The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend

Morrigan is a Cursed Child.  Because Morrigan was born on Eventide she has spent her whole life being blamed for any bad thing that happened, and knowing she would die on her 11 birthday.  When her 11th birthday comes, instead of dying she is whisked away to another land, called Nevermoor, and registered as a candidate for the Wundrous Society.  Her sponsor is the jovial but mysterious Jupiter North, and soon she feels closer to him and her friends in Nevermoor than she ever did to her real family. But to stay in Nevermoor she must pass the four trials that will decide which of the 500 candidates will receive one of the nine appointments to the society.  As she progresses through her trials she learns more about herself, the other candidates, and the evil Wundersmith whose memory still haunts the land.

This is now my favorite fantasy from 2017.  It was fun and well crafted.  I kept expecting it to get dark and tragic, but it never did.  It has a lot of elements one could compare with Harry Potter, but not, I think, in a bad way.  The characters are strong, the plotting is great, and the fantasy world is a delight. I am eager to order a couple of extra copies of this one because I want to recommend it to a whole list of my favorite library patrons. I will have to look up and find out when the next in the series is coming out. (2017, 465 p.)