Review: Nevermoor

Title: Nevermoor

Author: Jessica Townsend

Rating: 5 Stars

Format: Paperback

Publisher: PanMacmillan South Africa

Date Published: 31 October 2017

Goodreads Description: 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.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Spoiler Free

I wish my 11-year-old-self had read this book. It is fantastic and magical and wonderful and a delight to read. Townsend paints such a vivid picture and creates such a stunningly realistic, yet magical world, I wish I could live in Nevermoor. This book feels like Harry Potter, Narnia, Dr Seuss and all the best memories of your childhood rolled into one. The plot is as unique as the world Townsend created and I honestly cannot wait to read more.

This book made me wish I could grow up with the characters, as I did with Harry Potter. Nevermoor invoked all of the feelings I felt when reading Harry Potter, but the book still stands well on its own and is a fantastical adventure in its own right. This book is perfect for older readers as well, since I, a 22-year-old, am currently raving about how amazing it is.

I’m eagerly awaiting my Wundrous Society invitation and the second book.

Characters

Morrigan Crow is my favourite character in the whole book. And it’s not only because she’s the protagonist. She’s sneakily sharp, and her comments and observations always delight me. Her wit is razor sharp, though she has her naive moments. She’s only 11 after all. I can’t wait to see how she grows and how she conquers her fears. The plot of this book wasn’t that character driven, but I hope to see more growth from her in the second book.

Jupiter North is another favourite of mine. He’s the perfect eccentric uncle, and I hope in the future he’ll become more of a father figure to Morrigan. He pulls a lot of strings for Morrigan and works behind the scenes for most of the book, but I do hope that he can be more of a mentor for Morrigan going forward.

Hawthorne, Morrigan’s best friend, and Jack, Jupiter’s nephew, were both great characters as well and I hope we get to see more of them going further. I hope they’ll play a bigger part in Morrigan’s life and adventures.

Spoilers

Normally this is where I give some spoilers, but this time I’m not giving you any. Go read the book. For real. Or listen to the audiobook, I heard it’s great.

Do it now.

Let’s Chat

Have you read Nevermoor? What did you think?

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