A Fine Witch for a Cat

In this sharp-edged fantasy, British writer Callie’s first book, Granny Willow, an elderly witch, lives with her talking cat, Shadow, in a remote village. One night, a mother frantically seeks Granny Willow’s help in healing her daughter, who has been attacked by a cat. After the murderous cat, Gorlan, kills Granny Willow for refusing to supply information about the girl, Shadow becomes a suspect and is hunted by the villagers. Callie writes vividly about Shadow’s journey, as he adjusts to living without Granny Willow’s protection. Enduring both physical and mental anguish, Shadow eventually finds love with a cat named Magala and forms alliances with feral barn cats, as they prepare for a great battle with Gorlan. Though the story bogs down amid redundant explanations and overwritten passages (“Shadow could not begin to understand those feelings that made him want to destroy the cat that did this. He didn’t know it was within him. These destructive impulses, combined with the immeasurable guilt he felt for his earlier absence made him question his own being”), Callie creates an intriguing world of animal magic. Ages 9–up. (BookLife)