Nevermoor

When I read this was to be the next Harry Potter I couldn't help but scoff. So many have tried & failed to capture the magic that is HP.
I have to admit this came close. I really enjoyed it! It was magical & fun with great characters! It was new & fresh with some elements similar to other great books but also different enough to make it a fantastic original story. I will definitely keep reading the series! Very proud of this amazing new Australian author!

A delightful, whimsical and purely imaginative fantasy, Nevermore is sure to capture the attention of readers of all ages. Nevermoor is reminiscent of Harry Potter, The Chronicles of Narnia and The Unwanteds, and yet has a quality that is unique to this charming story. I was captured by the very first chapter, enchanted by the mysterious and colourful Jupiter North, and intrigued by the magic of Nevermoor, but it was the brave heroine of this story, Morrigan Crow, who truly won my heart.

Morrigan Crow is a cursed child, doomed to die on the last night of the age, Eventide. But before she can meet her untimely end, she is whisked away by the strange and colourful Jupiter North, who takes her to a magical, secret city called Nevermoor. Here she discovers that Jupiter has put forward her name as a candidate for the illustrious Wundrous Society - but to gain entry she must first pass four trials. However, Morrigan soon realises that while the other competitors each have a special talent (from dragon riding to magical singing), she herself does not (being cursed doesn't count). Morrigan must discover her talent and pass each trial if she is to stay in Nevermoor.

Nevermoor is so well written. It was a delight to read and fun to read aloud (I read the first few chapters to my middle-grade book club and they loved it. They are also slightly mad at me because now they have to wait ages until they can read the entire book for themselves.) Nevermoor also has superb world building. It is the kind of magical and quirky place where umbrellas assist in transport, vampire dwarfs sulk in smoking rooms (never used for actual smoking, of course), and children compete in dangerous trials to gain entrance into the Wundrous Society. There are magical creatures, some familiar like unicorns, vampires, and dragons, and some quite new, like the Magnificat (a giant, talking cat) named Fenestra. Wunder is the magic that powers both Nevermoor and the world from which Morrigan first came, and there is so much more to learn about Wunder and what it can do.

The characters in Nevermoor are just as bright and detailed as the magical setting. Firstly, Morrigan, with her strange black eyes and propensity for wearing black. She has been raised knowing she is cursed, that she must die on her ninth birthday and that her curse impacts all those around her. For these reasons she has never known love from her family or friendship. Being rescued by Jupiter and starting a new life in his magnificent hotel, The Deucalion, gives Morrigan her first chance to make friends. Morrigan is brave despite her fears, kind despite the treatment she has received all her life, and has a wonderful sense of both imagination and humour, making her an immediately likeable character. I believe both boys and girls will connect and empathise with Morrigan. Jupiter North is an amazing character. With his bright red hair and beard and colourful choice in clothing he pops right out of the pages. He is an explorer, member of the Wundrous Society, magnificent hotelier, and a bit of a trouble maker. He too is exceedingly kind and makes a fantastic mentor for Morrigan (even if he is a bit vague sometimes). There is a also whole host of fantastic characters in Nevermoor, from Morrigan's new friend Hawthorn the dragon rider, to the gleefully evil singing Noelle, not to mention the Wundersmith.

I know readers will love and delight in this magical story - I certainly did. I predict great things for its future (it will make the most amazing inspiration for Book Week costumes), and I can't wait to read the next book in this series.

The publishers provided an advanced readers copy of this book for reviewing purposes. All opinions are my own.

An absolutely fabulous book that should be on every tween's Christmas list as well as young adults and even adults. Ms Townsend has done an awesome job of building a world that is utterly believable and filled with characters of every kind - I was incredibly sad when I turned that last page but completely relieved to know that this is just book one.
Morrigan Crow is going to die - she even knows when and in fact it might not be such a bad thing as she has been leading quite a cursed existence. Born on Eventide the most unlucky of all times Morrigan has known that she had a limited time span to live and that all things that have gone wrong from the day she was born in the sphere of her existence have been blamed on her. It will, of course, be put right when she dies at midnight on her eleventh birthday.
However, things go a little astray when as this time approaches the marvelous Jupiter North appears and requests her to travel with him to place known as 'Nevermoor'. A place mysterious and magical when anything can and does happen. With only death awaiting her and her family seeming to have little care for her, Morrigan quickly escapes to 'Nevermoor' where the adventure really begins. It is here that Morrigan discovers she is to undergo a set of trials in order to join the 'Wundrous Society'. If she does not succeed than she will be sent away from 'Nevermoor'.
What a rollercoaster ride - will she pass this test or that test? Who is on her side and who will try to stop her? What is Jupiter really up to? Who is the strange old man she keeps bumping into? You just have to dive in and hold on tight as you cheer Morrigan all the way.
There are such beautiful descriptions of the people and places that you can't help but play out the story in technicolour grandeur in your mind. All the characters that people 'Nevermoor' are super from those that inhabit Jupiter's hotel to the other children competing for a spot in the 'Wundrous Society. This is a great start to a series from an author who I imagine will only get better. Bring on book two.

Miss Morrigan Crow has known since she was born that she will die on Eventide. Although she is the daughter of the distinguished Chancellor Corvus Crow the people of Jackalfax, her family included, will not mourn her passing. Morrigan is wonderful and whimsical eleven-year-old girl, who is desperate to find family and appreciation, all the while resigned to accept the responsibility for all bad luck that plagues Jackalfax. This is the dark reality of being a cursed child. On the eve of Eventide Morrigan receives an invitation to the Wundrous Society sponsored by a man named Jupiter North. Survival and Nevermoor await her.

Morrigan Crow is a fantastic character. She finds herself as the blame of all kinds of disasters from a burnt batch of jam to a boy losing the spelling bee to the Crow’s gardener’s heart attack. But thanks to Jupiter she finds herself living in a hotel that adapts to its guests’ needs and mingles with a cast of crazy characters. She finds out that for her to stay in this wonderful world she must get into The Wundrous Society and in turn face four trails which aren’t what they seem.

This is why I love middle-grade fantasy. I flew through this. It was so much fun and at times suspenseful. There something about this genre that allows the worlds to be innovative, creative and refreshing. Cursed children, brolly rails, secret societies, giant talking cats, magic trails and my new favourite holiday, Hallowmas. Townsend has mixed the whimsy of worlds like Wonderland and Whoville with the dark humour of Lemony Snicket. The Trials of Morrigan Crow is a wondrous adventure, which will ignite the imagination of any reader.

Townsend hasn’t only created a relatable protagonist and an amazingly creative world; she also created a cast of amazing secondary characters. These characters are all well rounded and aren’t just there as props to support Morrigan. Jupiter North is really the child at the heart of this story. He is a mysterious man who is an explorer, hotel proprietor, member of the Wundrous Society and Morrigan’s Patron and guardian. I adore Morrigan and Jupiter’s friendship, mostly how the roles seem reversed with Morrigan being the reserved and sensible one. Along with Jupiter, we have, Fenestra the talking Magnificat, Jupiter’s broody nephew, Jack, a vampire dwarf, an opera singer whose voice summons woodland critters and Hawthorne, Morrigan friend and fellow competitor in the Wundrous Society trials. I adore all these characters and they have—Hawthorne and Jupiter especially—become some of my all-time favourite characters.

I have a feeling this book is going to create a new generation of readers much like Harry Potter did when I was a kid. Please, pretty please can we have some kind of TV or film adaptation! I need to see Nevermoor in Technicolor! All I can say is it’s going to be a long wait for the squeal and my Wundrous Society Invitation.

I've heard Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow was the pick for Christmas, and it lived up to the hype! Australian author Jessica Townsend writes beautifully and it doesn’t hurt that the magic is very reminiscent of Harry Potter. Honestly, it had me at the talking cat. All we need is book two, now!

If you don’t know the name Jessica Townsend, you soon will. The Queensland author has created a wonderful new fantasy series that could well fill the post Harry Potter void with her debut novel, Nevermoor - an adventurous story about a cursed child who, on the eve of her scheduled death, finds herself whisked away to a magical city with an invitation to try out for a prestigious organisation.

While the influence of the Potter universe is no doubt there, think Hogwart’s Triwizard Cup, Townsend has carved herself out a unique word with a distinct voice. Morrigan Crow is fun, strong character that’s easy to cheer for while the plot is fast-paced and full of adventure.

It’s a world you’ll want to return to again and again, so it’s a good thing that book two has already been announced for next year.

*thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Children's Books, Australia for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

4 stars.
Wow! What a surprise this book turned out to be! Ive heard that its ment to be the next Harry Potter and immediately I was just, 'nope....just nope.' Butttttt.....I think I may have been wrong! Yeah I know! But seriously, this was really really good! Its got everything you want in it and can I mention just how much I LOVE that cover! I just love it so much! If you are even a bit interested in seeing for yourself if this lives up to the hype, then read it! I have also just hear that this is to be a series?.... I hope so! I can not wait to read the next!!