Whenever I would see a sticker on a book or a blurb that would say something like “the next Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” or “the next Harry Potter”, I wouldn’t even pick those books up because I have found that generally the hype never lives up to the expectations and that they are no where near the book(s) they are being compared to. Until now.
The only middle grade books that I have read as an adult are the Harry Potter books and the first book in the Percy Jackson series. I don’t think there is anything wrong in reading any type of books – personally I have just found that they can’t keep my attention because they aren’t written for adults – they are written for middle graders and therefore, they are meant to be simpler. Until now.
I kept hearing the hype for this book and at first I just dismissed it until a book tuber that I relate to also gave it high marks and because I trust his judgment, I picked it up. It took me a little while (probably the first third) until I really felt the story but then I realized that it was the same with the first Harry Potter. It wasn’t until Harry got to Hogwarts that it really took off for me and I felt those exact same feelings about this book.
In this new series, Morrigan Crow is supposed to die on her 11th birthday because she is cursed. Instead she is whisked away by a benefactor/sponsor to Nevermoor in the nick of time where she is to compete through four trials. If she gets through each trial, then she will be awarded a spot at The Wundrous Society.
The author does a commendable job channeling the same Harry Potter feels but gives the book its own unique story. She has also managed to write a book that doesn’t feel like it was written for middle graders and that is why, in my opinion, it is a hit with so many adults.
indydriven 
Leave a Reply