The promise witch by Celine Kiernan

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The Wild Magic trilogy bk. 3. Walker Books, 2020. ISBN: 9781406373936.
(Age: 10-14) Highly recommended. Following Begone the raggedy witches and The little grey girl comes the striking finale to what has been a unique and enthralling series. Witches Borough has been struck down with a terrible drought caused by the old queen, the rivers are drying up and there is little water in the wells. Mup's parents are doing their best to bring peace to the land and begin a school to educate all the children but the drought threatens everyone's existence. Then the witch Magda comes back and sweeps Mup and Crow off on a dangerous journey, determined to give them to Mup's grandmother, the old queen. Mup knows that the old queen's power must end for the good of the land and uses all her ingenuity to try and find a way to do this.
Readers who have followed the adventures of Mup and Crow and the little grey girl in the first two books will be enthralled with this magical and very exciting conclusion to the series. Both Mup and Crow grow into their powers and use them for the good of the land. They learn that they must obtain the help of others and cooperate to overcome evil and readers will cheer their efforts to stop the old queen. There are some heart-breaking moments that will bring tears to eyes as Crow desperately tries to bring his father back to life and the fate of the little grey girl is decided.
It is the beautifully descriptive and emotive writing that keeps the story going along at a fast pace and readers will be fully engaged in the characters and events in Witches Borough. This is a series that can be highly recommended for its portrayal of good and evil, the resilience of the characters and the uniqueness of the stories.
Pat Pledger