Reviews for Microaliens

The average rating for Microaliens based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2020-06-28 00:00:00 Kelly Pierce Wizard's Castle contains Howl's Moving Castle and it's sequel Castle in the Air. Howl's Moving Castle Rating: * * * 1/2 This was a simple, fun read. Initially, the story captivated me and I surely thought this would get four or five stars. I don't quite understand why I didn't like this book more, but somewhere along the way it lost its magic. I liked Sophie well enough but found myself not really caring what happened to her character. In general, I just don't care much for nosy, bossy, bull-headed people so her character didn't endear me. On the other hand, I really loved Howl. He was moody and sarcastic, but through all the melodramatics he was a really stellar guy. His snarky jabs at Sophie were witty and were some of my favorite moments in the book. I enjoyed their love connection not being the typical fairy-tale romance variety. Their teasing of each other made it feel more realistic and fun. The suspense over the impending confrontation with the Witch of the Waste steadily built throughout the story and all of a sudden it was over lickity-split, which was pretty disappointing. Howl's run-in with the Witch of the Waste at the funeral was a lot more exciting than the final battle. I have to admit, I much prefer the movie adaptation of Howl's Moving Castle , but Hayao Miyazaki is one of the most magical storytellers and is untouchable. Castle in the Air Rating: * * While reading the sequel to Howl's Moving Castle, images of Aladdin kept popping up in my mind and I couldn't stop humming A Whole New World . I really wish I had enjoyed this story more, but it wasn't compelling. I actually felt relieved to be done with the book, and it left me not wanting to even pick up the third book in the series. I hope this is a fluke as I know Diana Wynne Jones is a much-loved author and I had hoped to read more of her books. Abdullah was verbose and his flowery language started grating on my nerves so much so that I imagined him with a constant spot of poo on his nose from all the brown nosing. My lack of enjoyment might be biased because I wanted more of Howl, Sophie, and Calcifer instead of this rambling carpet merchant who falls in love with a princess with a silly name, Flower-in-the-Night. If you're reading this in hopes to find your favorite characters from the first book, skip to the last 50 pages or so for a nice little surprise.

Review # 2 was written on 2014-01-17 00:00:00 Trevor Talbott 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.