Book Title: Howl's Moving Castle
Author: Diana Wynne Jones
Series: Howl's Moving Castle #1
Date Started: May 23rd 2014
Date Completed: May 26th 2014
Genres: Fantasy, Adventure, Mystery, Romance
Rating: Four stars
Review:
Howl's Moving Castle is a stunning tale of magic, adventure and friendship and, although it wasn't how I remembered it, the story still gripped me and surprised me through its twists and turns. I'm excited to continue the story in the sequels and see where the moving castle moves to next.
Sophie is the eldest of three, so she'll never amount to much. Instead, she'll spend the rest of her days working in her family's hat shop. At least, that's what Sophie thought, until the Witch of the Waste walked into her shop and cursed her with a creaking back, aching bones and a fierce temper. Accepting her fate as an old woman, Sophie ventures out into the world and finds herself in the Howl's moving castle. But Howl eating up her heart isn't the only thing she has to worry about: there's a fire demon waiting for her to break his contract, and a dangerous battle between the two magicians Sophie is caught between looming close overhead.
The writing was really humorous, which was something I really enjoyed, as I isn't often I find an author who can make me smile both through narrative and dialogue. What made it so effective was the fact that everything was just so ridiculous, and Sophie was the only one who could really see that, and expressed it in such an exaggerated way, yet still seemed real.
Another clever element in the book was the opinions given through the text to influence the story. Though the novel is told in third-person, it follows Sophie closely, and lets the reader know her mood and reactions quite clearly through descriptions, as well as her behaviour.
There's so many genres mixed together in Howl's Moving Castle: fantasy, mystery, adventure. Though the fantasy and adventure sides are clearly more enforced, the subtlety of the mystery really impressed me. Though it might not be noticeable at first glance, there's hints being dropped on the story and the connections between characters throughout the entire book. Consequently, the story seems like a collection of little events happening separately from each other, when really they're all tied very closely together.
The little nods to the real world were perfectly done, in my opinion. I think it's risky blending the real world, and a high fantasy one together, because there's the chance that the realism could crash and burn. However, Wynne Jones managed to present the modern world we know sneakily. It was also very interesting to see how the characters from the fantasy world reacted, since they live in a world where magic is constantly around them, and yet our strange objects still puzzle them.
Finally, the ending to the book was a perfect way to finish. Whilst being exciting, fast-paced and heart-warming, the conclusions wrapped up all the loose ends presented through the book and explained other theories I had concocted while reading. It was the ending I was waiting for, yet it still surprised me.
I had a real affection for the characters in this book; though they were wicked, and irritating, and at times very cruel, they all had their loveable sides - as is common in children's books. I think they were perfectly constructed, as were the relationships between them.
Sophie was an amazing protagonist. It was great to have a very different character leading the story, and the fact that she was always trying to do the good thing, but often made matters much worse, was relatable and realistic. Furthermore, the development she went through, from her timid and accepting little self, to the strong-willed, stubborn heroine grew slowly but definitely and brought out the characters of everyone around her, as well as her own.
I love Howl, because he really is a stupid coward who doesn't know how to handle his life. Before we meet him, we're given all these opinions and rumours, and the fact that quite a lot of them are true when Sophie meets him was a great twist to the story. Also, the journey Howl himself goes on is extremely subtle, but actually makes a huge impact on the plot.
Calcifer and Michael were both lovely characters that, again, added to the story. It was important that Sophie had something keeping her with Howl and the castle, and their friendships gave her the conflicts she needed to get riled up and teach Howl a lesson or two.
Though the pace of this novel might be lacking in some places, it does have purpose: the slow development adds to the atmosphere and really emphasises just how far the story has come from beginning to end.
I would recommend Howl's Moving Castle to anyone who enjoys old-fashioned fantasy and fairytales. There's a classic feel to Wynne Jones' story, and a solid plot to enthral any age. It's easy to get lost in Howl's world, and likely to make the reader want their own little door that could open onto anywhere.
Image Source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15863391-howl-s-moving-castle
Howl's Moving Castle is a stunning tale of magic, adventure and friendship and, although it wasn't how I remembered it, the story still gripped me and surprised me through its twists and turns. I'm excited to continue the story in the sequels and see where the moving castle moves to next.
Sophie is the eldest of three, so she'll never amount to much. Instead, she'll spend the rest of her days working in her family's hat shop. At least, that's what Sophie thought, until the Witch of the Waste walked into her shop and cursed her with a creaking back, aching bones and a fierce temper. Accepting her fate as an old woman, Sophie ventures out into the world and finds herself in the Howl's moving castle. But Howl eating up her heart isn't the only thing she has to worry about: there's a fire demon waiting for her to break his contract, and a dangerous battle between the two magicians Sophie is caught between looming close overhead.
The writing was really humorous, which was something I really enjoyed, as I isn't often I find an author who can make me smile both through narrative and dialogue. What made it so effective was the fact that everything was just so ridiculous, and Sophie was the only one who could really see that, and expressed it in such an exaggerated way, yet still seemed real.
Another clever element in the book was the opinions given through the text to influence the story. Though the novel is told in third-person, it follows Sophie closely, and lets the reader know her mood and reactions quite clearly through descriptions, as well as her behaviour.
There's so many genres mixed together in Howl's Moving Castle: fantasy, mystery, adventure. Though the fantasy and adventure sides are clearly more enforced, the subtlety of the mystery really impressed me. Though it might not be noticeable at first glance, there's hints being dropped on the story and the connections between characters throughout the entire book. Consequently, the story seems like a collection of little events happening separately from each other, when really they're all tied very closely together.
The little nods to the real world were perfectly done, in my opinion. I think it's risky blending the real world, and a high fantasy one together, because there's the chance that the realism could crash and burn. However, Wynne Jones managed to present the modern world we know sneakily. It was also very interesting to see how the characters from the fantasy world reacted, since they live in a world where magic is constantly around them, and yet our strange objects still puzzle them.
Finally, the ending to the book was a perfect way to finish. Whilst being exciting, fast-paced and heart-warming, the conclusions wrapped up all the loose ends presented through the book and explained other theories I had concocted while reading. It was the ending I was waiting for, yet it still surprised me.
I had a real affection for the characters in this book; though they were wicked, and irritating, and at times very cruel, they all had their loveable sides - as is common in children's books. I think they were perfectly constructed, as were the relationships between them.
Sophie was an amazing protagonist. It was great to have a very different character leading the story, and the fact that she was always trying to do the good thing, but often made matters much worse, was relatable and realistic. Furthermore, the development she went through, from her timid and accepting little self, to the strong-willed, stubborn heroine grew slowly but definitely and brought out the characters of everyone around her, as well as her own.
I love Howl, because he really is a stupid coward who doesn't know how to handle his life. Before we meet him, we're given all these opinions and rumours, and the fact that quite a lot of them are true when Sophie meets him was a great twist to the story. Also, the journey Howl himself goes on is extremely subtle, but actually makes a huge impact on the plot.
Calcifer and Michael were both lovely characters that, again, added to the story. It was important that Sophie had something keeping her with Howl and the castle, and their friendships gave her the conflicts she needed to get riled up and teach Howl a lesson or two.
Though the pace of this novel might be lacking in some places, it does have purpose: the slow development adds to the atmosphere and really emphasises just how far the story has come from beginning to end.
I would recommend Howl's Moving Castle to anyone who enjoys old-fashioned fantasy and fairytales. There's a classic feel to Wynne Jones' story, and a solid plot to enthral any age. It's easy to get lost in Howl's world, and likely to make the reader want their own little door that could open onto anywhere.
Image Source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15863391-howl-s-moving-castle
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