This review comes after re-reading this book for the first time in also most (checks watch) 15 YEARS! 

Of course, this is a 5 star for me. I am, in fact, incredible bias about this one. Reading Howl is very much like drinking a warm cup of hot chocolate on a snowy day. Its cozy, whimsical magic and story telling that you mostly see in fairy tales. 

I first read this book after finding out the 2004 movie was based on it. The movie is great but what you have to understand is that the movie cuts out so much of the book that it had to invent an entirely new narrative. I would say that while the movie tells a much more simplified and easier to follow narrative, it loses so much of what makes the book so incredibly charming. Things cut from the movie:

Sophie’s sisters; the body switching; Howl’s county of origin; the details around Howl’s curse which informs the how and why of the end game romance; a bunch of characters such as Pentstemmon, Wizard Ben Suliman, Prince Justin is in both but very different, along with a bunch of other things.

While I like the movie, the book is its own thing. And like I said, its just more whimsical and fairy tale like. I really like that it shows ordinary people living their normal lives in a magical setting. I like the mystery of the details about Howl’s curse and how its hinted at through out the whole book and you get to slowly put it together while the book lets you come to your own conclusion. I LOVE Michael in the book. There is also SO much more magic in the book

(Howl, Sophie, and Michael

).

I will say, that at times the book can be confusing with the body swapping and the curse/magic not being fully explained. The book doesn’t hold your hand and you just have to come to your own conclusions about everything. You are either going to love that aspect or hate it while finding the book pretty confusing. 

Either way, highly recommend both the book and the movie. I can’t really recommend one over the other. They are both their own thing that can be enjoyed separately or together.