Reviews with content warning for Emotional abuse - Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow

I thought this cover looked stupid. I thought it looked childish and silly and dumb. I thought it would be poorly written with flat, uninteresting characters.

I will never--never--judge a book by it's cover, ever again.

I loved this book so much, it is now my favourite book. I devoured it, and if I had access to the rest of the series, I would devour them too, because I just love this so much. I love every character, I love every concept, I loved it all.

Shout-out to Anna for buying me this absolutely wonderful book. Never would've gotten around to reading otherwise.

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amethyst_knight's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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anselm's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

The start was a bit slow. But once you get through the first half it really gets going and is an engaging read. It has a lot of heart and defines found family.

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cait's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

"It says, 'Morrigan Crow is a citizen of the Free State and wasn't smuggled in illegally, so why don't you just get over it so we can all get on with our lives?' There's a government seal on it and everything."

Middle grade, when done right, is utterly delightful, and this one was definitely done right. It brings the deep sadness of all magical middle grade novels, but combines it with the appropriate level of hilarity and ridiculousness to balance it perfectly.

We follow 10-year-old Morrigan Crow, the daughter of a politician. Named as cursed upon her birth, she has been blamed for everything that went wrong in her village ever since - from deaths to lost spelling bees to bad weather. Doomed to die when she turns eleven, Morrigan finds herself saved at the last minute by a strange ginger man in a giant, mechanical spider and taken to a magical land called Nevermoor, where she is set to compete for a place in the illustrious Wondrous Society. But there is a darkness brewing, Morrigan is being pursued by a group of murderous ghosts, and failing the competition equals certain death.

This book was so much fun! One of my favorite middle grade tropes will always be a normal, human child is whisked away to an absurdist, magical society run by adults who just so happen to be complete lunatics. The stakes are often undercut by deus ex machina, but it never feels overdone or unexpected, because the crumbs have already been sprinkled along the path so that you were aware of the possibility or, if you weren't, you suddenly realize that's where they were leading you all along. The writing was excellent. The characters were well-developed and lovable. The setting was evocative and enchanting.

Long story short, while I don't often read middle grade anymore, I have placed book two on my hold list at the library.

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kellyhady's review

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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margaretmaenad's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

Great if you'd like a more fantasy-rich and inclusive "magical school/society" than Harry Potter.

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foreverinastory's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.5

Rep: female MC, side character with an eyepatch, black side character.

CWs: Abandonment, child abuse/neglect, death, emotional abuse (from parents), bullying (minor-1 incident).

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a_robin_reads's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Information:

Library book
October readathon

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Review:

Amazing, loved this.
Loved the inspiration the author took from HP.

This story was the best. I loved every bit about it. From the writing, with amazing discriptions, to the awesome and loveable characters to the story line itself with twists and turns.

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Review previously placed on my blog:

I have read The trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend. This is the first book in the Nevermoor series. I tried to read this for the October readathon, but didn't finish it in time, so therefore finishing it now.

I really loved this book! It felt very nostalgic. I loved the inspiration the author took from Harry Potter, it was a lot of fun. I also liked that there were new things to it as well. Loved all the characters and the writing. The pace was also very good and the story itself just lovely and cute. Can't wait to read the rest of the series! 5 stars!

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