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chorelle's review against another edition
dnf for hugely fatphobic content that made my skin crawl, with quite a bit of misogyny thrown in as well 🙃
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia and Misogyny
mysimas's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
A cozy fantasy adventure most of the time, but at some points it gets distinctly unpleasant with its fatphobia and general disrespect for women. In a scene towards the end where a man demands a princess’s hand in marriage in exchange for doing the right thing and helping her, the princess is bloody grateful because she thinks she is too ugly for any man to be interested in her. What the actual hell?? (The whole scene was actually terrible, the princesses treated like cattle.) And the way the fat nieces of Abdullah’s relatives were treated was simply disgusting. Also the main romance was a bit flimsy too, Abdullah barely interacted with his love interest and seemed more infatuated with his idea of her rather than with her as an actual person as he could hardly know her — but I’m willing to forgive this as it is a common set-up in fairy-tales, and this story after-all builds on fairy-tales.
I guess I’m still willing to give this three stars because the whole concept of a cloud castle was beautiful, the writing was good, I did enjoy the slight similarities to Bartimaeus with the djinn themes, and most of the story was nice and feel-good, though never as inspired as the first book. But I really am disappointed that a woman author would ever write women like this…
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Confinement, and Misogyny
sophmcgraw's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Kidnapping, and Racism
nonnayurbiz's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cultural appropriation, Fatphobia, Misogyny, and Sexism
Moderate: Xenophobia and Racism
Minor: Confinement
pocketspoon's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.0
The author clearly had fun turning arabian-nights-like tales on their heads a bit, and it is definitely fun and clever in some ways. However, there is a lot here that is really problematic, not least of all the general and persistent misogyny of the main character. I'm afraid that learning to love one smart, capable woman doesn't make him not sexist. In the very last pages he is giving away his (previously extensively fat-shamed) relatives as chattel to the villain. But it's okay, because he's handsome and actually wants them because they're not uncooperative like the kidnapped princesses, so they're into it?!
I also find it annoying that the Howl's Moving Castle characters all have babies in this book, as if that's the only possible progression of a young woman's life/story. You could explain some of this away as "satire, not endorsement" but this is a kids' book, and kids don't get sattire; they're going to see women being constantly compared to each other (and generally criticized and found wanting) by the male protagonist, who is pretty unlikeable and shitty, but is still somehow the hero of the story. He rides in and attaches himself to the escape plan the princesses were already working on, and then one of them has to agree to marry a slimeball just so he won't eat them out, and the men get all the credit for the rescue. And a bunch of other toxic stuff.
I also find it annoying that the Howl's Moving Castle characters all have babies in this book, as if that's the only possible progression of a young woman's life/story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia, Confinement, Sexism, Kidnapping, and Misogyny
Moderate: Body shaming and Fatphobia
Minor: Animal cruelty, Slavery, and War
melonmachinery's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cultural appropriation, Fatphobia, Racism, and Misogyny
lily1304's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
2.75
Disappointing compared to Howl's Moving Castle. The story was wiped clean of anything that made Howl's Moving Castle interesting - the characters were flat and there was no interesting puzzle to the plot. Even the feminist themes were gone - the female characters have very little agency besides manipulating children and each other.
Castle in the Air was published in 1990, before it was cool for white people to stay in our lanes I guess, because the setting is a fantasy-stereotyped medieval Middle East. It reminded me strongly of both of Calormen, C.S. Lewis' fantasy Middle East south of Narnia, and the Disney version of Aladdin.
Castle in the Air was published in 1990, before it was cool for white people to stay in our lanes I guess, because the setting is a fantasy-stereotyped medieval Middle East. It reminded me strongly of both of Calormen, C.S. Lewis' fantasy Middle East south of Narnia, and the Disney version of Aladdin.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cultural appropriation
Moderate: Fatphobia, Misogyny, and Kidnapping
clarathromycin's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia
Moderate: Misogyny and Violence
minzzi's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This book was a big desapointement, specially coming out of Howl's Moving Castle.
The plot was mildly entertaining and I liked some of the new side characters and the ones from the previous book that showed up. Beyond that, I don't have much nice to say.
Basically all the non-white characters were racist stereotypes written by a white woman. The people from Zanzib are described as all being greedy scammers who will do all matter of horrible things for money and power and the one asian princess is described as small, frail, quiet and the only one who doesn't speak the language that all the other characters seen to speak, even thou they are all from different places in the world. And that line were the main character says that Ingary (a place clearly inspired by England were most of not all people are white) was sooo much better and more beautiful than his homeland really bothered me.
Also, for some reason the men in this book are very misogynistic. In the previous book there was no such thing, or at least it wasn't part of the story. Woman worked and owned their own shops, they maried who they wanted and were over all independent and powerful, but in this book there is multiple instances were they are controlled or shamed for their apparence. The only time the main characters thinks the way a female character is being treated is wrong is only because he thinks "she is to beutiful to be treated like that". Big eyeroll moment. And most os the misogyny coming from the POC in the story didn't help either.
To close if of, the romance on this book sucks. I reeeeally don't like storys were the characters know each other for 5 minutes and are already in love, specially in cases like this were the male main character is obsessed with a woman only for her looks, without knowing nothing about her and for some reason the female love interest loves him back and that is seen as a completely normal thing.
<Spoiler> I was going to give this book 2.5 stars, but that scene near the end were the soldier coerces one of the princesses into marriage or else he is going to help the villain keep then captive really upset me. So just 2 stars it is. <Spoiler>
The plot was mildly entertaining and I liked some of the new side characters and the ones from the previous book that showed up. Beyond that, I don't have much nice to say.
Basically all the non-white characters were racist stereotypes written by a white woman. The people from Zanzib are described as all being greedy scammers who will do all matter of horrible things for money and power and the one asian princess is described as small, frail, quiet and the only one who doesn't speak the language that all the other characters seen to speak, even thou they are all from different places in the world. And that line were the main character says that Ingary (a place clearly inspired by England were most of not all people are white) was sooo much better and more beautiful than his homeland really bothered me.
Also, for some reason the men in this book are very misogynistic. In the previous book there was no such thing, or at least it wasn't part of the story. Woman worked and owned their own shops, they maried who they wanted and were over all independent and powerful, but in this book there is multiple instances were they are controlled or shamed for their apparence. The only time the main characters thinks the way a female character is being treated is wrong is only because he thinks "she is to beutiful to be treated like that". Big eyeroll moment. And most os the misogyny coming from the POC in the story didn't help either.
To close if of, the romance on this book sucks. I reeeeally don't like storys were the characters know each other for 5 minutes and are already in love, specially in cases like this were the male main character is obsessed with a woman only for her looks, without knowing nothing about her and for some reason the female love interest loves him back and that is seen as a completely normal thing.
<Spoiler> I was going to give this book 2.5 stars, but that scene near the end were the soldier coerces one of the princesses into marriage or else he is going to help the villain keep then captive really upset me. So just 2 stars it is. <Spoiler>
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fatphobia, Misogyny, Body shaming, Sexism, Kidnapping, and Racism
juli100101's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Dinge, die ich mochte:
- das Worldbuilding
- die Sprache in Zanzib
- den Soldaten und die Katzen
- Blume-in-der-Nacht in Kapitel 19
- Sophie und alle anderen aus Das wandelnde Schloß wieder zu treffen
Dinge, die ich nicht mochte:
- wie Abdullah von seinen Nichten redet und denkt
- wie Abdullah und einige andere Charaktere von Frauen reden und denken
- dass die Charaktere aus Kingsbury nicht sexistisch und fettfobisch sind, sondern nur die aus Zanzib (Kingsbury ist offensichtlich eine „westliche“ Stadt und Zanzib eine „orientalische“…)
Wer ein Sequel zu Das wandelnde Schloß erwartet, also eine Fortsetzung der Geschichte, getragen von den selben Charakteren, wird enttäuscht, trotzdem erzählt Der Palast im Himmel eine tolle Fantasy-Geschichte.
- das Worldbuilding
- die Sprache in Zanzib
- den Soldaten und die Katzen
- Blume-in-der-Nacht in Kapitel 19
-
Dinge, die ich nicht mochte:
- wie Abdullah von seinen Nichten redet und denkt
- wie Abdullah und einige andere Charaktere von Frauen reden und denken
- dass die Charaktere aus Kingsbury nicht sexistisch und fettfobisch sind, sondern nur die aus Zanzib (Kingsbury ist offensichtlich eine „westliche“ Stadt und Zanzib eine „orientalische“…)
Wer ein Sequel zu Das wandelnde Schloß erwartet, also eine Fortsetzung der Geschichte, getragen von den selben Charakteren, wird enttäuscht, trotzdem erzählt Der Palast im Himmel eine tolle Fantasy-Geschichte.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fatphobia, Misogyny, and Sexism