Toppsta - Childrens Books – Reviews

Morrigan Crow is a cursed child. Born on Eventide, she is feared by everyone around her, blamed for any misfortune that should occur and, worst of all, destined to die on her 11th birthday. But just as Morrigan’s miserable life is about to be cut short, a curious mentor appears out of nowhere to spirit her away. Jupiter North is a strange, red-headed whirlwind who is determined that Morrigan (or Mog to her friends) is special and must escape Jackalfax for the magical Nevermoor. Mog is taken back to his home, the fantastical Hotel Deucalion and put up for a trial to enter the Wundrous Society. The only problem is each child competing in the four impossible trials has a special talent. Well, everyone except Mog. 

Morrigan’s adventures are fabulously inventive with plenty of action and cliff-hangers. Details like the umbrella transport that helps Morrigan and Jupiter get around and magical creatures like the vampire dwarf and Magnifi-Cat living at Hotel Deucalion help make Nevermoor a truly magical place.  Morrigan herself is bold, brave and yet strangely insecure and once in Nevermoor she starts to forge friendships for the very first time, including with her best friend Hawthorne. Whilst book 1 is all about the magical trials for the Wundrous society, book 2 is about life at the magical school and book 3 about a strange and dangerous illness that threatens the world Morrigan lives in.

Since Nevermoor was published in 2017 it has won multiple prizes including the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize in 2018. Written by Australian author Jessica Townsend, the Nevermoor books have often been compared to Harry Potter. Whilst they are an obvious choice for Potter fans, many more readers aged 10 upwards and fantasy lovers of any age will love them too. The length of the books and the descriptive language means they are well suited to advanced readers in particular.

The Nevermoor series is also set to be made into a major Hollywood film which we think will be huge and cannot wait to find out about the cast. Read it now and get ahead of the inevitable craze for the series – it’s bound to be the next big thing.

All the Nevermoor books in order:

Book 1: Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow (2017)
Book 2: Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow (2018)
Book 3: Hollowpox: The Hunt for Morrigan Crow (2020)
Book 4: Silverborn: The Mystery of Morrigan Crow (Oct 2022)