Enchanted Glass

This post originally published September 1, 2010.

Author: Diana Wynne Jones
Published: April 2010
Publisher: HarperCollins Children’s Books
332 pages (hardcover)
 
If it isn’t obvious by now, I am a huge, huge Diana Wynne Jones fan. I mean, she brought us Howl. And Chrestomanci.  So I was extremely happy to have been able to find myself a copy of her latest work, Enchanted Glass.

The story begins with Andrew, a thirty year old scholar with a doctorate (that causes everyone to mistake him for a university professor) who inherits his magician grandfather’s house and lands after his death, with the expectation that Andrew will watch over the ‘field-of-care’. As Andrew settles into his new home and becomes accustomed to the house’s two bossy, fussy servants (Mr Stock the gardener and Mrs Stock the housekeeper, both of no relation to each other), a mysterious boy pops up at the house one day in need for a place to stay. His name is Aidan, and he had run away from his foster family because he was being pursued by some shadowy Stalkers. Andrew decides to let him stay because he feels a strong connection with him. When Andrew and Aidan take a walk around the ‘field-of-care’ Andrew has inherited, they discover that Andrew’s neighbour Mr Brown is slowly trying to take over his lands!

I am extremely sad to say that this book kind of disappointed me. It did not seem as magical or humorous as her past works have been. Maybe I’ve come to expect too much amazing-ness from Jones, I don’t know. I feel kind of let down. While the characters are likeable enough, the story is none too engaging. In fact, it was confusing. “Field-of-care” was a term tossed around a lot without any explanation as to what it was (I am still on the assumption it’s a plot of land). The whole situation with “counterparts” or dopplegangers of characters was not explained; I didn’t know why there were dopplegangers of characters and what purpose they served. I didn’t understand where Shakespeares’ Midsummer’s Night’s Dream characters figured in this. King Oberon is the one hunting down Aidan and that is why he is constantly sending the Puck around to find Aidan but I just didn’t … understand. I was expecting some sort of parallel to the Shakespearean play perhaps, but it seems like they were chosen at random to cameo in this unrelated story or something.

As for the “enchanted glass” of the title, it seems to play a big and small part at the exact same time. It is often mentioned as mysterious glass that no one knows anything about throughout the story, and only at the very end does Andrew realize the bigger role the glass plays. Yet after that realization, it goes back to being rarely mentioned. The ending of the novel also felt unimportant and glanced over. I am not particularly fond of endings where it all ends with, “Oops, made a mistake. Guess all that was for nothing!”

It’s not a bad book, but if you’ve read previous works by Diana Wynne Jones, this one may be a let down. It certainly felt that way for me. She has a way of being mysterious in her writing and not plainly explaining everything, leaving it up to the reader to decipher the story themselves, which is actually normally okay and works great with her other books, but with this particular story, it just didn’t work out that way. The magical element in this story was minute and it was just altogether unimpressive. Her stories like Howl’s Moving Castle or The Lives of Christopher Chant remain strong in my memory after reading them; this one, I can see myself forgetting all about it in a few days.

Side note: While most sites ’round the web still classify this novel as a children’s book, my local library has this shelved in the Young Adults section. I imagine it’s because there’s an inappropriate word in there (“bitch”), which I was kind of surprised to see.

My Rating: 2/5

The Pinhoe Egg

This post originally published May 22, 2010.

Author: Diana Wynne Jones
Published: October 2006
Publisher: Greenwillow
Series: Chrestomanci series #6
515 pages (hardcover)
 
Summary: Marianne Pinhoe’s family are all witches who frequently misuse magic and as a result, try to keep their magic a secret in order to prevent the Chrestomanci from meddling in their affairs. This proves to be difficult lately as the Pinhoe Gammer — head of their family — has spontaneously gone crazy and started a magic war with the Farleighs, another clan of witches that misuse magic and are trying to avoid the Chrestomanci. With this magic war going on, it will be hard to keep their magic misuse under wraps for long, especially when Cat finds an egg in the Pinhoe’s attic that may prove to be their biggest secret of all.

My Thoughts: I’m so happy to finally read another Chrestomanci book where Chrestomanci and Cat are prominent characters in it! Chrestomanci! Chrestomanci!

This is, overall, a very fun book to read. Looking back at the ratings I gave to the last two Chrestomanci-related books I read, I was very relieved to finally encounter the kind of Chrestomanci book I expect from the series. I have my issues with the book (I always have issues with every book, haha) and in this book, my problem was that it took a very long time until I had an idea of what the conflict in the novel is supposed to revolve around. I mean, the object of the title — the egg — didn’t even show up until halfway through the book! But despite the slow-moving plot, the story isn’t sluggish. It is very entertaining and humorous throughout, for me, one of her most funny works, and, personally, just being able to read about my favourite characters again kept me entranced. Of course, there are also lots of new characters, and Chrestomanci characters always have a way of being very memorable, and I have a suspicion that Marianne and Joe will be in future Chrestomanci novels to come; I have a strong hunch that Marianne will be Cat’s wife someday too, heh. They have that same sort of friendship that Chrestomanci/Christopher and Millie had in The Lives of Christopher Chant, and lo and behold, they ended up getting married.

The only ridiculous thing is that unicorns and griffins can talk. Like, English. That’s too weird, even for me.

But regardless, great book! It has me hungering for more Chrestomanci!

My Rating: 4/5

Mixed Magics

This post originally published May 15, 2010.

Author: Diana Wynne Jones
Published: 2000
Publisher: Harper Collins Children’s Books
Series: Chrestomanci (companion book)
171 pages (paperback)
 
Summary: Mixed Magics is a collection of four short stories that happen in the worlds of Chrestomanci. Warlock At The Wheel is about a warlock who commits crime as his way of life, but ends up with more than he bargained for when he steals a car that has a little girl and a dog in the backseat. Stealer of Souls involves an evil enchanter trying to become the Chrestomanci himself by going through time and taking the lives of previous nine-life enchanters. Carol Oneir’s Hundredth Dream is about a little girl who bottles her dreams and sells them for a living (as if they are movies) but recently cannot dream anymore; and The Sage of Theare is about a world of gods that try to alter a prophecy, and it is up to Chrestomanci to set things right in their world.

My Thoughts: I was browsing through the bookstore and saw this book in the bargain section; of course I had to buy it because it’s a Chrestomanci book! The four short stories have little to do with one another as they all take place in different worlds, but they all involve the Chrestomanci (as in Christopher Chant, although Cat does make a few appearances, and so does Tonino from Magicians of Caprona).

None of the stories particularly stood out for me, but they were all enjoyable to read. If I was to pick a favourite out of them all, I think it would be Stealer of Souls because Cat, Tonino and Chrestomanci (and his family) have the largest roles in that one; in the other stories, Chrestomanci is often an extremely minor character. It’s nice to read about familiar characters and that story, in a way, is like telling me what they are up to lately, so that is why that one is my favourite. The rest of the stories are full of Jones’ signature humour, and enjoyable, but personally, I don’t feel there’s anything special about any of the stories. I wouldn’t say they lack heart, but they seem to lack that Chrestomanci story charm. The last one in particular, The Sage of Theare, was my least favourite. It took place in a world that was never introduced before, and Chrestomanci and Cat pretty much only had one sentence devoted to them, so I didn’t feel like I was reading a Chrestomanci story really.

I’m sure every reader will have different opinions on the different stories, as some of the stories are better than others, but which ones depend on your own taste. This is a fun little book that you can finish in two or three hours (or more, depending on your speed of reading, but hey, it’s barely 200 pages and it’s big font). It’s really something you’d only read if you’re a fan of the Chrestomanci series; I can’t imagine a person who doesn’t know anything about the series picking this up randomly, because the only reason this book interested ME was because I knew it was part of the series. Anyway, it was an enjoyable book, not the best thing ever, but it was certainly alright.

My Rating: 2.5/5

The Magicians of Caprona

 This post originally published March 10, 2010.


Author: Diana Wynne Jones
Published: 1980
Publisher: Harper Collins Children’s Books
Series: Chrestomanci #2
268 pages (paperback)
 
Summary: In an alternate world, Italy was never united as one country and cities such as Florence, Venice and Caprona still exist as city-states. The Montanas and Petrocchis are well-respected families in the city-state of Caprona, for their spell-making abilities. Unfortunately, due to the Montanas and Petrocchis bitter rivalry (which is not unlike Romeo and Juliet) and their refusal to work together, the city of Caprona is slowly losing their virtue and power, which it desperately needs at this time because Venice, Pisa and Florence are planning to wage war against Caprona.

My Thoughts: I love the Chrestomanci series, but unfortunately, I had a rather difficult time engrossing myself with this book. The story and plot is straightforward enough, but I still found it confusing because of the enormous cast of characters, which made it difficult to remember who’s who, and I had trouble understanding the concept of singing-magic in this book. Also, Chrestomanci was more of a cameo in this story than a central figure as he is in the other books in the series, which is another reason why this book did not captivate me as much as it could have, especially since I read it with the expectation of seeing more of Chrestomanci/Christopher. While it’s by no means terrible, this is a book I could easily put down. Some parts of it were fun, but there was an equal number of parts that were rather boring to me. All in all, The Magicians of Caprona did not live up to the rest of the Chrestomanci series, and was a bit of a disappointment.

My Rating: 2.5/5

Conrad's Fate

This post originally published February 7, 2010.

Author: Diana Wynne Jones
Published: 2005
Series: Chrestomanci #5
Publisher: Harper Collins Children’s Books
348 pages (paperback)
 
Summary: Conrad is a young boy living in Stallery, a small town, who is looking forward to starting high school with his friends. However, before he is able to, he receives shocking news from his uncle: Conrad is covered with Bad Karma because someone he was supposed to kill in his last life, he let go, and that person was reborn and living in Stallery Mansion. If Conrad doesn’t kill this person in this life, Conrad will die by the end of the year. Conrad’s uncle sends him on a mission to Stallery Mansion, posing as a servant-in-training, to finish the job he didn’t finish in his last life, and to get rid of his Bad Karma. At the mansion, it turns out Conrad is not the only one there on a secret mission; so is his fellow servant-in-training, Christopher …

My Thoughts: Another book dealing with the Chrestomanci world, and honestly, I can’t get enough of it! This time around, it’s a bit different because the world is not the usual one with Chrestomanci castle, it takes place in Series 7 rather than Series 12. In any case, I was very excited to be reacquainted with Christopher. I’ve met him as an adult, and I’ve met him as a child, so it was very exciting to be able to meet him as a teenager. And he never disappoints with his flourishing, extravagant manners and style.

However, this book centers around Conrad, who has a very interesting story himself. This is the first Chrestomanci book I’ve read where the narrative was in first person (Conrad’s perspective), so I was able to have access to all of Conrad’s thoughts. He kind of reminds me of Cat from Charmed Life — poor guy doesn’t have a clue about what’s happening around him, he just kind of goes with it. He’s a funny guy though, and I love his commentary on what he thinks of Christopher, hahaha.

This is a very fun book to read, and very humorous. This is definitely an adventure type book, what with both Conrad and Christopher going on their individual quests, which, to their surprise, entwines with one another. The author is so brilliant with her creativity, I really liked the idea of ‘pulling the possibilities’. When someone ‘pulls the possibilities’, changes happen to the world, great or small. For example, all the postboxes in Stallery are red. Someone pulled the possibilities and suddenly they are all blue! It was really fun to read about these changes. This is most definitely a very memorable book.

My Rating: 4/5

Castle In The Air

This post originally published January 15, 2010.

Author: Diana Wynne Jones
Published: 1990
Publisher: Harper Collins Children’s Books
Series: Castle series #2
285 pages (paperback)
 
Synopsis: Abdullah is a carpet merchant from the southern country of Zanzib, and since he has a rather dull life, being harassed by his relations to get a few wives, Abdullah spends a lot of time daydreaming about himself being a prince that was kidnapped when he was younger and falling in love with a beautiful princess. One day, a mysterious stranger sells him a magic flying carpet, and after buying it, Abdullah falls asleep on the carpet, only to wake up in the garden of the wealthy sultan. He meets the royal princess, Flower-In-The-Night and falls in love with her, and she with him. The two decide to elope, but before they can, an evil Djinn appears and kidnaps her! Worse still, the Sultan thinks Abdullah is the actual kidnapper. And to top it all off, somehow, all of Abdullah’s wildest daydreams are literally coming true!

My Thoughts: Again, this book is part of a series that can be read in any order since the books do well as stand-alone novels too, but you definitely get a better experience if you read them in order. Anyway, I personally really enjoyed this book, another funny and magical adventure! It’s reminiscent of the story of Aladdin, with the magic flying carpet and genies in a bottle. And geez, the way everyone talks in Zanzib is so ridiculously polite, it’s hilarious! I know some people may not find the romance between Flower-In-The-Night and Abdullah realistic (they just BAM! suddenly fell in love at first sight), but keep in mind this is a book aiming for a fairy tale style, targeted to children. I think it’s allowed to do things like that ;)

There were a few things that rubbed me the wrong way though. When Abdullah ends up in the castle in the sky, his role in the story was suddenly minimized too, and that kind of bothered me. He’s supposed to be the main character, but once Sophie entered the picture, she took over. Not that I wasn’t happy to see Sophie (and Howl and Calcifer, for that matter) but Abdullah is supposed to be the main character! Lastly, the ending tied up everything too neatly for my liking. I’m not fond of endings where everything just so coincidentally and conveniently falls into place, but like I mentioned before, it’s a children’s book that’s sort of fairy-tale-ish, so I can understand that.

Ah, but don’t be put off by my complaints, they are not big deals, and this really is a fun book to read if you’re into fantasy aimed for the 9-12 year olds (which, obviously, I am!) I was super happy to reunite with Sophie, Howl and Calcifer. They were in the whole novel, but you don’t see/find them until near the very end, which in turn, gives this re-reading value because now when you re-read it, you know a lot more and might pay attention more to the finer details ;)

My Rating: 4/5

The Lives of Christopher Chant

This post originally published on January 8, 2010.

Author: Diana Wynne Jones
Published: 1988
Publisher: Harper Collins Children’s Book
Series: Chrestomanci series #4
333 pages (paperback)
 
Synopsis: When he was a young boy, Christopher Chant learns that he is able to travel to other worlds in what he at first thinks are his dreams. After being neglected by his busy parents, Christopher welcomes the affection and praise of his Uncle Ralph, who is fascinated by Christopher’s ‘dreams’ and runs several experiments with him, having him fetch various parcels and goods from these worlds to bring back to their own. Christopher’s father, however, hates Uncle Ralph and has Christopher taken away to Chrestomanci Castle, where Christopher learns that he is actually a powerful enchanter with nine lives, and destined to become the next Chrestomanci.

My Thoughts: The book never explicitly states this (and it’s not a spoiler at all) but Christopher Chant is the Chrestomanci from Charmed Life. Which is very exciting because Chrestomanci was my favourite from Charmed Life, and it was fun to read about Chrestomanci/Christopher’s childhood,  how he became the Chrestomanci, and how he came about to lose seven of his nine lives (which, if you read Charmed Life, you already know he only has two. I still remember, from Charmed Life, when he told Cat how he only has two lives left after he lost seven of them foolishly in childhood — this is the childhood!!) You also discover how Christopher meets his future wife, Millie, and it’s actually kind of cute, although I never would have guessed that Millie was a living goddess from another world! It’s almost kind of sad how such an adorable couple end up having lazy, piggy Julia and Roger as their children in the future, hahaha. The only thing I’m not quite sure about is at what point did Christopher develop a taste for expensive silk robes?! (In Charmed Life, he has quite a flair for fashion)!

The Lives of Christopher Chant is a very fun and adventurous book, with a plot that’s more complicated than Charmed Life, and in some ways, more scary (chopped up mermaid body parts, anyone?) Not to mention some pretty frightening deaths that happen to Christopher! This book dives much deeper into the series of different worlds and parallel worlds, something that I was disappointed with in Charmed Life, but Christopher Chant more than makes up for it. Christopher’s personality in childhood is a little different from his adult form, but it’s not an unreasonable stretch; I suppose he grows into his adult personality later, in events that occur after this book. Millie is a bit of a surprise, I would have never guessed that she was this fiesty little girl in childhood, but despite all of that, the characters are lovable and endearing. I really loved Throgmorten, the cat who seems to be permanently pissed off.

If you’ve ever read any of the Chrestomanci books and enjoyed them, you should definitely read this one too. Chronologically in terms of story events, this is the first book of the series, so you can’t miss out on this. Even if you’ve never read a Chrestomanci book, this is a very fun story, very magical and funny. I’d still recommend reading Charmed Life first, because I think partly why I liked The Lives of Christopher Chant so much is because I already read Charmed Life and thus, know what the future holds for Christopher, but either way, this is a must read for fantasy fans.

My Rating: 5/5

Charmed Life

This post originally published on January 6, 2010.

Author: Diana Wynne Jones
Published: 1977
Publisher: Harper Collins Children’s Book
Series: Chrestomanci series #1
270 pages (paperback)
 
Synopsis: Eric Chant (usually referred to as Cat) and his older sister Gwendolyn unfortunately become orphans after their parents drown from a boating accident, and are put into the care of certified witch Mrs. Sharp. Gwendolyn is a brilliant prodigy of a witch and Mrs. Sharp, along with the rest of the neighbourhood, are incredibly proud of her and aid her in any way possible to further her magical education. This is no good for Gwendolyn’s ego, which is the size of a blimp; she does not care about anybody but herself and is convinced she will become a Queen one day. Cat, on the other hand, is a meek and shy young boy who does whatever Gwendolyn tells him to do. The siblings are later adopted by Chrestomanci, a powerful magic-user. Gwendolyn is furious about this because Chrestomanci refuses to teach Gwendolyn advanced magic, only beginner magic, and Cat is embarrassed because he doesn’t know any magic at all. Gwendolyn decides to play tricks on Chrestomanci and everyone else at the castle, finally resulting in the removal of all her magical powers. The day after this, Cat goes to his sister’s bedroom to find that Gwendolyn has run away into another world and has left a girl who looks eerily similar to Gwendolyn as her replacement.

My Thoughts: Charmed Life is the first book in the Chrestomanci series, although you don’t need to read any of them in order as they don’t directly relate to one another (thus, I am ordering them by publication order). This is a fun book, full of quirky magical things. I didn’t know what to expect when I started reading, although I knew it would have Jones’ usual magicians and brand of humor, and I wasn’t disappointed at all. I was very pleased to meet Chrestomanci, who reminded me very much of Howl (from Howl’s Moving Castle). What I liked about this story world was the idea of parallel worlds; these worlds are formed when a big event in history occurs, such as a war, and with such events, there are a multiple number of outcomes. At such points, the world splits into parallel worlds and each world continues on the path the different outcomes continue on. Parallel worlds may each have copies of a person though they may end up with different personalities. What’s even cooler is that Cat, the main character, has NO copies of himself in the parallel worlds, making him exceedingly rare. Every copy of him that could have existed, exists in him — giving him nine lives! I do wish the story dove into the whole parallel worlds thing a bit more; it felt like only the surface was skimmed, and I’m sure there was a lot that could be done with it.

Cat/Eric is pretty much a doormat and never thinks for himself, though he does mature throughout the story. He makes a nice protagonist that way because he teaches you that just because you are a bystander watching another make mischief doesn’t mean you are completely innocent. Still, it frustrated me whenever Cat just stood by and let Gwendolyn’s spoiled, bratty behaviour continue. I suppose you can say I enjoyed reading Gwendolyn’s character as well … Even though she makes you want to dive into the pages and strangle her half the time, she was extremely interesting and you never knew what she was up to next. I happen to have an appreciation for characters I loathe with a passion, because although I may not like them, they still affected me in some way; I’d rather passionately hate a whole cast of characters than have a whole bunch of boring, dull characters who can’t evoke any sort of emotion in me at all.

All in all, a very fun book to read. It’s the kind of magical book you can re-read over and over again. The ending is exciting, with a big battle and everything, although I’m extremely sad that nobody gave Gwendolyn the kick in the head she deserves (and how sad! Chrestomanci gets kicked in the shins instead! Where’s the justice?!)

My Rating: 3.5/5

The Game

This post originally published December 14, 2009.

Author: Diana Wynne Jones
Published: 2007
Publisher: Puffin
192 pages (hardcover)
 
Summary: Hayley is an orphan, her parents disappeared around the time she was born, so she has lived all her life with her overly strict grandma and her grandpa who is always busy working and traveling. Hayley discovers, from her grandpa, about the mythosphere: a veil of strands and stars that surrounds the earth, where all the stories that have ever been invented ‘live’. Thanks to a meeting with a mysterious street musician, Hayley visits the mythosphere for the first time. When Hayley returns and attempts to tell her Grandma about the mythosphere, her Grandma becomes angry and sends Hayley away to live with her many cousins. It is there that Hayley discovers that her cousins all know about the mythosphere too, and frequently play a game involving running into the mythosphere and retrieving famous objects from stories. As Hayley participates in this game, she learns that she and her cousins have a strange connection with the mythosphere, and that none of the adults must know they are playing this game.

My Thoughts: At the back of this book, there is a note on the characters, which I wish I read first because I feel I would have understood the story better (it’s only a itsy bit spoilerish). A lot of this story is grounded in ancient Roman/Greek myths, primarily with Zeus, the Pleiades (or the Seven Sisters), the Hesperides, etc. Another thing I should have done beforehand was look at the HarperCollins cover for this book, the black and white one with a picture of a planet and strings all over it (the cover shown here is from Firebird Books). I would have gotten a better image of what the mythosphere was if I had done that first. Anyway!

The Game is, overall, a pleasant story even without having done all those optional preparations. I really love the idea of The Game, I really truly do and I am incredibly saddened that I will never be able to play it (for obvious reasons). The scene where Hayley plays The Game for the very first time and everyone’s rushing back with the items they managed to obtain, that is my favourite part of the novel. One cousin comes back with the Drink Me bottle from Alice in Wonderland, another exclaims that she has the real glass slipper from Cinderella and another brings back The One Ring and gets scolded when he tries to put it on (from Lord of the Rings, by the way). I wish I can play this Game myself, it sounds so fun despite being dangerous as well.

I’m a big fan of Diana Wynne Jones (she is just so amazing, how does she conjure up all these stories?!) and this book didn’t disappoint, though I didn’t find it as good as some of her other works. It just feels it’s missing something to make it ‘complete’, though I can’t quite put my finger on it. I wished Flute and Fiddle’s roles were explained more thoroughly. I’d explain who they are, but even after finishing, I’m not quite sure. Perhaps it has something to do with some ancient myth I’m not familiar with. I also wasn’t particularly impressed with the ending scene, it just seemed too bland. But overall, it’s a delightful read. It’s fast-paced with lots of adventure and action, and I just have to say it again, how is the author so creative?

My Rating: 3.5/5

House of Many Ways

 Originally posted December 9, 2009.

Author: Diana Wynne Jones
Publisher: Harper Collins Children’s Books
Published: 2008
Series: Castle series #3
328 pages (paperback)
 
Summary: Charmaine Baker is a young girl raised to be a prim and proper, “perfectly respectable” kind of lady. Unfortunately, this has made Charmaine rather spoiled, as she does not know how to do anything on her own (boiling water, cleaning laundry, etc.). The only thing she does is read books all day. So you can imagine what a shock it was it was when she was handed the responsibility of watching over her Great Uncle William’s house (who is a wizard) while he went with the elves to seek treatment for his illness. Charmaine doesn’t really want to watch over the house though, and since William’s “apprentice” Peter shows up to help her with her job, she applies for a job at the Royal Palace, and is accepted. She meets “Twinkle”, Sophie, Morgan and Calcifer at the palace, who get Charmaine to assist them in trying to figure out why the kingdom was losing money and searching for a mysterious thing called the “Elfgift”.

My Thoughts: I desperately wanted to be reunited with Howl, Sophie and Calcifer in some way and picked up this sequel. While I’ll always think Howl’s Moving Castle is better, House of Many Ways does not disappoint in the least. It is a fun, magical story that even adults can appreciate ;). I liked the main character, Charmaine very much (even though for half of the novel, I misread her name and was wondering why on earth Jones named her ‘Chairman’). Even though I couldn’t help but shake my head at her spoiled-ness, she’s got a spunky personality and she loves books! She, along with Waif and Peter, make an adorable trio of characters. I think the bickering Charmaine and Peter have is too cute, like real children.

I must admit, I found the first bit of novel where Charmaine is alone in the house and Peter has not arrived yet was a bit dull, but it picks up quickly. I was just as curious as Charmaine, I wanted to know the secrets to Great Uncle William’s house too and that’s what kept me going, there are so many lovely magical things in and around the house. When Sophie, “Twinkle” and Morgan were introduced (or rather, re-introduced?), that’s when the book got a firmer hold on me and I blazed through the rest of the story. I just love how the book manages to be funny without going over the top, and really, it truly is a magical story.

I do not think of this as a real “sequel” to Howl’s Moving Castle, however. You can read this book without having to read the first, given that Sophie and Howl’s role in the story is so much smaller, and it is set in a slightly different place, with many new characters. I admit, it was a bit disappointing for a sequel since hardly anything from the first book was mentioned, but as a stand-alone novel, it’s a very nice read.

My Rating: 4/5

Howl's Moving Castle

 Originally posted December 7, 2009.

Author: Diana Wynne Jones
Published: 1986
Publisher: Harper Collins Children’s Books
Series: Castle series #1
302 pages (paperback)
 
Summary: Sophie Hatter is the eldest of three daughters, and as the eldest, she has resigned to the idea that she is going to end up with a boring, average life, probably working in her father’s hat shop for the rest of her life. She spends most of her time talking to the hats she makes more than she talks to real people. Unfortunately, her life plan is derailed when she crosses paths with the vain and wicked Witch of the Waste, who casts a spell on Sophie, turning her into a frail 90 year old woman! Sophie is shocked and, after deciding she can’t stay looking like this (what would everyone think if they found out she’s suddenly aged sixty-plus years?!) she leaves town. Sophie hesitantly ends up as the cleaning lady in Wizard Howl’s moving castle, despite the stories that Wizard Howl eats young girl’s hearts — and it turns out Wizard Howl’s next female target is one of Sophie’s younger sisters.

My Thoughts: I decided to pick up the book because I enjoyed Studio Ghibli’s movie version of this story so much. After reading only about halfway, I already knew this book is going down on my list of favourite books of all time. I enjoyed the movie, but the book is so much better, and I discovered there’s so much more to the story and the world of Ingary, where magic is commonplace, than the movie revealed. As I was reading, I kept wishing I could live in Ingary myself! Needless to say, I was completely entranced by the world in the book (much more so than the movie). There is always something happening in the novel, something to hold onto your interest.

Very rarely do I find a female protagonist that I like (I have high standards for female characters, I guess …?), and I adored Sophie, she’s so funny and cute as an old woman. Of course, then there’s Howl, who’s my favourite character in the novel and, I suspect, the favourite character of most other readers of this novel. He may be arrogant and vain beyond belief, but how can anyone not succumb to his charms?! Sophie and Howl’s relationship is one of my favourite book relationships. It starts off as barely acquaintances, and as it develops, it is never explicitly stated that they are having feelings for one another, yet you just know they do from the little things they do for one another. !!!Spoiler alert!!! My favourite part is when Calcifer tells Sophie that the only way he’d believe Howl is in love (with someone else, and not himself as he usually is) is the day he doesn’t spend hours in the bathroom fixing himself up. Then near the end, Howl shows up unshaved and messy looking to save Sophie … ah, I could have died, it was perfect and my heart just swooned. !!!End Spoiler!!! The intricate web of relationships all the characters have can seem a bit confusing and overwhelming at times, especially since there’s some identity switching as well, but the little bit of required mental organization of characters is worth it for the fun, laughs and thrills this book offers.

All in all, this is a book I’d recommend everyone read, especially if you enjoy fairy tale-esque tales. Though the targeted audience is children, this is the kind of story anyone of any age can enjoy!

My Rating: 5/5