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

adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

If you came to read this book after watching the movie like I did, be aware that it’s a very different story. Some of my favorite parts of the book are Howl being way more sassy, him being originally from Wales

(which is where the black door leads, in contrast to the war zone of the movie)

and Sophie being a klutz and just as sassy as Howl. I also really like that Sophie’s sister’s feature much more prominently in the book, with Michael falling in love with one of them. Also, Michael is a teen rather that a little kid. Overall I really enjoyed this story, although I felt that the pacing was a little bit slow at parts, and entirely too fast in the end. An epilogue would’ve benefited this greatly, diving the last chapter in two and allowing for a more fleshed out ending, imo.
To end this in a positive note, I also would like to point out how fantastic it is for Sophie to have magic in the book, and it’s something I would’ve really loved to see onscreen!