Bay's Books

Title: House of Many Ways

Series Title: Howl's Moving Castle (#3)

Author: Diana Wynne Jones

Original Published Date: 2008

Pages: 404

Edition Language: English

Format: Paperback

Category: Fantasy, Children, 

Summary: (from Goodreads:) When Charmain Baker agreed to look after her great-uncle's house, she thought she was getting blissful, parent-free time to read. She didn't realize that the house bent space and time, and she did not expect to become responsible for an extremely magical stray dog and a muddled young apprentice wizard.

Now, somehow, she's been targeted by a terrifying creature called a lubbock, too, and become central to the king's urgent search for the fabled Elfgift that will save the country. the king is so desperate to find the Elfgift, he's called in an intimidating sorceress named Sophie to help. And where Sophie is, the great Wizard Howl and fire demon Calcifer won't be far behind.

How did respectable Charmain end up in such a mess, and how will she get herself out of it?

Review: I love this series so very much! I have been taken a very long time to finish it, because now I am sad: I WANT MORE HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE!!!!!! *many, many tears and lying on the floor, hitting it with fists and feet* And I know I will never get it, because dear Mrs Jones can no longer be brilliant - God rest her soul!

I enjoyed the book. Like Castle in the Air Howl, Calcifer and Sophie are not the main characters in this book, but is minor characters. I wish so much Jones had wrote another book about them!!

House of Many Ways is not Howl's Moving Castle and it is probably impossible to write another book as brilliant as the first one. House of Many Ways is, although, very joyfully. There is more normal days (as normal as it can get in a wizard's house) described in this book, rather than in Castle in the Air (the second book), which was more out-on-an-adventure-book. Of course there is adventure in it, but because of this - and other reasons - it reminded me a bit more of the first book, than the second book had - and that pleased me a great deal. 

Charmain, the heroine, is a character I really enjoyed. She is useless in a household, she is a bit rude, she is a bookworm (always a good sign) and she is ginger(!!!!). Waif (the dog) is a good and sweet helper, but Peter (I guess he is the male main character) is a bit... Nah. He kind of disappointed me. I have always thought Diana Wynne Jones was good at creating creative, different and original characters, but Peter was really just... plain. I mean - compared to the gallery of the characters in Howl's Moving Castle ... I can tell with those characters what kind of person they are and in a lot of details, too. Peter... I actually can't say much, other than his magic skills is terrible. It disappoints me. Not good enough!

No big plot twists this time, which surprised me. Once again, not as good as the first book.

My big problem with House of Many Ways and for that sake also Castle in the Air is actually that I would love them, if I didn't every single time expected Howl to come any time and steal all the spotlight, and be let off disappointed. But... Howl was rather hilarious in this book, once again! He and Sophie is really the perfect match! Fortunately, even though they only are minor characters in the book, they are very less minor here than in Castle in the Air. 

Looking at the book alone I enjoy many of the things I also enjoyed with the others - the language, the writing style, setting etc. etc. AND! not to forget: Diana Wynne Jones' wittiness! Which is the biggest reason I absolutely adore her and this series.