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plumghoul's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
this book made me so weepy and smiley. very good for the inner child. and the imagery was stunning. I wish the characters were deeper, the mystery was stronger, and the fight of it all took longer. and i feel very sad that aunty is gone so soon.
mehsi's review against another edition
2.0
An interesting and magical story but there were just things I didn't quite like.
I was delighted when I spotted this at Library #1, the cover looked very fun featuring a bright girl in a dark gloomy world. What was going on there? The blurb seemed to be my cup of tea.
And yes, I did have fun, I loved parts of it, but there were parts I just didn't like. Since I am quite tired, and got 2 more reviews to write I will make this one a good/bad review.
Good:
-No cellphones. There do seem to be televisions so there is some level of technology, but not as much as most modern books. The fantasy world they are passing into is also not one with technology. Yay!
-Going into this new world and reading about all the things that were going on in there. We learn quite a bit about the mean queen, about Mup's mom, about the war that is going to rage. The world seems very interesting, and I wish I could visit.
-People in this world can shift into animals. I would love to change into an animal. Which one would I be? What could I shift into?
-Yes, these were the villains but I still found them interesting and they made the story scarier and more exciting. I am talking about the Raggedy Witches. I vividly could see them in front of me as I read the book, pale faces, black pits of darkness as eyes.
-This very much felt like a book from my youth, olden fantasy. Sure, those books are older than I am, but books like Narnia, a dash of Oz, a pinch of Alice. Those kind of stories. The kind of stories that don't shy away from things. That don't sugarcoat things but instead give you things as they are.
-The ending made me smile. However, the ending also meant that I am not going to read further. Not just because of the things I don't like, but because for me it was done. It felt completed. I don't have any interest in continuing. For me the story is over.
Bad:
-Aunty. I get that she was protecting her niece, but couldn't she at least have told a bit more to her? Given her lessons should the day come that she would have to stand up against her mother? As that is inevitable. You can't just hide her away, hoping that one day the evil queen will die. Evil queens just don't die. :P
Throughout the story she cared more about the kids, Mup's mom and dad than she did all the other characters that needed help.
-Mup's magic. On the one hand I was clapping in my hands in delight that this girl was filled with magic, but on the other hand, it was quite magical how she POOF could do things. Oh, I can be an animal, POOF the best animal one can have in this story (and no, I am not spoiling what). Oh, we need to do dancing magic, never did that, BOOM perfection. Sorry, I just don't like that. I want to see her struggle with her power but it seems that never happened. She seemed to magically know what to do and how to do it.
-Tipper. It is one thing to have an annoying little brother, but to make him a talking dog? No, no, no thank you. Tipper was the MOST annoying character in the ENTIRE book. I would rather have him be a toddler/baby and barely talk than be a dog and talk constantly and have absolutely no idea how things work.
-The rhyming. It was a nice idea, but it ruined things for me. I was in the moment and then boom, rhyming and Mehsi was all out of the moment. Such a shame. I was very glad when eventually the rhyming stopped.
-Mup's fuzzing over Crow. We get that you want to help out the boy, but really, this is just going to far. He is clearly not happy with it, so leave it.
-The adults. None of them were capable of doing anything or listening to the children. :|
-I was delighted when they got home, I was thinking oh now we are getting a tearful reunion as the glamour that is covering dad is vanishing. Instead it was pretty lacklustre, instead of him being happy and delighted he was monotone and didn't even call his kids by their names. I get that he was glamoured, but given what was said it seemed that it would be over when he crossed the border/got home.
Plus, given that he was glamoured probably instantly, how did he know how Mam's country was? The place she was born. Or was it due to the glamour that he saw things differently? But from what I could see the glamour made him pretty much brain-dead. :P
-The change in the mother. On the one hand I could understand, on the other hand it seemed off. She never seemed to be that kind of woman, but then when she noticed her powers she just way different. And that was a shame. It was like we had a totally different character in the end. And yes, characters grow, but this was just bam, and I would have liked to see it explored further.
-I constantly kept confusing Mup with Mam. Three letter words, starting with the same letter, I would have rather had Mup be called Pearl, as that was her name.
As you can see, there were good points, but there also points that I just didn't like. Which is a shame this book had such potential. I do wonder why that person from the quote on the back thought this was Ireland's answer to Harry Potter. It has nothing to do with HP. If anything I would say it is the answer to Narnia, or Alice, or Oz (though way less well written, sorry, but I want to be honest in my reviews).
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
I was delighted when I spotted this at Library #1, the cover looked very fun featuring a bright girl in a dark gloomy world. What was going on there? The blurb seemed to be my cup of tea.
And yes, I did have fun, I loved parts of it, but there were parts I just didn't like. Since I am quite tired, and got 2 more reviews to write I will make this one a good/bad review.
Good:
-No cellphones. There do seem to be televisions so there is some level of technology, but not as much as most modern books. The fantasy world they are passing into is also not one with technology. Yay!
-Going into this new world and reading about all the things that were going on in there. We learn quite a bit about the mean queen, about Mup's mom, about the war that is going to rage. The world seems very interesting, and I wish I could visit.
-People in this world can shift into animals. I would love to change into an animal. Which one would I be? What could I shift into?
-Yes, these were the villains but I still found them interesting and they made the story scarier and more exciting. I am talking about the Raggedy Witches. I vividly could see them in front of me as I read the book, pale faces, black pits of darkness as eyes.
-This very much felt like a book from my youth, olden fantasy. Sure, those books are older than I am, but books like Narnia, a dash of Oz, a pinch of Alice. Those kind of stories. The kind of stories that don't shy away from things. That don't sugarcoat things but instead give you things as they are.
-The ending made me smile. However, the ending also meant that I am not going to read further. Not just because of the things I don't like, but because for me it was done. It felt completed. I don't have any interest in continuing. For me the story is over.
Bad:
-Aunty. I get that she was protecting her niece, but couldn't she at least have told a bit more to her? Given her lessons should the day come that she would have to stand up against her mother? As that is inevitable. You can't just hide her away, hoping that one day the evil queen will die. Evil queens just don't die. :P
Throughout the story she cared more about the kids, Mup's mom and dad than she did all the other characters that needed help.
-Mup's magic. On the one hand I was clapping in my hands in delight that this girl was filled with magic, but on the other hand, it was quite magical how she POOF could do things. Oh, I can be an animal, POOF the best animal one can have in this story (and no, I am not spoiling what). Oh, we need to do dancing magic, never did that, BOOM perfection. Sorry, I just don't like that. I want to see her struggle with her power but it seems that never happened. She seemed to magically know what to do and how to do it.
-Tipper. It is one thing to have an annoying little brother, but to make him a talking dog? No, no, no thank you. Tipper was the MOST annoying character in the ENTIRE book. I would rather have him be a toddler/baby and barely talk than be a dog and talk constantly and have absolutely no idea how things work.
-The rhyming. It was a nice idea, but it ruined things for me. I was in the moment and then boom, rhyming and Mehsi was all out of the moment. Such a shame. I was very glad when eventually the rhyming stopped.
-Mup's fuzzing over Crow. We get that you want to help out the boy, but really, this is just going to far. He is clearly not happy with it, so leave it.
-The adults. None of them were capable of doing anything or listening to the children. :|
-I was delighted when they got home, I was thinking oh now we are getting a tearful reunion as the glamour that is covering dad is vanishing. Instead it was pretty lacklustre, instead of him being happy and delighted he was monotone and didn't even call his kids by their names. I get that he was glamoured, but given what was said it seemed that it would be over when he crossed the border/got home.
Plus, given that he was glamoured probably instantly, how did he know how Mam's country was? The place she was born. Or was it due to the glamour that he saw things differently? But from what I could see the glamour made him pretty much brain-dead. :P
-The change in the mother. On the one hand I could understand, on the other hand it seemed off. She never seemed to be that kind of woman, but then when she noticed her powers she just way different. And that was a shame. It was like we had a totally different character in the end. And yes, characters grow, but this was just bam, and I would have liked to see it explored further.
-I constantly kept confusing Mup with Mam. Three letter words, starting with the same letter, I would have rather had Mup be called Pearl, as that was her name.
As you can see, there were good points, but there also points that I just didn't like. Which is a shame this book had such potential. I do wonder why that person from the quote on the back thought this was Ireland's answer to Harry Potter. It has nothing to do with HP. If anything I would say it is the answer to Narnia, or Alice, or Oz (though way less well written, sorry, but I want to be honest in my reviews).
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
amotisse's review against another edition
4.0
Sometimes our world is bigger than we thought and we are more than we imagined...so it is for Mop. Discovery and adventure, family, friendship and never leaving anyone behind. Reading and listening to junior fiction always reinforces my love of storytelling and awakens the child within me.
brandypainter's review against another edition
5.0
Begone the Raggedy Witches by Celine Kiernan is a 2018 release that wasn't on my radar at all until I saw it reviewed by several friends in a short span of time. The reviews were all stellar, and the reviewers of such similar reading tastes to mine that I bought the book since my library didn't have it. Well, I finally got around to reading it, and I have zero regrets and a lot of love for this amazing new MG fantasy trilogy.
"Fear is a very effective weapon," said Fírinne softly. "And the queen uses it to its fullest capacity. Eventually we become anything she wants us to be, just so she'll leave us alone. But I don't want to live like that anymore. I don't want to go on forgetting that in my youth I danced colour up out of the ground and sang the stars ashiver, just for the joy of it."
Mup has always lived a fairly well ordered life because she follows her Aunty's rules to the letter. What Aunty says to do, must be done. Aunty always said Mup was to tell her the instant she ever saw a witch hanging about. On the night Aunty dies, the witches arrive in full force. They are there to take Mup's Mam. Mup bravely fights them off with the help of Aunty's spirit. When it becomes clear that someone has taken Mup's father, Mam, Mup, and Mup's little brother Tipper break all of Aunty's rules to try to get him back. Venturing into the world from where the raggedy witches come, Aunty, and Mup's mother come from, they are determined to succeed in their quest even as Aunty's fading spirit whispers dire warnings in their ears. However, they aren't entirely sure who took him. Was it the witches? Was it any number of political rebels ready to put Mup's Mam on the throne in place of her cruel, tyrannical mother who is the current queen? In a strange world where magic abounds, everyone wants something, her Mam does not act entirely herself, and her brother can turn himself into a dog, Mup must find the courage to do what is right and stand by her convictions.
Mup is such a delightful heroine. She begins her begins the book as a sheltered, rule-following, and seemingly meek little girl. As danger upon danger meets her, Mup discovers a core of strength and defiance in herself that serves her well. She has strong convictions about what is right and what is wrong. As much as she loves both Mam and Aunty, she is willing to defy them both in order to do what she believes is right. Through Mup's eyes, Aunty is able to see the mistakes she made and the things she could have done better for the people she left behind when she escaped her sister's cruel world. Mup is a tether to Mam keeping her grounded as she has to navigate the world she left as a child and the full force of her magic for the first time. Mup also has to contend with magical powers she was unaware she possessed. After all, her father is Nigerian, and she grew up in Ireland. Who knew she could make lightning with her hands? She had no idea she could even do magic until they entered the world her grandmother rules. Upon arriving in this strange world, Mup immediately meets Crow. Crow is Mup's catalyst for defiance and rebellion. She has a deep sense of empathy and feels strongly for his plight. The more she learns about him, the more determined she becomes to help him too. Crow is broken, angry, and mostly abandoned. His father was arrested. His mother severed all ties with him. His uncle cares for him, but also lives a life of fear and desperation always trying to keep one step ahead of the queen's witches. And Crow is determined to defy the witches at every turn. Together, Mup and Crow are a scared but sassy and defiant team ready to take on whatever evil they have to face in order to save those they love.
Kiernan's prose is excellent in every way. She has a gift for story telling and weaves her words like magic. I don't know enough comprehensively about Irish folklore to know if this is based on any specific portion. It does have the feel of being imbued with old and lasting stories though. Then there is the political intrigue portion which Kiernan balances phenomenally well. It is exactly the right amount for the intended audience. Kiernan is exploring some extremely important and necessary themes. When does one submit and when does one rebel? Is it better to be safe or stand for what is right? If you don't speak up when you see wrong being done, who will? All of these questions are explored while also keeping to a quick paced, adventure filled plot that is full of action and conflict.
I highly recommend this to lovers of fantasy, mythology, and well-told stories of any age.
"Fear is a very effective weapon," said Fírinne softly. "And the queen uses it to its fullest capacity. Eventually we become anything she wants us to be, just so she'll leave us alone. But I don't want to live like that anymore. I don't want to go on forgetting that in my youth I danced colour up out of the ground and sang the stars ashiver, just for the joy of it."
Mup has always lived a fairly well ordered life because she follows her Aunty's rules to the letter. What Aunty says to do, must be done. Aunty always said Mup was to tell her the instant she ever saw a witch hanging about. On the night Aunty dies, the witches arrive in full force. They are there to take Mup's Mam. Mup bravely fights them off with the help of Aunty's spirit. When it becomes clear that someone has taken Mup's father, Mam, Mup, and Mup's little brother Tipper break all of Aunty's rules to try to get him back. Venturing into the world from where the raggedy witches come, Aunty, and Mup's mother come from, they are determined to succeed in their quest even as Aunty's fading spirit whispers dire warnings in their ears. However, they aren't entirely sure who took him. Was it the witches? Was it any number of political rebels ready to put Mup's Mam on the throne in place of her cruel, tyrannical mother who is the current queen? In a strange world where magic abounds, everyone wants something, her Mam does not act entirely herself, and her brother can turn himself into a dog, Mup must find the courage to do what is right and stand by her convictions.
Mup is such a delightful heroine. She begins her begins the book as a sheltered, rule-following, and seemingly meek little girl. As danger upon danger meets her, Mup discovers a core of strength and defiance in herself that serves her well. She has strong convictions about what is right and what is wrong. As much as she loves both Mam and Aunty, she is willing to defy them both in order to do what she believes is right. Through Mup's eyes, Aunty is able to see the mistakes she made and the things she could have done better for the people she left behind when she escaped her sister's cruel world. Mup is a tether to Mam keeping her grounded as she has to navigate the world she left as a child and the full force of her magic for the first time. Mup also has to contend with magical powers she was unaware she possessed. After all, her father is Nigerian, and she grew up in Ireland. Who knew she could make lightning with her hands? She had no idea she could even do magic until they entered the world her grandmother rules. Upon arriving in this strange world, Mup immediately meets Crow. Crow is Mup's catalyst for defiance and rebellion. She has a deep sense of empathy and feels strongly for his plight. The more she learns about him, the more determined she becomes to help him too. Crow is broken, angry, and mostly abandoned. His father was arrested. His mother severed all ties with him. His uncle cares for him, but also lives a life of fear and desperation always trying to keep one step ahead of the queen's witches. And Crow is determined to defy the witches at every turn. Together, Mup and Crow are a scared but sassy and defiant team ready to take on whatever evil they have to face in order to save those they love.
Kiernan's prose is excellent in every way. She has a gift for story telling and weaves her words like magic. I don't know enough comprehensively about Irish folklore to know if this is based on any specific portion. It does have the feel of being imbued with old and lasting stories though. Then there is the political intrigue portion which Kiernan balances phenomenally well. It is exactly the right amount for the intended audience. Kiernan is exploring some extremely important and necessary themes. When does one submit and when does one rebel? Is it better to be safe or stand for what is right? If you don't speak up when you see wrong being done, who will? All of these questions are explored while also keeping to a quick paced, adventure filled plot that is full of action and conflict.
I highly recommend this to lovers of fantasy, mythology, and well-told stories of any age.
booksfemme's review against another edition
4.0
Oh what a lovely read this was! I thoroughly enjoyed going on adventure with Mup and her band of friends and family. Mup's an absolutely adorable main character - she's such a caring and warm person. The thing I loved most of all was how the importance of family is expressed. It's just wonderful. (enough adjectives for this small text I suppose)
bigbeardedbookseller's review against another edition
5.0
This is going to be a hard one to beat as my favourite book of the year, and it's not even officially released yet! It has the feel of a classic childrens book, with the evil queen and the hero's quest and will sit well with others such as The Snow Queen, but is also part of a wonderful trend of excellent fantasy books for that 8-12 age range.
The action begins from the moment you open the book with Mup noticing the raggedy witches following them in the trees as they are returning from the hospital.
She has been told not to mention these to her mum, but to tell her aunt if she sees these, but there is a problem... Which I will not give away.
We follow Mup, her mum, brother, dog (who turns into a dog) in their search through Borough for her dad who has been abducted.
The search also uncovers who the family really are, with twists and turns throughout.
The world that Celine Kiernan conjurs with her writing is both terrific and terrifying in equal measures, with some wonderfully exciting action scenes supported by humour and emotional development of the characters.
I absolutely loved this book, it was so fast-paced that I read it in an evening and wanted more, and hopefully there will be more soon (I know it says it's a trilogy but I want the others now!)
If I am ever in the position to vote for this book to win anything it will definitely get my vote.
The action begins from the moment you open the book with Mup noticing the raggedy witches following them in the trees as they are returning from the hospital.
She has been told not to mention these to her mum, but to tell her aunt if she sees these, but there is a problem... Which I will not give away.
We follow Mup, her mum, brother, dog (who turns into a dog) in their search through Borough for her dad who has been abducted.
The search also uncovers who the family really are, with twists and turns throughout.
The world that Celine Kiernan conjurs with her writing is both terrific and terrifying in equal measures, with some wonderfully exciting action scenes supported by humour and emotional development of the characters.
I absolutely loved this book, it was so fast-paced that I read it in an evening and wanted more, and hopefully there will be more soon (I know it says it's a trilogy but I want the others now!)
If I am ever in the position to vote for this book to win anything it will definitely get my vote.
eregriel's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
clauleesi's review against another edition
4.0
First off all: I'm a complete sucker for middlegrade books.
I would even say that I love them more now as an adult than I did as a child. There's something about the wonder and hope that they often portray that just makes me very happy and content. [b:Begone the Raggedy Witches|36131823|Begone the Raggedy Witches (The Wild Magic Trilogy #1)|Celine Kiernan|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1515588162s/36131823.jpg|57729883] is a great example of this, that also proves that hopeful books for children can still be complex.
On the day that Mup's sick aunt passes away the witches come. Mup never really believed that they would, even though her Aunty warned her they might, and now the Raggedy Witches want her mum. Soon Mup finds herself in a whole new place of magic and tyrants where she has to play a very important part.
Before anything else, [a:Celine Kiernan's|1923475|Celine Kiernan|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1396781447p2/1923475.jpg] writing is gorgeous. It was strangely lyrical and felt atmospheric and haunting, which often reminded me of [a:Katherine Arden's|13922215|Katherine Arden|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1510754830p2/13922215.jpg] writing in [b:Small Spaces|36959639|Small Spaces (Small Spaces #1)|Katherine Arden|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1539180297s/36959639.jpg|56656020].
Another thing that I want to comment on was the grown-ups in this book. It actually surprised me how complicated and often not nice they were - even Mup's own family - without being portrayed as bad people. It gave the story another layer and made me not be able to anticipate at all what they would do.
Mup herself were a lovely thing - protective, clever and so insightful. She still felt very much like a real child though, and I loved that.
[b:Begone the Raggedy Witches|36131823|Begone the Raggedy Witches (The Wild Magic Trilogy #1)|Celine Kiernan|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1515588162s/36131823.jpg|57729883] was a great book, middlegrade or not. It had strong and important messages, complex characters and pretty writing. If I have children one day, I would love reading this to them.
I would even say that I love them more now as an adult than I did as a child. There's something about the wonder and hope that they often portray that just makes me very happy and content. [b:Begone the Raggedy Witches|36131823|Begone the Raggedy Witches (The Wild Magic Trilogy #1)|Celine Kiernan|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1515588162s/36131823.jpg|57729883] is a great example of this, that also proves that hopeful books for children can still be complex.
On the day that Mup's sick aunt passes away the witches come. Mup never really believed that they would, even though her Aunty warned her they might, and now the Raggedy Witches want her mum. Soon Mup finds herself in a whole new place of magic and tyrants where she has to play a very important part.
Before anything else, [a:Celine Kiernan's|1923475|Celine Kiernan|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1396781447p2/1923475.jpg] writing is gorgeous. It was strangely lyrical and felt atmospheric and haunting, which often reminded me of [a:Katherine Arden's|13922215|Katherine Arden|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1510754830p2/13922215.jpg] writing in [b:Small Spaces|36959639|Small Spaces (Small Spaces #1)|Katherine Arden|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1539180297s/36959639.jpg|56656020].
Another thing that I want to comment on was the grown-ups in this book. It actually surprised me how complicated and often not nice they were - even Mup's own family - without being portrayed as bad people. It gave the story another layer and made me not be able to anticipate at all what they would do.
Mup herself were a lovely thing - protective, clever and so insightful. She still felt very much like a real child though, and I loved that.
[b:Begone the Raggedy Witches|36131823|Begone the Raggedy Witches (The Wild Magic Trilogy #1)|Celine Kiernan|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1515588162s/36131823.jpg|57729883] was a great book, middlegrade or not. It had strong and important messages, complex characters and pretty writing. If I have children one day, I would love reading this to them.
emilydub's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5