Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow

I loved every bit of this sequel, the found family aspect, the warmth and the whimsy, the pacing, and the always brilliant, brave, and good-hearted Morrigan Crow, these books aren’t nearly as popular as they deserve to be.

There’s a perfect balance here between action (Morrigan trying to resolve a series of disappearances) and emotion (ups and downs with classmates leery of having Wundersmith Morrigan in their midst and a school convinced that under-educating her is the way to stop her from becoming a villain).

A thoroughly enjoyable ride, this is over five hundred pages and there isn’t a word wasted or an ounce of boredom, don’t be daunted by the length of the books in this series, time seems to fly by every time I pick up one show more of these stories. show less

Morrigan is finally a member of the Wundrous Society and finally gets to start learning how to use her Wundersmith powers. Only, her new year mates aren't her biggest fans, the Wundrous Society seems determined to keep reminding her how horrible all Wundersmiths are instead of teaching her how to do anything, and other WunSoc members keep mysteriously disappearing...

Just as fun as the first time I read it. I love how Townsend's brain works -- these books are pure fun and imagination, with a side of found family and emotional damage. 4.5 stars.

I was not a big fan of the first book. I thought Nevermoor was confusing especially the world building. I never felt like I understood how the world and the magic system worked.

I didn't have the same issue with this book. It was much more clear to me how things worked and I learned a lot about the world.

I love the characters and this plot was better, in my opinion, than book one.

This book has much more the Harry Potter vibe I was hoping for and was told existed in book one. This books is about friendship, loyalty, morality and so much more.

If you like middle grade fantasy then slog through the first book because this one is very much worth it!

I loved it soooo much and can't wait for the next book to come out.

I loved the dynamics show more of the characters and I loved Morrigan's character growth. I loved the complexities she faces because of all she learned about herself in book one along with the complex feelings that her schoolmates have about her.

This book does take place partially in a school and I really enjoyed how we learned about the world as Morrigan did.

I can't say much more than I am excited and I want more! show less

I spent much of the book wanting to shake the entire teaching staff of the WunSoc and ask them if they had ever heard of a self-fulfilling prophecy. How they expected to shove Morrigan in a corner explaining how terrible she is, and think tat could never blow up in their faces, is beyond me. I find her admirable for her ability to actually stick with it, because 12 year old me would've thrown tantrums about attending such a dreadful class everyday. I am sad there are some explanations it seems we will never receive, Professor Onstwald's motivations for example, but there are also juicy plotlines that I cannot wait to see how they play out.

First published at Booking in Heels.

I’ve been so nervous about starting this book – would it have the same quirkiness, the same loveliness, the same excitement? I needn’t have feared – it totally did.

Morrigan is now a member of the Wundrous Society and classes have started in order to teach the new members how to use their new powers. Only the school isn’t too thrilled about having to teach a Wundersmith and Morrigan doesn’t have too easy a time of it. The schoolroom setting means that the atmosphere of the first book, when Morrigan was going through the Trials, is preserved and the general feel is the same.

The imagination of Jessica Townsend is wonderful. Everything she creates is so unique and quirky, whilst having an show more over-arching plot that doesn’t feel at all contrived. There are some fantastic ideas in Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow and I have zero complaints about the way any of them were executed. All the old characters are present (plus some new ones), as is the wonderful Hotel Deucalion. I really wish my bedroom changed according how I was feeling…

It does have Middle Book Syndrome, in that Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow doesn’t really advance the plot much, if at all. I feel that this book could be safely removed from the series and no gap would be felt. That said, it was only afterwards that I realised this, as I was having too much fun reading it. In short, it’s an unnecessary book, but a really enjoyable one.

There was a plot point that annoyed me, which is why I gave this book four stars instead of five, like the first. It was one of those ‘you really need to give this information to somebody in authority’ things, and they wind me up like nothing else. A reason is given, so I’ll give the author a nod for recognising the problem, but it didn’t really sit right in my head.

I do love this series and Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow was absolutely not a disappointment. It was only one niggle away from being just as good as the first, and that’s high praise for the second book in any series. I love the tone, the story and the characters and I’ll definitely be pre-ordering the third book as soon as it’s announced. show less

Morrigan thought it would be so simple once she was accepted into the Wundrous Society. She would have a place in the world, a purpose, and eight friends who would stick as close as family. She would learn how to use her astonishing abilities. Of course, nothing goes as expected...

This book was just as good as the previous one, with tantalizing hints of future wonders and complexities. I could hardly put it down, and I’m itching to pick up the next one (if only it were published)! For those hesitant to start an unfinished series, let me reassure you that there’s no cliffhanger here — this book’s plot wraps up satisfactorily, though of course there are plenty of hints about future adventures.

This summary contains spoilers for the first book in the series. Read at your own risk.

Morrigan has successfully made it into the Wundrous Society but her abilities as a Wundersmith leave her feeling like as much of an outsider as she ever has. Most of the fellow members of her unit view her with suspicion that isn't helped by the rash of disappearances by various members of the Society. With Morrigan's patron, Jupiter North, drawn into the investigation, she feels particularly alone as she grapples with just what being a Wundersmith actually means.

A really solid second entry in this series that had me pleased although a bit anxious to move on to the next book in the series. Morrigan's challenges with her classes felt like they dragged show more on a bit longer than really necessary although there's plenty of other events going on that keep the novel from dragging or feel like it's wallowing in Morrigan's worries and envy too much. We slowly get to know some of the other members of Morrigan's unit and while I still haven't got a handle on all nine, I'm getting a stronger feel for at least half of them. Also, Jupiter North remains completely book crushworthy. A satisfying read for those who enjoyed the first book in the series. show less