published: 1977
edition: 2009 by HarperCollins
One of my favourite middle-grade fantasy authors to date, so expectations were high going in.
Summary:
Cat, or Eric, Chant always clings to her sister. Since the death of their parents, Gwenolden Chant has always been his greatest ally. She, unlike him, is gifted with witch powers, and is soon to be the greatest witch of their town. However, Gwenolden is not happy with just that. She writes to Chrestomanci, the great magician.
This leads to consequences neither of them had foreseen, including living with the great enchanter himself. Soon, Cat finds himself in a very precarious situation.
The Book:
Overall, it was simply magical. It's one of those books that have characters that just *click* because of how relatable or how snuggly they fit into your archetypal archives. It took me to a faraway land in which magic was as abundant as air and was as tricky and varied as science. The tensions and suspense of different forces in the novel were entertaining and suprising enough to keep you gripped to the pages until the end.
Now let's go a bit more into depth. As the first in a series, considerable world building needed to be done, and this was shown smoothly through the exciting twists in the plot. It was however, simple in the scheme of fantasy. I felt there was so much potential in developing different concepts such as parallel worlds, the idea of the Crestomanci, and the various roles of magic users, and that this wasn't explored as fully as one would have liked.
I think the characters are really what pulled off this book for me. They just appeal to some childish part of me that feels humans are understandable.The entire book is told in Cat's POV. Cat's loss of self-identity around Gwen was extremely relatable and evocative, but got tiring fast. It's hinted in the blurb, but it was predominant in the novel. (And perhaps this was the "point") but this method of characterization made for a lagging atmosphere. I found that Gwenolden was much more interesting (and detesting) for the majority of the book.
Diana's writing style, it's so light, quirky, and exciting that it pulls this extravagant novel together.
Rating:
4.1/5
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