![Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow (Nevermoor, #2)](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1534386703l/36260006._SX98_.jpg)
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I absolutely LOVED this sequel to "Nevermoor". Sometimes I can't quite believe how fantastic this series is. Well written, great characters, magical storylines, and a feisty, witty young heroine with courage and heart. (And I'm just a little bit in love with Jupiter North!)
After successfully completing the trials in the first book, Morrigan is now a member of the Wundrous Society and is eager to begin her education there. But at the inauguration ceremony, the other members of her unit (Unit 919) and their patrons are made aware of Morrigan's "knack" - and most of them are pretty unhappy about it. After all, the term "Wundersmith" is inextricably linked to the evil Ezra Squall, and Morrigan's hopes of making friends with her peers in Unit 919 seem to be dashed from the start. Only Morrigan's friend, Hawthorne, who already knew her secret, is unfazed. But given the choice of accepting Morrigan or leaving the Wundrous Society altogether, the other children choose to stay, and they're all sworn to protect Morrigan's secret.
And so Morrigan and Unit 919 begin their first year at Wunsoc. They're all issued with their timetables (with subjects such as "Stealth, Evasion and Concealment" and "Treasure Diving for Beginners") and are excited to begin. But before Morrigan even attends her first class, the fearsome Scholar Mistress, Miss Dearborn, cancels all Morrigan's classes and amends the timetable to one class only - "History of Heinous Wondrous Acts" with Professor Hemingway Q. Onstald, a tortoisewun.
The class revolves around the history of Wundersmiths, and basically how terrible they are, and so Morrigan is not thrilled! But after Jupiter intervenes, she is permitted to attend another class, "Decoding Nevermoor: How to Successfully Navigate the Free State's Most Dangerous and Ridiculous City", with Professor Mildmay. (I really want to attend these classes!) To Morrigan's surprise and pleasure, she excels in this class, even though she wasn't born in Nevermoor.
On an excursion with Professor Mildmay to learn about Tricksy Lanes (magical lanes that, when you enter them, might do anything from dangle you upside down from your ankles to kill you, depending on their "alert" level), Morrigan stumbles across the Ghastly Market, an illegal market where anything (or anyone) can be bought and sold. Is there a connection between the Ghastly Market and the disappearance of several Nevermoor residents over the past few weeks?
As if this wasn't enough, Morrigan's unit is being blackmailed by a person or persons unknown, threatening to reveal their secret, and Morrigan's burgeoning powers get her into a lot of trouble.
The wonderful characters from the Hotel Deucalion make a welcome return (Morrigan's 12th birthday party is a hoot), and some cool new characters are introduced - Miss Dearborn and Miss Murgatroyd, the Scholar Mistresses (they are scary!); Miss Cheery, who is Unit 919's Hometrain conductor; Hawthorne's family; together with some new villains and some old ones too.
We also learn a bit more about what Wundersmiths are capable of, both good and bad (the Hall of Stolen Moments is a showstopper), and Morrigan has to make some difficult choices.
There's plenty of excitement and danger and lots of humour too. It's a fun ride, and I'm looking forward to reading the third book in the series, "Hollowpox: The Hunt for Morrigan Crow", when it's released next year. Jessica Townsend has created something truly magical with the Nevermoor series. Just read it.
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