Grimmelings are the beginning of the last gleams of the day. Ella has learnt this from her Scottish grandmother who loves to leave Ella little notes with special ancient words written on them. Ella and her little sister Fiona call their grandmother Grizzly – not because she’s scary but because her name is Griselda. They have a special bond with Grizzly who moved from Scotland many years before to live with them in their small town in New Zealand.

Ella shares special words with Grizzly, but Fiona has learnt other things. She likes to make collections of feathers and shells and other treasures from nature which just adds to the mystique of their family according to the locals. They often label Grizzly as a witch and her grand daughters are shunned at school because of it, but they keep busy with their family horse trekking business, and try and not let it bother them.

Ella’s best friend is a horse named Magpie, for her black and white colouring. Magpie will only allow Ella on her back, and their bond has been strong, ever since she was an unplanned foal.

With the school holidays upon them, Ella intends to spend even more time with Magpie, around her duties within the business of preparing and caring for their horses before and after horse trekking each day. But these holidays have begun with a mystery. A boy named Josh from her class has disappeared. He in particular made the sister’s lives uncomfortable at school, and Ella’s mind is full of the last thing she said to him. Is it her fault he’s vanished?

She loves her horse, but often wishes for a human friend to spend time with. When she meets a stranger her own age during the search for her missing classmate, she wonders if he will be that person. Gus is different from anyone she’s met, but seems to share her love of horses.

As she gets to know Gus, Josh is never far from her mind, along with a strange black stallion that has been appearing in the nearby paddocks. A close encounter with this magnificent horse leaves Ella confused and uncomfortable. Where has it come from? Has it escaped from another farm?

More mysteries arrive with slaughtered sheep, upset clients and strange behaviour among their trekking horses. Mum is worried for their business and increasingly so for Grizzly who is unwell. But Grizzly seems to recognise the stallion and is even more bothered by its ever increasing presence.

Ella is full of questions. Who is Gus and where did he come from? Surely someone is missing the stallion from their herd? What does Grizzly know about it, and does it have any connection to Josh, and her own father who disappeared six years before?

Wow! I read The Grimmelings in one sitting. Rachael King’s effortless writing, rich in simile and authentic characters had me enraptured early. Each time a strange but magnificent stallion appeared in the story, I was spellbound along with the characters.

The tension comes early in the novel with a missing boy and a young girl blaming herself for it. The undercurrent of distrust towards her family by the locals added another layer of tensity with the word “Witch” in the mix.

I enjoyed the nearly all female cast of characters, all strong in their own way, despite more than one family tragedy in their past. Horse lovers will inhale this story as a mare called Magpie also claims heroine status.

Viewpoints shift to best suit the narrative, always clearly signposted by a change in font, and not too often. Each chapter begins with an image of a torn scrap of paper with ancient words (often Gaelic or Scots) to know and learn from grandmother Griselda, and these words are often found in the text itself from the mouths of characters.

By the time I reached the horrifying but spectacular ending, the world vanished from around me as I held my breath and turned pages faster and faster.

Sumptuously and effortlessly written and to read, The Grimmelings is a marvel of mythical creatures, malevolence, family, and feminine courage.

And that cover!!

I’m already certain this is going to be a favourite of 2024.

Author – Racheal King

Age – 9+

(2024, Allen & Unwin, New Zealand Author, Mystery, Family, Secret, Action, Animals, Conflict, Courage, Fantasy, Horses, Herd, Kelpie, Myth, Revenge, Fear, Guilt, Curse, Loss, Missing Person, Lake, Stranger, Mythical Creature, Horse Trekking, Vengeance, Community, Old Magic, Witch, Talismans, Tension)