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(view spoiler)[ I am still disproportionately disappointed in the big, unnecessary, and insulting deal made about girls being "fat" in Ch. 4, but otherwise am enjoying this tale. It feels like a metaphor, in the form of a fairy tale, for the power of mindset and manifestation... The "castle" alluded to in the first chapter - "It was a complete castle in the air, and Abdullah knew it was" - begins to take shape in chapters 10 and 11, paralleling Abdullah's own dreams and imaginings trying to materialize... (hide spoiler)]

Buddy Read Contribution:

(view spoiler)[ At least I got one prediction right: I thought either the genie or the carpet was actually Calcifer, and he was indeed the carpet :P

Overall, I did not like this story as well as Howl's Moving Castle... Even for a format that is one of telling, on the surface, this was too much telling and not enough showing. And over simplified, at that. It just didn't have the same magical feel, despite no shortage of magical activities.

Nevertheless, I appreciated the life themes and messages billowing from its words, and it was still written well enough to be engaging. (hide spoiler)]

• Wynne Jones, Diana--Dark Lord of Derkholm informal buddy read starts July 12 ,2018

Buddy Read Contribution:

(view spoiler)[ (Ch. 5) I'm still not quite sure how I feel about this story! So far it seems to be a sort of political parable... Enjoying her storytelling style, as always. I love and respect writing that doesn't spell things out, but allows its messages to... hover, to be discovered at the reader's discretion ;) (hide spoiler)]

Buddy Read Contribution:

(view spoiler)[ (Ch. 13) This book is rather more brutal than I anticipated! I still really don't have much opinion on it. I'm still waiting for a grander purpose in all of this to be revealed... (hide spoiler)]

Buddy Read Contribution:

(view spoiler)[ I appreciated the overall moral of this tale, and was genuinely engaged by the characters. It just felt a little too... forced? Too many loose ends, and contradictory messages? Such as Querida being given the role of leader and guide, even after some behaviors similar in callousness to Chesney's...Though, that is in keeping with the political theme - those in power having more in common with one another than the people they represent, even when their ideals differ widely... But at any rate, I liked it, and would recommend it if asked. (hide spoiler)]

• Jones, Wynne Diana-- House of Many Ways informal buddy read starts July 15, 2018

Buddy Read Contribution:

(view spoiler)[ ... definitely enjoying this one. Charmain reminds me of myself, actually, when I first ventured out into the world after a rather cushy upbringing... I will need to read this to my kids, so they can appreciate better why they are so very deliberately NOT spoiled! lol Although... I'm still waiting for that magic to kick in, still being rather lazy at heart ;) (hide spoiler)]

Buddy Read Contribution:

(view spoiler)[ That was going along very well, and then it seemed like she suddenly wanted to be done with it, and just hurried out a quick explanation of her intentions for the story, in place of actually developing its conclusion. A tad disappointing, as it was set up rather intriguingly, and I'd have liked to see it unfold properly! (hide spoiler)]