“There’s one absolute rule,” said Chrestomanci. “No witchcraft of any kind is to be practiced by children without supervision. Is that understood?”
No witchcraft? Gwendolen Chant – a gifted witch in the making – has other ideas and is determined to get the better of the great enchanter. Her brother Cat, who has no magical gifts, is powerless to stop her.
I watched Howl’s moving Castle over the summer and saw that it’s based on a book. I kept a lookout on my travels, finally found it, and next to it on the shelf was Charmed Life. I was sold on the cover, so bought them both! Obviously I had to read Charmed Life first because it’s about witchcraft and magic, and we’d just had Halloween (and then it takes me over a month to read it lol but I am a slow reader, and I’ve been wasting my time struggling to learn German? like what am I even doing)
First published in 1977, Charmed Life has the whimsical innocence and fantastical storytelling akin to Enid Blyton and Edith Nesbit. The story follows two recently orphaned children, Cat, a boy without magic, and his sister Gwendolyn, a headstrong witch, as they move in with the enchanter Chrestomanci and his family at their castle. Trouble ensues! And all of it from Gwendolyn, who holds herself in high regard and is angered when Chrestomanci and Mr Saunders, their teacher, refuse to teach her magic. Gwendolyn’s constantly mean to Cat, and you feel sory for him as he gets caught up in the blame of her wrongdoing. And there’s a lot of that, because she is an actual bitch. (I mean she’s rude and spoilt and full of herself for the most part, but when you get to the end…? Whatabitch) I’ll say this though, she did give a pretty sick burn to her cousins. (Second cousins? Idk)
“Your father is such a handsome man,” she said. “It must be such a disappointment to him that you’re both pudgy and plain, like your mother.”
Ooohh *shots fired*
I felt the middle of Charmed Life was a little slow at times as you wait for the storyline to develop beyond Gwendolyn being a spoilt brat, but when the plot picks up, it all comes together. I think Charmed Life is the first book I’ve wanted to read again right after finishing, just to read between the lines, and understand certain hints and character interactions you don’t pick up on during the first read. I was a little frustrated by Chrestomanci and his wife for not doing more to put a stop to certain activities (especially when they knew what was at stake!) and considering they essentially adopted Cat and Gwendolyn, but barely spent any time with them outside of dinner time? No wonder Cat was feeling lonely. But I did like Chrestomanci as a character. He’s somehow menacing yet clueless at the same time. Bland, yet threatening. Not a combination you come across often in children’s books. Or any books, for that matter. And there are six others in the series! I thought it was a standalone (I thought Howl’s Moving Castle was a standalone too, because I know nothing) so it’s definitely worth a go if you’re into light-hearted fantasy books. I might give the second book a go, just to see if a certain someone gets their comeuppance, but atm my tbr pile is about ready to topple over.
WHEN THE BOOKENDS 