Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow

Morrigan Crow has spent her whole life as a scapegoat, blamed for every misfortune in her village and marked for an early death by the curse she was born with. When a peculiar, larger-than-life man named Jupiter North whisks her away to the hidden city of Nevermoor, she trades one impossible situation for another: compete in four brutal trials to earn a permanent place in the city's most prestigious society, or be cast out to face the fate she has been running from. Every other contestant arrives with an obvious, remarkable gift. Morrigan arrives with none.

Gemma Whelan brings genuine warmth and range to Jessica Townsend's debut, giving Morrigan a voice that feels appropriately small against a sprawling magical world without ever becoming passive. Whelan handles a large and eccentric cast with clarity, and her comic timing matches the book's balance of whimsy and real stakes. At just over eleven hours, the story holds its momentum throughout.