This was a very fun, charming story. It really seems so simply written, yet read more than one line and you are a part of the action, not just watching it.I really enjoyed Sophie, and feel like she is very human -- prone to snap judgments and bad decisions and she tends to underestimate herself. Howl is a very fun character, a bit of a "player" until his heart is stolen (literally).
I would like to check out the other books in the series, but this one does stand alone quite nicely. :)