Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

Are you sitting down? Make sure you're sitting down. I'm going to say something a little crazy. You ready? Good. Here goes:

This reminds me of Howl's Moving Castle more than any other book I've read, and it's almost as good.

(Note to Deborah O'Carroll, if she happens to see this: READ THIS BOOK. You're going to love it. TRUST ME.)

I'm trying not to overhype Spindle because there's no better way to kill a book than to go into it expecting that it'll miraculously make your life a hundred times better when it is, in fact, only a book. And books, granted, do make your life better and are magical, wonderful things, but even the best ones can only do so much.

Anyway. Spindle is a wonderful book. It's a bit confusing and a tiny bit frustrating at times, especially since I went in expecting a mystery novel and I really didn't get one � at least not of the type I was looking for. But instead I got a lovely adventure that's quiet and exciting by turns. Luck and Poly are wonderfully Howl and Sophie-ish in numerous ways � personality, relationship dynamics, magicalness � while also being their own characters. Even the plot includes some of the same beats and tropes (though it's not at all the same story). And the world feels very like Ingary in some respects, while also very unlike. It's nice to find a world where magic � not scientific magic, like in Sanderson, but magical magic; it's about feel more than anything � is a normal thing.

It was fun to see appearances from Isabelle and Melchior. (I also quite like that Melchior is named Melchior; it sounds like a name that would be typically reserved for either a Mentor of the old-and-wise variety or for a villain, but instead he's a young, clever, charming, and relatively handsome magician. I approve immensely.) I look forward to seeing them more in the other Two Monarchies books.

Anyway. Spindle is a wonderful book; I love it, and I'm so glad I read it, and I think I'm going to go see what else by this author I can find to devour.