The Grimmelings by Rachael King

Title: The Grimmelings

Author: Rachael King

Genre: Fantasy, magical realism

Publisher: Allen and Unwin

Published: 20^th February 2024

Format: Paperback

Pages: 320

Price: $19.99

Synopsis: Spellbinding middle-grade fantasy adventure of loyalty, courage, and being careful what you wish for . . .

The same evening Josh Underhill went missing, the black horse appeared on the hill above the house.

Thirteen-year-old Ella knows that words are powerful. So she should have known better than to utter a wish and a curse on the same day, even in jest.  

When the boy she has cursed goes missing, in the same sudden, unexplained way as her father several years earlier, Ella discovers that her family is living in the shadow of a vengeful kelpie, a black horse-like creature.

With the help of her beloved pony Magpie, can Ella break the curse of the kelpie and save not just her family, but the whole community?

Rachael King’s writing is immersive and vibrant, rich in lore and an appreciation of the natural world that fans of Katherine Rundell, Susan Cooper and Kiran Millwood Hargrave will love. 

~*~

It’s the start of the spring holidays when Josh Underhill goes missing – the same evening a mysterious black horse appears by Ella’s house. After Josh bullies Ella and her sister, Fiona, and Ella curses him and utters a wish in jest – and then Josh disappears – in the same, sudden way that her father did several years ago. The kelpie that is seeking revenge on her family has followed them from Scotland, and wants blood.

Ella has to muster up all her courage and beloved pony Magpie – a pony that will only allow Ella to ride her so she can break the kelpie’s curse and save her family and community in New Zealand.

Rachael King’s new story is based on Scottish folklore, ideas about witchcraft, and small communities, where judgement can happen without rhyme or reason. She also navigates the contemporary setting of New Zealand/Aotearoa, where the diverse community of Māori and everyone else who has arrived since colonisation have formed the small community at the heart of this novel near a lake and mountain – a small country town where traditions from everyone have influenced the world of the book. It brings these elements together, with a focus on Scottish myths and witchcraft, liminal worlds and the thin barrier between this world and the faerie world. The idea that the kelpie, a distinctly Scottish myth has travelled to New Zealand is something that Ella, Fiona, and their grandmother, Grizzly, find hard to comprehend for much of the novel. The strange goings on are put down to coincidences by their mother, Morag, and their fault by the community as a whole. Yet as Ella gets to know this strange, new lad, Gus, something is amiss.

I have always enjoyed novels that involve myths and fairytales and are a kind of retelling in some way. Many of the ones I have read have been set where the myth or fairytale has come from, or the historical story, so it was interesting to read a story set in New Zealand centred around a Scottish myth – with the premise being that running from something like a kelpie, moving from its natural home to another country means you should be safe. In theory. Rachael teased the myth and the way it interacted with this story and characters apart carefully, revealing things as readers needed to know them, as Grizzly alerted the girls to what she knew about magic and witches, about nature and kelpies. I felt Morag also knew, but she chose to ignore the obvious and try to find the best, most logical explanation she could that would satisfy the modern world she lived in. It is a novel that is cleverly written, filled with doubt and belief, and characters who are good, bad, in between, and who are ultimately, brave. Very brave, especially as the novel reaches its climax.

The Grimmelings is a modern story with an old-world, classic feel that shows it is possible to create a book that navigates a modern world with the charm of stories that feel older. We know this is set during this century yet there is a sense of timelessness about it. Nothing dates this book. I felt that this story could be taking place at any time in the past few decades, and solidly shows that it can still be contemporary without relying on technology or references that fit the story. I like this as it means one can imagine it being set at a range of times during the past few decades and it will still make sense, and still be an exceptional story. The novel is middle grade, but aimed at the upper end of middle grade to early young adult, as there are some moments that are quite dark and intense, and even I got a little chill down my spine as the novel progressed, knowing that there was something more to a certain character than first appeared, and I wanted to climb into the novel and warn Ella earlier than it had to come out, because I didn’t want anything bad to happen to her.

This book had everything for me, and explored mythology carefully and creatively, showing that there are always new ways you can retell a myth or fairy tale, or different ways you can explore a concept or plot that will make a book unique. It was a fantastic novel and I am sure it will find its readers.