Which Witch By: Patricia A. McKillip Star Rating:

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Synopsis

Hazel is a witch who is part of a popular band made up of herself and her friends who are witches. She has a familiar, a crow named Cawley. The pair only recently found one another, and are still having trouble speaking each other's language. Cawley knows an evil creature is following Hazel, putting her and her bandmates in danger, but he can't seem to make her understand. As Hazel and her friends go on stage to play, the creature comes after them, which leads Hazel to learn something new about herself and one of her friends.

Review

The title of Patricia A. McKillip's Which Witch refers to a rock band that is entirely made up of witches. The story is told in alternating first-person POV by Hazel, one of the band members, and her familiar, a crow named Cawley. Hazel and Cawley's bond is relatively new, so they have a hard time understanding each other's language. Cawley is aware of an evil creature that is stalking Hazel, but he can't seem to make her understand that she's in danger. This miscommunication leads to an exciting climax in which Hazel learns something new about herself and one of her bandmates.

Which Witch was a fun little read. Before picking up Under My Hat: Tales from the Cauldron, the antholody in which it's found, I had never read any stories involving familiars, but this is now the second one. I also can't recall ever having read any stories which were told from an animal's perspective, so having Cawley tell part of it was a fun and unique element. Overall, I liked the writing style and found it to be pretty engaging. The very beginning of the story and a couple of other brief passages were perhaps a tad confusing, but I'm willing to admit that it might have just been me, as I was very sleepy while reading it. Otherwise, I enjoyed it. This was my first read by Patricia A. McKillip, and it has left me open to trying more of her work.

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