A review by caughtbetweenpages
The Hounds of the Morrigan by Pat O'Shea

adventurous hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

An incredibly sweet fantasy middle grade. Pat O'Shea clearly knows and loves her Irish/Celtic folklore, because it was poured into every sentence of this book. Were the villains mustache twirly and the good guys squeaky-clean? Yes. Did the protagonists experience much character growth/change/agency, rather than being set up on a quest through Tir na nOg only to be spat back out to their home after the quest was complete? No. Do I care? Absolutely not! I had fun exploring the strange and wonderful land that O'Shea built out. I enjoyed meeting the little red fox, wandering through a ceilidh, sweets trading, escaping hounds by flying on a kite, all of it. This book felt extremely nostalgic, even though I'd only just read it for the first time, and had the vibes of a movie from the 80's a la Labyrinth or The Neverending Story. Very fun.