Reading Thursday: Chronicles of Chrestomanci Volume 1 and 2 by Dianna Wynne Jones

I picked up volumes one and two of the Chronicles of Chrestomanci by Dianna Wynne Jones at a used bookstore last week and haven't been able to put them down since. Well, not both at once obviously. I first read Howl's Moving Castle by Wynne Jones several years ago and loved it. So when looking for a new fantasy series to jump into it seemed like a good idea to pick her.

The first volume is not great. The characters are a bit flat and the story moves slowly. The second part of this volume is better than the first and I question the order they put the two stories in since the second part takes place first.  Nevertheless, I read the book quickly and overall enjoyed the story. The world pulled me in with its nice blend of modern and very not modern.

In this world there is a Chrestomanci - an enchanter with 9 lives who keeps balance on all magic users. There are twelve worlds that the people know of, and some exploring between these worlds happens in the second story of this volume. From Barnes and Noble.com :

"In this multiple parallel universes of the Twelve Related Worlds, only an enchanter with nine lives is powerful enough to control the rampant misuse of magic--and to hold the title Chrestomanci...
The Chants are a family strong in magic, but neither Christopher Chant nor Cat Chant can work even the simplest of spells. Who could have dreamed that both Christopher and Cat were born with nine lives--or that they could lose them so quickly?"

So far, the second volume is much better and moves at a better pace. There is a mystery to the story so far that is being better developed than the mysteries in the others. I don't feel like the information I'm given is frivolous like in the other volume where I often felt let down by the big reveal because it took too long to arrive. I'm not too far in, so I can't really say much more. From BN.COM:

"In this multiple parallel universes of the Twelve Related Worlds, only an enchanter with nine lives is powerful enough to control the rampant misuse of magic -- and to hold the title Chrestomanci...
There is a world in which the peaceful city-state of Caprona is threatened by the malevolent machinations of a mysterious enchanter...and another in which magic is outlawed and witches are still burned at the stake.
In two worlds the practice of magic has gone dangerously awry, there is only one solution -- call upon the Chrestomanci."


What are you reading right now? Have you read these books - if so did you like them?