Jessica Townsend (1) (1985–)

It's always a bit nerve-wracking going into a new YA magic-world series these days, because so many of them are an utter disappointment, but I was absolutely impressed with Nevermoor! From the outset I was getting a definitive Nightmare Before Christmas vibe, Harry Potter-style world building, with Diana Wynne Jones' sensibilities to make sure that the story didn't go off the rails. Considering that this is the author's first novel, and it's this strong from the get-go, I'm expected show more something even more fantastic for the sequel - if only the next month and a half til publication would hurry up! show less

Morrigan Crow is cursed, blamed for everything that goes wrong in her community and doomed to die young. But just as her fated death draws near, she is rescued by Jupiter North, a strange man who takes her to the province of Nevermoor and sponsors her to join the Wundrous Society. Morrigan is elated -- Jupiter cares about her, she gets to live in a wonderful, magical hotel, and for the first time, she has a friend. But to get into the Wundrous Society, she'll have to pass four trials -- and show more the fourth one requires her to have a knack, a special magical ability. And unfortunately, Morrigan has no idea what hers is supposed to be.

I decided to reread the series on audio in preparation for reading [Silverborn] and it's just as good as I remember from my first reading! This is the magical school series I recommend to kids instead of HP these days since JKR turned into a raging transphobe. It's one of the few books that I think captures the same sense of whimsy and wonder that HP does, but Townsend does it fully in her own way and Nevermoor is definitely not an HP knockoff -- in a lot of ways, I think it's stronger. 5 stars. show less

This review contains spoilers for Hollowpox: The Hunt for Morrigan Crow.

The fourth book in the series picks up just weeks after Morrigan signed her apprenticeship agreement with Ezra Squall and, while her skills as a Wundersmith are improving under Squall's tutelage, she still hasn't figured out how to tell her patron, Jupiter North, what she's done. Complicating matters is the news that Morrigan has more ties to Nevermoor than she originally thought and the revelation causes a rift between show more her and Jupiter. As Morrigan explores a different side of Nevermoor with her new connections, she also finds herself investigating a murder with the aid of her cohort in the Wundrous Society. But while investigating a crime seems so much fun in all of the novels, doing it in real life could have devastating consequences for not just Morrigan but all of Nevermoor.

Jessica Townsend knocks it out of the park again with this fourth book in the series. While Morrigan is decidedly a teen now, with the sometimes hormone-infused emotional rollercoaster and poor decisions that entails, she is also still a compelling heroine as she continues to explore her magical abilities. Townsend does a lot of work deftly in this novel, exploring a new sector of society in Nevermoor, establishing more of Morrigan's backstory, and hinting that larger challenges may just lie ahead. And she does it all while crafting a very solid mystery novel in the midst of it. Fans of the series will be delighted to immerse themselves in this world and spend more time with the characters they've come to love and meeting some new friends along the way. Highly recommended (but obviously read the previous books first). show less

Nevermoor was just such a fun read! It’s a middle grade fantasy book filled with a hint of danger and darkness (Morrigan Crow is a Cursed Child, blamed for all local misfortunes, and doomed to die at midnight on her 11th birthday), plenty of charm (the hotel she lives in!) and humour (a Magnificat - a giant talking cat - does the housekeeping). Also there are trials to get into the prestigious Wondrous Society and even after I’ve finished the book I still haven’t quite the faintest show more idea what the society is about, but I’d love to join it any day (where’s my invitation?) show less