The Little Grey Girl by Celine Kiernan
The Wild Magic trilogy Book 2. Walker, 2019. 217 pp.
9781406373929. pbk.
In the first book in The Wild Magic trilogy, Begone
the raggedy witches, Mup realises that she has magical powers.
The Queen from across the border, her grandmother, uses her magic to
keep control over her subjects and when she flees with the raggedy
witches, Mup's mother is the obvious replacement, but she does not
want the power nor does she want to be queen. She is persuaded to
leave her own home and move to the Glittering Lands guiding her
daughter, Mup, and her husband and their son, Tipper, now a dog,
over the strange waterway which marks the entrance to this
mysterious place.
The second in the series, The Little Grey Girl, takes up the
story as Mam is declared queen, protesting all the while. She is
besieged by petitioners, and heads back into her mother's castle to
think about what to do next. But during the night, Mup sees a
mysterious little grey girl in the courtyard, and calling Crow they
go to investigate. It has been snowing fiercely, and Mam's adviser,
Firinne, has warned her that this is the old queen's curse and to be
watchful.
The castle is still full of memories of the tyrannical past, and Mup
grapples with the question of free will, as her mother encourages
the people to make up their minds for themselves; she will not tell
them what to do.
The characters in this beautifully written book are exceptional: Mup
with her strong moral centre is brave and disarming, able to throw
lightning from her fingers to keep herself protected from the forces
of the evil she feels all around, while Crow the bird that can
change into a boy speaks in rhyme.
But the little grey girl intrigues; is she a threat, either a a
raggedy witch or someone who needs help. With the long dead Dr
Emberly and Crow, Mup descends to the dungeons beneath the castle
following the little grey girl, to find out about the drawings she
leaves on the walls, which cause such distress. But to find the core
of the problem they must fight the dog which holds all the sadness
the little grey girl takes from people, a fight which could lead to
their deaths.
Kiernan's voice is unique, taking its readers along brave new paths,
involving them with a strong, independent young girl hesitantly
using her magical powers, but always aware of how it will affect
those around her.
Fran Knight