The Horned Women

A Contemporary Retelling of an Irish fairy tale

The Castle in Kilkenney, #1

by

Chrisy Matheson

Eerie introduction to the Robinson family, Americans relocated to Ireland.

The Horned Women is the first book in author Christy Matheson’s The Castle in KilKenney series, contemporary retellings of some of Ireland’s most well-known fairy tales. When Maura divorced her cheating husband, Roy, she not only gained full custody of their two small children and an ancient castle in Ireland but, out of the blue, his teenage son and daughter from a previous marriage also applied to the judge to live with her as well. Soon, Maura finds herself a divorced mother of four living in her dream setting, although the dilapidated Irish castle requires some work to bring it up to standards, hopefully at Roy’s expense. As the merged family settles in, there are some bumps along the way, especially with spoiled teenager Kaylee, who appears to have been completely ignored by her parents for most of her young life. 

After the children are in bed, Maura turns to needlework for relaxation. One evening, a strange old woman with a single horn growing from her forehead barges into the great room uninvited and, without a word, begins carding wool. She is joined one after another by eleven more old women, each with one more horn than the one that came before her, all with evil intentions in mind. Using her wits and knowledge of Irish folklore and with the much-needed assistance from a surprising source, she must figure out a way to banish the horned women from the castle for good and protect all her children. 

The young family and how they are adapting to each other and their new life without their father is the heart of this story. Maura loves her own children, Oona and Oliver, but until the divorce, she had little interaction with the older two, which makes their request to the judge all the more unexpected. It seems their father and mother are real pieces of work, intent on their own desires, leaving their two children to grow up alone and unwanted. Despite this, Aiden is quickly growing into a kind, considerate young man; however, Kaylee, the daughter, has suffered from the lack of parental love and affection, something Aiden may have recognized and prompted his unusual request. The mystical intrusion of the fairy tale into Maura’s present time reveals how she’s gradually come to love the older two like her own. 

I recommend THE HORNED WOMEN to readers who enjoy scary fairy tale retellings.

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