Charmed Life

My son was reading this and it made me want to re-read it too. A pleasure as always. My favorite part is when Cat takes back his magic – a recurring motif in DWJ books, in which characters are frequently being magically exploited or used. When the seemingly weaker, but actually stronger young person reclaims their power and agency, it's an immensely satisfying moment.

After the parents of Gwendolen and Cat are killed in an accident, the siblings go to live with the world's most powerful enchanter, Chrestomanci, in the hopes that Gwendolen, the only one of the two with magical abilities (or so it is thought) can be tutored by the enchanter. Gwendolen becomes angry after Chrestomanci fails to make much of her magical abilities and disappears, only to be replaced by a decidedly nonmagical duplicate, Janet.

The story is great fun, with a big alternative world where magic is commonplace as the setting, and the characters are wildly original, including the calm and cool enchanter and the easily angered Gwendolyn. I delighted in the twists and turns of the plot as well.

Ever since I was a kid, I had always wanted to read this book. There was something very enchanting (pun intended) about the colourful book cover which showed the Chrestomanci in his glorious suit and top hat, bearing an enigmatic smile. But strangely I have always just looked at it from afar. And at the grand old age of 26 I finally picked up this book I have always wanted to read since I was 10, and wishing I had read it much sooner. For 15 odd years I have looked for a magic-fantasy series that could make me as excited as I did reading Harry Potter. I don't know about the rest of this series, but this opener has got me very hopeful. I devoured this book. What an original world with interesting characters and so much mystery. I wish I had read a little slower (speed-reading fiction is a bad habit acquired from university) and just allowed my imagination to soak in the descriptions more. I can't wait to read the next one.

Good heavens, did I enjoy this. One of THE most aggravating baddies I've ever encountered, a plucky young anti-heroine, and Cat. Who wouldn't feel sorry for Cat? This is, more than anything, the story of how Cat decides to reclaim his power - literally - and be in charge of his own life. It's a grand thing for a young person to be able to do, and Diana Wynne Jones writes it beautifully. This is good YA fantasy that I'm happy to have discovered, and I can't wait to read more.