Nevermoor the place to be

The Trials of Morrigan Crow (Nevermoor #1) 
by Jessica Townsend
Hardcover, 640 pages
Expected publication: October 31st 2017 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

For Morrigan Crow life is going to be short as it is guaranteed she will not reach her 12th birthday. Morrigan is considered a curse child and is blamed for everything that goes wrong.  She spends most of her young life writing letters of apology for making someone’s life a misery and trying not to be a nuisance to her father. Yet, there is something special about Morrigan. On the eve of her death, an enigmatic red headed man named Jupiter North arrives and offers Morrigan a chance to live.  There is just one catch she is going to have  survive a series of trials that just may kill her anyway. 

Townsend has created a magical world that it well-crafted and exceptionally well realised.  Nevermoor leaps of the pages as you explore the hotel, travel along the streets and come to understand a little about the Wundrous Society. You are also introduced to deep social and political complexities that are gnawing away at this wonderful place. There is something not quite right, that is unsettling everyone and everything.

The central character is Morrigan Crow who is feisty, brave and a little bit stubborn. Caught between two worlds, Morrigan wants to belong, to be part of a family, to have people she can trust. I liked Morrigan, she has a lot of gumption and you know she still has more to growing to do.  Jupiter North threatens to steal this novel; he is a complicated character with a great deal of flair. The supporting characters are wonderful and all have their own personality and quirks. 

Naturally there are comparisons with the Potter series but that does the book a great disservice. Townsend has created her own unique world with its own structures and functions. It is real, it is wonderful and there is some darkness waiting to reveal itself. 

For me there are smatterings of Diana Wynne-Jones, Neil Gaiman and Roald Dahl. There is charm, whimsy, humour, trepidation and just a little bit of fear, A great debut novel. 

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