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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
adventurous
hopeful
tense
slow-paced
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This story did something I never thought book could do. It made me so confused like no other story ever. In the best meaning of this word. AMAZING!
this book is as whimsical as the first!
seemingly a little more violent in detail, but i think regardless of that it's just a wholesome, easy read.
love the ties back to the first book through repeating characters and settings, even through a new narrative with new protagonists and a new location.
i would love to see where the next book goes, and who comes back into the story!
seemingly a little more violent in detail, but i think regardless of that it's just a wholesome, easy read.
love the ties back to the first book through repeating characters and settings, even through a new narrative with new protagonists and a new location.
i would love to see where the next book goes, and who comes back into the story!
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-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:
Yes
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Castle in the Air is an enchanted story of misadventures for selfish fools being solved by their braver counterparts. The story takes a grand issue of a single Djinn searching for a wife and spins a complex a web of involvement dragging into play our new friend Abdullah as well as old beloved Sophie, Howl, and Calcifer in an unexpected twist. An enjoyable read, though not parallel to the first novel in the series in quality, it gives the reader a refreshing dive back into this magical realm to wonder at what else from childhood stories could be true.
Issue:
Throughout the story we are slightly teased with the idea that Abdullah has some power of wishful divination akin to Sophie’s ability to speak magic. He has a continuing daydream of his life as a captured prince who is saved by the carpet merchant, and in his telling this to Flower of the Night (to be referred to from now on as Flower) I expected some truth of it to be revealed. In some cases it did happen and his own awareness of this uncanny effect felt like another push towards this power but at a certain point in the story it simply vanished.
It’s possible I didn’t follow some threads that were resolved in the end reveal of our last books cast being revived but when Abdullah and Flower travel to the kingdom he was supposedly the lost prince of I near hoped for it to be real, but it fell flat.
Strong and weak characters:
I have found that in this world theres a fairly accurate representation of heroic men who crumble in some cowardice and anxiety, Howl is a big coward and avoids issues as long as he can but is powerful enough to face his foes when needed. Abdullah was a weak and whiny character at times to who relied on everyone except for himself to continue the story’s main narrative. I’m failing to recall any moments of true ingenuity, braveness, or inspiration.
I was baffled in the garden when he ran away from the sultans guards while Flower is being abducted by the Djin, rather than chase her or call attention to the issue he goes home and sleeps? He felt foolish and slow to follow as a narrator and left me wishing for some perspective like Sophie’s, she was another unreliable narrator and we still plainly saw her own flaws but Abdullah is not as excellent as she and was not as fun to follow. Flower of the Night is undercut by Abdullah’s view of her and is truly a smart and strong person, accounted for by the other princesses, yet we are left to wonder at how reliable his narration is of her. She is purported to be the most beautiful woman he has ever seen but there is no indication of this shocking effect of her beauty on any other characters.
Special notes for self:
I believe my favorite part of this book was the cat Midnight and her kitten Whippersnapper, who were revealed to be Sophie and her newborn child. I loved the soldiers fondness for the cats to the extreme and was fairly upset by Abdullah’s hatred of the creatures. It was as if by instinct he didn’t like Sophie but he’s not a fan of bold brave women and twists Flowers actions to seem more demure even though they are just as bold. The domestic side of howl and Sophie here was a welcome gift to read.
Issue:
Throughout the story we are slightly teased with the idea that Abdullah has some power of wishful divination akin to Sophie’s ability to speak magic. He has a continuing daydream of his life as a captured prince who is saved by the carpet merchant, and in his telling this to Flower of the Night (to be referred to from now on as Flower) I expected some truth of it to be revealed. In some cases it did happen and his own awareness of this uncanny effect felt like another push towards this power but at a certain point in the story it simply vanished.
It’s possible I didn’t follow some threads that were resolved in the end reveal of our last books cast being revived but when Abdullah and Flower travel to the kingdom he was supposedly the lost prince of I near hoped for it to be real, but it fell flat.
Strong and weak characters:
I have found that in this world theres a fairly accurate representation of heroic men who crumble in some cowardice and anxiety, Howl is a big coward and avoids issues as long as he can but is powerful enough to face his foes when needed. Abdullah was a weak and whiny character at times to who relied on everyone except for himself to continue the story’s main narrative. I’m failing to recall any moments of true ingenuity, braveness, or inspiration.
I was baffled in the garden when he ran away from the sultans guards while Flower is being abducted by the Djin, rather than chase her or call attention to the issue he goes home and sleeps? He felt foolish and slow to follow as a narrator and left me wishing for some perspective like Sophie’s, she was another unreliable narrator and we still plainly saw her own flaws but Abdullah is not as excellent as she and was not as fun to follow. Flower of the Night is undercut by Abdullah’s view of her and is truly a smart and strong person, accounted for by the other princesses, yet we are left to wonder at how reliable his narration is of her. She is purported to be the most beautiful woman he has ever seen but there is no indication of this shocking effect of her beauty on any other characters.
Special notes for self:
I believe my favorite part of this book was the cat Midnight and her kitten Whippersnapper, who were revealed to be Sophie and her newborn child. I loved the soldiers fondness for the cats to the extreme and was fairly upset by Abdullah’s hatred of the creatures. It was as if by instinct he didn’t like Sophie but he’s not a fan of bold brave women and twists Flowers actions to seem more demure even though they are just as bold. The domestic side of howl and Sophie here was a welcome gift to read.
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fast-paced
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
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:
No
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
got bored, though that's probably on me from switching straight from action books to a classical. i'll probably pick this back up again later