A review by whoischels
Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

adventurous hopeful fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

As a fan of the Miyazaki movie, I felt I should read this. People's complaints with the Miyazaki movie is that it lacks a coherently explained climax and the world building necessary to justify why exactly the war going on is the way it is. Supposedly the book does this better. I am here to tell you it does. Jones avoids the trickiness of war scenes at all, though supposedly thought Miyazaki did it wonderfully. I disagree now that I see the story can hold it own its without that segment of the plot. I also enjoyed the the reveal that Howl is just

some random guy from 1980s suburban Wales lmao?? my dude just wants to do magic and play rugby

That said, this being a middle grade novel, it doesn't quite nail the emotional joy of the found family in the same way that the Miyazaki movie does. For that reason, I still prefer the movie, but reading the book does provide some helpful plot context for the average Ghibli fan.