Fantasy

Castle in the Air

Castle in the Air

  • Downloads：3213
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-07-15 09:54:37
  • Update Date：2025-09-13
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Diana Wynne Jones
  • ISBN：0006755305
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

"I never said my wishers were supposed to do any good，" said the genie。 "In fact， I swore that they would always do as much harm as possible。"

By day Adbullah is a humble carpet merchant， yet in his dreams he is a prince。 But his dreams start to come true when he meets the lovely Flower-in-the-Night。

When a hideous djinn carries Flower off into the sky， Adbullah is determined to rescue her - if he can find her， and if he can avoid all the ferocious villains who seem to be after him。 But how can he possibly succeed， with only a bad-tempered genie and an unreliable magic carpet to help him？

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Reviews

I'mogén ，

Reading vlog:After adoring the novelistion for Howl's Moving Castle， I picked up this sequel straight after。I was a little dismayed to realise it was following an all new story line and characters from those I became more familiar with in the first book， but also intrigued into where this story would take me。 It gave me Aladdin vibes and I was excited for that。Just like book one， this was so easy to read and generally enjoyable。 The overtly flowery way the characters speak to one another， in the Reading vlog:After adoring the novelistion for Howl's Moving Castle， I picked up this sequel straight after。I was a little dismayed to realise it was following an all new story line and characters from those I became more familiar with in the first book， but also intrigued into where this story would take me。 It gave me Aladdin vibes and I was excited for that。Just like book one， this was so easy to read and generally enjoyable。 The overtly flowery way the characters speak to one another， in their polite ways， is so ludicrous。 It's funny because it is just so over the top and was funnier still when two characters were actually insulting each other in this way。 In this way， it kept that over the top dramatic vibe that I loved so much in Howl's character。 Wynne Jones just really knows how to write those sort of characters- it was great！ There was one aspect that bothered me。 There was so much fat shamming in one paragraph。 It was unnecessary and just down right mean。 I think this needn't have been included to get the point across and the humour could have easily been delivered in a different way。Although I enjoyed Howl's Moving Castle just that little bit more， this was such a fun and fast paced adventure that was funny and delightful to read， so much so that I didn't even mind the incredibly over the top insta love we had right at the start。 It was silly， full of laughs and heart and drama that I enjoyed， but really ellivated for me when some favourites of the first book made an appearance。 This was great fun and I'm looking forward to wrapping it up with the third book shortly。 I will definitely be trying out more books from this author， and have in fact， just this afternoon， ordered some more！Pick it up， give it a go and enjoy！ >（^_^）

Natty ，

Cute continuation of the world of Howl's moving castle。 Cute continuation of the world of Howl's moving castle。 。。。more

Juliette Robinson ，

Cozy and comforting as ever！ Jones is a master of delicious prose and exciting adventure。

Bruce Mackenzie ，

Ii I can compare 'Howl's Moving Castle ' to Charlie Chaplin's MODERN TIMES， this one is more THE THREE STOOGES MEET THE WOLFMAN。 Ii I can compare 'Howl's Moving Castle ' to Charlie Chaplin's MODERN TIMES， this one is more THE THREE STOOGES MEET THE WOLFMAN。 。。。more

Quiana ，

Read before？: NoInitial Thoughts: I had fairly high hopes for this after reading *Howl's Moving Castle*。 Although that book isn't as good as the movie， I still thought this book would be pretty good。 Book Review 2/5: God this book is disappointing。 I've seen other reviewers saying "it's a product of it's time" which is a bullshit excuse。 It's never been okay to be racist， sexist， or fatphobic but here this book it。 If the first novel had mildly sexist undertones， this book doesn't hide them at a Read before？: NoInitial Thoughts: I had fairly high hopes for this after reading *Howl's Moving Castle*。 Although that book isn't as good as the movie， I still thought this book would be pretty good。 Book Review 2/5: God this book is disappointing。 I've seen other reviewers saying "it's a product of it's time" which is a bullshit excuse。 It's never been okay to be racist， sexist， or fatphobic but here this book it。 If the first novel had mildly sexist undertones， this book doesn't hide them at all。 It's especially disappointing because this could've been a fun， whimsical fairytale inspired story， but instead it was so hard to get through。 Honestly， I had to put it down for a month because of an extremely fatphobic and sexist moment near the beginning， but I decided to give it a second chance because I'm a masochist apparently。 I just want to take a moment to remind writers that fat is not a synonym for disgusting or lazy or mean or even terrible person。 If you use that as a way to characterize someone as any of those things you are not only a shit writer， you are also a shit person。 😊This story reads very much like a spin-off of Aladdin， except far more problematic。 The racist undertones and stereotypes are very present although not as bad as the sexist "undertones"。 When Abdullah gets to Ingary （which I think is like England） he often comments on how so many aspects of that society are better than his own。 The fact that Flower-in-the-Night has to be thin to be considered worthy and beautiful。 The fact that her father dismisses her as solely property to be married off （but somehow all of the English think this is barbaric because they are thought to be above the people of Zanzib。。。 raciiiisssst）。 The fact that Abdullah constantly compares woman to his precious Flower-in-the-Night that he knew for like two hours- extremely problematic。 I could go on， but I'll digress。 The things that do work in this novel？ The end had interesting plot development as we finally see some of our favorite characters incorporated。 The author is also talented at world building， descriptions of magic and her descriptions of scenery。 If it weren't for all of the problematic elements， Jones probably could've woven a very enchanting story。 I will still be reading *The House of Many Ways* to finish out the series， but I will not be seeking out any more of Jones' novels， and I certainly will not be keeping this particular book on my shelves。 。。。more

Heini | lokikirjoituksia ，

Noh， olihan tämä nyt taattua DJW-laatua， mutta ei ihan yltänyt suosikkieni joukkoon。 Kirjan ensimmäiset sata sivua tuntuivat aika laimeilta ja lopulta tarinakin jäi vähän。。。 no， vähemmän dramaattiseksi kuin Wynne Jonesin kirjat noin yleensä。 Mukana oli myös vähän turhaa lihavat ja laihat kehot -henkistä puhetta， mikä ei oikein innostanut。 Pidin kuitenkin hurjasti sivuhahmoista （niin kissat kuin lampun henkikin， oivallisia persoonallisuuksia） ja kirjan päättyessä jopa Abdulla löysi paikkansa sydä Noh， olihan tämä nyt taattua DJW-laatua， mutta ei ihan yltänyt suosikkieni joukkoon。 Kirjan ensimmäiset sata sivua tuntuivat aika laimeilta ja lopulta tarinakin jäi vähän。。。 no， vähemmän dramaattiseksi kuin Wynne Jonesin kirjat noin yleensä。 Mukana oli myös vähän turhaa lihavat ja laihat kehot -henkistä puhetta， mikä ei oikein innostanut。 Pidin kuitenkin hurjasti sivuhahmoista （niin kissat kuin lampun henkikin， oivallisia persoonallisuuksia） ja kirjan päättyessä jopa Abdulla löysi paikkansa sydämessäni， joten kyllä tämä silti seikkailu oli！ 。。。more

Elizabeth ，

Definitely not as good as the first book - will likely not read the third。 The new characters failed to capture me， and I wanted more about Howl and Sophie's life。 Definitely not as good as the first book - will likely not read the third。 The new characters failed to capture me， and I wanted more about Howl and Sophie's life。 。。。more

AguacateConCara ，

La mejor relectura del año。 🥺👌

Monika ，

"Ruchomy zamek Hauru" pochłonęłam radośnie， a po tę książkę sięgnęłam z obawą， czy będzie w stanie mi się spodobać。 Ku swojemu zaskoczeniu bawiłam się bardzo dobrze， może nie aż tak jak przy "Ruchomym zamku。。。"， ale to bardzo przyjemne czytadło pozwalające się oderwać od rzeczywistości i w wyobraźni wskoczyć na dywan。 "Ruchomy zamek Hauru" pochłonęłam radośnie， a po tę książkę sięgnęłam z obawą， czy będzie w stanie mi się spodobać。 Ku swojemu zaskoczeniu bawiłam się bardzo dobrze， może nie aż tak jak przy "Ruchomym zamku。。。"， ale to bardzo przyjemne czytadło pozwalające się oderwać od rzeczywistości i w wyobraźni wskoczyć na dywan。 。。。more

Julian White ，

A splendid addition to the series - even if the Moving Castle， Calcifer， Howl and Sophie are essentially absent for much of the book。 A fabulous riff on The Arabian Nights， with djinni， genie and magic carpet， a Bazaar， Sultan with his daughter kept in isolation， a young man with dreams。。。 Great stuff！This edition is a match for the first book， with wonderful chapter decorations and slipcase as well as excellently fitting illustrations by Marie-Alice Harel。

Sheryl Hill ，

Great story and great humor。 I like it better than the first book！ So enjoy the writing and the playfulness！ What a gift of light in a not-so-light world！

Amelia ，

I liked this book， however the way the protagonist talked about Sophie， especially when comparing his “love” to her really irked me more than a children’s book should。

sunflower ，

3。5 stars

Júlia ，

Se eu tivesse uma lista de livros caóticos esse com certeza entraria nela。 O começo do livro não é tão hipnotizante assim e admito que me deu certa preguiça por não ser uma continuação direta de Castelo Animado e por eu ter imaginado que a história seria outra coisa， mas a escrita é tão fluída e divertida de acompanhar que quando eu vi já estava no meio da confusão。 A narrativa parece um conto e eu gosto da velocidade dela。A metade final do livro fez valer a pena 100%。Acontecem coisas bem engraç Se eu tivesse uma lista de livros caóticos esse com certeza entraria nela。 O começo do livro não é tão hipnotizante assim e admito que me deu certa preguiça por não ser uma continuação direta de Castelo Animado e por eu ter imaginado que a história seria outra coisa， mas a escrita é tão fluída e divertida de acompanhar que quando eu vi já estava no meio da confusão。 A narrativa parece um conto e eu gosto da velocidade dela。A metade final do livro fez valer a pena 100%。Acontecem coisas bem engraçadas e a história é muito bem amarrada no final nos detalhes mais bestas aproveitando tudo que aconteceu e apareceu para juntar tudo na mesma justificativa， com direito ao retorno de personagens de Castelo Animado em situações e em condições inimagináveis。Uma boa leitura de final de semana。 。。。more

Bruna ，

2，5 Achei ele bem chatinho num geral :（

Lydia ，

Zum Teil sehr sexistisch， fettfeindlich und rassistisch。 Wirklich nicht gut gealtert。Außerdem ist Abdullah kein sympathischer Protagonist。 Ich musste mich wirklich durch das Buch kämpfen， in der Hoffnung， Howl， Sophie und Calcifer wieder sehen zu können。 Sehr frustrierend， dass dies die Fortsetzung zu einem wundervollen ersten Band ist und ich hoffe wirklich der dritte Teil ist besser。。。

mybluesunset ，

3。5A lovely， sharply and hilariously written retelling of Aladdin。 I enjoyed it and read it very quickly。 However while I'm fond of Abdullah， he didn't quite capture my imagination as much as Sophie/Howl or stick in my mind as much。。。 maybe bc he's too good？ 3。5A lovely， sharply and hilariously written retelling of Aladdin。 I enjoyed it and read it very quickly。 However while I'm fond of Abdullah， he didn't quite capture my imagination as much as Sophie/Howl or stick in my mind as much。。。 maybe bc he's too good？ 。。。more

Ally ，

I accidentally read the third book before this and tbh I think I was better off skipping this one。 The last chapter is a lot of fun and makes the book a bit better retrospectively but every page until then was a struggle to get through

Lily ，

（2。5） not nearly as good at the first and felt a little orientalist at points， I still enjoyed it though。 It’s definitely a kids book

Anabelle Lourenco ，

A fun sequel to Howl’s Moving Castle！ The characters and the twists and turns in this story are absolutely hilarious！ Couldn’t ask for more in this easy read。

Vienna ，

yesyesyesyesyesyesyes i love these books sm

Mateo ，

cute， no doubt， but weirdly misogynistic （why is Sophie repeatedly derided for being "strong-willed"？ why did Prince Justin decide he wanted to marry Princess Beatrice because she "looked like she could darn socks"？？？） and also more than a little racist。 I really like the way Diana Wynne Jones writes fantasy and find it very comforting and enjoyable， but not when it plays into tired fantasy tropes everyone has seen a million times before。 cute， no doubt， but weirdly misogynistic （why is Sophie repeatedly derided for being "strong-willed"？ why did Prince Justin decide he wanted to marry Princess Beatrice because she "looked like she could darn socks"？？？） and also more than a little racist。 I really like the way Diana Wynne Jones writes fantasy and find it very comforting and enjoyable， but not when it plays into tired fantasy tropes everyone has seen a million times before。 。。。more

Kitsune Rose ，

Almost as magical as the first book， though I have to say I quite enjoyed the ending of the book more than the beginning as I had a difficult time getting into the flow of the new characters at the start。 Nothing against the author's writing， but more to do with my own lack of connection to the characters as opposed to Howl's Moving Castle。 Very much recommend a read through this magical series。 Almost as magical as the first book， though I have to say I quite enjoyed the ending of the book more than the beginning as I had a difficult time getting into the flow of the new characters at the start。 Nothing against the author's writing， but more to do with my own lack of connection to the characters as opposed to Howl's Moving Castle。 Very much recommend a read through this magical series。 。。。more

L。 No Last-Name ，

3。7/5Wow， talk about a twist！！ You honestly see very little coming with this YA slow burn; so good！ I really liked how Flower In The Night had real agency， how Abdullah a brown-skin [I'm assuming though no mention to his religion is ever made] muslim boy was shown to be kind， thoughtful， and intelligent。 I'm not well versed on Djinn lore so I don't know if Diana Wynne-Jones' characterization is appropriate or not， but the characterization of taking pleasure and seizing the opportunity to be anot 3。7/5Wow， talk about a twist！！ You honestly see very little coming with this YA slow burn; so good！ I really liked how Flower In The Night had real agency， how Abdullah a brown-skin [I'm assuming though no mention to his religion is ever made] muslim boy was shown to be kind， thoughtful， and intelligent。 I'm not well versed on Djinn lore so I don't know if Diana Wynne-Jones' characterization is appropriate or not， but the characterization of taking pleasure and seizing the opportunity to be another version of yourself is spot on。 I do wish that she would rewrite some parts to better reflect a more inclusive attitude， since this is a story geared towards kiddos。 Regardless I would highly recommend the second installment in of Holw's Moving Castle Trilogy*Sophie， Howl， and Calcifer are in this book 。。。more

Mike ，

Entertaining and fun。 The author has a distinctive narrative voice which， however， isn't intrusive， leading the reader through the adventures of an initially unpromising hero who develops believably through the book and steps up when it counts。 The hero is male， but there are plenty of strong women around him， without whom he couldn't have achieved what he did。 Lots of twists in terms of plots and magical disguises， but I didn't feel that the hero was a puppet， despite being manipulated into his Entertaining and fun。 The author has a distinctive narrative voice which， however， isn't intrusive， leading the reader through the adventures of an initially unpromising hero who develops believably through the book and steps up when it counts。 The hero is male， but there are plenty of strong women around him， without whom he couldn't have achieved what he did。 Lots of twists in terms of plots and magical disguises， but I didn't feel that the hero was a puppet， despite being manipulated into his adventure。 He had agency， which grew gradually through the narrative。 The story begins in an Arabian-Nights-style setting， but with significant elements of actual Arab culture removed or changed。 For example， although we have carpet merchants， djinni， and a flowery， compliment-filled style of speaking， we don't have any reference to Islam - something that I wouldn't have thought could be removed from such a setting， but apparently I was wrong。 Everyone drinks wine， a bet is made， and meat pies are eaten （as far as I'm aware meat pies are not a Middle Eastern thing）。 Of course， it's not intended to be the actual Middle East， just "inspired by"。 A satisfying ending comes through courage， cleverness， determination and good intentions， which is how I like my fiction to end。 Recommended。 。。。more

Sarah ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 missing a lot of the magic of the writing style that was in howls moving castle :（ not sure why or now

Sarapova ，

Es inevitable la comparación con el primero， y se me ha quedado sosito， me gusta la manera de escribir de la autora。 Este me ha gustado a partir del 65%（antes de esto era muy aladdin y las 1001 noches） y creo que eso es demasiado tardar， aunque es autoconclusivo hay que leer el primero antes， porque repite algun personaje。

Anita Rut ，

3。5

Mike ，

2021: I don't remember reading this at all， although I've read the two books on either side of it。。。 2021: I don't remember reading this at all， although I've read the two books on either side of it。。。 。。。more

Thảo Giang ，

Vẫn là một cuộc phiêu lưu kì lạ， hấp dẫn với những nhân vật thú vị và không thể lường được。 Phong cách kể chuyện hài hước một cách nhẹ nhàng。 Nhân vật nhất quán nhưng có chiều sâu， tác giả xuất sắc trong việc xây dựng nhân vật。Hic， mình review chán chết。 Trải nghiệm đọc của mình là đọc theo kiểu mê mẩn， đọc trong 3 ngày， hôm cuối đọc đến 12h đêm， trong khi mình là đứa luôn đi ngủ từ sớm và lâu lắm rồi không đọc sách theo kiểu cày cuốc vậy nữa。 Nhưng với cá nhân mình， cuốn này không khiến mọi thứ Vẫn là một cuộc phiêu lưu kì lạ， hấp dẫn với những nhân vật thú vị và không thể lường được。 Phong cách kể chuyện hài hước một cách nhẹ nhàng。 Nhân vật nhất quán nhưng có chiều sâu， tác giả xuất sắc trong việc xây dựng nhân vật。Hic， mình review chán chết。 Trải nghiệm đọc của mình là đọc theo kiểu mê mẩn， đọc trong 3 ngày， hôm cuối đọc đến 12h đêm， trong khi mình là đứa luôn đi ngủ từ sớm và lâu lắm rồi không đọc sách theo kiểu cày cuốc vậy nữa。 Nhưng với cá nhân mình， cuốn này không khiến mọi thứ trong mình bùng nổ như Howl nên xin phép 4* （chính xác là 3，7） thôi， dù chính ra nó vẫn cực kì xuất sắc。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Castle in the Air

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Castle in the Air&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Castle in the Air&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0