Name: Howl's Moving Castle
Rating: 4.228704784130689 (857 reviews)
ISBN: 9780064410342

Diana Wynne Jones

Howl's Moving Castle

Julie Strietelmeier

all the magic and whimsy, all the banter and wonder — i just adore all of it !! howl's moving castle will always, always have a special place in my heart ٩(ˊᗜˋ*)و ♡

yachii

Read by John Sessions. In the land of Ingary, where seven league boots and cloaks of invisibility do exist, Sophie Hatter catches the unwelcome attention of the Witch of the Waste and is put under a spell.

cee 

Filled to the brim with whimsy and wit, I loved every second of the misadventure that ensued. As a long time lover of the Ghibli film, I loved how Sofia & Howl’s banter in the book was far more antagonizing and just plain funny. Found family in its finest form.

Also 11/10 would recommend the audiobook, the narrator is just lovely

Caitlin

Filled to the brim with whimsy and wit, I loved every second of the misadventure that ensued. As a long time lover of the Ghibli film, I loved how Sofia & Howl’s banter in the book was far more antagonizing and just plain funny. Found family in its finest form.

Also 11/10 would recommend the audiobook, the narrator is just lovely

It's a whirlwind of imagination, brimming with chaotic energy. At times, the plot feels like a patchwork quilt, with stories stitched together in a somewhat disjointed manner. Despite this, I appreciate the creativity and the satisfying resolution, not to mention the delightfully peculiar characters that populate the story. It truly captures the whimsical nature of the fantasy genre.

Delightfully witty. Sophie learns the importance of crafting your own path and not to let silly notions define your fortune. 

Morgan Wilkinson

In the land of Ingary, where seven league boots and cloaks of invisibility do exist, Sophie Hatter catches the unwelcome attention of the Witch of the Waste and is put under a spell.

Deciding she has nothing more to lose, she makes her way to the moving castle that hovers on the hills above Market Chipping. But the castle belongs to the dreaded Wizard Howl whose appetite, they say, is satisfied only by the souls of young girls… There she meets Michael, Howl’s apprentice, and Calcifer the Fire Demon, with whom she agrees a pact.

But Sophie isn’t the only one under a curse – her entanglements with Calcifer, Howl, and Michael, and her quest to break her curse is both gripping – and howlingly funny!

OKAY LISTEN IT'S A CHILDRENS BOOK SO I'M NOT GOING TO RATE IT BUT I love howl and I love sophie and calcifer and the little doggie and michael. I love this story and I appreciate that there's a little change to the story in the studio ghibili version and the book version. 

surtified™

« it is quite a misfortune to be born the eldest of three. everyone knows you are the one who will fail first, and worst, if the three of you set out to seek your fortunes »

this was SUCH a cute read? i picked this book up because i had seen the movie once, a lifetime ago, and the book also came recommended to me by my best friend.

i didn't expect much, just a sweet little reprieve after the last book i read and i had so much fun i could barely put the book down. 

i thought sophie and her thoughts were so well written and howl, as much as i like to sigh at his antics was so so endearing. i loved how fully fleshed out the characters felt? i loved michael, i loved calcifer, i liked sophie's sisters although not very present,...

i gave it five stars because honestly, it might become one of my favourite reads. genuinely very sweet.

florine

« it is quite a misfortune to be born the eldest of three. everyone knows you are the one who will fail first, and worst, if the three of you set out to seek your fortunes »

this was SUCH a cute read? i picked this book up because i had seen the movie once, a lifetime ago, and the book also came recommended to me by my best friend.

i didn't expect much, just a sweet little reprieve after the last book i read and i had so much fun i could barely put the book down. 

i thought sophie and her thoughts were so well written and howl, as much as i like to sigh at his antics was so so endearing. i loved how fully fleshed out the characters felt? i loved michael, i loved calcifer, i liked sophie's sisters although not very present,...

i gave it five stars because honestly, it might become one of my favourite reads. genuinely very sweet.

Itzel

I don't think I've ever said how much I adore this book.

I do love it a fair bit. 

It's sweet, domestic, and fun. I had first watched the Ghibli adaptation of the book, and was quite surprised to found out how very different both versions were. I think I definitely enjoyed the book more, obviously.

Sophie is a lovely character. She begins thinking absolutely nothing of herself, and at the end, I don't really think that's changed, but we do see that she isn't plain, that she is very strong-willed, and determined.

Sarah Sammis

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynn Jones (1986) is a delightful fantasy story full of spells, political intrigue and interesting characters. It was adapted into a wonderful film directed by Hayao Miyazaki in 2004.

Sophie Hatter one day finds herself bewitched into an old woman by the Witch of the Waste. Having no one else to turn to, she decides to seek out the Wizard Howl who was "known to amuse himself by collecting young girls and sucking the souls from them." (page 4)

As with many of Diana Wynne Jones's books, Sophie is left in the dark about much of the political situation that her apparently reluctant hosts, Howl and his apprentice Michael, are part of. Nonetheless, by her own proximity to them, she is pulled deeper and deeper into the fight for Ingary being launched by the Witch of the Waste. She must also sort through the complicated relationship of Howl and the demon who moves the castle, Calcifer. Through a combination of stubborn determination, hard work and dumb luck, Sophie succeeds in often times unexpected ways.

I came to this book both as a fan of Diana Wynne Jones and of the Miazaki film, I was pleased to recognize the film in the book. Yes, there are differences but the spirit of the book was translated into the film. The novel and the film feel like coherent entity expressed in different media.

There is a sequel to the novel called Castle in the Air (which is hinted at in closing credits of the film).

Christine

OKAY THIS WAS ACTUALLY REALLY CUTE WHAT


1/2/24: I am back here just because I jsut saaw somebody say that this is actually in truth a Tam Lin retelling and I am scrEAMING DWJ!!! Not only F&H but also HMC!! 
anyway i would pay good money for a book accurate hmc screen adaptation

Tobias V. Langhoff

Pretty entertaining YA. The plot is haphazard and moves along in rapid spurts divided by long character developments. The novel takes place in a self-aware fairy tale world where everyone knowingly follows laws such as "the rule of three", with an interesting twist related to the nature of the world later on (which was not in the Studio Ghibli movie, as far as I can remember).

definitely one of my favorite books ever🫶🫶🫶

i’m on a happy little cloud.

definitely one of my favorite books ever🫶🫶🫶



Howl's Moving Castle

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