Morrigan Crow is a cursed, almost 11 years old, child. As all cursed children in the Wintersea Republic, she is responsible for all accidents, mishaps und bad luck in her vicinity. Also, as all cursed children, she is supposed to die on her upcoming birthday.

But, as she is the main character in the currently 3 books spanning series, that obviously doesn't happen. Instead, she escapes into the magical land of Nevermoor. There she encounters huge talking cats, Wunimals (animal-like creatures with human intelligence), school drama and problems with the immigration office. Morrigan becomes best friends with a boy who loves to ride dragons and, of course, she has to face The Antagonist - a dark figure everyone only refers to as The Wondersmith.

That sounds pretty similar to a very popular book / film series, doesn't it?

Yes, there are a lot of parallels to the Harry Potter series - a cursed child, who has some unknown potential, with very shitty family and uncanny bonds with the main antagonist.

Some backstory: The Harry Potter series and me

What I enjoyed in the Nevemoor book series

First and foremost - the atmosphere. It was really for the first time since reading the first Harry Potter book as a child that I felt sucked into this magical and wondrous world. I wanted to know every detail about the society, customs, creatures, etc.
I found Morrigan to be a very likable character, her actions, reactions, thoughts and feelings were very understandable for me.
There are a lot of interesting characters - many are likable, many are mysterious, some are unlikable - but none of them are boring.
The book series is well written, has a pretty good story, and well thought out story- and character-arcs.

What was not so great

There were a few parts, especially in the first book, that felt directly pulled from the Harry Potter books. Nothing major, just some very clear influences.
I'm waiting for the fourth installment since 2022... It was postponed twice already, let's see how it looks in September 2024... Mrs. Townsend, please hurry up and give me my closure!
Also I would say that the books get darker in general. While the first one has a lot of "feel good" passages, the third one e.g. has the pressure and huge stakes present through most of the story - not per say bad, just something to be aware of.

How is the audio book?

It's good :)
I listened to the English version read by Gemma Whelan. It is not a full dramatization, so no sound effects, no additional actors. The performance is really solid, nothing to critique here.
I also heard a few bits of the German audiobook, read by Hans Löw. It is quite solid, but I think a female voice suits a story that closely follows the antics of an 11 years old girl way better..

So why should I read this instead of Harry Potter?

1. It's a new, different, and awesome story. No one is taking Harry Potter away from you, and I think that most Potterheads will really enjoy the trip to Nevermoor
2. It is not written by a huge transphobe
3. The child main character is not forced to their abusive family at the end of every book and has to deal with them at the beginning of the next one, which is a huge plus in my book
4. The main antagonist is more interesting and more nuanced than "I want to rule the world"

Closing remarks

If you like fantasy, and want to explore a new magical world through the eyes of an 11 years old cursed child - It's an awesome book series and I warmly recommend it. The first book in the series is titled "Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow" and you can find it in most places that sell books or audio books.