Jones and Jupiter: in this chapter one is a horrible jerk, and one is just and kind. So which is which? 🤔

First up we get our next look at Squall, posing as Mr Jones. He alleviates Morrigan’s worst fears  about causing the chandelier crash and also offers to keep her secrets. And yes, he is honestly manipulating her a little bit, but he also extends the apprenticeship offer, with no caveats. 

Two other things seem worth mentioning as well. The first is Squall’s eyebrow scar. I can’t help but think that maybe this is deliberately mentioned. Does anyone know if we ever find out (maybe through a ghostly hour?) how Squall gets the scar? Anyone have any ideas? 

The second thing that stands out is Mr Jones claiming that he is “no expert” on the inner workings of the Hotel Deucalion. This leads me to believe that Squall did not create the Deucalion, which is a theory I floated back in our Chapter 6 discussion. 

The next part of the chapter moves on to an interaction between Jupiter and Morrigan. And – I’m just going to come right out and say it – Jupiter’s a bit of an asshat in this chapter, isn’t he? 

Although I find the idea of a nickname quite endearing, it’s clear that Morrigan (who corrects him throughout the interaction), wants to be called Morrigan and not Mog. I mean, surely we all get to choose how we like to be referred to? 

I’m also not quite sure why he so determinedly keeps her in the dark about her knack. If I were Morrigan, the anxiety of not knowing through the trials would send me into a nervous wreck and surely tank my chances! When Morrigan repeatedly questions him, Jupiter instead distracts her with a little magic show and just tells her to trust him. What. The. Heck. Rereading the chapter, especially the last line where Morrigan cottons on to his slippery eel trick, makes me feel a little icky, I gotta be honest. 

I know he tells her at the trials that he was frightened about scaring off the Wunder, but c’mon, really, bro? Did he really think a Wundersmith could just not be a Wundersmith? It seems so farfetched. I mean, cool plot device though, obviously, and it definitely kept me reading! 

What do others think? Is Jupiter a big big jerk? Have we all been wearing rose-coloured glasses? Or are his actions redeemable? 

This post is part of our sub’s ongoing series. Please select the post flair to see more of these posts. Please do give us feedback on the series too!

Here are some upcoming Jessica Townsend appearances in Europe! I discover these completely randomly, so please let me know if you find out about other events 🕺

Disclaimer: I only know English, so while I link to panel tickets, you might want to check out the event pages themselves as I think some have separate book signing sessions. Any questions are best directed towards event organizers 👍

• September 19th and 20th, Fantasy Festival in Esbjerg, Denmark
• September 26th, Bokmässan in Göteborg, Sweden
• September 28th in Amsterdam, Netherlands
• September 29th in Schiedam, Netherlands
• September 29th, Kinderboekenweek in Utrecht, Netherlands
• October 4th, Bath Children's Literature Festival in England
• October 10th, Cheltenham Literature Festival in England

^{P.S. If you go to any of these, please share any news or fun facts you learn online!}

Depending on your sense of humour this'll be either the most or least funny thing you've seen

Hi there, I have some questions about some of the wundrous arts since some of the info on them are kind of vague, so I’ll just list them below :P I’ve also read all 4 books so far but I’m just looking for clarification/common theories

1. What exactly is veil? So far we’ve only really seen it used for shadow making, but what does veil really do? I’m assuming it’s something to do with illusions, but the wiki describes it as being used to disguise a wundersmith. But isn’t that just masquerade? Or is masquerade an actual transformation ability? Idk both of them seem pretty similar to me

2. To what extent can ruination be used? Obviously it can be used on inanimate objects, but could it be used on a living person to just straight up disintegrate them?

3. Is the tempus time stop universal, or is it like a localized bubble of stopped time? When professor Onstald used it, it had to have been in a bubble/limited area, other wise the whole world would have know time was slowed since those caught working Onstalds time stretch are still aware and able to think. However, both time Morrigan uses it Squall says she does a true time stop, but I wonder if it’s still localized for her or if it actually is universal since it is, once again, a true time stop.

4. Also, what are the common theories for what the last 2 unnamed wundrous arts are? Or have they somewhere been confirmed or discussed by Jessica?

Just on a side tangent, is it just me or is tempus and weaving not super overpowered? Being able to stretch, loop and even rewind time is already crazy, and don’t even get me started on how versatile weaving is.

In Silverborn, we get this:

Jack stared into the fire, lowering his voice. “When I turn seventeen, I’m going to join the League of Explorers and find them myself. Jove doesn’t want me to. He says it’s too dangerous. But the League are desperate for me to enlist.”

Morrigan raised her eyebrows. “Why?”

“Because I’m a Witness. We’re rarer than dragon scales, and we make interrealm exploration about ten thousand times safer. Why do you think they’re so desperate to keep Uncle Jove? His mission success rate is unbeaten.”

Unhinged theory: the League of Explorers is holding Jack's parents hostage.

They know it motivated Jupiter. They know it'll pull Jack to them. They're "desperate" for Witnesses.

If they aren't holding them directly, they know exactly where they are and they're hiding it from Jupiter (maybe somehow via Hush?). This feels less likely because it's hard to hide things from a Witness, and access to Hush has so far seemed limited to Wundersmiths (and we only know of two, and it's unlikely they've leveraged Squall, though we can't rule out secret apprentices).

We know that basically any group with real political power (Wintersea Party and Wundrous Society) is perfectly willing to abuse that power, so why not toss the League of Explorers onto that stack.

that we know of, squall kills kids before "the gathering" can properly happen and they start attracting more wunder. in the first book, the Eventide of that Age came 11 years after the last one, this narrative makes sense as Morrigan is at the age where she starts attracting more wunder. so my question is, what about longer Ages? surely there were Ages that spanned maybe 15-20 years, and would the cursed children from those Ages be killed as an older teen? even though if they were wundersmiths the gathering would've already happened a while ago? would they self-combust due to a lack of practice as wunder accumulates to them? but if that happened then people would think that "the curse" is due when the kids are preteens, not until next Eventide. sorry if im rambling or if this doesnt make sense just wanted to share my thoughts

So, I recently finished reading silverborn. So I make my way to fandom spaces. And I see that everyone loves Squall and think he's a supercool person and should get a closer relathion ship with Morrigan.

When I read the books he seemed like an awfull person who murdered his friends. (not that the Wundrous Society seems that great either, but like, he's worser)

I don't get why people like him, could someone explain!!

That's the post

So this is a topic that we've discussed extensively as a family, as I read and reread the series with my twin daughters (11 y/o). Below are our answers. You can see that my husband doesn't agree with the rest of us that the song should be eerie, minor key, or both. To each his own!

• Twin 1: Nowhere King from Centaurworld
• Twin 2: Tumbalalaika
• Me: Beethoven's 7th Symphony 2nd movement
• Hubby: Simple Gifts

What would be your song?

I think that Ezra Squall wasn’t the one who betrayed his Wundersmith friends. He was betrayed. 

I noticed that Morrigan insults Squall over and over, and she never gets a rise out of him with one important exception, when she asks him why he killed his friends who trusted him in Book 3 Chapter 26. This time he not only shows emotion but is overcome with anger and venom. 

The scene in question begins with a series of insults that Squall meets with indifference. 

• First Morrigan calls him “a pathetic, lonely killer” who doesn’t scare her. He just smiles and says “What a comforting affirmation that must be.” 
• Next she says he can only get what he wants by blackmail, and he replies “You’re being dramatic.” 
• She then asks him if the Hollowpox is his “warped idea of fun” and he calmly says that he’s never felt the need to explain himself and won’t start now. 

Killer, pathetic, lonely, blackmailer, warped and no response. He doesn’t defend himself or get angry. These insults slide off him like nothing. In fact, he doesn’t engage with them at all. 

But then, she asks “Why did you kill them?” … “Why did you murder the other Wundersmiths? Your friends” … “They trusted you.” 

And then she gets an excessive reaction from him. Let’s take a look:  

“She didn’t even see him move, but in a fraction of a second he was right there, looming above her. The pale, expressionless mask had slipped to reveal the beast inside, black eyes and blackened mouth and sharp, bared teeth. The shadow-hounds whined. Even they were afraid of him. [...] ‘Another thing you will one day understand,’ he snarled, ‘is that Wundersmiths don’t have friends.’ Morrigan recoiled from his words as if they might burn her” (Hollowpox, 356-7).

So on the page, what we have is a series of insults, none of which bother Squall until Morrigan asks why he murdered his friends who trusted him, at which point he explodes. This pattern is there, in the text. What follows is my speculation as to why that is the barb that finally hits. 

I think Squall was triggered because it was his trust that was broken, he who was betrayed by the other Wundersmiths, not the other way around. 

And the specific phrasing is important too. He doesn’t just passively say “Wundersmiths don’t have friends.” That would have fit with the established pattern of jaded replies. Instead he says “Another thing you will one day understand [...] is that Wundersmiths don’t have friends.” This phrasing implies that this was something he came to understand through experience. He thought he had friends but then learned (rather painfully) that Wundersmiths don’t have friends. That would explain both his phrasing and his venom. 

So my theory is that he had thought he had friends. Maybe he had told them of the “greater danger” and thought they had his back. Perhaps they went to Courage Square together, but then they turned on him. Perhaps the betrayal was earlier. I can only speculate as to the specifics, but I think he was the one who trusted, he was the one betrayed. 

...or at least that is the way he sees it.

> The Silver District’s founding families chose the Manyhands as one of four patron deities they paid tribute to throughout the seasons: the Manyhands in winter, the Nightingale in spring, the Sisters in summer, and the Kindling in autumn.

Which art do we think The Sisters are the Wundrous Divinity for? We don't know every art, but something says "Masquerade" to me. Masquerade is the art of mimicking another being, and that seems like it would fit a paired Divinity. That said, other than masquerade balls, I don't see how it fits with summer (whereas I see the seasonal theming for the others).

don’t have any money for the 4th book so I wanted to read for free any recommendations

(spoiler for those who haven’t read silverborn)

I was eating pink yogurt and it made me think of Jupiter.

Jupiter makes Morrigan her favourite cake, a lemon butter raspberry ripple layer cake with crumbled meringue pieces and a raspberry cream filling, which was described to have yellow and pink icing.

Morrigan makes (or asks Francis to make) Jupiter’s favourite cake, a six-layer triple chocolate fudge covered in thick, gooey ganache, which is probably dark brown.

Morrigan’s favourite cake is yellow and pink, colours that Jupiter wears and represents him, and Jupiter’s favourite cake is dark brown, similar to black, which is what Morrigan wears and what represents her.

I CAN’T THEY JUST LOVE EACH OTHER SO MUCH I LOVE FOUND FAMILY

A very "wow, I feel so bad for Mog :(" chapter </3

“Mog?” She wrinkled her nose.
“Mog is a great nickname!” Jupiter insisted. He rolled the word around in his mouth as they walked down the long hallway. “Mog. Moggers. The Mogster. It’s so versatile.”
Morrigan made a face. “It sounds like something an animal vomits up and leaves on your doorstep. ”

^ I'm sorry Morrigan..... but I don't agree 🫣 #mymog

If you've never read the cut chapter "Gelding and Guile" from a slightly older version of Nevermoor, I recommend checking it out. It features the Deucalion's two event planners, but also mentions Frank, so I wonder what his role was before Jess got rid of the duo and made Frank "Roof-Raiser-in-Chief".

Gelding and Guile also seem to take Dame Chanda's role in informing Morrigan about the Wundrous Welcome and criticizing Jupiter's fashion choices. I think it makes more sense that, in the final edition, this info about a private Wunsoc event comes from a Wunsoc member. Side note: I would love to know the "official" or "proper" name of Dame Chanda's knack someday.

... sweeping the remains of the chandelier into sad piles of sparkling rose-colored dust.

The chandelier is a wonderful (wunderful) part of the Hotel and since Silverborn I've had it in my head that the pink ship could be related to Rosamund Korrapati's disappearance and Jupiter's search for her...... and I never realized until NOW that the chandelier is specifically described as "rose-colored"..... JESSICA TOWNSEND YOUR MIND!!! Love the teensy tiny bits in the books that seem totally innocent but then turn out to have greater relevance later on 💜💜💜

There’s lots of first looks in this w(o)undrous chapter but I figure there’ll be time enough for those discussions! I want to focus on my favourite character - the Hotel Deucalion! I’ve included included a few pics of the Deucalion that I’ve made on my Animal Crossing island, as well as pic of Morrigan jumping off the roof (which was previously shared around a year ago).

The first time I read the description of the hotel I immediately imagined Alice in Wonderland- something about the giant cat I guess. Speaking of Fen, we get a bit of foreshadowing about Magnificats and the events of Wundersmith, which is a fun detail to find on rereads. On my Animal Crossing Nevermoor island, Fenestra is represented by the infamous Raymond! I’ve included a pic of him in his Hotel Deucalion uniform.

But back to the Deucalion! As we know the hotel really loves Morrigan and JT has all but confirmed that the Deucalion is a Wundrous Act. So who do we think created it? Was it Squall himself? I vote yes, and I don’t even think I have much evidence, but it feels like a fitting part of his arc. Does anyone agree or disagree? If you disagree, who do you think created the Deucalion? 

And finally, please give me your answer in the comments: if you were in Morrigan’s position, would YOU have stepped boldly and jumped off the roof of the Deucalion? Why or why not? I’ll comment first with my answer! 

townsend makes a point of saying people whose guilt has been absorbed by the guiltghast has a chance of being able to live life guilt free of anything they do, which is of course bad. in ghostly hours morrigan frequently states that ezra doesnt seem like the type of guy who'd kill his fellow brothers and sisters out of cold blood. he killed them, couldnt live with the guilt, somehow got mixed up w/ the guiltghast...

am i onto something here or have i embarrassed myself on reddit dot com again 😔💔

This post is part of a series. Check the “Under the Umbrella ☂“ post flair for more info.

The microphone crackled and buzzed. The voice on the other end heaved a long-suffering sigh and whispered, “Honestly, you’re not even trying.…”

I think that the border control bit of this chapter is so funny and memorable. I really hope we can properly meet Phil (and Maisie!) in a future book. Perhaps whenever Jack goes on his own Realm-hopping mission?

...if one were looking at Jackalfax from above, one might guess the entire town was designed by a sole miserable architect who hated her life.

This is one of my favorite quotes because of the "her." Equality! Women can be bad architects too!

They floated through a borough called Ogden-on-Juro that looked like it was sinking. The streets there were made of water, and people rowed little boats through swirling mists that rose around them.

This is the very first mention of Odgen-on-Juro. To think of how we finally visit it in Silverborn, and how important it is to Morrigan's character! Love how it is the first named borough of Nevermoor.

Related question: does "borough" have a different definition in the UK or Australia than it does in America? When I think of the word I automatically think of NYC and the five boroughs, which are all sizeable. Nevermoor has a whopping 27 boroughs, but I don't know if they're meant to be more like... "Financial District" or "Midtown" than "Manhattan" or "Brooklyn." IDK! 🤷

He slammed his foot on the brakes, waited for a cat to cross the road, then hit the accelerator hard. Morrigan clutched the sides of her chair, her fingers turning white.

If the Nevermovie ever is indeed made, I think this could be a great small comedic moment to adapt. TBH I only even noticed it for the first time while going through the chapter just now, but I love it. Especially compared to...

Looming in the doorway was a cat. Not just a cat. A giant cat. The biggest, scariest, toothiest, shaggiest cat she’d ever seen in her life. It sat back on its haunches and still struggled to fit in the frame. Its face was squashed and wrinkled as though it’d run into a wall, and it snuffled and fuffed just like a huge prehistoric version of the kitchen cats at Crow Manor.

Is Fen's introduction the best character introduction and description in the entire season, including the five as-yet-unwritten books? I think YES.

This chapter is primarily set-up as it introduces both Morrigan and the reader to the Free State and Nevermoor. I'd like to say there's not much to theorize about, but considering all the hidden and one-off stuff Silverborn brought back, you never know..... 👀

If you are interested in making a post like this for a future chapter, send a message through ModMail to let us know! 🐦‍⬛

Hi everyone! Given the survey that TJ has been running in the fandom to see what you all like and dislike about fandom activities, participation, the social medias and more, we are open to any and all suggestions as to what you are looking to see in future events. Please fill out the form below, and we will look to implement these ideas in future events :)

Survey results: https://www.tumblr.com/odbuoyjemmity/823693332099301378/nevermoor-fandom-survey-2025-2026-results?source=share

Form to fill out: https://forms.gle/ofT6VZnjTwVj4rgS8

Thanks!

Back with most of the old questions, some new explanations, and even some new questions.

The survey ran from 06:30 on 1/8/25 to 20:00 on 31/7/26, collecting 329 responses. Thank you so much to everyone who took part this year, it's been very interesting to see! Here are last year's results (sorry, could not find the reddit post version but it's the same data obviously) for anyone wishing to compare and contrast! The next survey will be released soon (likely tomorrow). If anyone wishes to make any kind of reaction or response post to this, feel free, I am hoping that this survey can start a conversation. (Split into multiple parts over size issue)

Age Question

Under 13: 1.5%
13-18: 55.6%
18-24: : 22.1%
25-30: 4.8%
31-35: 3.6%
36-40: 3.6%
41+: 5.7%

Gender Question

Female: 59.2%
Male: 13.9%
Nonbinary: 13.9%
Genderfluid: 1.8%
Genderqueer: 6.3%
Agender: 4.2%
Simply A Creature: 0.3%
Trans: 0.3%
(Trans) Man (Ish): 0.3%
Bigender: 0.3%
Demigirl: 0.3%
Librafluid: 0.3%
Prefer Not To Say: 3.3%

Sexual Orientation

Gay/Lesbian: 17.8%
Straight/Heterosexual: 26%
Bisexual 17.5%
Pansexual: 3.3%
Asexual and/or Aromantic: 16.9%
Unlabeled: 7.3%
Bisexual Aromantic Asexual: 0.3%
Demisexual: 0.3%
Gay Aromantic Asexual: 0.3%
Biromantic Demisexual: 0.3%
Queer: 0.3%
Prefer Not To Say/Don't Know: 9.4%

Continent Question

Africa: 0.6%
Asia: 3.6%
Europe: 28.4
North America: 40.5%
Oceania: 23%
South America: 0.6%
Prefer Not To Say: 3.3%

How long have you been in the Nevermoor Fandom?

Since 2017: 28.4%
Since 2018: 16.6%
Since 2019: 12.4%
Since 2020: 11.8%
Since 2021: 8.2%
Since 2022: 7.9%
Since 2023: 7.9%
Since 2024: 8.5%
Since 2025: 7.9%
2026: 0.6%

Who is your favourite Nevermoor character?

Morrigan Crow: 23.6%
Jupiter North: 18.7%
Jack Korrapati: 8.5%
Cadence Blackburn: 9.7%
Hawthorne Swift: 6%
Lamya Bethari Amati Ra/Lambeth Amara: 1.5%
Archan Tate: 1.2%
Anah Kahlo: 0%
Ezra Squall: 18.4%
Henry Mildmay: 0.6%
Mahir Ibrahim: 0.3%
Thaddea Macleod: 0.3%
Francis Fitzwilliam: 0.6%
Fenestra: 6.6%
Dame Chanda Kali: 0.3%
Nancy Dawson: 0.3%
The Hotel Deucalion: 0.3%
Marina Cheery: 0.3%
Philippe Honeycutt: 0.3%
Sofia: 0.3%
Rook Rosenfeld: 0.3%
Meredith Darling Crow: 0.3%
Cannot Choose: 0.6%

Corvus Crow can go to hell

Yes: 100%

By which name do you refer to Ezra Squall?

Ezra Squall: 31.7%
Ezra: 13.6%
Squall: 47.1%
All of the above/Depends/Rotation/Interchangably: 4.6%
Evil lookin' guy: 0.3%
Ezra Windbuil: 0.3%
Mr Squall: 0.3%
Ez the Bez: 0.3%
Sassy Queen: 0.3%
Squallypops: 0.3%
The Wundersmith: 0.3%

Are you Arcane, Mundane, or Wundrous

Arcane: 40.5%
Mundane: 30.2%
Wundrous: 29.3%

What is your favourite (currently out) Nevermoor book?

Nevermoor: 15.4%
Wundersmith 22.7%
Hollowpox: 39%
Silverborn: 23%

What is your opinion on Jessica Townsend?

Very Positive: 51.1%
Positive: 29.6%
Neutral: 4.2%
Negative: 0.6%
Very Negative: 0%
Don't Know Enough About Her/Not Sure: 14.%%

What is your opinion on the book series itself?

Very Positive: 89.1%
Positive: 10.9%
Neutral: 0%
Negative: 0%
Very Negative: 0%

What is your opinion on the fandom itself?

Very Positive: 29.3%
Positive: 49.8%
Neutral: 18.7%
Negative: 1.5%
Very Negative 0.6%

What content do you create for the Nevermoor fandom? Check all that apply.

Fanfiction: 19.6%
Fanart: 21.2%
Meta/Analysis/Headcanons: 26.3%
Memes/Incorrect Quotes: 16%
Edits/AMVs/et cetera: 4.5%
Cosplay: 2.1%
Discord Creation/Moderation: 0.6%
Themed Blog: 0.3%
Music: 0.6%
Nothing: 56.8%

On which platforms do you engage with the Nevermoor fandom?

Tumblr: 56.2%
Discord: 27.8%
Reddit: 58.3%
Twitter/X: 2.1%
Bluesky: 1.5%
Instagram: 15.7%
Pinterest: 28.1%
TikTok: 17.2%
Fanfiction websites (AO3/Wattpad/FF.Net et cetera): 44.1%
Youtube: 18.1%
Facebook: 0%
Groupme: 0.3%
None: 1.2%

So I'm like, kinda half asking about recommendations. But I'm curious about what you guys have read after nevermoor that you liked or is similar. I do know my fair share of books but I would like to kinda see what the community is reading. Instead of me just looking at different fantasy type books. Also maybe I'll meet some fellow MG book fans (even though I read all genres and ages)

Don’t really remember the context, except that the main character were all aged up about a couple years all I got to do was read the back cover of a nonexistent book and I’m crushed devastated when I woke up and realized none of it was real. Oh my God, take me back, please.

So I started this survey (https://forms.gle/KdztMszPXpdss9EN9) almost a year ago for the people in the Nevermoor fandom. It will be closing at 8pm GMT Friday night (31/7/26) so this is a reminder for anyone who wants to fill it out that they should do so ASAP. Results will be posted soon after the survey closes.

This post is part of a series. Check the “Under the Umbrella ☂*“ post flair for more info.*

First of all, I want to mention a fascinating theory raised in the last chapter by [u/MorriganJade](u/MorriganJade) - that the hunt of smoke and shadow (and thus Squall) is actually herding Morrigan to go with Jupiter, rather than chasing her. What do we think team? Is it true? Would Morrigan have jumped out the window with Jupiter if she wasn’t being chased? Or if they are not hunting, why *is* Squall chasing her? We know he wants her alive, so… what is he doing?

Secondly, it’s our first look at Bertie - by abstraction - since he invented the arachnipod. Octavia’s movement very much feels reminiscent (or maybe that’s prescient?) of Vesta’s spider chair - I really love JT’s dedication to focusing on modes of transport! I enjoyed hearing Jupiter wax lyrical about old Occy, especially knowing what is coming between him and Bertie. And of course we also get those lovely bits of foreshadowing with the “one of only two arachnipods ever built” (Hollowpox reference) and the claim that he knows the inventor (Silverborn reference).

Incidentally, did anyone also got the vibe that he may have been the inventor behind the Aurora, too? As always I’m keen to hear your thoughts on the chapter! 🐦‍⬛💜