Diana Wynne Jones, Charmed Life and The Lives of Christopher Chant

In Charmed Life, Cat Chant is alone in the world except for his sister Gwendolen: their parents died in a steamboat accident when they were very young, and they have no family except each other. Gwendolen is a gifted witch, and her talents soon outstrip the capabilities of the local magic teacher. So when Cat and Gwendolen are invited to live with the Chrestomanci, the most powerful enchanter in the world and governor of all magic, Gwendolen is ecstatic — until it becomes clear that Chrestomanci won’t teach her any magic. As Gwendolen plots her revenge, Cat gradually realizes that he may have unsuspected talents of his own. The Lives of Christopher Chant takes place 25 years earlier and gives the backstory of how the Chrestomanci came to be. Christopher is able to travel between worlds while he’s dreaming. When other magicians discover this talent and seek to use it for their own ends, Christopher is caught in a battle between good and evil — but which side is he really on?

I dimly recall reading Charmed Life as a child, but I’d forgotten almost all the details. It was a pleasure to revisit the book, which perfectly depicts Cat’s alienation and confusion as he is thrust into a new environment. And I adored Christopher in both books — he’s such a fun enigma as the Chrestomanci, but his origin story makes him an even more interesting and fleshed-out character. In both cases, I felt that the books ended just as they were getting interesting: Cat learns something important about himself, but we don’t get to see what he does with that knowledge. Similarly, Christopher survives his first test as Chrestomanci, but I wanted to see more of his story as he grows into his power. There are a few more books set in this world, so perhaps they’ll fill in some of the blanks, but I was a bit frustrated that these books both ended where they did! Still, I enjoyed both of these books a lot and will continue with the Chronicles of Chrestomanci.