House of Many Ways

 The House of Many Ways by Diana Wynne Jones // 404 pgs

⭐⭐⭐

Charmain Baker is in over her head. Looking after Great-Uncle William's tiny cottage while he's ill should have been easy. But Great-Uncle William is better known as the Royal Wizard Norland, and his house bends space and time. Its single door leads to any number of places—the bedrooms, the kitchen, the caves under the mountains, the past, and the Royal Mansion, to name just a few.

By opening that door, Charmain has become responsible for not only the house, but for an extremely magical stray dog, a muddled young apprentice wizard, and a box of the king's most treasured documents. She has encountered a terrifying beast called a lubbock, irritated a clan of small blue creatures, and wound up smack in the middle of an urgent search. The king and his daughter are desperate to find the lost, fabled Elfgift—so desperate that they've even called in an intimidating sorceress named Sophie to help. And where Sophie is, can the Wizard Howl and fire demon Calcifer be far behind?

Of course, with that magical family involved, there's bound to be chaos—and unexpected revelations. No one will be more surprised than Charmain by what Howl and Sophie discover.

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The final entry in the Howl’s Moving Castle trilogy, this book continues to focus on a new protagonist and kingdom in its universe, though this time closer in similarity to the first entry of the series. Howl, Sophie, and Calcifer are more prominent in this book than the previous (still no Michael though), but Howl speaks in a weird baby lisp that started to get a little difficult to get through. Though they still serve as secondary characters, they did have more agency in this one and it was nice! Howl’s character was slightly frustrating, I do wish he was a bit more developed, since it feels like his character is a bit stagnant or even regressed from the first book.

I enjoyed how this one was almost a return to form, dealing with the same “house teleporting you to different places” type of magic, but with more magical creatures. This house is more like a stationary magical labyrinth though, and that is such a fun location to explore, as well as its odd and complex rules for navigating its rooms. Charmain and Peter reminded me of a younger Sophie and Michael from the first book, just less mature and slightly dumber. The two of them both confront their personal faults and try to grow, but it does feel like a natural progression. I also love how the two experience no romantic feelings towards each other; the two loathe but love each other more akin to siblings. 

There are some parts where it slows down that I feel were a little boring (for example, one chapter dedicated to Charmain learning how to do laundry), but a part of me likes it thematically. This book is about growing up and being responsible; that isn’t fun and whimsical. Those chapters could be a little more engaging, but I think they served Charmain’s growth well. Overall, it was a satisfying end to the series (though the first is definitely my favorite).