The Promise Witch (The Wild Magic Trilogy #3) by Celine Kiernan

224 pages

Publisher: Walker Books

Blurb

Witches Borough is dying, and no one knows how to save it. Into this scorched landscape, storms a raggedy witch named Magda, trailing ashes in her wake. She wants Mup. She wants Mup to fulfil a promise. And woe betide any who stand in her way.

Review

“In a situation like this, maybe all you can do is listen, and try to understand … and give everyone room to figure out the answers for themselves.” - Dad

Only a few days ago I finished The Little Grey Girl, the second title in this trilogy, and ended my review stating how much I was looking forward to the final story. I’m sorta glad I didn’t know quite how excellent the conclusion would turn out to be because even those few days would have been too much of a wait. I expected a wonderful story, what I got was a tale of breathtaking beauty.

Really, The Promise Witch is everything a good book should be. A gripping, tension-filled story that just begs you to keep on turning the pages. This is by far the most thrilling of the three stories. The sense of danger is there on the very first page and steadily increases until, just when everything appears lost, it culminates in a glorious finale, that brought tears to my eyes.

Mup is as lovely, inquisitive, adventurous and big-hearted as she was in the first book, but she has grown. She’s learned valuable lessons on her journey and it shows. Of course, she’s still the young, impulsive, and sometimes stubborn girl, but she has the biggest heart. Her actions may seem rash at times, but they always come from a place of love.

While Mup is without a doubt the star of these stories, she comes with a collection of colourful and vividly drawn friends and family. It’s impossible not to mutter ‘awww’ every time her little brother Tipper makes an appearance, be it as a little boy or as a lively dog. I adore Crow with his tough exterior and humongous heart, and sorta want to adopt him. I could go on, but I’ll limit myself to saying that all together, Mup and her family and friends portray the very best in life; a community, far from perfect but where ultimately everybody looks out for each other when push comes to shove.

Oh boy did I need to read this book today. In a world gone mad, this was exactly the tonic I needed. Who knew it would take a book aimed at 9-12-year olds to remind me there is such a thing as hope, that despite evidence to the contrary the world is filled with love, and that deep down, most people want to do what’s right? The book is a treasure trove of subtle pearls of wisdom, disguised as dialogue or a school lesson, and I took them to heart. In fact, there was one I loved so much, I turned it into a meme.

Long story short: I adore and highly recommend this fast-paced and magical adventure. I’m in awe of Celine Kiernan and her own personal magic of turning the meaningful into an adventure. Or maybe she fills adventures with meaning. I have no idea how she does it. I only know that she does it perfectly.

Related Reviews: Begone the Raggedy Witches | The Little Grey Girl

The Little Grey Girl (The Wild Magic Trilogy #2) by Celine Kiernan

Pages: 217

Publisher: Walker Books

Blurb

The old queen and her raggedy witches have fled Witches Borough, and Mup’s family has moved into the cold, newly empty castle. But the queen’s legacy lingers in the fear and mistrust of her former subjects and in the memories that live in the castle’s very walls. While Mup’s mam tries to restore balance to a formerly oppressed world, Mup herself tries to settle into her strange new home with her dad, Tipper, and Crow. When an enchanted snow blankets the castle, Mup’s family is cut off from the rest of the kingdom, and the painful memories of the old queen’s victims begin to take form, thanks to a ghost whose power may be too much for even Mup and Mam to handle. 

Review

I took my time before picking up The Little Grey Girl and I’m not sure why. The only thing I do know for sure that it didn’t have anything to do with any reluctance to read the story on my part. I adored Begone the Raggedy Witches and was very much looking forward to the rest of the story. But, given how ‘only’ reading the sequel now means I literally only have two days to wait before the third book releases, I think I may have accidentally (and subconsciously) made the right decision because I can’t wait to read The Promise Witch, the third and final story in this fabulous trilogy.

I loved reuniting with Mup, her parents, Tipper, her little (doggo) brother, and Crow. The mystery of who the little grey girl might be and what she’s up to or why had me on the edge of my seat. It was fascinating to watch Mup as she tries to figure out what is going on, who is causing it, and overcomes her fear to solve the situation. But most of all I adore Mup. She is one of the most engaging, well-rounded, and fabulous characters I’ve read in recent times because, despite her magical powers, she is a very real little girl trying to figure out life, adults, and herself. I’m so delighted she’s not perfect. She has her moments when she’s unreasonable and reacts or lashes out before thinking, but they are beautifully contrasted with instances when Mup realises what she’s done and learns from the experience.

Why do I love these stories so much, you ask? Well, the short answer, as illustrate above is: because they are captivating and thrilling reads. What’s not to love about a story filled with danger and mystery in which a charming and smart little girl with magical powers saves the day (and her family and friends). The longer answer goes something like this. These books blow me away because there is so much more in them than ‘just’ the compelling story (and trust me, I’d read and love them for the story alone). What makes these books truly magical (pun intended) for me is Celine Kiernan’s amazing skill when it comes to writing books, aimed at juvenile readers, without ever writing down to them. What’s more, she manages to introduce subjects such as friendship, loyalty, grief, fear, and bravery without ever preaching about them. They’re just there, an integral part of the story while at the same time conveying subtle messages to the readers, showing them that it’s okay to be afraid, that there’s no shame in anger, that it is possible to be upset with a friend without it meaning the end of the friendship. And, maybe the most valuable ‘lesson’ in this book, that it is important to try and understand what motivates others, that first impressions don’t always reveal the truth, and that often an act of kindness, understanding, and compassion may achieve what anger and violence can not.

Long story short. I’m in awe of this author. I want to live in her imagination and, failing that, I can only be grateful that she shares her fabulous creative vision with us through stories which are, without fail, captivating page-turners. Only two more days before I’ll be able to get my hands on what will, without a doubt, be a grand finale. 

Bring. It. On.

Related review: Begone the Raggedy Witches

Begone the Raggedy Witches by Celine Kiernan - Review

The Wild Magic Trilogy Book 1

276 pages

Publisher: Walker Books

Juvenile Fiction – Middle Grade – 9-11

Blurb

On the night that Aunty dies the Raggedy Witches come for Mup's mam. Pale, cold, relentless, they will do anything to coax Mam back to Witches Borough.

When they kidnap Mup's dad, Mup and her mam must leave the mundane world to rescue him.

But Mam is strange on this side of the border - striding, powerful, and distant. Even if they can save Dad, Mup is not sure anything will ever be the same again.

Review

Celine Kiernan has done it again, and then some. Once again she’s managed to ensnare me in one of her magical stories, leaving me mesmerised, enthralled, delighted and, dare I say it, bewitched. J

I sometimes forget that just because a book was written for children doesn’t mean it can’t get toe-curling scary.

“Like strands of seaweed around a corpse, they held Mam at their centre, and she, as lifeless as a corpse beneath the water, floated in their arms.”

‘They’ being the witches who have come to abduct Mup’s mother now that they think she’s no longer under Aunty’s protection.

And so starts a story in which Mup’s life will be set on its head and during which she will learn a lot about the world, about good and evil, about compromise and about love and family. I love that this book is so very many things. First and foremost, Begone the Raggedy Witches is a magical adventure story about a young girl who sets out to save her family from the evil queen who is determined to tear them apart and destroy them. It is filled with the weird and wonderful. As I said, there’s magic (well what do you expect in a book about witches?), but there is also people shifting into animal forms, and flying caravans, not to mention rhyming crows and outlaw magic. The way the story is structured, with the tension starting on page one and not really letting up at all, this book is like a juvenile thriller in which, with a few exceptions, it’s not quite clear who can and who can’t be trusted.

And that is one of the strokes of genius I admire Celine Kiernan for most. She has an enviable talent to infuse a page turner with deeper meaning without taking the reader out of the story or laying it on too thickly. Almost without being aware of it the (young) reader comes face to face with discrimination, politics, right versus wrong, neglect, and diversity. And while all these topics are dealt with in a thoughtful manner, I was most struck by the way the story deals with trying to distinguish between good and bad, making it perfectly clear that the answer isn’t always clear-cut; that good people can sometimes find themselves doing bad things and that even those who are bad may occasionally do a good deed.

I could go on forever, because there wasn’t anything in this story I didn’t love but I’ll limit myself to the following, probably somewhat cryptic (and I hope curiosity evoking) statements:

-      My heart broke for the boy/bird called Crow and couldn’t help cheering Mup on as she slowly wins his trust.

-      I loved how Mup would ask herself how a certain situation or outcome would make her feel in order to figure out whether something she had seen or done was either good or bad.

-      I was struck by the idea of forcing a group of people (the men/crows) to rhyme in order to curtail what they can say.

-      On a lighter note, Mup’s baby brother, Tipper, changing into a dog when they enter Witches Borough, the way he talks, and the questions he asks, were a stroke of genius and a pure delight.

-      And I’m delighted that in Mup we’ve been given a diverse main character (she’s half Nigerian – half Irish) who recognises that people run into being deemed other and discriminated against for various reasons and in all worlds.

I’m sorta afraid that with all of the above I’ve made this book sound heavy and preachy. Allow me to reassure you Begone the Raggedy Witches is neither. This is a fascinating, highly original, well plotted, magical, and totally engrossing adventure story. The fact that it also touches, in a most sensitive and unobtrusive way, on several issues kids (and adults) will be able to relate to, is the icing on an already glorious cake. The only thing I regret is that I’ll have to wait for almost a year before I’ll be able to read the next instalment.