Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow
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Sisters and brothers, loyal for life, —The Oath of the Wunderous Society
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Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow is a 2018 novel written by Jessica Townsend. It is the second book in the Nevermoor series. The second entry is more character driven than the first, dealing with themes of betrayal and acceptance.
Just because Morrigan has made it into the Wunderous Society does not mean her troubles are over. Possessing a dangerous ability, she is feared by the fellow members at her Unit 919. Other than Cadance Blackburn and Hawthrone Swift, she has no other friends in the unit, and other members are quick to turn the other way when she asks for help. She went in expecting a group of brothers and sisters bonded for life, a group of people she could depend on, but found none of that. As if her situation couldn't get worse, her unit is blackmailed, and forced to protect her secret. Things went from bad to worse when people and Wunimals from all over Nevermoor start disappearing, with invesigations turning up nothing.
It is up to Morrigan in true Plucky Girl fashion to solve the mystery of the disappearances, with the help of her closes friends. Her abilities will be put to the test, and her relationships with both her friends and mentor Jupiter North stretched to its limits in the direct sequel to Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow.
For more tropes, visit the page dedicated to the Nevermoor franchise as a whole.
- Adults Are Useless: Downplayed. While Jupiter North has been supportive and helpful, him and the Wunderous Society's own police force ("The Stealth") are unsuccessful in investigating the disappearance of people and Wunimals. She finds the Ghastly Market herself where the missing individuals are being sold, although in the climax, the adult Angel Isafel helps them get away, downplaying the trope.
- Auction of Evil: In the Ghastly Market, knacks are auctioned off to the highest bidder and stripped away from their original owner.
- Black Market: The rumoured Ghastly Market, whose existance isn't confirmed until Morrigan stumbles into it when she walks too far down a Tricksy Lane. Illegal substances like body parts and teeth are avaliable for purchase. A major plot point is about the authorities, including Jupiter North trying to find and shut down the market.
- Blackmail: Unit 919 is sent these, with requests to deliberately fail a fight or bake a lavish cake, with the threat of revealing "the secret of Unit 919". Morrigan thought it was her status as a Wundersmith, but it's actually Lambeth being sent to Nevermoor to study and further improve her abilities. The whole scheme all turns out to be a test of loyalty for the Unit, set up by the elders of Wunsoc.
- Brought Down to Normal: Alfie, whose knack of breathing underwater is taken and sold at the Ghastly Market. Once this happens, he is never seen again in the Wunderous Society.
- Decided by One Vote: Type three, where someone's vote serves as a tiebreaker. Thaddea, Anah, Mahir, and Arch decides to ignore the blackmail orders and to let the cat out of the bag. Cadence, Francis, Lambeth, and Hawthrone decide to follow the orders, meaning Morrigan will decide how the vote turns out. Morrigan decides to follow the orders.
- The Dog Was the Mastermind: Professor Mildmay of the Decoding Nevermoor classes is the only tutor who makes Morrigan feel safe and accepted at the Wundeorus Society, and in the Society is constantly supportative of her. However, he turns out to be the twist villain and the mastermind behind the Ghastly Market.
- Gilligan Cut: A rare example where it is used in literature. Jupiter North repeatedly says that Morrigan's birthday celebration will not be glamourous or large, instead it will just be humble. Unfortunately, The Hotel Deucalieon employs Frank, one of the most talented party members around.
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Jupiter North: "Frank knows who the boss is, Mog. He knows who signs his pay cheque. If I tell him to go low-key, he's going to go --" |
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- I Lied: Downplayed. During the exam for the Navigating Nevermoor classes ran by Professor Mildmay, Morrigan said that she has a idea for a shortcut. The other members in her three person group says that it's a horrible idea. Morrigan replies that she lied about the idea being excellent.
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"This is a horrible idea," shouted Francis over the wind. |
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- Museum of the Strange and Unusual: The Museum of Stolen Memories, where a person is frozen right before they are about to die, kept alive forever and forced to relive the moment of their death. The climax of the story takes place in the Museum.
- No Time to Explain: Morrigan says this in the climax. She instructs Hawthrone to untie Cadance from the a chair while waiting to be auctioned at the Ghastly Market. Morrigan sees a vision from the short-range oracle Lambeth, and instinctively knows what to do. While this is going on, Professor Onstald has frozen time around them so they can execute their plans, but the effect will not last long, leading to the phrase.
- Time Master: Professor Onstald's ability, allowing him to slow down time, choosing to exempt some people from this effect. This allows him to quickly rush away from an angry Morrigan, and, in the climax allows Morrigan and her friends to get away from the Ghastly Market.
- Secret Test of Character: Unit 919 is given this in their first year, being blackmailed into complying with requests. Inverted, as in order to pass the test, they have to do the bad thing like deliberately losing an arena spar, other than saying no.
- Superpower Meltdown: Morrigan does this when she or her friends are insulted, resulting in her breathing fire and losing control of her abilities as a Wundersmith. At one instance, she gets temporarily expelled from the Wunsoc to protect the other pupils, and Professor Onstald travels to her residence in the Hotel Deucalieon to give his lessons.
- You Make Me Sick: Hawthrone says this when Professor Mildmay is revealed as the twist villain, and the person behind the Ghastly Market.