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cait's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
"It says, 'Morrigan Crow is a citizen of the Free State and wasn't smuggled in illegally, so why don't you just get over it so we can all get on with our lives?' There's a government seal on it and everything."
Middle grade, when done right, is utterly delightful, and this one was definitely done right. It brings the deep sadness of all magical middle grade novels, but combines it with the appropriate level of hilarity and ridiculousness to balance it perfectly.
We follow 10-year-old Morrigan Crow, the daughter of a politician. Named as cursed upon her birth, she has been blamed for everything that went wrong in her village ever since - from deaths to lost spelling bees to bad weather. Doomed to die when she turns eleven, Morrigan finds herself saved at the last minute by a strange ginger man in a giant, mechanical spider and taken to a magical land called Nevermoor, where she is set to compete for a place in the illustrious Wondrous Society. But there is a darkness brewing, Morrigan is being pursued by a group of murderous ghosts, and failing the competition equals certain death.
This book was so much fun! One of my favorite middle grade tropes will always be a normal, human child is whisked away to an absurdist, magical society run by adults who just so happen to be complete lunatics. The stakes are often undercut by deus ex machina, but it never feels overdone or unexpected, because the crumbs have already been sprinkled along the path so that you were aware of the possibility or, if you weren't, you suddenly realize that's where they were leading you all along. The writing was excellent. The characters were well-developed and lovable. The setting was evocative and enchanting.
Long story short, while I don't often read middle grade anymore, I have placed book two on my hold list at the library.
Middle grade, when done right, is utterly delightful, and this one was definitely done right. It brings the deep sadness of all magical middle grade novels, but combines it with the appropriate level of hilarity and ridiculousness to balance it perfectly.
We follow 10-year-old Morrigan Crow, the daughter of a politician. Named as cursed upon her birth, she has been blamed for everything that went wrong in her village ever since - from deaths to lost spelling bees to bad weather. Doomed to die when she turns eleven, Morrigan finds herself saved at the last minute by a strange ginger man in a giant, mechanical spider and taken to a magical land called Nevermoor, where she is set to compete for a place in the illustrious Wondrous Society. But there is a darkness brewing, Morrigan is being pursued by a group of murderous ghosts, and failing the competition equals certain death.
This book was so much fun! One of my favorite middle grade tropes will always be a normal, human child is whisked away to an absurdist, magical society run by adults who just so happen to be complete lunatics. The stakes are often undercut by deus ex machina, but it never feels overdone or unexpected, because the crumbs have already been sprinkled along the path so that you were aware of the possibility or, if you weren't, you suddenly realize that's where they were leading you all along. The writing was excellent. The characters were well-developed and lovable. The setting was evocative and enchanting.
Long story short, while I don't often read middle grade anymore, I have placed book two on my hold list at the library.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Bullying, Gaslighting, and Child abuse
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