Begone the Raggedy Witches by Celine Kiernan

​On the night Aunty died, Mup caught her first glimpse of the Raggedy Witches. They chased Mup, her mother, and her little brother all the way home, their pale faces flashing overhead through the trees. The Raggedy Witches are relentless in their devotion to the tyrannical queen they serve. The queen has outlawed nearly all magic and runs her lands through fear and oppression. She also just happens to be Mup’s grandmother.
When the Raggedy Witches kidnap Mup’s father, it is up to Mup and her mother to enter the witches’ realm and rescue him before it is too late.
I loved this novel. I found it to be extremely unique and intriguing, unlike anything I have read in a long while. I am now doubly intrigued by the Irish mythology and folktales.
Mup is a very interesting young character, full of spark and a sense of style to match my five-year-old's. Mup believes in magic and bad witches and things that go bump in the night, and unlike any young girl, they do scare her a little bit. At the same time, she knows the power of good is stronger than that of evil.
Her mother is an intense character whom I will admit I didn’t care much for. Half of the book I was questioning whether or not she cared about rescuing her husband. Something in the way she acted that made me feel as though she would rather not be a mother, and that upset me.
The setting is vague and magical at the same time. The fact that Mup lives in our world but her grandmother lives in an alternative plane is very interesting, especially considering that these planes connect in Mup’s backyard.
There isn't too much to their journey, action-wise, but not in a bad way. Mup and her mother meet numerous magical people and go to a number of new places.
I highly enjoyed this novel and will be researching Irish lore more. I gave this novel four out of five stars and would recommend it to readers who enjoy unique and magical reads.
I received my copy of this novel from librarything.com for the sole purpose of providing an honest review. The image above is my own. 

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