A Hat Full of Sky recap

Tiffany Aching, now eleven, leaves the Chalk to be trained as a witch, apprenticed to Miss Level, a kindly research witch who shares one mind between two bodies. Watched over from afar by the Feegle and by the formidable Granny Weatherwax, Tiffany learns the humble, practical work of a rural witch, but grows overconfident. An ancient, mindless predator called the hiver, drawn to powerful minds, catches and possesses her, and under its influence she becomes arrogant, cruel, and dangerous, no longer herself. The Nac Mac Feegle and Granny Weatherwax realize what has happened and set out to save her, and Miss Level is badly hurt in the crisis. Fighting back from within, Tiffany journeys into her own self to find the strength to master the thing that has taken her. At the great gathering of witches she finally defeats the hiver, not by force but by giving it what it has never had, an awareness of itself and of its own death, leading it at last to an ending. Tiffany comes fully into her own as a witch, earns Granny Weatherwax's hard-won respect, and returns to the Chalk stronger and surer of who she is.

Previously, in the earlier book: Tiffany Aching, a practical young granddaughter of a revered shepherd, discovered she had a talent for witchcraft on the chalk downland called the Chalk. When her small brother was stolen away by the Queen of Fairyland, Tiffany went into that cold country of dreams to rescue him, aided by the Nac Mac Feegle, the tiny, ferocious blue Wee Free Men who guard the downs and call her their hag. Drawing on clear sight, stubborn common sense, and the memory of her formidable grandmother, she saw through the Queen's illusions, defeated her, and brought the stolen children home. Senior witches, among them the renowned Granny Weatherwax, took note of what she had done. Recognized now as the Chalk's own young witch and set on the road to proper training, Tiffany has spent the time since learning what she can, with the Feegle still watching over her, and is ready to leave home for a real apprenticeship.

Tiffany leaves the Chalk and travels into the mountains to begin her formal training, apprenticed to Miss Level, a warm, unglamorous research witch who is remarkable for sharing a single mind between two separate bodies. Under her, Tiffany learns that real witchcraft is mostly hard, humble, practical work: tending the sick and the poor, doing the jobs no one else will, and quietly holding a scattered community together. It is a long way from the grand magic she imagined, and she is impatient with it. Meanwhile the Nac Mac Feegle, led by Rob Anybody and watched over by their sharp new kelda Jeannie, secretly follow Tiffany into the mountains to keep her safe, for Jeannie has sensed that something is coming. Unknown to Tiffany, an ancient and hungry thing is drifting toward her, drawn by the strength of her growing power.

Tiffany meets the local circle of young witch apprentices, including the domineering, image-obsessed Annagramma and the shy, kindly Petulia. She chafes at their preoccupation with the trappings and jargon of witchcraft, and, wanting to prove herself, grows overconfident about her own abilities and eager to show off her power. That pride leaves her exposed. The hiver, the ancient, mindless predator that has been closing in on her, seizes its moment and takes possession of her mind, drawn to her as the most powerful and tempting target it has found. With the thing riding inside her, Tiffany begins to change, and the danger she has walked into becomes clear both to the watching Feegle and to the wider world of witches.

Under the hiver's control, Tiffany becomes arrogant, careless, and cruel, using her power thoughtlessly and behaving in ways that are not her own. The possession makes her a danger to herself and to others. The Nac Mac Feegle, fiercely loyal, and Granny Weatherwax, who has been watching from a distance and grasps exactly what the hiver is, recognize what has happened and move to help her. In the turmoil Miss Level is gravely hurt. Tiffany, buried inside her own possessed mind, begins to fight back, struggling to find a foothold of self against the ancient thing that has swallowed her. It becomes clear that the hiver cannot be beaten by ordinary force, and that saving Tiffany will depend on Tiffany herself finding some deeper strength.

The struggle to free Tiffany from the hiver deepens, with Granny Weatherwax guiding and testing her and the Feegle lending their reckless courage. Tiffany learns that the hiver has no self of its own to attack, and that the answer lies not in fighting it but in understanding what it truly is: a mindless thing that has never known what it means to be someone. She journeys inward, into her own mind and into the strength she draws from her home ground and her sense of who she is, searching for a way to master the thing rather than merely resist it. All of this builds toward the great gathering of witches, the trials, where Tiffany will have to put what she has understood into practice and settle the matter for good.

Around the witches' gathering, Tiffany finally deals with the hiver. Rather than trying to destroy it, she draws it fully into herself and gives it the one thing it has never possessed: an awareness of being a self that can die. Made conscious of itself and of its own ending for the first time, the hiver is led to Death and finds the peace it never knew it lacked. Miss Level, badly hurt during the ordeal, survives. Granny Weatherwax, who has watched and tested Tiffany throughout, grants her a rare, hard-won respect and acknowledges her as a real witch. Having mastered both the ancient thing that took her and her own pride, Tiffany comes fully into her strength and her responsibilities. She returns home to the Chalk changed, surer of who she is and of the power she carries, a witch in her own right.

Possessed by the hiver, Tiffany is turned into a proud, careless, and increasingly dangerous version of herself, the ancient thing riding her power without understanding it. The Feegle and Granny Weatherwax intervene, and with their help Tiffany claws her way back to awareness inside her own mind. She realizes that the hiver cannot be simply driven off or destroyed, because it has no self to attack: it is a formless thing that has never known what it is. Rather than fight it, she draws it fully into herself and then gives it the one thing it has always lacked, a sense of being someone who can die. Made aware of itself and of its own ending for the first time, the hiver is led gently to Death and finds the peace it never knew it wanted. This happens around the great gathering the witches call the trials, where Tiffany's handling of the crisis is witnessed. Miss Level, gravely hurt during the ordeal, survives. Granny Weatherwax, who has tested and watched Tiffany throughout, grants her a rare and hard-won measure of respect, acknowledging her as a true witch. Tiffany returns to the Chalk having mastered both the hiver and herself, more fully aware of the responsibility and the power she carries.