My liking for this book grows every time I read it - and I've read it a lot. First time round, as a kid, I enjoyed it but it didn't hold a candle to my adoration of The Grey King, and as an adult I still think that it comes behind both that book and The Dark Is Rising. Yet Greenwitch has its own charm - in the atmosphere, in putting Jane front and centre... and because, in many ways, it's the most human of the five books. Merriman and Will are there to help, but the real victory comes from simple empathy with no expectation of reward, from quiet consideration of others.

The Light wins this round because Jane is kind, essentially, and each time I read this book I appreciate that just a little bit more.