Jessica Townsend: Nevermoor (2020, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
512 pages
English language
Published Dec. 24, 2020 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.
A cursed girl escapes death and finds herself in a magical world-but is then tested beyond her wildest imagination
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 …
A cursed girl escapes death and finds herself in a magical world-but is then tested beyond her wildest imagination
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.
This is prime.
Nevermoor was a great series starter with a fun, imaginative world and a cast of funny, relatable characters. Morrigan and Jupiter were fun in different ways, the story was propulsive, and the worldbuilding was Dahl-esque, with confidence and verve.
The Christmas Eve chapter was wonderful and heartwarming, I want to read it every Christmas.
This book is a little slow to get started, but the world it describes is amazing, and only gets better the more you re-read it. Joyous characters and complex villains abound.
Yet another kid-goes-to-magic-school book, but with enough creativity, humour & flair to compensate.
Reading time 3 days, 149 pages/day
