This is a YA, one of the Chrestomanci books.
Having read so many DWJ books, upon finding out that Conrad is doomed to die within a year if he doesn’t kill someone that he was supposed to kill in his previous life, I said, “Who benefits?” and was consequently not surprised by anything further that happened in the book.
Which is not to say that I was not delighted.
This book covers Christopher Chant at age 15, but was written after the first four Chrestomanci books. It’s a little odd seeing Christopher at that age, knowing the kind of person he grows up to be and knowing what he was like at a younger age, but it’s wonderful seeing Millie at that age, and how much she hated that boarding school she begged and begged to go to.
The plot goes on and on, and somehow you know that half of it could have been cut out an not really affected the ending, but I didn’t care. It’s the characters, stupid 🙂