Thursday, March 3, 2022

Begone the Raggedy witches by Celine Kiernan


When I love a book I usually fly through the pages. That didn't happen with Begone the Raggedy Witches which has taken me several weeks to read. Many of the review points made here resonated with my experience of this book. There are however, some clever plot ideas in this story and some memorable characters especially Mup and her new friend Crow.

Mup (her real name is Pearl) lives in our world with her mum (Mam) Stella, her Dad, and her little baby brother named Tipper. They have a loyal old dog called Badger. Aunty Boo, who has been protecting the family, has just died. Then the witches arrive:

"There were men witches and women witches, and they leapt from branch to branch, racing along at tremendous speed. They were nothing but shadows among shadows, so that Mup had to strain her eyes to see them."

Mup has no idea about her mother and her heritage. Stella is the sister of the evil queen. Dad has been taken as a way to lure Mam over the border. Mup follows her taking her dog and her baby brother who is luckily transformed into a young puppy which means Mup does not need to carry him or worry about food etc. Aunty Boo is now has a ghost like form and she comes along to help Mup and rescue Mam. 

The evil Queen (who is somewhat like the Snow Queen or the Queen from the Narnia series) has murdered hundreds of citizens and imposed dreadful rules on people who do not conform to her rules. People are forced to speak in rhymes, dancing and music are banned as are colours. This reminded me of the Chain of Charms series by Kate Forsyth. Also Fire Girl and Fire Witch which are set during the time of Cromwell (links below).

The use of rhyme as a means of controlling communication is central to maintaining the Queen's hold on her subjects. If they don't speak in rhyme, this alerts the Raggedy Witches to their whereabouts. If they do speak in rhyme, the constraints that places on real communication keep the outlaws in their place. Reading Zone

Mup must journey to the castle to rescue her dad and find her Mam. Of course all of this is also leading to a huge confrontation with the Queen. Read more plot details in this Book Bag review. 

Publisher blurbWhen witches kidnap her dad, Mup is swept up in a wild tide of magic that carries her to another world. Can she reunite her family and find her way back? On the night that Aunty dies, the raggedy witches come for Mup’s family. Pale, cold, and relentless, the witches will do anything for the tyrannical queen who has outlawed most magic and enforces her laws with terror and cruelty — and who happens to be Mup’s grandmother. When witches carry off her dad, Mup and her mam leave the mundane world to rescue him. But everything is odd in the strange, glittering Witches Borough, even Mam. Even Mup herself. In a world of rhyming crows, talking cats, and golden forests, it’s all Mup can do to keep her wits about her. And even if she can save her dad, Mup’s not sure if anything will ever be the same again.

I would recommend this book for readers aged 10+ with reading stamina and readers who enjoy fantasy (with a touch of humour - Tipper made me laugh). 

Companion reads:




Fire Girl and the sequel Fire Witch




This is the first book in a trilogy. Here are the next two books:



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