Review - Nevermoor The Trials of Morrigan Crow

Nevermoor The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend

Published 8th February 2018 by Orion Children's Books

Star Rating - ****

Goodreads Challenge - 29/50

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Morrigan Crow is cursed. Having been born on Eventide, the unluckiest day for any child to be born, she's blamed for all local misfortunes, from hailstorms to heart attacks--and, worst of all, the curse means that Morrigan is doomed to die at midnight on her eleventh birthday.

But as Morrigan awaits her fate, a strange and remarkable man named Jupiter North appears. Chased by black-smoke hounds and shadowy hunters on horseback, he whisks her away into the safety of a secret, magical city called Nevermoor.

It's then that Morrigan discovers Jupiter has chosen her to contend for a place in the city's most prestigious organization: the Wundrous Society. In order to join, she must compete in four difficult and dangerous trials against hundreds of other children, each boasting an extraordinary talent that sets them apart--an extraordinary talent that Morrigan insists she does not have. To stay in the safety of Nevermoor for good, Morrigan will need to find a way to pass the tests--or she'll have to leave the city to confront her deadly fate.

My Thoughts

I've heard nothing but great things about this book and it's had a lot of comparison to Harry Potter so I was super excited to finally pick this one up. I wasn't disappointed, I actually really enjoyed this story however, I did read this during and after I had finished the beast that was Priory of the Orange Tree so I think that may have affected the time it took me to get invested in this story. Once I got going however, I was keen to get to the end. 

This is actually a middle grade book aimed at younger readers however, I don't think you have to be a younger reader to fully enjoy this story. I think this story is super accessible for any age and personally, as an adult reader, I really enjoyed it. The author has done a great job at building a world, not unlike out own, but full of magic and whimsy. The world is recognisable for younger readers but there's enough going on to engage older readers and to make the setting fun and entertaining. The writing style again is simple enough for younger readers to follow but it's super engaging and compelling. 

The thing I loved most about this book though was the characters. They were all super well thought out and really interesting. They all had really interesting personalities and an air of mystery surrounding them. There's lots of back stories I really want to dive into a lot more. Morrigan herself was great, she was really good natured and kind hearted. All she wanted was to fit in and find friendship and her story was really heart warming. I loved the humor and snark that came from Jupiter. Hawthorne was really fun and Fen was just great! 

Overall I really enjoyed this story in the end. Like I said, it took me a while to get into to begin with, which I think was because I was in a bit of a book hangover, but once I got into it I finished it really quickly and I was keen to see what happens. I'm definitely super excited to pick up the sequel.

Overall Rating