Title:

Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow

Author:

Jessica Townsend

Category:

Fantasy / Science Fiction

Rating:

Date Reviewed:

February 21, 2025

evermoor : The Trials of Morrigan Crow, was a mixture of good and bad - much that I liked, and parts I found frustrating. I especially liked the opening premise - that Morrigan was cursed from birth and therefore everything that went wrong in the city of Jackalfax was her fault. A hail storm? Morrigan remarked that they were having nice weather. A fire at the school? Morrigan was spotted walking past the school on a previous day. A child loses a spelling bee? Morrigan wished him good luck. The absurdity of the situation was amusing. The gardener has a heart-attack, but its her fault because Morrigan commented that the flower beds looked nice - a year earlier! Morrigan was born on Eventide, and everyone knows that makes her cursed. Now she is eleven years old and will die when the next Eventide arrives. Which is predicted to be next year, on her twelfth birthday.

Bid day arrives in Jackalfax - when youngsters are offered desirable positions as interns or apprentices. To the disbelief of the crowd, Morrigan is offered two bids, even though she is cursed. Morrigan can become an apprentice to the mysterious Ezra Squall or to Jupiter North of the "Wundrous Society". Her father, the Chancellor of Wolfacre, forbids her to sign any of the contracts. After all, Morrigan is slated to die next Eventide. But instead, Jupiter North whisks her off to the magical state of Nevermoor, where she will have a chance to join the Wundrous Society - assuming that she can pass four tests and be one of the nine lucky youngsters who will comprise unit 919 of the Society. Morrigan simply must demonstrate bravery, honesty, strategic thinking and a special talent. The trouble is, Morrigan has no special talent. Being cursed and causing bad things to happen is not a talent.

Townsend has a good imagination, the magical land of Nevermoor is populated with interesting people and places. I was impressed by the "Battle of Christmas Eve" between Saint Nick and the Yule Queen. Morrigan lives in a magic hotel, the Deucalion, which is always changing and adapting. Morrigan's room changes dimensions, changes furniture, changes windows. The housekeeper for the hotel is a grumpy, giant-sized, talking cat named Fenestra.

What frustrated me about this book is the rushed ending. The book is 461 pages long, and yet Townsend doesn't answer any questions about Morrigan's lack of talent, or even reveal the threat of the Wundersmith until near the end of the book. I am not a fan of plots that rely on withholding information from characters and the reader. Morrigan repeatedly asks Jupiter for explanations on any number of topics, and he always deflects with non-answers. I found that annoying. The four trials take up the majority of the storyline, but the real plot is all about Ezra Squall and Wundersmiths, which hardly gets addressed until the very end.

Nevermoor : The Trials of Morrigan Crow is definitely the first book of a trilogy. It establishes the characters and the setting, but only vaguely outlines the true plot about Wundersmiths. I am not sure I am motivated enough to hunt down the next one.