Waiting on Wednesday – The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Towns

Synopsis (from GoodReads) –

Morrigan Crow is cursed. Having been born on Eventide, the unluckiest day for any child to be born, she’s blamed for all local misfortunes, from hailstorms to heart attacks–and, worst of all, the curse means that Morrigan is doomed to die at midnight on her eleventh birthday.

But as Morrigan awaits her fate, a strange and remarkable man named Jupiter North appears. Chased by black-smoke hounds and shadowy hunters on horseback, he whisks her away into the safety of a secret, magical city called Nevermoor.

It’s then that Morrigan discovers Jupiter has chosen her to contend for a place in the city’s most prestigious organization: the Wundrous Society. In order to join, she must compete in four difficult and dangerous trials against hundreds of other children, each boasting an extraordinary talent that sets them apart–an extraordinary talent that Morrigan insists she does not have. To stay in the safety of Nevermoor for good, Morrigan will need to find a way to pass the tests–or she’ll have to leave the city to confront her deadly fate

 

Why I can’t wait to read The Trials of Morrigan Crow:

• Morrigan Crow is blamed for all Misfortune. This reminds me of Peg O’Nell, the ghost said to haunts Waddow Hall in Lancashire, (no idea whether anybody told the Girl Guide Association when they took the property over.) Having listened to songs about Peg O’Nell, it will be lovely to read a book which thinks about what it might be like to be the person blamed for all misfortune, and what sort of trouble might come of it.

 

• It’s folksy. This is a continuation of my first thought. It is lovely to see more books which either draw on folk legend, or have a folksy atmosphere. Previous authors who have done this well include Alan Garner, Marcus Sedgwick and Michelle Harrison. 

 

• The Wundrous Society trials set a specific objective. If Morrigan Crow fails, she will have to go back and confront her fears. I have a hunch that Morrigan will learn something about herself in Nevermoor which she will take back to her old life. I am intrigued about Morrigan’s connection to Nevermoor. Is there a past connection she is unaware of?

 

• Nevermoor and The Wundrous Society remind me of the quirky worlds of Sibeal Pounder. I like it when a magical world isn’t what we typically expect of magic. The front cover of the US edition shows people floating beneath umbrellas. I have a feeling the world will be a quirky, original take on magic.

 

• The book has been sold in multiple regions, everybody’s talking about it on Twitter, and it looks set to be all round wonderful. What can I say? I’m excited. 

 

 

The Trials of Morrigan Crow

October 2017

Orion Publishing (UK)