Title: Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow      

Author: Jessica Townsend    

Genre: Fantasy, Middle Grade

Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers  

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 480

Rating: 5/5 stars

Synopsis (Goodreads):

A breathtaking, enchanting new series by debut author Jessica Townsend, about a cursed girl who 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.

Perfect for fans of the Harry Potter series and Neil Gaiman, this fast-paced plot and imaginative world has a fresh new take on magic that will appeal to a new generation of readers.

Review:

So I read this book for the book club that I and another teacher run at school and I was so pleasantly surprised by how much I loved this book. While it is written for middle school age, I really enjoyed reading it as an adult and the teens I teach also really enjoyed it!

Morrigan is one of the cursed. She is meant to die at the age of 11 because she curses the rest of society and causes bad things to happen. But on the eve of her death she is swept into a world she had no idea existed and learns so much more about herself and her “curse”. I loved the characters and the pace of the book. All the characters were so loveable and it was action packed! The magical element to the book almost reminds me of Harry Potter!

If you’re looking for a fun book for a younger audience, then I definitely recommend this one!

Happy reading!