The Promise Witch

Starred review from May 1, 2021
Readers reunite with Mup and company as remnants of Mup's grandmother's cruel regime threaten to shatter the community's fragile new freedom. Things are changing in the Glittering Land. It's true the old queen's hold on the land in absentia has kept tensions high between the different clans, and deep mistrust of anything to do with the castle is still a continual barrier for Mam. Nevertheless, progress--like the school that teaches the children of any clan to learn to use magic--signals small, meaningful steps toward the free future that Mup so fiercely believes in. But her hope is closely stalked by fear--fear that a friend might be lost to his own shadows, that a desperate, "raggedy" witch is the most dangerous kind, and that maybe some wounds are truly too deep to heal. Kiernan has delivered a final installment as provocative as its predecessors. Even as Mup seeks a fairy-tale ending of retribution for evildoers and happiness for those who've suffered, she and readers find that such neat resolutions quickly give way to the messiness of remorse, the toll of resilience, and the power of collective restoration. The balance struck between the complexities of trauma, atonement, and freedom and the more straightforward motivations of protecting loved ones and helping friends in need remains the trilogy's calling card and will bring readers back to Mup again and again. Previous installments establish that Mup is biracial (Black/White). A stunning conclusion. (Fantasy. 8-12)

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