Everything a spy novel should be! Suspense, humor, horror, adventure, friendship, surprise twists.... it's all there in abundance! The writing is superb, and the plot is fantastic!The characters move along nicely, and they grow and change with the story. The little insights, the fresh brilliance of the writing... I can't even describe it. A phrase here and there just jumps out at you with its... rightness. Like words are puzzle pieces that fit in place, and out comes a form of poetry in prose.

Fabulous stuff, and I want to read more.

Wonderful, of course, but there seemed to be a lot of loose ends that never got tied up.

I enjoyed this so much more reading it for the second time! This delightful fairy tale follows Sophie, who has been cursed by a witch to look old even though she's only 18. Sophie ends up in the house of the Wizard Howl, where the front door magically opens into four different places.

The world-building is brilliant! The magic system is really imaginative and interesting. The characters have such great dialogue and good development. I just adore this book!

My favorite character is Calcifer. He's snarky and fun, mysterious and secretive and wild! He's just a wonderful character, and I love his interactions with Sophie and Howl.
Howl gets on my nerves a little, because he acts so dramatic all the time, like a child throwing a tantrum. But I also grew to love him as we understand him better through the story.

The best part about this book is how mysterious everything is, and we find out about the characters little by little. There are so many secrets in the plot, and everyone is hiding something. It's really a delight to discover all those mysteries as the story progresses.