The Blurb (from Goodreads):
In the second book of the Wild Magic trilogy, courageous young Mup and her family are trying to heal and restore the kingdom when they uncover an ancient and powerful anger.
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. Celine Kiernan weaves a timely and essential truth into the second book of her trilogy: that dismantling oppression means honoring the pains of the past, and perhaps the most potent magic of all is encouraging joy and hope wherever possible.
My Thoughts:
The Little Grey Girl is the second book in a charming fantasy series for younger readers, written by Irish author Celine Kiernan. It starts where Book 1 : Begone the Raggedy Witches ends, and so must be read in the right order. Basically, the series tells the story of an ordinary girl named Mup whose mother is the heir to a magical realm that had been for decades ruled by her cold and ruthless mother, the queen. In the first book, the queen is defeated and driven away, but now Mup’s mother is queen in her place and must find some way to make reparations and build a lasting peace. The books are deftly written, with some gorgeous lyrical writing and enough warmth and humour to balance out the darkness and fear. And, like the best children’s fantasy, they contain important lessons about kindness and forgiveness. A truly magical fantasy for readers 8+.
You might also like to read my review of Brimstone by Kelly Gardiner:
