The Wizards of Once: Twice Magic

The sequel to the glorious The Wizards of Once picks up almost exactly where we left it. Our wizard boy hero Xar is escaping from the prison Gormincrag and our warrior girl hero Wish is spending much of her time in the Punishment Cupboard (with her magic spoon) back in her mum’s Queen Sychorax’s castle (which is now behind a massive wall to protect her people from the attacks of the witches).

It was impossible for Wish and Xar to meet in the first place. Surely it could never happen TWICE? But of course it does, and with thrilling results too!

It is possible to understand the story of Twice Magic without reading The Wizards of Once, but this is very much a sequel and really deserves to be read in sequence or much of the emotional power of story will be lost.

This sequel is just as exciting as the first instalment and just as thrilling, gorgeously written and illustrated. As the characters and story develop, we find out much more about wonderful (and scary) characters and get totally drawn into their magical world.

Cressida Cowell’s writing is so warm; it just flows like a runaway train. There’s real friendship here and some deep truths about family dynamics.