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lillanaa's review against another edition
4.0
Since this ebook has three different books in it, I’ll split this review into three different parts to make all of this make sense.
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Howl’s Moving Castle is one of my absolute favourite movies, and I knew the book would be even better. The characters of Howl and Sophie are exactly what I remember and love; Sophie being that headstrong girl who doesn’t care what others think and Howl being. Well. Howl. I love a tale with a bit of whimsy, romance, and magic, and this is definitely a story that I’ll go back to again and again when I want a fun, cute little read.
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Castle in the Air is honestly the weakest book in the series for me. Abdullah is an extremely weak and quite boring protagonist, and the story doesn't actually start to get good until close to the end when we get some actually interesting characters. The soldier is alright, I guess, but… This entire one fell flat to me. It's cute enough, I guess, but as a followup to Howl's with its endearing characters and actually interesting plot it's just weak.
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House of Many Ways was actually probably my second favourite! It had some funny moments, and Charmain was a fun protagonist, but there wasn't really anything that. Happened. It felt like there was buildup to something and then someone else just solved everything. Still not really sure how it was supposed to end, whether it was rushed or not, but it was at least funny and the characters were good.
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Howl’s Moving Castle is one of my absolute favourite movies, and I knew the book would be even better. The characters of Howl and Sophie are exactly what I remember and love; Sophie being that headstrong girl who doesn’t care what others think and Howl being. Well. Howl. I love a tale with a bit of whimsy, romance, and magic, and this is definitely a story that I’ll go back to again and again when I want a fun, cute little read.
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Castle in the Air is honestly the weakest book in the series for me. Abdullah is an extremely weak and quite boring protagonist, and the story doesn't actually start to get good until close to the end when we get some actually interesting characters. The soldier is alright, I guess, but… This entire one fell flat to me. It's cute enough, I guess, but as a followup to Howl's with its endearing characters and actually interesting plot it's just weak.
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House of Many Ways was actually probably my second favourite! It had some funny moments, and Charmain was a fun protagonist, but there wasn't really anything that. Happened. It felt like there was buildup to something and then someone else just solved everything. Still not really sure how it was supposed to end, whether it was rushed or not, but it was at least funny and the characters were good.
scifimagpie's review
5.0
Just as delightful as the first time!
I read this first two novels in my childhood and returned to them many times but could not track down my paperbacks. I bought all three in the set and was delighted by how well they held up.
DWJ does weave plots very intensely and the illustrations for book 2 are improperly duplicated from book 1, but I have no complaints or criticisms other than that.
Her writing is dense and masterful and full of engaging and realistic characters. The whole thing is superb and satisfying and I wish it was twice as long.
I read this first two novels in my childhood and returned to them many times but could not track down my paperbacks. I bought all three in the set and was delighted by how well they held up.
DWJ does weave plots very intensely and the illustrations for book 2 are improperly duplicated from book 1, but I have no complaints or criticisms other than that.
Her writing is dense and masterful and full of engaging and realistic characters. The whole thing is superb and satisfying and I wish it was twice as long.
saretta_'s review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
teaandspite's review against another edition
2.0
I really should have given up after I found the first story more tedious than anything, but I'd paid for the set and fell victim to the sunk cost fallacy. They're not bad books, but they're definitely not for my ADHD, need to be constantly entertained brain.
matilde007's review against another edition
5.0
Ho scelto di leggere questo libro dato che ha ispirato l'omonimo film dello Studio Ghibli (studio cinematografico che mi piace tantissimo) e l'ho trovato stupendo. Comprende tre storie ("Il castello errante di Howl", "Il castello in aria" e "La casa per Ognidove"), tutte molto belle e interessanti. Uno dei miei libri preferiti!
nathaliap's review against another edition
5.0
*Relendo O Castelo Animado pela edição da Galera Record*
the_sammy's review against another edition
4.0
The version I have has all 3 books in one so I'll review them separately.
The first book I'd already read, and don't remember being enamoured with. On rereading I think I enjoy it a lot more. It's very different to the Ghibli version but some of the same story beats are here (yes I know this is the original). There's a lot of wasted space though, characters who are only there to be there. The whole Wales subplot is irrelevant and doesn't feature in any other books. All in all though, a solid children's fantasy book.
The second book was the weakest of the three for me. Completely new characters with no connection to the first until the last fifth of the book. The plot is a lot more nonsensical as well, and I found the main character grating.
The third I really enjoyed! I would say this is possibly my favourite. It feels a lot tighter and while there's some random stuff that doesn't come up again (time travel??) It's much more limited. It's also made apparent much earlier how this connects to the wider "howl literary universe" and the main character is more interesting.
All in all enjoyable to read.
The first book I'd already read, and don't remember being enamoured with. On rereading I think I enjoy it a lot more. It's very different to the Ghibli version but some of the same story beats are here (yes I know this is the original). There's a lot of wasted space though, characters who are only there to be there. The whole Wales subplot is irrelevant and doesn't feature in any other books. All in all though, a solid children's fantasy book.
The second book was the weakest of the three for me. Completely new characters with no connection to the first until the last fifth of the book. The plot is a lot more nonsensical as well, and I found the main character grating.
The third I really enjoyed! I would say this is possibly my favourite. It feels a lot tighter and while there's some random stuff that doesn't come up again (time travel??) It's much more limited. It's also made apparent much earlier how this connects to the wider "howl literary universe" and the main character is more interesting.
All in all enjoyable to read.
redpanda98's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
emamoretti03's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
5.0