bibliodragon: (Princess and the Frog)
[personal profile] bibliodragon

I love Diana Wynne Jones, ever since I read Dogsbody as a wee thing and cried like a baby. I picked this one in a charity shop and finished it in a day, and am now miffed that I didn't buy the other two in this series that were also there.

It's typical children's fantasy, orphaned Cat and his sister Gwendolen are sent to like with Chrestomanci and his household, full of magic and the like, but her engaging style and characterization really marks this out above the rest. Cat is a sympathetic hero whose character growth is a joy to read and Gwendolen is a right little bratling to boo at. The only thing I wasn't too impressed with was Chrestomanci himself, but that might just be because he is very much a distant and mysterious character in this and only becomes more personable at the end. Which is perfectly fine for a book series, and I certainly want to read the rest.

One thing I really love is her world building, and how she imparts just enough of it to put across a living breathing world without having to resort to info-dumping. It's a skill that gets shown off in all of the books of hers I have read, and put to excellent use here.

If you like fantasy book you should read Diana Wynne Jones. She's very good.

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July 2015

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