Scan barcode
A review by mariahistryingtoread
Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow [Large Print] by Jessica Townsend
5.0
I adored this book. It has everything I love: a captivating fantasy setting, a female protagonist who is chock-full of spirit not just brawn, strong pacing, a plot that twists as well as turns. Most importantly, it’s plain fun. Seriously, this book was so good it actually somewhat ruined a similar book for me - Amari and the Night Brothers - because I couldn’t help comparing it to this one.
Morrigan Crow is treated like garbage by everyone around her due to the (possibly) erroneous belief she is cursed. This ‘supposed’ curse is the reason for everything that goes wrong in her community; from a dog getting loose to it raining when it wasn’t in the forecast to a fire in a factory a hundred miles from her. If Morrigan so much as breathes, a townsperson is quick to blame a misfortune on it.
As you can imagine this has not left Morrigan with a high sense of self worth. When the diverting though enigmatic Jupiter North offers her a chance at redefining herself on her terms, Morrigan vows to do all that she can to stay in the first place to ever make her feel welcome.
I am a sucker for good worldbuilding. It won’t make a bad book good or anything extreme like that, but it definitely affects my personal enjoyment a considerable amount. I love the blending of the paranormal with the more basic fantastical elements. There are vampires and zombies on top of fairies and the entire world also runs on magic. It works on two levels here. It provides a good contrast between Morrigan’s original world versus the new one and it creates unlimited potential for the storytelling. Not having limits can be a bad thing as it can make author machinations more noticeable because there are no constraints to ensure the internal logic remains consistent. In this case it works well since there is a clearly delineated logical framework for the story to operate under even though the universe is so open.
Morrigan is a wonderful character to follow. I don’t mind a flawed protagonist, but it was nice that her flaws were more about her insecurities rather than obnoxious behaviors she needed to learn to curtail or overcome. Don’t get me wrong, inward and outward flaws both have their place depending on the intention of the story. However, I prefer not being annoyed while the character works through their arc whenever possible so I was more than content with the choice Townsend made in this regard.
Morrigan has been dealt an awful hand in life. While this has obviously impacted her, I liked that she managed to keep her chin up. People don’t often appreciate how difficult it is to stay kind and/or positive when in abusive situations. This isn’t a judgment on how different peoples’ trauma manifests merely an observation that there is a misconception that kindness equals weakness. Morrigan coming into her own because of her compassion rather than in spite of it is a more worthwhile lesson to impart, in my opinion, than romanticizing emotional unavailability. In my experience it's much harder to express vulnerability which is why people recoil from it. It's uncomfortable to face head on when you're not used to it and most people are not given the proper tools to handle an outpouring of emotion. Stories for kids where there is an emphasis on being emotionally intelligent plus smart or funny or whatever are a great way of combating the stigma.
Regardless of my love, I did still have a few grievances.
The supporting characters outside of Morrigan and Jupiter are middling at best. The most I can say in their favor is that they serve a purpose in the narrative. For example, Jupiter has a nephew named Jack that hates Morrigan on sight. Not only does Jack not appear until 50% of the way in the majority of their disputes happen off page. It made the few times they did butt heads feel like outliers rather than common occurrences. He didn't have many appearances to particularly ratchet up the tension either. Plus, he becomes friendlier by the end. Once again, he doesn't even show up until the latter half of the novel. There's simply not enough time for a full character arc of this magnitude.
Morrigan's new best friend is just that. You could swap in any generic bsf, there would be no change. She needs a body to follow in her stead but there is nothing essential about him specifically. If you’ve seen Coraline, think Other!Wybie - who is a movie-only addition for this exact reason actually. Technically, she could have gone through this story entirely alone and there'd be little change.
The rest of the cast are minor characters. They add to the atmosphere so I’m not saying get rid of them. But, it does leave very little for me to root for when it comes to Morrigan saving this world since most of the inhabitants are underdeveloped or one note.
Related to that, while I did mention the pacing being strong before it was only strong in the sense that the big events were well dispersed. The smaller character interactions or moments for universe exploration were undercut by the way time would rapidly pass on a dime. A trial happens, suddenly it's been six weeks, summer is now over, wait it’s halloween now, etc.
I hate loose timelines like this because it undermines the pressure of the deadline. It's massively important that Morrigan be accepted into this society. I want to feel that tension amping up as the deadline looms ever closer. Letting time flow in this manner creates a premature release in pressure as the intervening period is so placid comparatively. Arguably, my real issue is how far apart the trials are in the timeline. I wouldn't change where they are in the novel overall so it's more about how long it takes for it to unfold in the canon. A month at the most would have been better.
My last gripe is a personal one. Unfortunately I seem to have outgrown the fanciful mentor archetype. I suspected as much after I read The Luck Uglies late last year as that features a very similar character to Jupiter who annoyed me immensely. I found Jupiter infuriating more than charming. I actually was going to detract a whole star due to his shenanigans. Surprisingly, in the end Townsend tied it all together in a way that managed to justify his actions. It did nothing for his likeability because I still take issue with his personality. Still I can't fault the book for my own preferences.
Long story short Nevermoor is a delightful middle grade fantasy. One of my favorites, if not my absolute favorite one this year. I'm happy to report it rightfully deserves all the acclaim. Seriously, read it. You will not be disappointed (assuming you have good taste, of course)
Morrigan Crow is treated like garbage by everyone around her due to the (possibly) erroneous belief she is cursed. This ‘supposed’ curse is the reason for everything that goes wrong in her community; from a dog getting loose to it raining when it wasn’t in the forecast to a fire in a factory a hundred miles from her. If Morrigan so much as breathes, a townsperson is quick to blame a misfortune on it.
As you can imagine this has not left Morrigan with a high sense of self worth. When the diverting though enigmatic Jupiter North offers her a chance at redefining herself on her terms, Morrigan vows to do all that she can to stay in the first place to ever make her feel welcome.
I am a sucker for good worldbuilding. It won’t make a bad book good or anything extreme like that, but it definitely affects my personal enjoyment a considerable amount. I love the blending of the paranormal with the more basic fantastical elements. There are vampires and zombies on top of fairies and the entire world also runs on magic. It works on two levels here. It provides a good contrast between Morrigan’s original world versus the new one and it creates unlimited potential for the storytelling. Not having limits can be a bad thing as it can make author machinations more noticeable because there are no constraints to ensure the internal logic remains consistent. In this case it works well since there is a clearly delineated logical framework for the story to operate under even though the universe is so open.
Morrigan is a wonderful character to follow. I don’t mind a flawed protagonist, but it was nice that her flaws were more about her insecurities rather than obnoxious behaviors she needed to learn to curtail or overcome. Don’t get me wrong, inward and outward flaws both have their place depending on the intention of the story. However, I prefer not being annoyed while the character works through their arc whenever possible so I was more than content with the choice Townsend made in this regard.
Morrigan has been dealt an awful hand in life. While this has obviously impacted her, I liked that she managed to keep her chin up. People don’t often appreciate how difficult it is to stay kind and/or positive when in abusive situations. This isn’t a judgment on how different peoples’ trauma manifests merely an observation that there is a misconception that kindness equals weakness. Morrigan coming into her own because of her compassion rather than in spite of it is a more worthwhile lesson to impart, in my opinion, than romanticizing emotional unavailability. In my experience it's much harder to express vulnerability which is why people recoil from it. It's uncomfortable to face head on when you're not used to it and most people are not given the proper tools to handle an outpouring of emotion. Stories for kids where there is an emphasis on being emotionally intelligent plus smart or funny or whatever are a great way of combating the stigma.
Regardless of my love, I did still have a few grievances.
The supporting characters outside of Morrigan and Jupiter are middling at best. The most I can say in their favor is that they serve a purpose in the narrative. For example, Jupiter has a nephew named Jack that hates Morrigan on sight. Not only does Jack not appear until 50% of the way in the majority of their disputes happen off page. It made the few times they did butt heads feel like outliers rather than common occurrences. He didn't have many appearances to particularly ratchet up the tension either. Plus, he becomes friendlier by the end. Once again, he doesn't even show up until the latter half of the novel. There's simply not enough time for a full character arc of this magnitude.
Morrigan's new best friend is just that. You could swap in any generic bsf, there would be no change. She needs a body to follow in her stead but there is nothing essential about him specifically. If you’ve seen Coraline, think Other!Wybie - who is a movie-only addition for this exact reason actually. Technically, she could have gone through this story entirely alone and there'd be little change.
The rest of the cast are minor characters. They add to the atmosphere so I’m not saying get rid of them. But, it does leave very little for me to root for when it comes to Morrigan saving this world since most of the inhabitants are underdeveloped or one note.
Related to that, while I did mention the pacing being strong before it was only strong in the sense that the big events were well dispersed. The smaller character interactions or moments for universe exploration were undercut by the way time would rapidly pass on a dime. A trial happens, suddenly it's been six weeks, summer is now over, wait it’s halloween now, etc.
I hate loose timelines like this because it undermines the pressure of the deadline. It's massively important that Morrigan be accepted into this society. I want to feel that tension amping up as the deadline looms ever closer. Letting time flow in this manner creates a premature release in pressure as the intervening period is so placid comparatively. Arguably, my real issue is how far apart the trials are in the timeline. I wouldn't change where they are in the novel overall so it's more about how long it takes for it to unfold in the canon. A month at the most would have been better.
My last gripe is a personal one. Unfortunately I seem to have outgrown the fanciful mentor archetype. I suspected as much after I read The Luck Uglies late last year as that features a very similar character to Jupiter who annoyed me immensely. I found Jupiter infuriating more than charming. I actually was going to detract a whole star due to his shenanigans. Surprisingly, in the end Townsend tied it all together in a way that managed to justify his actions. It did nothing for his likeability because I still take issue with his personality. Still I can't fault the book for my own preferences.
Long story short Nevermoor is a delightful middle grade fantasy. One of my favorites, if not my absolute favorite one this year. I'm happy to report it rightfully deserves all the acclaim. Seriously, read it. You will not be disappointed (assuming you have good taste, of course)