Happy New Year, bookwyrms!

Have you started building your book wishlist for 2019 yet? Well, if you haven’t already read it, and it’s not already on your to-be-read list, you have to add Nevermoor, The Trials of Morrigan Crow to the top of the pile.

But only if you like stories that have grumpy Magnificats, impossible feats of courage and wit, and dark villains who have names that must never be mentioned — even though it’s been ages since they’ve been heard from. Oh, and there’s that pesky curse, of course.

The girl who lived for another day

Poor Morrigan Crow is one of the unlucky children. Born on the stroke of midnight of Eventide, she’s cursed to die a mysterious death when the clock strikes midnight on the next Eventide, which could be 11 or 12 years depending on who you talk to.

And if that’s not bad enough, she’s blamed for everything that goes wrong. And I mean everything. Needless to say, she doesn’t have many friends. Everything changes when Eventide comes early and the eccentric and very ginger-haired Captain Jupiter North appears as if by magic.

After stealing Morrigan from the jaws of her fate, he whisks her to the realm of Nevermoor, promising her a chance to compete for a prized spot in the Wonderous Society. Should she succeed in completing four different challenges, Morrigan is offered the promise of safety, belonging, and family.

But the challenges themselves aren’t the only obstacles standing between her and her happily ever after. If Morrigan fails, well, let’s just say it won’t be only her life that’s on the line.

The perfect book for transitioning readers

Nevermoor, The Trials of Morrigan Crow comes in at a whopping 461 pulse-pounding pages, making this an ideal book for advanced young readers or bookwyrms who are transitioning from the middle grade to young adult fiction section of the library.

There’s plenty of world building in this story, but Jessica Townsend writes in a way that makes you feel like you’re an explorer discovering new areas on a map instead of having a ton of information thrown at you all at once.

As much as I enjoy all the magical features of Nevermoor, it’s the mystery that’s threaded throughout the story that kept me reading the most. Why is Morrigan cursed? And why, out of all the children born on Eventide, did Captain North chose to rescue her?

Warning for sensitive readers:  There are some scary monster scenes in this book. So if you struggle with nightmares when reading certain stories, you might have mom or dad have a go at it first. Just to be safe.

4.5 Dark Chocolate Eggs

But only because it has some elements that might not be suitable for all young readers. Personally, this is going on the shelf with some of my other favorites. It’s one of those books that, when you get to the end, you wish there were more pages to read still. And you don’t want to start another book because it means that this one is over…at least for now.

Fortunately for us, book 2 recently released so I won’t have to wait for too long to find out what happens next!

Until next time, happy reading adventures!

Note: No goods or services were exchanged for this review. The opinions expressed are the reviewer’s own.

P.S. Do you have a book you’d like me to review? You can let me know via Instagram, Twitter, or by leaving a comment here.