Paperback, 328 pages
English language
Published Nov. 8, 2009 by HarperCollins Children's Books.
The third book in the series of Howl's Moving Castle. 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?
Firmly middle-grade enjoyment - exploration and unexpected encounters in a mixed-up magical wizards house and realm. The plot races in at the end thick and rapidly dispatched.
This third novel is definitely a return to form after the disappointing second book in the series. One of the antagonists was surprisingly, genuinely terrifying, and felt a bit out of step with the rest of the book. The book doesn't quite recapture the magic of Howl's Moving Castle, but there are sections where it delivers fun adventure.
Though not as stellar as the first, it’s a vast improvement from the second installment. Docked a star for it making me read Twinkle’s dialogue, which got really agonizing after a couple lines.
This is number 3?!? Good grief. I picked this up because the blurb on the cover said something about it being a sequel to Howl, which I ADORED, but seriously, it's a trilogy? Sigh...I should really research these things before reading them.
I can't say how much I admire Jones' way of creating such an amazing world. I want to live in her books, and I can't say that of many stories I read. That being said, I didn't like this as much as Howl. Mostly because I found the characters to be more irritating.
Excellent, fun, fascinating, as usual
