Diana Wynne Jones

Castle in the Air

Bria

it sucks reading older books and being subject to racism

** spoiler alert **
           at first, i thought this revolved around a world outside howl's but i was wrong! it actually gave a great setting for the worlds, and also the characters' lives after the first book.

well, what could we expect from the author aside from greatness.

this has got to be one of my favorite series (and sequel) so far, if not of all time.

5/5 ⭐

I did not enjoy this installment as much as I did Howl’s Moving Castle. There were themes of misogyny throughout that really ruined it for me. On the whole, just ok and did not match up to the magic the first one made me feel. 

Kerry McHugh West

Kayla Ndife

I was SO excited when I found out that there were more books in this series. ^_^ 

Jones's storytelling ability is enchanting, and her matter-of-fact voice made me laugh out loud several times. Abdullah is a wonderful character, and I loved how everything tied in to the first book. I'm forcing myself to wait to read the next one, because I'm not quite ready to run out of books in the series. Such a wonderful read, I devoured it!

Ryan LaFerney

** spoiler alert **
           A fun fantasy romp from DWJ. We get all the standard Aladdin-esque trappings, a magic carpet, a genie in a bottle, evil djinns, bandits, sultans, camels...(the plot is based on stories from the Arabian Nights) and for a while you think you know roughly where it's all heading. And while it might be standard storytelling, its fun. DWJ is an amazing writer. You're rooting for our protagonist, Abdullah, as he tries to find and rescue the beauteous Flower-in-the-Night from a wicked djinn, Hasruel (who is being forced to kidnap princesses from all over the world by his brother, Dalzel). Then things fall into a familiar place (the land of Ingary) and you find yourself anticipating the reappearance of the Wizard Howl and Sophie. You soon realize: "oh, I get why this is part of a trilogy about Howl's Moving Castle! Now, this makes sense!"

The ending was where things fell apart a little for me. DWJ ties everything up in a frantic rush - like the Scooby Doo mask-pulling finale ... Abdullah teaming up with Sophie Pendragon orders the magic carpet to take them to Sophie's child, Morgan (stolen by the djinn). The carpet does so, taking them far into the sky, to the castle in the air, which is merely Wizard Howl's castle, having been greatly enlarged. There they meet the stolen princesses and plot with them to escape the castle. Led by Abdullah, they overpower the two Djinn, freeing Hasruel who banishes his brother, Dalzel). Flower-of-the-Night had by then wished the genie free, who turned out to be Sophie's husband, the Wizard Howl! The DJinn Hasruel is then redeemed!

While the ending rushes to conclude the story and ties it up in a nice little bow, I did find Castle in the Air to be a highly enjoyable read and it was fun being back in the land of Ingary. It was also fun visiting the city of Zanzib for the first time.

Isabela H 

** slight spoilers(?) **
I read Castle in the Air immediately after Howl's Moving Castle, so I was a little disappointed that our familiar friends didn't show up until later in the narrative, but the true enjoyment of Jones' books comes in the spectacular way she manages to wrap up endings in neat little bows. Sure, a general description of events might make you think that it's a book like any other, but the way in which events happen or reveals are made make the whole experience magical

Celeste Richardson

There’s something about Wynne Jones’s writing that is just an absolute delight to read. Every word feels so intentional and loaded with layers of meaning, while still managing to be light and witty in tone. Above all, her writing is engaging. But because I loved Howl’s Moving Castle so much, part of me wanted to treat it as a standalone. I’m so glad I didn’t, because Castle in the Air was just as magical and joyful as it predecessor.

For the first third or so of the novel, I really didn’t think this book was going to tie into Howl’s Moving Castle. I thought that maybe this was going a loose series, maybe a trilogy in name only. But by the last quarter of the story, I was blown away by how deftly Wynne Jones was able to tie everything together. The big reveals at the end and the final resolution were all immensely satisfying. I think that everyone who loves Howl’s Moving Castle absolutely needs to read Castle in the Air, and I hope that House of Many Ways ties in just as well.

The voice in this narrative is so much fun. And was very different from Howl’s Moving Castle. Wynne Jones did a brilliant job of capturing the feel of the Arabian Nights tales, taking bits and pieces of those stories, but still coming up with a wholly original tale of her own. One of the most unique elements of the book were the verbose, flamboyant appellations and honorifics, which never failed to make me laugh. They were hands down my favorite part of the story, and served as the largest comedic provider.

Once again, I’m so thankful that my wonderful book twin, TS, gifted me the stunning Folio editions of this entire trilogy. The lovely art prints scattered throughout added to my reading experience and were a joy to share with TS and Eon on our little buddy reading chat as we reached those places in the story. I can’t wait to see how the series wraps up in House of Many Ways, and whether this becomes one of those rare trilogies in which every single installment is a solid 5 star read. Whether you’re looking for an immersive, charming, delightfully amusing fantasy series for a child in your life, or something innocent along those same lines for yourself, you really can’t go wrong with this series.

Bunnhi

Rather marvelous, however for most of it I felt like Howl, just get on with it!

Ken Yuen

What a great retelling of Aladdin. Jones really makes the story her own, and this is a sequel to Howl's Moving Castle in surprising ways. Abdullah, Flower-in-the-night, and Jamal hold their own in this world of characters. The adventure moves at a brisk pace, although like Howl, the ending with its set of reveals happens at a bit of a rush. But it's a fun ride overall.

Cheryl Hedlund

3.5 rounded down. This is the second book in the Howl's Moving Castle series. This is not an easy book for me to review. Disclaimer, I may be slightly unfair to this story because I love the first book and the Miyazaki adaptation of Howl and Sophie's story so much. It is hard for me to fairly compare this as a separate story in the same magical universe. It took me a bit to warm up to the new main character and the story because it is very different and set in a different part of the world with a different vibe. Still whimsical and magical, it just felt very separate and far away. I missed Howl and Sophie. I knew that they would appear eventually and that connections would be made to connect the parts of the world together. I did eventually get invested in the new story and enjoy this expansion of the world. Still, this fell a bit flat for me. The main character felt less developed. There is another romance, but that was not so satisfying for me. They were not on page together much and did not have many interactions because of plot reasons. Certain things in the third act felt like they repeated from the first book. At the same time, those reveals made the earlier parts of this story better for me. I can't really explain because spoilers.

Kwan Ann Tan

** spoiler alert **
           as my sister said, this was written in an era when the most logical thing to happen after an adventure has been concluded is marriage and a child- give me more howl & sophie adventures in between please :((((

Lincy

Diana

CAWPILE rating: 7.00
Star rating: 3.5

While this was good, I didn't enjoy it as much as Howl's Moving Castle. It was fairly slow moving through the majority of the book and I was actually finding a little boring, but then it picked up in the last third or so and I enjoyed it much more.

A magical Arabian Nights tale from the captivating creator of fantasy, Diana Wynne Jones. The dazzling sequel to Howls Moving Castle, now a major animated film.

Betty

The sequel to Howl's moving castle. It was definitely a different pace from the previous bookas it doesn't follow the same characters as such. It's still a very good read though. 

Anita Rut Kristjansdottir

Kimi 

I love the book "Howl's Moving Castle" that I had to read this book. When I read this book I was hoping for more insight about Howl and Sophie. However, this is a separate story in itself but doesn't reveal Howl and Sophie until the end. There is a little bit of a twist that Howl and Sophie has been around since the story began you just don't know it until toward the end. 

I was a little disappointed because I wanted to know about Howl and Sophie. It just gives you a little bit of a tease about them and that's it. But Diana has done a great job at tying everyone together in this book. 

Regardless of my personal interest of wanting to find out more about Howl and Sophie this book is still a great read in itself.

Abdullah was a young and not very prosperous carpet dealer. His father, who had been disappointed in him, had left him only enough money to open a modest booth in the Bazaar. When he was not selling carpets, Abdullah spent his time daydreaming. In his dreams he was not the son of his father, but the long-lost son of a prince. There was also a princess who had been betrothed to him at birth. He was content with his life and his daydreams until, one day, a stranger sold him a magic carpet. In this stunning sequel to Howl's Moving Castle, Diana Wynne Jones has again created a large-scale, fast-paced fantasy in which people and things are never quite what they seem. There are good and bad djinns, a genie in a bottle, wizards, witches, cats and dogs (but are they cats and dogs?), and a mysterious floating castle filled with kidnapped princesses, as well as two puzzling prophecies. The story speeds along with tantalizing twists and turns until the prophecies are fulfilled, true identities are revealed, and all is resolved in a totally satisfying, breathtaking, surprise-filled ending.

Castle in the Air

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