Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow
Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow is a novel by Jessica Townsend and published by Little, Brown and Company. It was released October 10, 2017 in Australia and October 31, 2017 in the United States. The plot follows the titular character Morrigan Crow, who is cursed to die because she was born on an unlucky day. The book is followed by two sequels so far. Since the release of the first book in "The Nevermoor series", the stories have also been released as audiobooks, in both CD and online audio formats. In English-speaking  countries the audiobooks are narrated by Gemma Whelan. Included in the back of the book is a deleted scene entitled "Holt, Holt & Davie". The book is 461 pages long. The film rights to "Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow" have been sold to Fox Broadcasting Company. Setting. The book is set mostly in two locations; Jackalfax, Morrigan's hometown which she leaves in the beginning of the novel, and Nevermoor, the titular city filled with fantastical creatures. A resident of Nevermoor is a "Nevermoorian". Nevermoor is divided into 27 boroughs, most of which are divided into quadrants. According to the  book, Nevermoorian children learn the names of the boroughs and quadrants like the ABCs in nursery school. Residents in Nevermoor are either human, also known as unnimals, or wunimals, who are a mix of human and another animal, either a wunimal major or minor. Plot. Having been born on Eventide ten years ago, Morrigan Crow is considered "cursed" and is blamed for all the misfortune brought upon the people of Jackalfax, such as a broken hip or a dead cat. In addition, Morrigan is supposed to die in one year on the next Eventide, so she doesn't give it  much thought when she is not chosen as anyone's apprentice when it is time for the masters to choose. However, this year, Eventide will come a full year early, as Morrigan is surprised to learn from her father, Corvus Crow. This means that Morrigan is set to die even sooner than she thought. When Eventide night comes, Morrigan is whisked away by Jupiter North, who had been lingering around Jackalfax recently. North saves her from the Hunt of Smoke and Shadow, who hunt cursed children on Eventide, and takes her to Nevermoor, a mysterious magic town the likes of  which Morrigan has never seen on any map. North brings Morrigan to his home and business, the Hotel Deucalion, which he owns and introduces her to the employees, including Kedgeree Burns, the concierge, and Fenestra, a giant talking cat who is head of housekeeping. There, Morrigan learns from Dame Chanda Kali, a singer and permanent resident of the hotel, that North plans to insert Morrigan into a contest to gain access and membership to the Wundrous Society, a mystical society of elders of which Kali is a part of. Kali also tells her that to be a part of the  society, one must have a "knack," or a special power. Kali's, for example, is that she can attract and control animals with her voice. Morrigan begins to worry, since her apparent knack has not revealed itself yet. Morrigan later confronts Jupiter, demanding to know what her knack is, if she even has one. Jupiter tells her that it isn't important, in addition to describing the four trials she will have to complete to become a member of the Wundrous Society: the Fright Trial, the Speech Trial and the Show Trial. Morrigan becomes concerned that her not having a  knack will disqualify her from the competition, but Jupiter assures her that everything will be fine. Jupiter also reveals his own knack, called "The Witness," which lets him see the truth in everything. Later, Jupiter and Morrigan (who he calls "Mog") visit the Wundrous Society campus, Wunsoc, a combination of both words, by way of the Brolly Rail, a train that never stops to let passengers on, so those who wish to ride it must jump onto it while it is still speeding along. During the first trial, the Book Trial, Morrigan aces the first part, though she must admit  that she feels alone, and barely passes the second half, which is all about Nevermoorian history. As Morrigan prepares for the next trial, the Chase Trial, Jupiter and the staff of the hotel try to pick out a stead on which Morrigan can race on. At the same time, Morrigan develops a close friendship with fellow competitor Hawthorne Swift, a dragon-rider, and an intense hatred for Noelle, another competitor who enjoys mocking and making fun of her. In the Chase Trial, contestants must race on a non-flying creature with two to four legs and hit a target all  the way across town. Out of three hundred contestants, there are only 150 targets, five of which are golden targets, and, if you hit them, you will be invited to a dinner party hosted by the council itself, which is said to give contestants an advantage in the coming trials. Morrigan, riding Fenestra, attempts to hit a golden target, but must stop along the way to pick up another girl who fell off her rhinoceros and almost got trampled. The girl, Cadence, takes victory from her, and Morrigan only passes the trial through a technicality. After the Fright Trial, Morrigan  prepares for the Show Trial. Hawthorne, Noelle, and Cadence get a spot in the top nine contestants, but when Morrigan gets up on the stage, she still has not realized her knack. Jupiter tells the judges something, and they accept her. Later, while riding home, Morrigan is kidnapped by Ezra Squall, the Wundersmith, the man who massacred Nevermoor a hundred years ago, and he tells her that she is a Wundersmith too. All the kids who were born on Eventide in Jackalfax are, and he hired the Hunt of Smoke and Shadow to kill them. Reception. Reviews. The book has  been generally well-received, especially on Goodreads, with reviews calling the writing style "Harry-Potterish" and "magical." The same has been said about the book on Common Sense Media. "The Guardian" called the book "a magical debut" and that "from the surreal Hotel Deucalion to giant Magnifi-cats and the Tube-inspired Wunderground transport system, Townsend’s vibrant world-building is what really sets Nevermoor apart." On "The Terror of Knowing", a review rated the book five out of five stars, calling the main character Morrigan Crow "a wonderful protagonist for the story ... strong and sarcastic and also silly at  times." A review on "Publishers Weekly" also likened to the Morrigan character, calling her a "captivating heroine, filled with moxie and wit, whose unexpected second chance at life gives her the opportunity to discover who she truly is." "A Cat, a Book, and a Cup of Tea" gave the book four out of five cats, saying that though "there is darkness in this book, notably in Morrigan’s realizations about her family ... somehow Nevermoor manages to stay light-hearted and zany." Awards. This book won the Book of the Year Award at the Australian Book Industry Awards. In addition, at  the Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature, the Premier's Award for best overall published work and the Children's Award were both awarded to "Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow". Adaptations. Film. In November 2016, a film adaptation of "Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow" was announced, with screenwriter Drew Goddard writing and producing the movie by October of the next year for 20th Century Fox. In April 2022 it was announced that the film rights were now at Paramount Pictures and that it will be a musical. Drew Goddard is still on board as a producer and writer. "The  Greatest Showman" director, Michael Gracey will direct and create original music for the film. Audiobook. An Audiobook adaptation of the novel, read by actress Gemma Whelan, was produced and released in 2017. Sequels. A year later, on November 13, 2018 (October 30, 2018 in Australia and the United Kingdom), a second installment in the Nevermoor series was released, titled "". On October 27, 2020, "" was released into bookstores, and a fourth novel has been announced, though Townsend announced that she had plots written out for five novels after the fourth one.