It's OK, but not one of her best. ( )

Another – another! Did he just pop out of the back of her mind after all these years and start talking to her? – Chrestomanci novel, and a delight from start to finish. Yes, one did wonder why, when the magic-using families were so dedicated to keeping their existence a secret from Chrestomanci Castle, the younger members of the tribe cheerfully told everybody there all about themselves, but, whatever. Also, DWJ gets points for being fixated on griffins, which makes a nice change from bloody dragons all the time. ( )

I don't know exactly how to say this, but I completely and utterly adored this book. It was funny, clever and seriously a lot of fun. It ended exactly the way I'd hoped. I've been a fan of Jones since I was young, but hadn't read any of the Chrestomanci books in ages. This was the perfect book to pick up and read. It's quick, clever and fun -- even if you have no idea what the series is about. I do hope that Jones continues with Eric and Marianne's story. I definitely want to find out what happens to them. ( )

Basic Reason for Beginning: More DWJ! More Chrestomanci! Also, I was starting to fall into a reading funk and what better book to pull you out than something light-hearted and fun?
Basic Reason for Finishing: Because it's light-hearted and fun and I really enjoyed it.
Texture: Like some thick, fluffy, multi-coloured carpet/rug to roll in and play on.

Full review here.

Book Rereadability: I like the Chrestomanci books. I like Chrestomanci. I like Cat. Hell yes I'd like to reread this again. Just probably not until I forget some of the details.
Author Rereadability: DWJ remains firm on my "Authors whose work I really, really like" list, so I'll undoubtedly read more of it. I still have a few books around, actually. I just haven't got to them yet.
Recommendation: I'll be honest with you and tell you that I don't think this is the best introduction you could have to Chrestomanci and their worlds. If only because it seems to be lacking the little note on worlds that's been in every other books. That said, if you like some light-hearted, fast read fun, you're looking at the right book. Especially if you're also the target audience. ^-~ It's a fun romp. ( )

This is the newest book in the Chrestomanci series by Dianna Wynne Jones. I really like her books. They are technically YA books, so have to make an effort to find them but its usually worth it.
She has good plotting and realistic characters, for a book about magic at least. She tends to deal with issues pretty squarely too, a nice middle ground in a category (YA) that either tends to gloss over bad things or dwell on them in the interests of "realism."
The Chrestomanci is an enchanter who is in charge of magical law-keeping. As the ultimate authority in magical things he is a good foil for talking about ways of dealing with authority. Someone in most of these books needs help but is too afraid of authority for various reasons to go to the person who could help them. Aimed at teenagers it is a good theme I think. But it also talks about the things adults do to undermine the trust and authority they have.
In this one there are communities of witches who have stayed under the official radar for hundreds of years and a lot of the effort in the communities goes into avoiding the Chrestomanci's gaze. Since they live very close to him that takes some doing. Then the matriarch of one of the families goes a bit batty, dementia we assume, and things get really bad. It makes you glad we don't have magic in real life. The idea of a sorcerer getting Alzheimer's or a stroke is frightening.
A good story, I enjoyed it. ( )