The Appeal of Morrigan Crow and Nevermoor [MG Review]

Preamble

This post sat in my drafts for just over a year. Cybils judging introduced me to Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow in January 2019. I had heard some buzz around the book prior to that. I thought it couldn’t possibly be as good as everyone made it out to be. Hah! Well. I had good intentions to review the book after it was announced the Cybils winner, but intentions do not write book reviews.

I shelved the sequel, Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow (which had already been released), immediately after finishing Nevermoor, though I didn’t pick it up until December 2019. That’s when I drafted this post. “I’ll review both books at once, giving an overview of the elements that make this series so enjoyable!”, I thought. That didn’t happen either. But third time’s the charm! I reread the first two books last month and finished Hollowpox: The Hunt for Morrigan Crow a few days ago. I made lots of notes while reading. I’m finally ready to share my thoughts.

This post mixes my personal reaction to the series and an evaluation of its appeal for young readers. I avoid specific spoilers in most sections, but remember I reflect on the series as a whole. The final section on Hollowpox contains spoilers for all three books. As this is one of my longest ‘reviews’ ever, here is a wee table of contents:

• “The Next Harry Potter Phenomenon”
• Characters
  • Morrigan Crow
  • Jupiter North
  • Fenestra
• Plotting
• Worldbuilding
• Je Ne Sais Quoi
• Hollowpox: The Hunt for Morrigan Crow
• The Bottom Line & Further Reading

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“The Next Harry Potter Phenomenon”

If you’ve heard anything about Nevermoor, you’ve probably heard it’s “perfect for Harry Potter fans”. Often when I hear a middle grade fantasy is similar to Harry Potter, I roll my eyes. The comparisons tend to be highly superficial, the described book unlikely to satisfy a Harry Potter fan looking for more of the same. Nevermoor is the first time I thought “Yes, I’d hand to this to a kid who says ‘I like Harry Potter – what else is there?'”.

With a few caveats, of course. Reading Nevermoor won’t recapture the nostalgia of returning to Harry and co. nor the flurry of an excited community back when Harry Potter was exceedingly popular. (I’ll argue that it can, however, recapture the absorbing experience of reading such a magical book for the first time.) But such nostalgic or communal experiences don’t concern a ten year old reading today.

While there are different appeal factors (what one person loves about Harry Potter and seeks in other books can vary from reader to read), I believe Nevermoor captures some of the more particular, universally entertaining facets of Harry Potter. For context, I was never enamoured with Harry Potter. I read all the books but didn’t think they were anything to fuss about. My observances below come as someone who has read both series. Now onto the tropes that apply to the protagonists of both series:

• Raised in a loveless household by blood relatives…
• …from which they are rescued then whisked away on their birthday by an unusual man…
• …to a magical world they knew nothing about…
• …but where they will come into their own special power.
• Communal living situation
• Plenty of uncertainty and wonder at exploring in this new world
• Of interest to the villain (will they accept his view?)
• Villain looming in the background, believed to be defeated by the general population
• Father-figure mentor _{(not commenting on differences yet but I have to note Jupiter is vastly different than Dumbledore/Lupin/Sirius/etc….)}
• ‘A year in the life’ – mix of plot and experiences unique to the new world
• Learning and honing special abilities with a group of peers
• Taking on way too much responsibility for their age lol

Certainly when I put it this way, some might think Nevermoor sounds too close to Harry Potter. But if you’ve read the two, you will know there are substantial differences which make each story unique from the other. I will expound on those differences in the rest of the post.

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Characters

A diverse* cast of vibrant characters populate the world of Nevermoor. There are the guests and staff of the Hotel Deucalion, where Jupiter and Morrigan live. There are Morrigan’s peers in the Trials, some of who become her peers in the Wundrous Society. There are the senior members of the Wundrous Society, with their impressively honed knacks and unusual teaching methods. For the sake of ‘brevity’, I’m going to focus on three primary characters: Morrigan, Jupiter, and Fenestra.

*A brief but important note: I used diverse at the top of the paragraph in a broad sense applicable to many dimensions. More specifically, characters’ diverse (as in, differing from one another) skin tones are identified in text. Key supporting characters are black and brown; Morrigan and Jupiter are white. There doesn’t appear to be racism or colorism in Nevermoor. (Wunimals bear the brunt of prejudice in the story.)

Morrigan Crow

I have to confess, I wrote the sections on Jupiter and Fenestra first. Now I’ve come back to Morrigan and I find I have a lot less to say. She’s what I consider a ‘just right’ middle grade protagonist. IMO, middle grade protagonists are fairly similar. While they may encounter wildly different situations, they often engage with them in the same way. That’s the nature of middle grade. So in that way, Morrigan is like any other 12 year old who finds themselves in a new and wonderful and maybe a bit frightening situation. It’s the world and situations in which she finds herself that make Morrigan enjoyable to read about.

I do find Morrigan personable and relatable. She doubts herself, she yearns to learn more, she laughs with friends and scowls at ‘nemeses’, she makes mistakes, and so on. She may be cautious and concerned at times, but she knows to be daring and bold when necessary. Being raised with the understanding that she’s a Cursed Child – causing destruction wherever she goes, doomed to die on her 12th birthday – impacts how she engages with the world. A major thread throughout the series so far is Morrigan trying to unlearn that. She’s a pleasant girl with a strong moral compass (and a keen wit) but she was trapped in a sad situation. Imagine what that would do to your psyche.

Well, look at that. I had a few things to say about Morrigan anyway.

Jupiter North

Morrigan is brought to Nevermoor and sponsored to join the Wundrous Society by Jupiter North. Many a reader, myself included, find him a delightful character. I may in fact have too much to say about him. That’s what happens when such a well-imagined adult character features in a middle grade book. Ever since I read Inkheart in grade five, I have loved nuanced depictions of grown-ups in my middle grade stories. Why that is is a question too big for this post, haha. Moving on!

Nevermoor (the series, the world, the characters) is labelled ‘whimsical’ or ‘zany’ far more than I would ever state, and I think that goes doubly so for Jupiter. He definitely is a colourful character but he’s not exaggerated or too enigmatic. On my first read of Nevermoor, I was instantly reminded of the Green Wind in Catherynne Valente’s Fairyland series. But I would label the Green Wind ‘whimsical’ far sooner than I would label Jupiter as such.

Something else I appreciate about Jupiter’s character (in contrast to some other male mentor figures in middle grade fantasy…) is that he remains down-to-earth. He may be flashy and theatrical at times, but he’s also present and available to Morrigan, generally speaking. When he’s not¸ that can be a source of conflict with/anxiety in with Morrigan. He’s involved with what she’s doing and he answers her questions. (…er, sometimes, lol. I guess that’s another statement relative to mentors in other series.) He supports Morrigan wholeheartedly, standing up for her and listening and taking action based on what she communicates to him.

There’s a scene in Wundersmith in which Morrigan doubts her own goodness and Jupiter’s faith in her. Jupiter clearly communicates that he believes in her and that he knows she is good, even when Morrigan continues to doubt (152). This nearly made me tear up. I would love to see more adults supporting protagonists in middle grade fantasy.

Fenestra

Fenestra the Magnificat is the head of housekeeping at Hotel Deucalion. What is a Magnificat? An enormous cat (big enough to be a steed, if she chooses) with human intelligence and language. This is the sort of character I might roll my eyes at if you described her to me. Sounds too silly for my tastes. But Fen is a treasure. She’s frosty and sassy, and there’s a lot more to her than Morrigan knows. She fits in neatly with the other Nevermoorians.

Fen exemplifies the exceptional worldbuilding and character crafting on show throughout the series. She’s a fully developed character supporting the protagonist and main storyline. But she has her own place in the world and a bit of mystery around her. For example, Magnificats are a different species than Wunimals – but that’s a point yet to be explored. I wanted to highlight Fen here in this section to represent all the supporting characters who bring Nevermoor to life and inject vibrancy to Morrigan’s story.

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Plotting

One of the first notes I made after finishing Nevermoor the first time around was that the plot is familiar and predictable in some ways. For example, I was not surprised that [redacted], but that may just be the adult in me talking. (I did not have that thought while rereading, or about Wundersmith or Hollowpox.)

The books are lightly episodic, yet each episode integrates well into the overarching story of each book, which in turn integrates well into the grand story of Morrigan’s Wundersmith journey. Despite the apparent heftiness of each title, I never felt bored or thought the story dragged. (When I cracked open the books last month, I thought, “Ah, these aren’t as dense as they look.”)

Nevermoor in particular follows a seasonal episodic timeline with one trial occurring per season, leaving room for Morrigan to explore Nevermoor in-between. It’s strong enough to enjoy as a standalone (which must have been a good thing for those who read it when only one book was one!), with plenty of sprinkles that smoothly pave the way for a continuation of the story. It’s a strong book to kick off a strong series. I was surprised to find Wundersmith just as engaging. By Hollowpox, I knew enough not to be surprised at how compelling the story was 😛

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Worldbuilding

Nevermoor opens brilliantly, with a preface and first chapter that should be studied in creative writing courses. Those scenes set the tone for the entire series. It’s wonderfully easy to fall into the elegant and imaginative worldbuilding. The reader experiences the Wintersea Republic and Nevermoor as Morrigan does. We see the world through her eyes; she doesn’t have to tell us about it. Some additional descriptive touches from an omniscient narrator help further set the scenes.

One of the best aspects of the worldbuilding is that it’s deliberately constructed bit by bit. There are none of the flaws you might see in other books – no infodumps, no deus ex machina, no clunky explanations. The worldbuilding and writing style cannot be differentiated in this series. While you may find yourself with plenty of questions (it’s a whole new world for both the reader and the protagonist), Townsend dishes out enough information to keep you curious yet satisfied. I wonder about things, but I don’t find myself whining to know more.

The other aspect of worldbuilding which I think the series is now well-known for is the creative twists on common tropes and unique creations alike. I think everything else I’ve written about gives a taste of this. A good example from the first book is how the competition storyline plays out and the various challenges involved.

I am reminded of one other minor point I haven’t mentioned anywhere else. Morrigan’s home world is also a secondary fantasy world. So the reader is learning about both – where Morrigan came from and where she went. The relationship between those two places seems to be far more important and intriguing than you might have guessed just from reading book one...

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Je Ne Sais Quoi

I reread the first 120 pages of Nevermoor at a clip, no problem, in the bath. I only stopped reading because the water turned cold. Somehow all the factors I described above combine to make a whole greater than the sum of its part. The first note I ever made while reading Nevermoor was: “Quite a surprise, completely fell into it about half way through, like I was there. Absorbed, real, like some people feel about HP.” I didn’t realize until then how rate that feeling is with me and middle grade fantasy.

I don’t think there’s an objective or rational way to explain it. I know many other readers have had the same experience while reading. What is it about this book that strikes certain readers so much more than other middle grade fantasy tales? Perhaps it really just is that all the ingredients combine to a perfect recipe suited to our tastes. But I think there is something more, something personal, that must be nudged within each reader to connect in such a way with a book – to feel like you have been transported into another world.

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Hollowpox: The Hunt for Morrigan Crow

This section is a mishmash of thoughts I have particular to Hollowpox. Spoilers ahead! (Skip to ‘The Bottom Line’ to avoid.)

Something that stood out to me more in this book than the others was humour in the characters’ dialogue, thoughts, or expressions. Here are two of my favourite passages, which also give you a taste of the writing style when its more lighthearted:

Morrigan, Hawthorne, and Cadence shared a look. It was a very specific look of mingled bemusement, horror, exasperation, and resignation. The kind of look one reserves for special occasions, such as when you’ve just learned that trains can come to life and hold other trains hostage, and that you’ve unwittingly joined an organization full of people who have for some reason decided to nose into this sort of business, and you don’t really feel like getting involved but you’re just going to have to go along with it because everybody else is. That kind of look.

Hollowpox pg. 43-44

[Someone commenting on Jupiter] “[…] He should join an amateur theatrical society.” He is an amateur theatrical society, Morrigan thought.

Hollowpox pg. 511 – Morrigan, you read my mind.

Hollowpox dives into the history of Wundersmiths, including but not limited to Squall. The ghost hours Morrigan steps into are a very cool idea. In the hands of a less skilled writer, they might have been clunky and contrived and unnatural. But they integrate neatly and believably into the world of Nevermoor and the Wundrous Society.

The climax of this story, more than the other two I think, is riveting. On one page I was practically shouting “No no no NO NO!” and then on the next I was saying “wait WHAT the heck?!” (473-475). And I mean that in the best way possible.

I appreciate Squall receiving some character ‘development’/being portrayed with a touch more nuance. As desperately as he wants to get into Nevermoor – and he clearly states he would murder to do so – he doesn’t want to see that world destroyed. He’s not suddenly being portrayed as a good guy. He’s still very close and an obvious villain, certainly from Morrigan’s point of view. And yet… there is definitely some critical information about him that Morrigan and we don’t know yet and I am sure it will be juicy when we find out. The obvious point being, what truly happened when he (dare I add ‘allegedly’…) killed all the Wundersmiths?

However, this also makes me concerned for Jupiter and Morrigan’s relationship going forward. I have a hunch we are being set up for more conflict than we’ve seen so far between them, with Morrigan’s apprenticeship to Ezra now official. Jupiter is meant to be her patron and support her in the Wundrous Society – how will that play out when he can’t give her the same guidance that the villain can? I am also mildly terrified that something bad will happen to Jupiter as he’s made it through three books unscathed when even Morrigan hasn’t done that…

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The Bottom Line 💭

Look, I just wrote 3,000 words about these books. And there’s plenty that I could have said! I think I can confidently say: if you like middle grade fantasy, read them.

“Scones!” groaned Morrigan, dropping into a leather armchair and breathing them in – warm, golden brown, perfectly baked. They were surrounded by little dishes of clotted cream, comb honey, lemon curd, and two different types of jam. Morrigan could have composed a ballad about the miracle of this tea tray, if she hadn’t been immediately occupied with its demolition.

A quote from Wundedrsmith (pg. 141) which I like but couldn’t fit into the review

Further Reading 📰

🍂 Briana @ Pages Unbound reviews Nevermoor, Wundersmith and Hollowpox
🍂 Krysta @ Pages Unbound explains why Nevermoor should become a classic
🍂 Jess @ Jessticulates reviews Nevermoor, Wundersmith, and Hollowpox
🍂 Brenda @ Log Cabin Library reviews Wundersmith and Hollowpox
🍂 Annemieke @ A Dance with Books reviews Nevermoor
🍂 Sammie @ The Bookwyrm’s Den reviews Hollowpox

What other middle grade books do you think comp well to Harry Potter? Have you also been enchanted by Nevermoor, or another middle grade story?