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A review by ciphertextx
Castle in the Air by Diana Wynne Jones
4.0
I enjoyed all of this book, but some of it really dragged for me, and considering how short a book it is, that's not so good.
I enjoyed Abdullah as male character who appreciated and admired strong women, and that he only fell more in love with Flower as her strength flourished. I will say that I enjoyed the story more when Sophie and Howl made their appearances. Before that, it read like a very fickle fairytale love story, and the whole quest to rescue Flower from the djinn was just...eehhh. Likeable, but lacking.
Abdullah, a carpet merchant, acquires a flying carpet which will only obey him in his sleep (reasons for which are never really explained from what I remember). And it basically makes his dreams come true by whisking him off to a palace to meet a pretty princess whom he teaches about men (she's very sheltered) and deigns to marry. Some drama happens and Flower (the princess) gets kidnapped by this demon, Abdullah goes on a quest to save her, and literally all his dreams wind up coming true in some way. I quite liked how it all fit together to be honest :P
Maybe I'm just dense, but I didn't see any of the twists coming at all, so they were a pleasant surprise for me!
In his quest, Abdullah comes across this foreign soldier and two cats in the west who help him, and Sophie and Howl are there as well as an entire floating castle full of other princesses. Not really a sequel to the first book, more like a companion in the same universe. It was good, but I'm not crazy about it which is evidenced by the fact that I can't write a decent review.
I enjoyed Abdullah as male character who appreciated and admired strong women, and that he only fell more in love with Flower as her strength flourished. I will say that I enjoyed the story more when Sophie and Howl made their appearances. Before that, it read like a very fickle fairytale love story, and the whole quest to rescue Flower from the djinn was just...eehhh. Likeable, but lacking.
Abdullah, a carpet merchant, acquires a flying carpet which will only obey him in his sleep (reasons for which are never really explained from what I remember). And it basically makes his dreams come true by whisking him off to a palace to meet a pretty princess whom he teaches about men (she's very sheltered) and deigns to marry. Some drama happens and Flower (the princess) gets kidnapped by this demon, Abdullah goes on a quest to save her, and literally all his dreams wind up coming true in some way. I quite liked how it all fit together to be honest :P
Maybe I'm just dense, but I didn't see any of the twists coming at all, so they were a pleasant surprise for me!
In his quest, Abdullah comes across this foreign soldier and two cats in the west who help him, and Sophie and Howl are there as well as an entire floating castle full of other princesses. Not really a sequel to the first book, more like a companion in the same universe. It was good, but I'm not crazy about it which is evidenced by the fact that I can't write a decent review.