantasy Fiction - or fans of Harry Potter!! Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow is the first book in a charmingly odd, breathtakingly adventurous and entirely magical new children's series. Debut author Jessica Townsend created a major stir at Frankfurt Book Fair last year and the industry hasn't stopped buzzing about her book since. I am certain it won't disappoint expectations, not least those of the children destined to meet Morrigan Crow.
Morrigan is exactly the kind of heroine I love best. She's determined, inquisitive and has a knack for finding the humour in the worst of times. This last trait is extremely helpful, as she also happens to be a Cursed Child, making her responsible for all kinds of local misfortunes (her politician father resentfully foots the compensation bills while Morrigan writes endless apology letters). Oh, and it also means that she's fated to die at midnight on Eventide. Luckily for us readers, she forgoes this decidedly morbid event and is instead whisked away by an eccentric stranger, narrowly escaping a pack of terrifying, ravenous shadow hounds.
Our eccentric stranger is the esteemed Jupiter North of the Wundrous Society. He offers Morrigan a home at the extraordinary Hotel Deucalion, which lies within the city of Nevermoor, and the opportunity to join the secret society from which he hails. To do this, Morrigan must pass a number of mysterious trials and avoid falling into the hands of the odious Inspector Flintlock, who's determined to exile her for not being a legal citizen. Discerning young readers will no doubt pick up on the connections this novel draws with our own world here.
The magic of Nevermoor is shiveringly, thrillingly wonderful. Open its pages and discover a hotel room that changes to suit your personality, a large talking cat with exactly the right amount of cattitude, and children with awe-inspiring magical abilities. This novel is an absolute treat. For ages 9+. Nevermoor is the kind of novel that once you start it, it's impossible to put down, and the decision to devour it or savour it is a very hard one to make. I wanted it to last forever... Townsend's writing style is smooth and a dream to read...This book is a charming romp, and I highly recommend it. I have already talked it up to basically anyone who will listen. Please give it a look! Nevermoor takes off from the first page with instant world-building A BREATHTAKING, enchanting new series by debut author Jessica Townsend Nevermoor is an excellent book full of twists and turns that seem like a bad ending, but just makes you want to read more. There were many things that I liked about Nevermoor. I loved the characterisations throughout the story, how the events are connected - though you don't always realise it at the time. I love Morrigan's story, how she goes through her challenges and life events. I love how the author has included magic and humour - amidst the more serious themes, to balance it out.
This novel is very easy to read. The sentences flow smoothly, and the language allows for no unnecessary confusions. If you enjoyed the magic of Harry Potter, or the love and family themes of Anne of Green Gables, I believe you would enjoy this book. The book is well written and beautifully imagined and has lots of suspense. I recommend it for anyone 10 years old and up who likes fantasy stories with plenty of action. For the child at heart, or young readers, Nevermoor is one not to be missed and definitely worth recommending to other readers. It is worth the hype surrounding it if you enjoy tales like Alice in Wonderland. It's whimsical and magical and I can't wait for the next book. Review -

Nevermoor has elements of several well-known and well-loved fictional universes. There's the slightly kooky/offbeat vibe that would be at home in The Addams Family, the plays on words Jasper Fforde's readers will recognise, and probably quite a few more besides.But by far the similarity that stands out the most is with Harry Potter. Our main character is a cursed eleven-year-old, raised in a place where people keep their distance from her, and she's whisked away by a tall and outrageous-looking man with his own special kind of vehicle into a land where things are more magical and bizarre and... just "more".
Jupiter said something that sounded like "one-sock weather."
"One sock... Sorry, what?" asked Morrigan, puzzled.
"W-U-N-S-O-C: Wunsoc. Short for WUNdrous SOCiety-it's what we call the campus. Inside the walls of Wunsoc, the weather's a bit... more."
"A bit more what?"
"Just a bit more. More of whatever it's like in the rest of Nevermoor."
There's a stern woman on the board that chooses who is allowed into the society, an evil "Wundersmith" who did a lot of damage some years ago, was cast out, and has become something of a scary tale for children, and all kinds of interesting skills to accumulate.
Most of these similarities do appear near the start of the book, and as one makes their way further into the book they will find themselves getting more caught up in this story and looking for similarities less and less.
Certain things are not made entirely clear, such as the way their clocks and boundaries for their years work. They live their lives according to clocks which tell them what season or time of year it is... but these can change with very little notice. So, somehow these are affected by the world around them? It is not made particularly clear, and as such, each mention brought this reader out of the story. At one point near the start of the story, the clock changes quite suddenly and Morrigan realises that a year has basically evaporated from the time she thought she had left (according to her curse).
At other times it was not difficult to see they author-cogs turning in the story, which also stopped this reader being entirely lost in the story.
This is the kind of book I would have had a lot more fun reading when I was 10-12, but perhaps has a little less staying power than the actual works of Rowling and Fforde.
Nevertheless, it was a good, fun read, and I will be continuing on with the story. It's also exciting to know that this one was grown closer to home, with the author hailing from Queensland. Enchanting adventure ... clever plotting, irresistibly quirky humour, a truly treacherous villain, and real heart Expand reviews