DWJ is so, so, so good at emotional development and family dynamics. The only sour note was a minor but persistent thread of fatphobia. Brenda even gets development and a heroic arc of her own, but for some reason (I guess: being published almost 50 years ago) we can't have that without the narrative constantly making vicious little jabs about her every time I thought it had finally been dropped. ( )

A little harder to get into than most Diana Wynne Jones books, but once you figure out all the names and happenings you're hooked.

This book did have a fair amount of one of the few problems I have with the author, she has issues writing fat characters. There are a fair number of sympathetic and likable fat characters in Diana's stories, but the way they are pysically described is quite critical and off putting to read sometimes. ( )

Entertaining and clever enough. Some irritating fat-hatred mars the second half of the book. ( )

Not my favorite Diana Wynne Jones book - Its missing a feeling of joy and fun - its too dark, with not enough humor. The children in this story were actual kids - not grow ups in kids bodies. I don't know if this is an early story by the author, but it wouldn't surprise me if it was. ( )

I can’t believe this Jones book isn’t as popular as Howl’s Moving Castle, because it is just as good and is easily one of my favorite fantasy reads this year. I came across it just by browsing books by Jones — I was in the mood for a decent young adult fantasy and I’m so glad I came across this gem.

The Power of Three is about Gair, the oldest son of of Chief Gest, a hero, and Adara the Wise. His siblings both have extraordinary gifts, so he thinks he’s ordinary, even though everyone else looks up to him and seeks counsel from him because of his wisdom. However, he gets stuck in a feud between his people and the Dorig, little knowing that he and his siblings are being drawn into a war that started when his parents were children.

This is my favorite kind of fantasy book. Everything is set up to seem a certain way, but then it turns on its head halfway through and you find out you’re reading a completely different book than what you thought you were. I absolutely loved that, it added an entirely new dimension to the story and the twist is really what makes this book so spectacular. Aside from that, however, the concepts at the heart of this novel are incredibly important; essentially, this story shows how prejudices and assumptions color our perceptions and serve to keep those prejudices and assumptions alive, even if there are facts and truths that are showing us something completely different. I love how brave Gair and his siblings are in exploring new things and being willing to accept new truths, mirroring the hope many of us have for our young people to have open minds and be brave enough to point out the flaws in the adults’ ways of thinking.

The worldbuilding is absolutely fantastic, but I expected nothing less from the queen of young adult fantasy, and the storytelling is just exquisite. I love how the internal struggle with Gair and his ordinariness is coupled with external struggles like Dorigs attacking or being on a dangerous hunt. I feel like Jones included everything about regular life in this book so that it feels perfectly complete and whole. There’s adventure, familial tension, internal struggle, and unlikely friendships, and it really is just perfect.

I highly recommend this book to any fantasy fans, especially those who love young adult fantasy. It’s wonderful.

Also posted at Purple People Readers. ( )