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

5.0

As a long time lover of the movie, I’ve been so eager to read this book. And though reading the inspirational text for a well-loved movie is always intimidating, I was pleasantly surprised to find that my love of the movie didn’t taint my experience of the book too much (though I don’t think I’ll ever be able to view Sophie as a strawberry blonde, or gold-red as she calls it). And vice versa, gaining more insight on the story didn’t shatter my love of the movie, though the next person who watches it with me WILL be getting an earful about the lore. Instead, I rather enjoyed the further perspective this book gave me on the stories of Howl and Sophie, and I found a deep appreciation for the different yet harmonious voices of Diana Wynne Jones’s tale and Miyazaki’s vision. There is room in my heart for both Mysterious Bird Boy Movie Howl and Fuckboy Welsh Book Howl. 

I highly recommend this book to people like me, admirers of the Ghibli movie who are looking for more Howl content (this book actually explains SO MUCH missing backstory in the movie that will make the plot so much clearer where you didn’t even realize it needed to be clearer), or even for folks unfamiliar with the movie, but want a cozy fantasy that will make you feel like a kid again. Dianna Wynne Jones’s writing is timelessly enchanting and unique in a way that is truly rare. Her characters are bold and interesting and snarky, and her world-building, though confusing at times, feels pulled straight from a dream. 

I can’t wait to continue with this series and to find myself back in these pages time and again.