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

The comparison to Harry Potter can't be helped - we've got an unloved 11-year-old protagonist who gets whisked away to a magical world where they discover their own abilities, a sense of belonging, and a mysterious connection to the big bad villain...but that's not to say that Nevermoor is unoriginal! In fact, I'm impressed by how unique the world is despite the mentioned tropes. I read a review that likened the setting to a cross between Hogwarts and Lewis Carroll's Wonderland, which is pretty spot on. It does feel a little too random at times (or maybe that's my age talking), so hopefully the world will feel more "cohesive" in the next books.

It only took a few pages for me to love Morrigan and want to adopt her, haha. That the Wundersmith was written as a larger than life villain, too large to be believable for Morrigan, more myth than man...

only for that to be completely subverted by the reveal of Mr. Jones and how he had orchestrated everything from the beginning...

very cool. The humor always hits, too! This was a delightful start to a series and I'm already diving into the sequel.

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ashleycmms's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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emily_mh's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious relaxing medium-paced

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

5.0

UGH, PERFECTION. This has all the creativity and and whimsy of A Series of Unfortunate Events, without the author having been accused of sexual harassment. The world-building is so fun and imaginative and has a steampunk vibe to it. I didn't want it to end, and I cannot WAIT to borrow the next book from my library.

As a side note, I listened to the audiobook. Let me just say that Gemma Whelan does an ABSOLUTELY PHENOMENAL JOB!! It reminded me of audiobook CDs I used to borrow from the library and play on my bulky CD player to get to sleep when I was a kid. Definitely my favourite audiobook of the year so far.

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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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