Howl’s Moving Castle

 

by Diana Wynne Jones

Published 1986

So, I actually read this book for the first time not too long ago, and really enjoyed it.  At the time, I discovered that Jones had written two sequels, but my library didn’t have them.  However, since then, my library has linked up with some more for a wider inter-library loan (hurray!) and both the sequels became available!  Before reading them, I decided to give the original another whirl.  And I liked it even better the second time.

Someone told me, when I was mildly ranting about Jones’s rather abrupt (to my mind) endings, that her books are always better the second time around.  I don’t know about always, but I will say that that was true for me with this book.  A 5/5 this time–the dialogue is wonderful, the characters delightful, the plot imaginative, and just overall grand fun.