The Magicians of Caprona

Title: The Magicians of Caprona
Author: Diana Wynne Jones

What it's about: The city of Caprona is an Italian city-state, and within its boundaries live two families of magicians, the Montanas and the Petrocchis. These two families are bitter rivals, and when the magic of Caprona starts to fail, each family blames the other. War is in the air, and Chrestomanci, a powerful, benevolent enchanter known to both families warns that an evil enchanter is working against them to steal magic. However, it takes the youngsters of the families to uncover the enchanter's plan and find the spell that will save Caprona.

What I thought: I love how the author manages to portray the large Montana family, using the many relatives to give the story energy and character while also not allowing the multitudinous family members to be merely forgettable throwaway names. The concept of magic being sung is also an interesting one. The nod to Romeo and Juliet is also nice. My only real complaint is with the ending, how the enemy enchanter is actually dispatched. It's still a very good story, though.

Overall: A solid story from an amazing author.