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A review by cadiva
Which Witch? by Eva Ibbotson
5.0
This is one of my all time favourite books, both as a young reader, a teenager and as an adult, I think I must have read it at least 50 times over the years. It was a regular check out for me while at school from the library but, bizarrely, I never owned my own copy.
The book focusses on the white witch Belladonna, who is secretly in love with the dark and broodingly handsome Arriman the Awful, the most feared and fierce wizard of the North. He had decided he must marry as he needs an heir to pass on his wizardly crown as he's getting fed up of all the smiting and blighting.
He decides to hold a competition at which the wickedest blackest witches will perform their greatest spell and the one which is the most evil will win. Poor Belladonna wants nothing more than to be bad, but she's such a good witch that even when she tries to be bad the opposite happens.
Without going into details, the plot also involves an orphan named Terrance and his pet worm, a three headed sea lion who Arriman has had looking for his successor for years without any joy (hence the decision to marry and hold a competition to find himself a wife), an elderly witch who randomly turns into a coffee table, the seductive Madame Olympia, and a whole host of other amusing and horrible characters.
With a few nice twists added to the plot, the reader is drawn headlong into an amusing tale which draws to a satisfactory conclusion without ever stinting on the story to get there.
The book focusses on the white witch Belladonna, who is secretly in love with the dark and broodingly handsome Arriman the Awful, the most feared and fierce wizard of the North. He had decided he must marry as he needs an heir to pass on his wizardly crown as he's getting fed up of all the smiting and blighting.
He decides to hold a competition at which the wickedest blackest witches will perform their greatest spell and the one which is the most evil will win. Poor Belladonna wants nothing more than to be bad, but she's such a good witch that even when she tries to be bad the opposite happens.
Without going into details, the plot also involves an orphan named Terrance and his pet worm, a three headed sea lion who Arriman has had looking for his successor for years without any joy (hence the decision to marry and hold a competition to find himself a wife), an elderly witch who randomly turns into a coffee table, the seductive Madame Olympia, and a whole host of other amusing and horrible characters.
With a few nice twists added to the plot, the reader is drawn headlong into an amusing tale which draws to a satisfactory conclusion without ever stinting on the story to get there.