She is saved from her fate at the last minute by an eccentric character named Jupiter North and whisked away to Nevermoor. The story is about Morrigan Crow, a young girl who is not only cursed, but doomed. But honestly, of all the middle grade fantasies I've read in recent years, it most captures that same sense of fun and wonder of the Harry Potter novels. When our sales rep came to pitch this title to us at the bookstore, he basically called it 'the next Harry Potter.' Yeah, I've heard that before. but I read it the second time purely for my own pleasure. I read it the first time because of my job as a bookseller. There's no excuse for how much I enjoyed this bookįull disclosure: I am a 49-year-old childless woman, and I LOVED this novel. Perfect for fans of the Harry Potter series and Neil Gaiman, this fast-paced plot and imaginative world has a fresh new take on magic that will appeal to a new generation of listeners. 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.

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.

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. Chased by black-smoke hounds and shadowy hunters on horseback, he whisks her away into the safety of a secret, magical city called Nevermoor. 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 11th birthday.īut as Morrigan awaits her fate, a strange and remarkable man named Jupiter North appears. A breathtaking, enchanting new series by debut author Jessica Townsend about a cursed girl who escapes death and finds herself in a magical world - but is then tested beyond her wildest imagination.

Nevermore the trials of morrigan crow