…but where they will come into their own special power.…to a magical world they knew nothing about….…from which they are rescued then whisked away on their birthday by an unusual man….Raised in a loveless household by blood relatives….

Now onto the tropes that apply to the protagonists of both series: My observances below come as someone who has read both series. I read all the books but didn’t think they were anything to fuss about. For context, I was never enamoured with Harry Potter. 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. (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. nor the flurry of an excited community back when Harry Potter was exceedingly popular. Reading Nevermoor won’t recapture the nostalgia of returning to Harry and co. 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?'”. The comparisons tend to be highly superficial, the described book unlikely to satisfy a Harry Potter fan looking for more of the same. Often when I hear a middle grade fantasy is similar to Harry Potter, I roll my eyes. If you’ve heard anything about Nevermoor, you’ve probably heard it’s “perfect for Harry Potter fans”. As this is one of my longest ‘reviews’ ever, here is a wee table of contents: The final section on Hollowpox contains spoilers for all three books. I avoid specific spoilers in most sections, but remember I reflect on the series as a whole. This post mixes my personal reaction to the series and an evaluation of its appeal for young readers. 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’ll review both books at once, giving an overview of the elements that make this series so enjoyable!”, I thought. 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. I had good intentions to review the book after it was announced the Cybils winner, but intentions do not write book reviews. I thought it couldn’t possibly be as good as everyone made it out to be. I had heard some buzz around the book prior to that. Cybils judging introduced me to Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow in January 2019. This post sat in my drafts for just over a year.

Morrigan crow