Reviews

Cat and Gwendolyn, recently orphaned are sent to live with the great Chrestomanci! Magical antics ensue!

This gets 4 stars for childhood nostalgia, it holds up pretty well! Narrator was also quite good

bookishgoblin's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional funny mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

karenholmes's review against another edition

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5.0

Parallel worlds, some with magic, and a very special one where the Chant siblings move from place to place after being orphaned.
Eric Chant, better known as Cat is a very reluctant hero who remains passive for most part of the story though he redeems his lack of action at the end when he gets to understand what has been happening around him. Without him knowing.
Diana Wynne Jones will always be among my favorite writers.

boekenwuurm's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

ihateprozac's review against another edition

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5.0

I read a couple of the Chrestomanci books as a child (I think it was probably #3 and #4), and loved them dearly so I figured I'd re-read the series in full when I was older. Theyre just as wonderful and lush as I remember, and Diana Wynne Jones paints a beautiful and intriguing picture of these multiple magic-filled worlds. She's able to create great fictional characters that incite intense feelings in the reader, whether it be total hatred or total empathy.

A great example of this was Cat/Eric's sister Gwendolen. I hated her with a passion, and at times I was literally sitting there and fuming as I read about her despicable activities. At first she just annoyed the hell out of me for being an obnoxious, spoiled brat, but then as the extent of her evil antics was gradually revealed, I found my hatred for her growing to the point where I found myself wanting to stab a fictional character. She wasn't just obnoxious, she was truly fricken repulsive. The way she preyed on her brother was horrific >=| *stabs*

But with that being sad, the way Cat/Eric constantly submitted to his sister was annoying as well. In the end he got her back and he finally grew a bit stronger, but it was painful to see him being such a submissive little child along the way. I just wanted to poke him and yell "MAN UP", and I was behind Janet all the way when she yelled at him to stop defending his manipulative sister.

Overall, another great book from Diana Wynne Jones, and I cant wait to dive into the next one. She creates wonderful characters that I cant help but get attached to - even if I utterly hate them - and her worlds are figuratively and literally magical. They're great childrens books, but they have an element to them that makes them also readable for adults.

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