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

5.0

Sophie is the oldest sibling with two younger sisters, making her forever destined to stay at home running the family hat shop. When a bad day sends Sophie into an absolutely foul mood things quickly begin to get worse, with the Witch of the Waste entering the hat shop. Much to Sophie’s ignorance she not only insults the witch, but ends up with a horrid curse laid upon her. To understand and break the awful curse Sophie must enlist the help of the famously heartless Wizard Howl. First she must locate his ever moving castle in the hills and with time ticking she must hurry. Sophie will have to navigate not only this curse but fire demons, magical scarecrows, and strange enchanted doors along the way. 

I absolutely adored this book with my whole heart! It’s wholesome, magical, whimsical, and light! I won’t lie part of my love with this story does in the fact partially stem from my love of the Studio Ghibli film. However, I was pleasantly surprised when the anime and the book are slightly different. This made me enjoy both story and movie even more so for the fact that they each have their own unique qualities about them. I found the relationship between Sophie and her sisters much more enjoyable in the book, as their dynamic and love for one another is showcased much greater here. We also get to see many more interactions with the young wizard in training Michael as well as Calcifer the fire demon which I found just as cheeky as the movie. Howl as a character brings all the dramatics and I love him all the more for it, but deep down he cares for Sophie and all his friends despite most thinking him just vain. The main themes of changing one’s assumptions to show who you truly are underneath everything is incredibly well done and one of the aspects that shines in this book. I will without a doubt be continuing on in the series and highly recommend it to anyone loves the Ghibli film or anyone who is looking for a lighthearted fantasy read.