The House at the Edge of Magic

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At least it's not world-jumping now it's landed," said Nine. "There must be some way to get inside.." This series has such wit and imagination, this book, even more than the last one, had me laughing out loud, and I love the characters, even though there's not much to them, it's just a warm, magical adventure. Great to read aloud to younger readers too! Once Nine had decided for whatever reason to help the occupants of the house with the curse, it was obvious she was going to end up liking them, and perhaps even joining them, but I feel like the connection wasn’t quite built up enough for it to really have the emotional impact I wanted when she finally did so.

But maybe here they can find out how to cure the House’s hiccups, and Nine might finally discover who left her the beloved music box, and who she really is…’ Madam, clearly you have never tried to get inside a magical house which doesn't want you to. It can be intolerably stubborn. I was so hopeful for this book to be as Diana Wynne Jones-ish as the blurb sounded, but it's a very different kettle of fish. Where DWJ's books are character-focused and charmingly, dryly British in their humour, The House at the Edge of Magic is a loud, zany book with humour derived from a lot of yelling, bat droppings and trolls in aprons. Characters shout and exclaim almost every line, and the whole thing is suffused with high energy and surprises popping out every which-way, to the point that it actually felt like an effort for me, an introvert, to read. The silly humour and tone were not my cup of tea at all, but it will definitely entertain kids of about 7-10 looking for a riotous read. The oddball cast of characters are amusing caricatures that all have interesting quirks, but they were under-developed and barely seemed to go through any growth. And with a large, rough hand, it grabbed Nine by the collar, pulled her inside and slammed the door behind her. Nine and her friends have broken the curse on their marvellous, magical House, and are free to travel the worlds once more! Their first stop: The Wizarding Hopscotch Championships.

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Dieses Buch knüpft an den ersten Band an, sodass es spannend mit Neun und Eiderdaus und Co. weitergeht. Der Schreibstil ist leicht zu lesen und auch die Geschichte hat es diesesmal wieder in sich.

Reading this sequel right after the first book. I enjoyed the first book as a whole although there were some unfulfilled expectations (please see my brief review for the first book). First in a magical five-book series for readers of Nevermoor, The Worst Witch and The Dark Is Rising.I enjoyed this story, it was compelling, I just felt like the connection between the characters could have been developed a little more. Inside she finds a host of magical and brilliantly funny characters, including Flabberghast - a young wizard who's particularly competitive at hopscotch - and a hideous troll housekeeper who's emotionally attached to his feather duster. They have been placed under an extraordinary spell, which they are desperate for Nine to break - and if she can, maybe they can offer her a new life in return… I enjoy the story but it's very long winded and both me and my daughter lost interest towards the end. There are secrets hidden beneath the ice . . . bring the magic home in the frosty fourth instalment of the bestselling Pinch of Magic Adventures, from the award-winning Michelle Harrison.