Castle in the Air
A Companion to Howl’s Moving Castle
By Diana Wynne Jones
Number of Pages: 400
Season Read: Late Spring/Early Summer
Young merchant Abdullah leads a humble life. Or he did until a stranger sold him a threadbare—and disagreeable—magic carpet. Now Abdullah is caught in the middle of his grand daydreams. Waking one night in a luxurious garden, he meets and falls instantly in love with the beautiful and clever Flower-in-the-Night. But a wicked djinn sweeps the princess away right before Abdullah’s eyes, leaving the young man no choice but to follow. This is no ordinary quest, however, for Flower-in-the-Night isn’t all the djinn has stolen. Abdullah will have the so-called help of the cantankerous carpet, a cranky genie in a bottle, a dishonest soldier, and a very opinionated black cat. Will this motley crew be able to find the djinn’s mysterious dwelling and rescue a castle full of princesses?
Review:
Howl’s Moving Castle was sheer perfection. While this novel is set in the same world, and many of the previous enchanting characters resurface, it seems removed from the amazing setting we came to love. Abdullah may be easy to relate to, given that he is always lost in a daydream, but he seems otherwise boring. His family is horrid, and although Abdullah does find a quest, it is half by luck that he does. While the adventure was interesting it took quite a while before the characters from Howl’s Moving Castle became prevalent.
Nevertheless, looking forward to see what the third book connected to these two is like!
Author Bio:
Diana Wynne Jones has had a career spanning four decades, and for more information about her, please visit her Amazon page.
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Thank you!
Amy S. Brown 