This was billed as the "sequel" to Howl's Moving Castle, despite Jone having already written Castle in the Air which takes place in the same universe and gives us a glimpse into the continued lives of Howl and Sophie. I enjoyed the book but it wasn't as good as Castle in the Air and it was by no means as good as Howl's Moving Castle. I never really connected with any of the characters. It was fun and it was nice to see Howl, Sophie, and Calcifer again, but the story itself was not very memorable. ( )

This book was good. Once again the best moments were when Howl and Sophie appeared, but I also liked the main character this time. I liked the concept of the magical house and I could relate to the protagonist.
In this book Charmain mentions that no book ever taught her to do house chores so this one sure helps you with that because, among other things, it teaches kids that no one should ever mix red and white clothes! So, it had some boring moments.
Besides Charmain, the other characters didn't seem as fleshed out as they were in the first book of the trilogy and Howl, Sophie and Calcifer always steal every scene they are in because they are so much more complex and interesting than all of the other ones. I wish they were the main characters in the entire trilogy. That is my main complaint about these books.
This trilogy was worth reading because of the moments with Calcifer, Howl, Sophie and Morgan and I am sure I will reread those moments in the two last books again, but only those moments. The first book, "Howl's Moving Castle", however, I am sure I will reread many many times. ( )

2.5 ( )

4 stars

Wonderful! Magical! Splendid!
I simply adore this book.
It's as good as "Howl's Moving Castle". It has the same feel to it.
A wonder to enjoy.
(Although it does have an unfinished feel to it a bit, I suppose.) ( )

I really enjoyed this one, though it felt like a younger book than Howl's Moving Castle. This felt MG while Howl felt YA. Still, even with the audience change (and that I skipped book 2 accidentally) I really enjoyed this read, and getting to see old friends (especially Calcifer) from a new point of view. ( )