More like a 3.5-ish?

That summary wasn’t lying about this book being a jigsaw puzzle. I found the book a bit confusing to say the least. Each chapter felt a bit episodic in nature and and was a bit slow moving towards the larger story. I guess normally that’s not a huge deal but I was reading the book only on my lunch break so I had a hard time picking up and stopping the book. I just couldn’t properly orient myself within the story. I also thought the storyline was a bit all over the place. I had a hard time remembering what was going on, who’s who, what had already happened, etc.

The characters definitely made me enjoy the book. Howl’s personality is larger than the book. He’s definitely a bit of a drama queen which I loved. His exaggerations and snark were hilarious. Examples:

“I’m dying of boredom,” Howl said pathetically. “Or maybe just dying.”

and

“I’m going up to my room now, where I may die.”

Sophie didn’t let her current condition change how she acted. She was a feisty old lady (which is the best kind of old lady). I did find it a little odd that she was able to shove her way into the castle and no one thought it was weird. It was also a little odd that she just made herself at home and they didn’t have a problem with it. I guess it’s best not to question these things. The other characters weren’t as stand out as the two of them but I liked them well enough. The ending was a bit too cutesy and perfect for my taste.

The bottom line? It was enjoyable but I didn’t love it.