Review: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

ISBN: 9780545139700
Source: Purchased
Series: Harry Potter #7
Release Date: August 1, 2007
Goodreads  |  Amazon

See my past reviews in this series

     SYNOPSIS:

In this seventh and final book, Harry discovers what fate truly has in store for him as he inexorably makes his way to that final meeting with Voldemort. In this thrilling climax to the phenomenally bestselling series, J.K. Rowling will reveal all to her eagerly waiting readers.

     REVIEW:

Oh... how to talk about this book in coherent sentences? Where do I begin? With this final book we see the end of all innocence in the series - the end of all of the lighthearted moments that made the rest of the series so fun to read. Not that this book wasn't fun to read. It was just... different. The Deathly Hallows brings us more adventure, more mystery, and ultimately all of the answers we've been waiting for in the last six books. And Rowling does not disappoint. We've got action, romance, betrayal, everything you could ask for in a series-ender like this one. And despite the fact that this is one of my favorites in the series for those reasons, its still a bit of a sore spot that the majority of this book took place outside of Hogwarts.It literally changes the dynamic of the books that we've been so used to... it was hard to accept that it was really then end.

The first time I read this book a few years ago, I remember finding the camp scenes in the middle of the book pointless, slow, and sometimes annoying. This time around I didn't feel that way - probably because I knew what was coming - and it set up perfectly for everything that was to come later in the book. In that same regard, though I wasn't bored by it, I think we can all agree that after the Gringotts scene around the halfway mark, things really take off and its hard to put the book down at all. It probably helped that this was only my second time reading the books, too, so there were still a lot of smaller details that I didn't remember from before.

I had such a "hangover" after I finished reading The Deathly Hallows. Actually, I was kind of surprised by the way I felt afterward. I was definitely pretty weepy during those last few chapters, but I continued to be pretty weepy afterward and just felt sad overall. Even a little mad, and I'm still not quite sure why. Probably because I now know at this late stage that the series is really and truly over. I imagine this was how many people felt back when the book first came out, and its a testament to Rowling's writing that it can still make people feel that way. I also realized, shockingly (or maybe not-so-shockingly) that I'm going to have to do this again. As in, re-read them again. I mean, I always figured I'd keep coming back for pleasure, but there is still so much more to be discovered, especially in the latter half of the series, so I'm planning on diving back in again soon, some time this year.

Well, after spending a day or two wanting to curl up in my bed and sleep off the rather depressing book-hangover I developed from it, I spent some time thinking about the book and the series in general. I don't think it was my favorite in the series overall, but it is definitely toward the top of the list. I just can't get past the fact that even at the beginning of this book, it was really over. There was no more school for them, no more lighthearted fun. It took a little bit out of me, I can't lie. It might not be fair to the book but that definitely took away from it for me just a tiny bit.

Either way, I loved it, of course, and it ended in a way that did the series justice, wouldn't you say?

     RATING: ★★★★★

For those of you who are curious, after weeks of careful deliberation, I've finally decided the order of my favorites in this series:

(from favorite to least favorite)
The Goblet of Fire
The Prisoner of Azkaban
The Deathly Hallows
The Half-Blood Prince
The Order of the Phoenix
The Sorcerer's Stone
The Chamber of Secrets

It was hard to do, and even looking at it now, I could probably rearrange one or two of them, but that could go on forever and I'd never come up with a concrete list. Best to leave it as it is. Which ones are your favorites? How did you feel about The Deathly Hallows overall as an ending for this amazing series. I love talking HP, so lets hear it!

A.

Review: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

ISBN: 9780545582995
Source: Purchased
Series: Harry Potter #6
Release Date: July 16, 2005
Find it on Goodreads
See my reviews of other books in this series

     GOODREADS SYNOPSIS:

The war against Voldemort is not going well; even the Muggle governments are noticing. Ron scans the obituary pages of the Daily Prophet, looking for familiar names. Dumbledore is absent from Hogwarts for long stretches of time, and the Order of the Phoenix has already suffered losses.

And yet, as with all wars, life goes on. Sixth-year students learn to Apparate—and lose a few eyebrows in the process. Teenagers flirt and fight and fall in love. Classes are never straightforward, though Harry receives some extraordinary help from the mysterious Half-Blood Prince.

So it's the home front that takes center stage in the multilayered sixth installment of the story of Harry Potter. Here at Hogwarts, Harry will search for the full and complex story of the boy who became Lord Voldemort—and thereby find what may be his only vulnerability.

     REVIEW:

*(If you have not read the previous books, please be advised that there may be spoilers for all previous books in this series)*

I think we can all agree that the basics are all the same in this series. You can't arrive at your review of the sixth book and pretend that you'll be saying anything new about the writing, world building, characters and development, plot progression and execution, etc. As always, all of these elements are impeccable in this sixth and second-to-last installment.

I enjoyed it a bit more than the last one because our teenagers are feeling a little less angsty and are just about on the brink of adulthood. Well, Hermione and Ron, by wizarding standards, have or will have come of age during or shortly after this book, having turned 17. Harry will follow, of course, in July of the seventh book, which is usually where our books pick up. We have some added romance by way of Ron and Lavender... uh.. and Hermione, and Harry and Ginny. I don't particularly think romance is a strong suit for Rowling - she really is a genius by way of mystery and fantasy, but I didn't completely buy the Harry-Ginny thing. I've always felt a bit like that and I really made an effort to connect with them a bit more this time to see if I was maybe missing something, but I feel like I only made a small bit of progress. I like the idea of it, of favorite characters in a favorite series being together. I just didn't like the execution and didn't really feel much of the chemistry with them.

I've never really felt that way about Hermione and Ron because their feelings for eachother are hinted at earlier on in the series and its easy to accept what you've been hoping for all that time. However, I did realize that I didn't feel much in the way of chemistry on that front either, but like I said, it just is... meant to be... so it didn't really bug me.

The ending of this book still shocks me to the core no matter how many times I've read it or watched it play out on the big screen. I just hate it, though I know it serves a much bigger purpose. I tried hard to study Snape and his actions and dialogue, because really, we all know what happens, but I'd just like to understand it better. Something I've never understood, even from book one, was Snape's rage and hatred toward Harry... or well, anyone who isn't like Snape himself, I guess. I get the whole thing with his dad and the friends, but come on. Aren't we all grown ups here? Well, again, I know it all serves a higher purpose, but its something I could never quite come to terms with. I can understand being cold and detached, but there were times throughout the series that Snape was downright cruel and even in this book, knowing what we know about book 7... I guess I won't go getting all spoilery for the random person living under a rock who hasn't read the book.

There isn't much else to say about this book other than how much I loved it and truly enjoyed it deep down in my bones. I've only read the last two books once before so I loved going through it all again, being able to study the parts that once confused me and really see deeper into the books. Though it was heartwrenching, it was enchanting and wonderfully done and I think it did the series justice.

     RATING: ★★★★★

Its still going to take some time for me to figure out how I feel about it in reference to the other books. Definitely more toward the top of the list and there are only 7, so its not like they can all be my favorite.

Silly question, but have you read book 6 in the Harry Potter series yet? If so, have you read it recently? Do you agree or disagree with the points I've made about the story? Did you love it just as much as I did a? Love talking HP, so lets hear it!

A.

Review: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling

ISBN: 9780439358071
Source: Purchased
Series: Harry Potter #5
Release Date: June 21, 2003
Find it on Goodreads
See my reviews of other books in this series

     GOODREADS SYNOPSIS:

Harry Potter is due to start his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. His best friends Ron and Hermione have been very secretive all summer and he is desperate to get back to school and find out what has been going on. However, what Harry discovers is far more devastating than he could ever have expected...

Suspense, secrets and thrilling action from the pen of J.K. Rowling ensure an electrifying adventure that is impossible to put down.

     REVIEW:

I either say this or think this every time I review one of the books in this series - how can it even be reviewed? I'll keep it short and sweet I suppose, since really... they can't. Instead, I'll tell you about how the first time I read this book, I could barely get through it. This time, I couldn't put it down. Yes, it is long. Yes, Umbridge is the evilest of evil and insanely frustrating. Yes, Harry is a whiny 15-year-old boy all the time, and Ron and Hermione won't stop bickering. But... well you know all the reasons it is amazing, don't you?

Being the longest book in the series, it is so amazingly in depth and even if the characters can be annoying at times, it reveals so much about them, about the world, about the entire series plot as a whole. Its only the second time I've actually read this particular one (last re-read I stopped in the middle of 4), and I definitely discovered new things that hint at what is to come in books 6 and 7. Its fun to relive it all and it is absolutely enchanting... even if you do want to kick Umbridge in the face a few hundred times.

     RATING: ★★★★ 1/2

I always, always recommend this series to my friends and strangers alike. Once upon a time I'd scrunch my nose at the mention of book 5 and say... 'well... its not my favorite one..." but I definitely think it is one of my favorites in the series. I hope you all have read this one and if you haven't... what are you waiting for!?

A.

Harry Potter Read-Along/Discussion [20]

RECAP - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - Chapters 23-29

Harry is convinced he is being possessed by the Dark Lord until Ginny points out that she has been possessed by the Dark Lord and she doesn't particularly think Harry is being possessed. That just about snaps Harry out of his sulking and things are looking up, but then Snape informs Harry that the Headmaster
wishes for Harry to take private lessons with Snape - Occulmency lessons - to learn to shut his mind to the probing of Voldemort.

Source

The horrible Occlumency lessons have left Harry exhausted and so mentally weak that he dreams of  the Department of Mysteries almost every night. However, once again, even with the craziness all around him, Harry finally asks Cho out to spend Valentine's Day with him in Hogsmeade and she gladly says yes. The mass breakout of Death Eater's from Azkaban does put a damper on things though. It doesn't help either that Hermione has asked Harry to meet her halfway through his date with Cho, and Cho does not take that very well. It seems she thinks there is something else going on between Hermione and Harry, and doesn't quite give Harry a chance to explain before she storms out of their date, crying.

Thankfully Harry's meeting with Hermione quite takes his mind off of that. She's brought him to meet Rita Skeeter who interviews Harry and publishes an entirely truthful account of what really happened the night Voldemort returned - not that anyone would believe something printed in the Quibbler... or would they?Things start to look up at Hogwarts when a few of Harry's acquaintances begin treating him a little better as if they might believe him, but of course Umbridge bans all students from reading the Quibbler.

To add to her list of atrocities, Umbridge sacks Professor Trelawney, and Dumbledore hires Firenze the Centaur as the new divination teacher and lets Trelawney stay on as a guest at Hogwarts. Things don't seem to be able to get any worse, but then somehow, Umbridge finds out about the D.A. Meetings! Harry is brought in to be questioned by Umbridge and Cornelius Fudge and finds out that Cho's friend Marietta snitched on them. Harry pretends he knows nothing and Dumbledore tells Umbridge and Fudge that the whole thing was his idea and he has plotted to overthrow Fudge. Before he can be arrested though, Dumbledore knocks everyone out, disappears, and Umbridge is crowned the new Headmistress of Hogwarts to everyone's dismay. Things only get worse, if that's even possible, with Umbridge naming Malfoy and a bunch of his Slytherin friends as the Inquisitorial Squad that do her bidding. On top of that, Harry accidentally intrudes on a memory of Snape's of Harry's dad and his friends bullying Snape back in the day, and Snape ends all future Occlumency lessons with Harry.

As the students of Hogwarts have about had enough, Fred and George decide to go all out in terrorizing Umbridge, set off fireworks and other tricks they've invented and leave Hogwarts behind to open up Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, leaving Umbridge to deal with the aftermath of their pranks.

DISCUSSION

Here we are with Cho once again, and boy am I glad she she's done and over with. After that fiasco on their Valentine's Day date, yikes! I don't know who would want to date Cho. Little snot. But I won't get into that again considering I spent a fair amount of time bitching about Cho anyways.

I wanted mainly, today, to see who could help me clarify something on Legilimency and Occulmency. Maybe I should just look it up because there are enough wiki-pages with tons of Hogwarts info. In the book, Snape has to say (or think) the spell "Legilimens", cast it on Harry, then proceed to look through his thoughts. Seems straightforward enough except that the characters make it seem as though Voldemort can basically read minds using legilimency, that he can tell when people are lying. Does he cast the spell too? Is he so powerful that he doesnt have to? He is described as a gifted Legilimens, but I just wish I knew more about this, how Voldemort uses this 'gift' of his. Anyone else have any better ideas than I do?

Oh and that little witch (no pun intended) Marietta Edgecombe who snitches on the D.A.... if she didn't get what she deserved with that permanent acne advertisement on her face, I'd say I'd like to smack her myself. What's worse is that Cho even defends Marietta, saying her mother works for the ministry and thought she was doing the right thing. That's all fine and good, but when they all realize Voldemort has actually returned, Marietta is going to be sorry she ruined her face for a bit of tattling!

...well anyways, on another note, after having skipped a week of my Harry Potter discussions, I realize that I am dealing with a bit of a slump as far as reading and posting goes, and these HP posts take a lot out of me. I am not going to end them altogether, no, but I am going to make them less frequent. Instead of every week, I'll be doing every other week. I know I'll still see you guys around.

Talk to you all soon!

A.

Harry Potter Read-Along/Discussion [19]

RECAP - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - Chapters 17-22

Professor Umbridge has been using her new position as the Hogwarts High Inquisitor to her advantage. She has been ordering decrees to limit what the students and teachers can do, including a decree that all organizations must be approved by her. So much for the D.A.D.A club... right? Wrong. Harry and friends decide to have the D.A.D.A. meetings anyway, and the first one goes well! Its really too bad then, that while Harry is finding a way to defy Umbridge, he gets into a fight with Malfoy and Umbridge gives him, Fred and George a lifetime ban on playing Quidditch. A Life. Time. Ban.

Illustration by Amanda Grazini

While Harry and the Quidditch team are sulking, they see Hagrid returning to his hut and they sneak down to see him, only to find that he looks badly beaten. He was on a secret mission with Olympe Maxime trying to recruit the giants against Voldemort. Before Harry and his friends can really warn Hagrid about what's being going on at the school, Umbridge shows up interrogating him about where he's been.

Umbridge shows up the next day at Hagrid's class where he is teaching the students about, thestrals, the creepy horses that pull the carriages at the start of every term - you know, the ones Harry and Luna could see, but no one else could. Neville can see them too, and they find out that it's because only those who have seen death can see the thestrals. Umridge doesn't seemed pleased with the lesson though, and is definitely giving Hagrid a bad review.

Harry's days start to improve though, and he and Cho have a private moment in which Harry has his first kiss. He's on cloud nine of course, but when he goes to sleep, he has a strange dream that doesnt feel like a dream at all - Harry is a snake attacking someone - and that someone is Ron's dad. In a panic, Harry tells Dumbledore who uses his resources to find out that Mr. Weasley has indeed been attacked. The headmaster sends Harry and all of the Weasley children to stay with Sirius while they make sure Mr. Weasley is rescued and until things can be sorted out, and Professor McGonagall takes measures to make sure Umbridge doesnt interfere.

DISCUSSION

I don't even think I can begin to tell you my level of frustration when Harry gets a LIFETIME BAN on Quidditch. I mean we all know that doesn't last what with Umbridge only being "high inquisitor" for one year, but honestly. I hate the feeling of utter helplessness that almost sets in when Harry realizes that no matter what he does, it won't do any good. Umbridge had it out for him, and he had to learn to live with that. That's why I'm so glad that Harry and all the other students decided to go forward with their D.A.D.A. lessons. And thank god for them because honestly, can you imagine those poor kids going out into the world with no practical D.A.D.A. instruction. And they really do learn a few things, even in those first few lessons. Most of them didn't know how useful the expelliarmus spell could really be, but think about it. Harry uses it, and often, and he's survived a whole lot in the last 4 1/2 books.

And even through all the horribleness (is that a word?) going on in his life, Harry still finds a way to be somewhat happy... he and Cho Chang share their first kiss! I mean, its about time, don't you think. Harry is fifteen - most kids these days start at like.. ten. Sad and kind of gross, but true. Either way, I like that Harry maintained a modicum of innocence in the romance department until about year four or five. Cho annoys the heck out of me though. Yes, she is grieving, but come on. If you want a boy to like you, you don't go blubbering all over him all the time, sheesh. I'm so glad I'm not fifteen anymore!

I've heard from a lot of people that they preferred Cho and Harry to Ginny and Harry. For me, the jury is still out on Ginny and I'm hoping that re-reading the last two books will help me out with that decision, but Cho gets a firm NO from me. First of all, how would they be able to get past that kind of grief that is between them? How could they be expected to? Sure they'd be there to comfort each other, but Harry would always think Cho missed Cedric more than she was happy about being with him. Cho would always be upset about Cedric and would probably wonder how things would've been had he not died. She even says to Harry that if Cedric had known D.A.D.A. that maybe he would've lived. She obviously was not over Cedric or his death and pursuing Harry was just not a good idea all around. Maybe things would've been different with an adult relationship between two mature people, but I think Rowling made the right decision in ending that one with book 5. Not to mention she was a snot and was already jealous and suspicious of Harry and Hermione without even asking what was really going on... I'm sorry but a needy, emotional, jealous teenager is exactly what Harry did not need. So hey - three cheers for Ginny. At least she turns out to be a strong and understanding partner, even if all the feels weren't necessarily emanating off the pages... understandable considering Harry did have a lot going on by the end of book 6. Anyway, that's a discussion for a later book.

What do you all think about what's been going on in these last few chapters? Talk to you all soon!

A.

Harry Potter Read-Along/Discussion [18]

RECAP - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - Chapters 10 - 16

Harry is finally off to Hogwarts now that he knows he wont be expelled. To ruin Harry's happy mood though, they find out that Malfoy has become a prefect for Slytherin, and wthat Hagrid is conspicuously absent from the castle. Professor Grubbly-Plank took his position temporarily, and the toad-like woman from Harry's hearing at the Ministry, Dolores Umbridge, has taken the post of defense against the dark arts. As if that isn't bad enough, it seems as though many of Harry's old friends and acquaintances have been reading the Daily Prophet. Even Seamus thinks he is crazy!

When she is teaching her first D.A.D.A class, Umbridge tells her students that they will not need to use any magic, and tells Harry and the rest of the class that Voldemort is not alive. He receives an entire week of detention after having an outburst and calling Umbridge a liar. She makes him do lines - not just regular lines - the kind that cut the words into the back of your hand. While Harry is missing Quidditch Tryouts for detention, Ron makes the Quidditch team as the keeper.

Soon after, Umbridge is named the High Inquisitor of Hogwarts and has the power to set rules and inspect other teachers. After another week of detention, and many D.A.D.A. classes in which they learned nothing, Hermione suggests that Harry start teaching them and their friends some defense against the dark arts. Harry is not keen on the idea at first until his friends point out how much he really does know, including how to produce a corporeal patronus. Hermione sets up a meeting in Hogsmeade on the next trip and quite a few people show up - 25 to be exact, including Cho Chang. After some interrogation on the part of the attendees, Harry convinces them that he knows what he is doing, that Voldemort really is back, and that anyone who doesn't want to learn how to protect themselves can leave. They all agree that they want to learn, sign a paper that Hermione puts a hex on, and agree to meet at some later date.

DISCUSSION

I'm sure this entire series can be said to be a metaphor for a lot of things. Actually, I did a couple of reports and speeches on Harry Potter in college and went on and on about how its a metaphor for how good always beats out evil, and a metaphor for the story of Jesus, and encourages self-sacrifice for the greater good.. blah blah blah. I mean I did research on all that stuff so its not complete bullshit, haha, but t
talk about government corruption, huh?  Interfering in private education to pursue a vendetta. Dolores Umbridge is a villain that I hate more than Voldemort. I don't even really hate Voldemort anymore. Most of us who have been through this story before kind of feel bad for him and Umbridge kind of trumps him on the hate scale... There's no room to feel bad for Umbridge.

And Harry... annoying, whiny, broody Harry. He is so 15. I can't stand him, but thankfully something is always going on in that school in this book so Harry's chances to whine are few and far between. Hermione is developing so much in these books, and look at her now - setting up and illegal D.A.D.A. club, putting a jinx on that paper they signed. She's a sneaky little girl! Ron and Hermione's bickering is getting worse than ever and I love it! I love watching every little change with them. I want to relive that exact moment whent they realize how much they... love (well.. I mean they are 15... so like?) eachother. It's so beautiful, even though their fighting is annoying.

This book is long. Really long and sometimes tedious, especially once you hit the halfway mark and you're like, okay, come on already, can we get to the good stuff? Right now I'm enjoying it, surprisngly, but I'm sure soon I'll be dying for it to be over. Book 6 and 7 are the only ones I haven't read more than once (I read book five 1 1/2 times) so its almost like going into it without little-to-no knowledge of the intricate events that take place since I very easily forget all the little things that happened, so its going to be a lot of fun for me.

Talk to you guys soon!

A.

Harry Potter Discussion/Read-Along [17]

RECAP - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - Chapters 1-9

Harry hasn't heard anything about what is going on in the wizarding world as he spends another dull summer with the Dursleys. His friends' letters are vague and hint at something much more exciting than what is going on in Harry's life and he is becoming pretty upset about that. While Harry is out trying to entertain himself in menial ways, Dudley begins to harass Harry, but before Dudley can strike, Dementors attack them - in Little Whinging! Harry uses a patronus to rid them of the Dementors and old Mrs. Figg comes to "help" Harry... as much as a Squib can help anyway.

Harry soon gets a letter from the Ministry declaring that he has been expelled from Hogwarts for using magic in front of muggles, but before he has a moment to be distraught, he gets another letter telling him that he has not been expelled, but will have a hearing on the matter. A guard comes to collect Harry to bring him away from #4 Privet Drive, including Mad-Eye Moody and Remus Lupin, and they fly their brooms in protective formation around Harry to a beaten up old house that is the Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix.

Some really freakin awesome illustrations by someone named
Leela Starsky. Her illustration of Bill makes me want him desperately.

Harry has a bit of a meltdown after he arrives about how he was the one who took on Voldemort to begin with and should never have been left out of the loop. Eventually Sirius rallies for him and they fill him in about Voldemort laying low, Dumbledore being kicked off the Wizengamot and other organizations and that the Daily Prophet has been making Harry seem like a nut case.

Mr. Weasley escorts Harry to his hearing a few days later (several hours early, and thankfully so), and they arrive to find out that it's been rescheduled to a much earlier time and has been moved to a hearing room down in a dungeon - before the entire Wizengamot. Dumbledore arrives and proceeds to defend Harry (almost like a lawyer) and has Mrs. Figg testify to the fact that Dementors did indeed attack in Little Whinging. Reluctantly, the Wizengamot cleared Harry and he gets to go back to Hogwarts! Harry is thrilled... until he finds out that Ron and Hermione have been made Gryffindor Prefects and he has not. He tries not to be jealous and tries to be happy for Ron but it is hard to forget that he was the one who did all of those things each year... saving their hides from Voldemort almost every time...

DISCUSSION

Talk about teenage hormones at their worst, ugh. Even though I feel like I am flying through this book way faster than I did every time I've read it before, it does not mean I haven't had enough of Harry's teen angst. He like CAPITAL-LETTER-FREAKS-OUT, often. I do kind of find it hard to believe that Harry can yell and insult his friends multiple times and they would not yell back. They kind of timidly apologize, and its kind of annoying. Where is the person who is going to smack that s*** out of him, because I'm sorry, even my best friend, like a sister to me, if she acted like that, I'd probably hit her. Or at least tell her to snap out of it, don't you think? Yeesh. Maybe I'm just an insensitive ass.

And boy that Cornelius Fudge surely has is out for Harry and Dumbledore. I mean, come on, talk about power hungry. That and fear are the only reasons this is happening and its super frustrating. I've found myself with my jaw dropping open (as if I haven't freakin read this before) at some of the absolute appalling nonsense they come up with, especially later in the book. I mean, I guess with all of this "persecution" going around, Harry has every right to be angsty, doesn't he? Maybe I forgive him.

The Order. I just love getting to re-live the trip through Sirius's house, the secrecy and meetings, Harry and his friends cleaning up all the icky creatures lurking around the house, the crazy Mrs. Black portrait. I was, however, severely freaked out and saddened by the final scene in chapter 9 that has Mrs. Weasley incapacitated by a boggart that was hiding in one of the rooms continually showing her the dead bodies of her husband, children and Harry. Well... I'm sure you can guess why that would be upsetting.

I remember disliking this book a lot the first time around, I actually didn't finish it the first time. The second time was rough and I struggled through it. This time I'm actually enjoying it. It may be annoying and frustrating but those are the emotions Rowling is trying to evoke in her readers isn't it? Well, let me tell you, she surely does a great job of making me want to throw this book across the room, often.

How do you feel about Harry's angst, Fudge's fear and retaliation, and the fun little excursions we get to see in between? I love hearing from you guys!

A.

Review: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling

ISBN: 9780439139601
Released: in 2000
Series: Harry Potter #1
Page Count: 734 pages
Find it on Goodreads
See my past reviews in this series

     GOODREADS SYNOPSIS:

The summer holidays are dragging on and Harry Potter can't wait for the start of the school year. It is his fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and there are spells to be learnt, potions to be brewed and Divination lessons (sigh) to be attended. Harry is expecting these: however, other quite unexpected events are already on the march ...

     REVIEW:

Am I going to keep saying this about every book in the series after I read it?: "This one is my favorite books in the series". I feel like I'm choosing favorites out of my children/siblings at this point and you start to have to come up with random things to say like "You're my favorite 9-year old brother," or "You're my favorite sister named so-and-so". So um, this is my favorite fourth book in a series ever... does that count? Well anyways, I can't believe how much more I loved this book this fourth time around as compared to the second and third time around. The second time I enjoyed it and the last time I read it, I stopped half way through. Why was I so bored with it? This time, I couldn't put it down. I got so far ahead with the "schedule" I'd set for myself that I could've stopped reading Harry Potter books for an entire four weeks before another discussion post was due.

I loved being back in the world again, getting to experience Harry before he becomes severely broody in book 5. Harry deals with a whole load a crap after he finds his name popping out of the Goblet of Fire. I wonder, has Harry ever had a year when the whole school didn't hate him at some point? After reading these last four, the answer is NO.  I thought my sympathy and tears for Harry were over with when he finally didn't have to live in that cupboard under the stairs anymore. But he never gets a break. Harry has suffered some seriously traumatic events, especially at the end of book 4, and now he is a very damaged kid (as if he wasn't already). How can we expect Harry to go on and not be put in the loony bin? But... somehow he does, even thought he Daily Prophet spends most of its time telling people Harry should be in the loony bin.

It's going to start to get old if I point out that the plot, characters, world building, etc. is amazing in this book just as it was in the last book, and the one before that... and the one before that. I feel as though that I can't truly review these books anymore or at least not much longer. I think I'm biased. Forgive me if this was short or if you didn't get much out of it, but I don't have much else to say. Harry Potter has always been my first love in books, and I'm sure many of you can say the same.

I enjoyed the fourth book more than I ever have and I realize that maybe book 3 is a stopping point for the innocence and book 4 is a starting point for the darkness. I think Cedric's death is what really cements it for this series. I watched the movie shortly after finishing this book and cried like a baby, as always, when Harry showed up back at Hogwarts draped over Cedric's body. I will be starting book 5's discussions this week and I think we can all agree that while it might not be a favorite for most of us, it definitely sets up exactly what needs to be set up for the next few books. Every single thing that happens from this point on matters and has some meaning in the eventual resolution in book 7. Every little detail means something and it's a wonderful feeling to read over each book (for the fourth time) and pick out those little details that I missed the first few times around.

     RATING: ★★★★★

Even though I don't feel like I have to ask this questions: have you read this book yet? For the large majority of you that have, was this one of your favorites? I'm always looking for some more insight to this series because which one of us doesn't want to know more or learn more things? In the past couple of months that I've been having discussions about Harry Potter, you would be surprised to hear that as much as I have learned from re-reading the books, I feel as though I've learned just as much from the opinions of my fellow bloggers. I've been able to see things in different perspectives that I never would have thought of if some of you have mentioned them. Well anyway, thanks for stopping by and I'm sure I'll talk to some of you soon on Wednesday when I start book 5.

Mischief managed!

A.

Harry Potter Read-Along/Discussion [16]

RECAP - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - Chapters 29-37
Harry soon finds out that Barty Crouch had many secrets, including that he had sent his own son to Azkaban when he was discovered to be a Death Eater. Even still, Mr. Crouch was no where to be found and Harry's third and final task was soon approaching. Inside the maze that is the final task, Harry meets several creatures he'd faced before - skrewts, a boggart, giant spiders. What Harry does not expect is to find out that Viktor Krum was using the Cruciatus Curse on Cedric Diggory - and he'd thought Krum wasn't half bad.

After Harry helps Cedric, the boys are both at the Triwizard cup and neither one wants to take it because the other "deserved" it. They agreed to take it together, a tie, then something strange happens - the boys are transported by Portkey and find themselves in a graveyard, very far from Hogwarts. Someone is approaching and as Harry's scar begins to burn, that someone, Wormtail, kills Cedric and ties Harry up. Harry then realizes the graveyard he is at holds Voldemort's father, Tom Riddle. Wormtail dumps a useless Voldemort into a cauldron, and uses Riddle's bones, Harry's blood and his Wormtail's own chopped off hand to bring back the Dark Lord.

Voldemort is back in all his glory. He summons his death eaters and Harry hears many familiar names - Crabbe, Goyle, Malfoy. Voldemort releases Harry's binds and gives him a chance to defend himself, and when Harry has no other spell to use but "Expelliarmus," Voldemort tries to kill him and their wands do something very strange - they connect. Ghosts of the last people Voldemort murdered begin to spill out of the connection, Harry's parents among them, and they help him get Cedric's body and return to the Portkey. Harry escapes and when panic begins to set in on the part of the crowd and all of the officials when they realizes Harry is draped over a dead Cedric, Professor Moody whisks a sobbing Harry away from the chaos.

As Moody begins to question Harry, it becomes clear that something is very wrong. Moody reveals that he is the traitor, the one who put Harry's name in the Goblet, turned the Cup into a Portkey, the one who helped ensure that Harry would be the one to win. And just when Moody is about to kill Harry, Dumbledore bursts in and knocks Moody out. They use Veritaserum on Professor Moody who is slowly beginning to change into a man Harry doesn't know but has surely seen before - Barty Crouch, Jr. Crouch had been taking Polyjuice Potion and keeping the real Moody locked in a trunk since the beginning of the term.

Barty spills the entire story of how he escaped Azkaban with his parents' help and began to control his father with the Imperius curse, then later helped the Dark Lord capture Harry and return to full power. Harry is taken away to the hospital wing where he later finds out that Fudge does not believe that Voldemort has returned, refuses to believe anything Harry or Dumbledore say, and has let the Dementors perform the Kiss on Barty Crouch without properly interrogating him on the whereabouts of Voldemort.

Harry returns to school for the remaining few days before the year ends and he is quiet and reserved, especially since Dumbledore told the entire student body to leave him be. At the end of year feast, Dumbledore toasts to Cedric and Harry, then he tells the students that although the Ministry does not believe it nor do they want him to tell them, Voldemort is back and he is the one who killed Cedric. At least now they know and can be prepared.

Harry gave Fred and George his winnings on the condition that he not tell Mrs. Weasley and that they buy Ron a new set of dress robes. He is then sent back to his aunt and uncle's house - for the time being, so they say. Its going to be another long, horrible summer...

DISCUSSION

Well.... what can you even say after that? I still cry when Cedric dies every time. Even more so when Harry brings his body back, and he's all cryin' and stuff. Oh, I'm such a sucker. Anyways, I found the whole Crouch, Jr. situation so creative. I think this is the best mystery Rowling has created yet. In the first two books in this series, you could almost guess who the culprit was, how it was happening. She'd dropped enough clues that it wasnt completely far-fetched. Book three - I mean who really expected Sirius Black to be the good guy in it all, but still - we knew Peter Pettigrew was lurking around somewhere and something was seriously wrong. Book 4, there's no way you could've guessed how this all really happened. No one would guess Moody wasn't Moody or that Crouch, Sr. had done something unforgivable.

I tend to wonder sometimes, Barty Crouch was an awfully good Mad-Eye, don't you think? He was nice. I suppose he had to try to be exactly like Mad-Eye so as not to get caught by someone who knew him well like Dumbledore. I find it amusing that the real Mad-Eye seems to be even more paranoid in the next book, if that's possible.

I love that Harry gives his winnings away - its a wonderful thing but... I just wish he'd given it to Mrs. Weasley. Do the twins need it? Not really... And I know, I know, the joke shop would never come about if Harry hadn't done it but somehow I feel like the comfortable living situation that the Weasley's could've had overall was much more important. I dont know, maybe I'm just a big ol' softie. Still nice of him to not keep it though. It shows his maturity even will the hell he's been through.

And Rita Skeeter! I couldn't believe Hermione. Not only is she now blackmailing Skeeter at the end of the book - she's also kidnapped her, basically, and has her trapped in a jar as the creepy little beetle she is. Retribution at its finest! Hermione is becoming more and more of a rebel as the books continue, but maybe a little harsh, Herm? Kidnapping? I mean that is also a crime even if she is an unregistered animagus.

This book was so much fun to read and I can't wait to start discussing the next one which I've already started reading last week. Look for a traditional review of book 4 early next week and discussions of book 5 shortly after. Thanks for stopping by!!

A.

Harry Potter Read-Along/Discussion [15]

RECAP - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - Chapters 22 - 28
As if having to fly past a Hungarian Horntail wasn't bad enough added to all of the other drama in Harry's life, now there is to be a Yule Ball where Harry and friends must wear dress robes, find a date and dance. After Ron asks Hermione as a last resort and she says no, Harry and Ron end up going with the Patil sisters and have an awful time because they're being party poopers (especially Ron who is particularly vexed about Hermione showing up as Viktor Krum's date)!

Cedric gives Harry a clue on how to figure out the egg-clue for the task and Harry figures out that he's going to have to retrieve something from the Black Lake from the mermaids that live in it. Harry didn't think he'd have to save his friends, though! Thank goodness for Dobby who gives Harry some gillyweed to help him breathe under water, and Harry finds Ron, Hermione, Cho and Fleur's sister chained underwater. He fights off the merpeople in order to save more than just Ron, who is the only person Harry is supposed to save. Harry comes in after the time limit because he was trying to save the others, but he gets second place for his "moral fiber"!

After a few months of almost peace (except for Rita Skeeter making everyone's lives miserable), Harry finds out that the last task is a maze. While chit-chatting with Viktor Krum about Hermione and the tasks, Barty crouch comes staggering out of the Forbidden Forest mumbling about a mistake he made, Voldemort getting stronger and begging for Dumbledore. Harry goes to retrieve the Headmaster and when they return, Viktor Krum has been knocked out and Mr. Crouch is no where to be found. So much for that so called "peace"... there's definitely something fishy going on...

DISCUSSION

First of all, I'm super disappointed that Harry and Ron were such downers at the Yule Ball. Ron totally had a reason, though he didn't know at that point that he had it bad for Hermione, but I can excuse him. Harry was just annoying though. Fourteen years old or not, I love a good party and was sad that they couldn't have a good time for once. Shoot, when I was fourteen, me and the little boyfriend I had at the time, we had an awesome time! Well, I suppose we also didn't have to worry about someone trying to kill us by entering us into a deadly tournament. Either way, I kind of wish their experience at a once in a life time party where the Weird Sisters were the entertainment was a little different. Happier, perhaps? It does go to show the teen angst setting in which really takes full effect in book 5.

Anyone feel like there's a lack of things to discuss here? Well okay... maybe not a lack of things, but surely not as many things are happening as you would expect in reading so many chapters. I read somewhere that when you're publishing your first (or second...or third... whatever) novel, you should write based on the lenght of a typical book in that genre. Middle grade and young adult books are typically shorter because of the age group intended... etc. I feel like Rowling really took "artistic license" to a whole new level. I wouldnt call it wasting time, necessarily, but she really goes the extra mile to add in the tiny little details we love so much while moving the plot along at a slightly slower pace. And the pace doesn't necessarily suffer from it either, because I absolutely loved this book 100x more than I did the last time I read it and I hardly even noticed except for the fact that I've been taking notes while I read these books and realized after that with each chapter, hardly anything actually happened.

Well, all the action happens in the last chapters coming up, now don't they? I'm excited to talk about the end of the book, you know, where sh*t really hits the fan. Lets just say, after all this time and after how many times I've read it, it still makes me cry like a baby every time. I'll talk to you all soon! Thanks for stopping by :)

A.

Harry Potter Read-Along/Discussion [14]

RECAP - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - Chapters 13 - 21

Harry once thought he'd get to sit back and enjoy watching the Triwizard Tournament, but he was wrong. Someone put his name in the Goblet of Fire, the impartial judge that chooses the three school champions. But this time it chose a fourth champion - Harry Potter. Everyone hates Harry, once again, because they think he put his name in and just wanted some extra attention. But when he goes in for the first task of the Tournament, to fly past a Hungarian Horntail dragon to retrieve a golden egg, most of the school realizes he never would have put himself in that kind of danger. He does, however, do the best in this task by summoning his broomstick and using his flying skills to get around the dragon. Way to go Harry!

As if he didnt have enough to deal with with that dragon, now he's got to use the golden egg he caught to figure out his next task, and Hermione won't leave him alone about house-elf rights, Rita Skeeter won't stop writing awful articles about Harry, the school and the Ministry, and he keeps hearing strange things about Barty Crouch and Ludo Bagman... when does Harry just get to be normal?

DISCUSSION

Halfway through the book and things are really just starting to heat up. Harry is in the Tri-Wizard Tournament even though he's not 17, and it was by no trick of Harry's! Mad-Eye Moody is sure someone is trying to kill Harry, but everyone else is just mad that Harry "tricked" his way in as the fourth Champion.

What really kills me is when Ron just flat out doesnt believe him, I mean, Hermione believes him. Is Ron that bitter that he can't see past his jealousy to believe his best friend. I know what you're going to say - they're only 14, of course their jealousy and emotions will get the better of them, but come on. It was beyond frustrating and you know it.

Something I noticed in this book is that Rowling goes hardcore mystery on us here. She drops some serious hints that - I'll admit - I didn't notice when I read them the first three times. I remember reading a post somewhere about how Rowling's HP books compare to her new adult novels, and the writer mentioned how they are actually not all that different. Now, I haven't read her adult novels, though I own both, but the writer mentioned how all of her HP novels were basically a mystery, spending the entire book trying to figure out "whodunnit," etc. I don't know much about The Casual Vacancy, but I've heard that Rowling uses so many of the same elements in Vacancy and in her newest novel, Cuckoo's Calling as she did in her kid's books. At the time I read that post, I nodded my head in silent agreement, but after reading book four, I want to shout out a resounding YES. Its so true and so evident as we get into the darker books that Rowling uses those mystery elements consistently.

As you read this, I am soon moving on to book five and I cant wait to talk about the rest of this book with you guys. Thanks for stopping by :)

A.

Harry Potter Read-Along/Discussion [13]

RECAP - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - Chapters 1 - 12

In chapters 1 through 10 of GoF, Harry has a dream (vision) of an incapacitated Voldemort being taken care of by Peter Pettigrew and killing an old man.... plotting to kill Harry. Also, after a particularly boring summer with the Dursley's, Harry spends the remainder of his summer with the Weasleys and gets to go to the Quidditch World Cup. The kids are having the time of their lives until some people in masks called Death Eaters start torturing muggles after the game and someone mysteriously conjures the Dark Mark - Voldemort's mark usually cast when killing someone. Everyone is terrified...

When they finally arrive at Hogwarts, Harry and his friends discover that the "May-eye" Moody Ron's dad had to go rescue the night before is their new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor... and he's got a freaky eye and a wooden leg. But even better than that, Hogwarts will be hosting the Triwizard Tournament for the first time in over a century, and Beauxbaton's and Durmstrang'g wizarding schools will be coming to stay for during the Tournament. Harry and his friends are excited about it, even though there will be no quidditch, and Harry finally gets to sit back and be a normal wizard since no one under 17 is allowed to enter... right?

DISCUSSION

I've noticed that Rowling takes her time with this one. I guess with the success of the last three, she was granted some leeway. In reading 10 chapters, its amazing to me how little happened as compared to reading say 5 chapters in one of the previous books. I don't mind it, trust me! There's much more detail and information as each scene does happen and gives us a bigger insight into the wizarding world we all love so much. I'm pretty much flying through this book and (being at chapter 22) I'm only through the first task and the Yule Ball. Two more tasks and a whole load of tragedy and I'm more than half way through, its kind of amazing.

We find Harry and friends at the Quidditch World Cup which I absolutely adored. Those Omnioculars! I need them for every day life cause I seem to miss a whole lot of every day life. But I particularly loved the little things we come across, including Port Keys, Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, the little figurines of the player that shout and cheer,etc. Its just so awesome to see what Rowling has done with the wizarding world and its like you can never run out of amazing things to discover!

Harry's dream - lets discuss the fact that even after three years of Harry being targeted and in danger, he still refuses to tell a freaking adult when he has a problem. Like really!? Harry, haven't you learned your lesson? I mean yes, he does finally tell Sirius what the problem is so I suppose that is an improvement. But come on Harry. You just saw some dark wizards conjure the Dark Mark, you've dealt with Voldemort yourself, twice. What makes you think you shouldn't go right to McGonagall and Dumbledore. Idiot. That has always been a sore spot for me. Maybe because I always look for guidance and Harry is more independent and would rather have the attention off of him rather than drawing it to himself... I get it. But there are lives at stake here, kid.

And yayyy! The Triwizard Tournament! I remember the first time I read this and I felt a little bit like Harry... 'what do you mean, other wizarding schools!?' I was kind of in shock...am still a little bit in shock. Rowling created not only her wizarding world but many others that she barely even scratches the surface of. I can't wait until the Tournament gets under way!

Loving this one even though I distinctly remember years ago that this one was not one of my favorites. Amazing what a few years will do to your opinion, huh? What about you, is this one on the top or bottom of your list? I'm flying right through it, so expect another update soon! :)

A.

Review: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

ISBN: 9780439136365
Released: in 1999
Series: Harry Potter #3
Page Count: 435 pages

     GOODREADS.COM SYNOPSIS:

Harry Potter is lucky to reach the age of thirteen, since he has already survived the murderous attacks of the feared Dark Lord on more than one occasion. But his hopes for a quiet term concentrating on Quidditch are dashed when a maniacal mass-murderer escapes from Azkaban, pursued by the soul-sucking Dementors who guard the prison. It's assumed that Hogwarts is the safest place for Harry to be. But is it a coincidence that he can feel eyes watching him in the dark, and should he be taking Professor Trelawney's ghoulish predictions seriously?

     REVIEW:

WHAT I LIKED:

• Writing, world-building, story-telling - all of the things that are always wonderful in a Harry Potter book. It'll probably get old saying it but its always amazing.
• Ron's character development was something I enjoyed very much. Its not like Harry and Hermione didnt develop a ton also, its just that Ron really stood out to me, especially when they were all helping Hagrid do research for Buckbeak's hearing and appeal. At one point, when Harry didn't have the time, Ron was doing all of the research because he also truly cared about Hagrid and Buckbeak. I mean, we knew he had feelings before but its just nice to see them put out there and actually watch him develop.
• This book really started to make me feel pure excitement reading certain scenes such as the final quidditch match against Slytherin. I felt my heart pounding with excitement as if I was there watching the game. I felt real fear for Harry and his friends when Sirius dragged Ron into the Whomping Willow. Definitely attributed to Rowling's writing, but also to the story getting more serious and more "real".

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE 

• Snape's downright crazy state when he caught them in the Shrieking Shack and also when he finds out Sirius has escaped. In the Shack he says some rude things to the kids, and pretty much goes nuts in the hospital wing. I just felt like this was too much for him. He's always been mean and it's always crossed the line a bit for me but this was the icing on the cake. I feel like it went to far especially for the transition he makes at a later date. I know he still is a jerk later on too, but then he's hailed a hero and works right with the people he was so adamant about turning in. I guess that wasnt really his choice though... okay - rant over.

     
     RATING: ★★★★★
I had a ton of fun reading this book. I was starting to get Harry Potter-ed out, so I'm going to do a little less analyzing and a little more enjoying especially now that this is where things get really good. I started the fourth book last week and those discussion posts will start this weekend. I'm flying right through that one and all the fun new stuff that gets introduced in that book. Out of the three I've re-read so far though, this one was definitely my favorite!

What did you think of this book overall? Is it one of your favorites also, or one you can do without (as if anyone could do without anything Harry Potter)?

A.

Harry Potter Read-Along/Discussion [12]

RECAP - Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - Chapters 18 - 22

I'm feeling a little Harry Potter-ed out. Is that possible? Is that blasphemy? Yes and Yes. This isnt to say that I'm cutting off discussions, but I've been making re-reading this series such a chore for myself with taking extremely detailed notes and writing long recaps before I even get to the fun part: discussion. So I'm skipping the long recap and just going to say this:

In chapters 18-22 of this book, Harry finds out that Peter Pettigrew betrayed his parents and Sirius Black was innocent all along, and before Harry can turn Peter in, he escapes. Sirius gets captured and is about to have the Dementor's Kiss performed on him when Harry and Hermione go back in time to save Sirius and Buckbeak with the help of the Headmaster and Hermione's Time Turner. Sirius is not deemed innocent but he is alive and out of Azkaban, and that is all that matters!

DISCUSSION

First thing that comes to mind when I think about these chapters (besides the obvious things) is Snape. Rowling writes him in a way that he seems legit crazy. Like manic with the idea of capturing his old enemies and finally getting retribution for how he was treated so many years ago. I enjoyed this aspect because it makes me hate Snape more which I suppose is the whole point. The only thing that bothers me is that, knowing what happens in the later books, it doesn't seem consistent with how he acts later on compared to how he acts in the third book. The sixth book doesnt count - he's obviously working toward a greater goal at this point. But book seven.. when... you know what happens. I've heard a lot of criticism before about how Snape suddenly became a hero at the end of the series after being horrible all before and I defended it but I dont see as how I can defend it now that I'm thoroughly studying the series little by little. I kind of understand the criticism. I know that Snape protected Harry in the past - this isn't what I mean. Snape is otherwise downright nasty and at times unnecessarily cruel. I get that his actions in books four through seven served a purpose in reference to Voldemort but he was just an awful guy aside from all of that, and its annoying to have him suddenly become a hero and Harry name his kid after him and say how great he is. Again, I'm not discounting his greatness but can we at least acknowledge that he was a douche bag along with doing something for the greater good. Or maybe its just not right to speak ill of the dead? Whatever.

That was a bit of a rant. I'm sorry. That has no bearing on this book except to say Snape sucks. Another thing I've been thinking about his Hermione's time turner. The whole scenario when they go back in time makes perfect sense in my head. Its the entire school year before that that confuses me. So how does this time-turner work? Did Hermione go to one class then turn back time and go to the other? Was she still in the first class when her future body was in the second? That makes sense based on the events at the end of the book. So how was her future self not stuck in that time? Wouldnt she have had to turn time forward again? Or does her future body leave the future altogether then catch up with the future as time passes? Am I confusing you all as much as I've just confused myself? Time turners are awesome though. I think I need one. So I can do more with my life. I could be at work and be playing with my niece and be at the bar with my friends and cuddling in bed with my fiance all at once, no? Then I'd probably be as tired as Hermione was.

Last thing - my heart strings are like... being used and abused here. Honestly, when Harry finds out Sirius is innocent and has the prospect of going to live with him then has it ripped away from him instantly, thats gotta be the saddest non-death-related thing that happens in the series. Its like offering him a bit of his parents, someone from their past to be part of his present and future then BAM. Of course Rowling couldn't leave well enough alone. Again, I know there are more reasons than my own selfish heart can understand but whyyyyy!!! Why couldnt Harry just be HAPPY! Sigh.... Anyone else find themselves in a perpetual outrage as the series goes on, even if you've read it a bajillion times? No? Just me then, I guess...

So anyhow, I've decided I'll devote my time to talking about Harry Potter and friends instead of wasting all my HP-devotion time to taking notes and rewriting the freaking book in its entirety. It was much more fun this way. :)

I'll be posting my general review of the third book tomorrow to add to my archive. Hope to hear from you all and I'll be discussing the beginning of book four next week! Thanks for stopping by and supporting my Harry Potter addiction - you guys are great. :)

A.

Harry Potter Read-Along/Discussion [11]

RECAP - Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - Chapters 13 - 17

Ron isn't speaking to Hermione at all and Harry is kind of distant from her too ever since Ron accused Hermione's cat of eating Scabbers. Harry's next quidditch match is up against Ravenclaw and just as Harry is about to catch the snitch, dementors come on the field again - and Harry uses a Patronus Charm to chase them away - but it wasnt a dementor after all! It was Malfoy and his friends in costume, which they got in huge trouble for. After celebrating their win on the field, when the boys are in bed, Ron wakes up screaming that Sirius Black had been standing over him with a knife, and Ron's curtains are slashed. Black escapes once again!

Harry sneaks into Hogsmeade once again but uses the Invisibility Cloak so he wont be seen. Harry hears Malfoy and his friends harassing Ron about Hagrid and Harry uses the cloak to attack them with mud without being seen. The cloak slips and Harry's face is revealed and he races through the tunnel to beat Malfoy back to the castle before he is found! After he leaves his cloak in the tunnel, Snape finds him and makes him empty his pockets in which he finds Zonko's merchandise and the Map. Snape tries to make the map reveal itself but it just insults him instead. Snape calls Lupin in and the two teachers act very strangely and hostile. Lupin confiscates the Map and reams Harry out for using it and say he once knew the creators of the Map. Hermione tells the boys that Buckbeak lost his case and they friends make-up instantly.

Leading up to exams and Buckbeak's appeal, Hermione smacks Malfoy for sayign things about Hagrid and she quits Divination for good when Professor Trelawney tells her she is terribly mundane. After an extremely dirty match, the Gryffindors beat out the Slytherins and win the Quidditch cup for the first time in seven years! The days following the win are euphoric for Harry and his friends, until of course the day of exams come which is when Buckbeak is going to have his appeal. The Minister has come and brought an executioner for Buckbeak. Harry did well on most of his exams but during his Divination exam which was a crystal ball reading alone with the Professor, Harry fakes a prediction the Trelawney gives a real one. Her voice turns deep and her eyes roll back and she says something about the faithful servant returning to his master tonight, but Trelawney doesnt remember saying it and Harry doesnt know what she means.

Before he can tell his friends, they tell him that Buckbeak's lost the appeal and will be executed at sundown and though Hagrid doesnt want them to come, they sneak down in the Invisibility Cloak to be with Hagrid. While they're there and trying to calm Hagrid down, Hermione finds Scabbers who looks even more ill and thrashes wildly when Ron tries to hold on to him. Hagrid makes them leave and after they hear the axe swing down and Hagrid crying, they cant believe they actually killed Buckbeak. Scabbers escapes Ron's grip and in their pursuit, the giant black dog Harry had been seeing around the castle attacks them and drags ron down into a gap underneath the whomping willow tree!With some difficulty, Harry and Hermione follow, leaving the cloak behind to rescue their friend. Inside the shack the the tunnel leads to, Ron lays on a bed with a broken leg and reveals to his friends that the dog was really Sirius Black, who is an animagus! Professor Lupin comes down and the kids think they're about to be saved, but Lupin and Black exchange words and Lupin... hugs him. Harry finds out that Lupin was one of the makers of the Marauder's map and thats how he found them down in the Skrieking Shack. Harry thinks they are all about to be dead when Lupin asks for Ron's rat. Why? Because he says the rat is also an animagus... Peter Pettigrew!

DISCUSSION

So much happens in the second half of the book, especially the last few chapters. I almost didnt want to post the recap because of how long it is, but I decided to, just in case any important details escape you (or me). I can barely even focus on anything but the last paragraph, which is essentially the last chapter of this discussion, chapter 17. Every chapter is important, all of the little details, but how can I talk about anything except the part where we meet Sirius and find out the supposed truth about Peter Pettigrew! We obviously have several more chapters to go (which I've already finished and am bursting to talk about) and we know very little at this point about the "captors" of the children.

I'm most intrigued about the fact that Harry had a chance to kill Sirius (though Crookshanks tried interfere) but he didn't do it - and aren't we glad? Phew! But really though, we know Harry has a pure heart here. We know why he didn't do it, we know killing someone is something he's avoided actually physically doing for the entire series, even as they fight death eaters at the battle of Hogwarts (they're frickin disarming people trying to kill them.. smh). He likely wouldn't have been able to live with himself, it's true. But could you have done the same? All depth aside (I know we all really want to say "but you'd have to live with yourself forever, blah blah blah) but, really? In the moment, how hateful would I have felt? I mean I'm a scaredy cat along with the rest of us (and definitely would not be in Gryffindor) so I don't know that killing my parents' "murderer" would be possible for me, but in a rage, out of retribution? Maybe... I think it shows his level of maturity, not reluctance or childishness, that he didnt do it, and decided to let him talk.

I also want to talk about Ron's growth in this book. I know its pretty random, because so much else happens in these chapters but I couldnt help but notice how much more important Ron's character became (especially when helping Hagrid with research for Buckbeak's appeal) and how much more depth he had. He was no longer a silly supporting character who said all the things Harry was thinking but wouldn't say. Well... he does still do that, but he's becoming more. All of the characters obviously grow in each book, but I was especially impressed with Ron this time, where in the last book Hermione really surprised me. Well, I guess none of it is really a surprise, right? Its nice to pretend though.

Last but not least, this book finally picked it all back up for me. I loved reading the first book as I always do, and I enjoyed the second one slightly less. This book was about the same as the last one, just kind of moseying along in HP world, but halfway through I started to notice that Rowling's action scenes and descriptions of things started getting me excited and all worked up when reading them (ex. Harry's final quidditch match against Slytherin, Ron being dragged under the whomping willow). That woman knows how to write! And pardon my French but, this is where sh*t gets real! Even more now, I'm excited to get into the nitty gritty of this series with the end of this book and the next four.

Love discussing HP with you guys! Thinking I'm definitely gonna have to cut the recaps shorter now that the books are getting longer and so much more in depth, lol. Talk to ya'll soon!

A.

Harry Potter Read-Along/Discussion [10]

RECAP: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - Chapters 7 through 12

The students get to experience their first Defense Against the Dark Arts class with Professor Lupin! Though they are skeptical at first, everyone soon grows to love classes with Lupin and tall the hands-on learning! Kudos to Neville for making Snape wear his grandma's clothes, haha! Harry's other classes aren't going as well though, with Snape getting nastier and nastier, and Trelawney predicting Harry's death again and again. To top it all off, Harry's friends get to go to Hogsmeade on Halloween and he has to stay in the castle because McGonagall wont sign his permission slip. After the other students return and the Halloween feast is over though, the Gryffindor students head back to their dormitory to find the Fat Lady's painting slashed by an intruder... none other than SIRIUS BLACK!

Black obviously doesnt hang around when he doesnt find Harry in the dorm, and Harry is basically forbidden from doing anything at all. McGonagall almost bans him from quidditch too, but she thinks better of it! The Gryffindor's first match arrives against Hufflepuff and their new seeker/captain Cedric Diggory. Playing in the freezing cold pouring rain, Harry spots a Grim up in the stands and thinks thinks he's seeing things and right before he's about to race Diggory for the snitch, the dementors come waltzing onto the field and Harry passes out again. He's unharmed thankfully, but they lose the match and Harry's broom has been broken to bits by the Whomping Willow. :(

Harry asks Professor Lupin to teach him how to chase away dementors and Lupin agrees to start after the holiday. Thinking he is going to miss out on another Hogsmeade trip, Harry is saying bye to his friends when Fred and George give him a special map with secret passageways and a real-time picture of who is walking around the castle and where. Harry uses the map to sneak into Hogsmeade and after enjoying everything it has to offer, finds out that Sirius Black was once his father's best friend and betrayed him which got his parents killed. Harry is furious and wants to go after Black but the possibility of Hagrid's hippogriff getting executed by the Ministry calms Harry down and focuses his energy on something else.

Come Christmas, Harry gets a Firebolt broomstick as a gift but there's no card and he doesnt know who it's from. Harry and Ron dont think it's a big deal but Hermione does and she tattles to McGonagall who confiscates it to check it for jinxes in case Sirius Blacks sent it to him. The boys refuse to talk to Hermione who thinks she did the right thing. Harry starts his lessons with Lupin and after passing out several times, Harry is able to produce a weak, shapeless Patronus that at least keeps him from passing out some more, which Lupin points out is a huge accomplishment. Thankfully McGonagall gives Harry his broom back when they find no jinxes and the boys think its about time they make up with Hermione... until Scabbers goes missing and Ron finds some of Crookshanks' hair near the scene of a crime: ripped sheets with blood on them!

DISCUSSION

I've come to realize that this book has a lot of foreshadowing for later in the book, and is a major set-up book for the rest in the series. We've been introduced to the Marauder's Map which plays a big part later in the book and series and we are introduced to many extremely important characters (Lupin, Sirius, Pettigrew, etc.). Its also the only book where we dont get a glimpse of Voldemort. How do you feel about that? I, for one, kind of like it. It gets kind of old having the same antagonist in every book, though it works in these. It's nice to have a break though. I enjoy the excitement this book brings especially to someone who knows what is coming and what its all setting up for.

We spend a lot of time reading about the little things going on, like Crookshanks trying to eat Scabbers and Oliver going crazy trying to win the Quidditch cup, again, all important things but definitely not too many revelations in these chapters. Harry does find out, though, that Lupin and his dad were friends as kids and that Lupin knew Sirius Black also. I find it kind of strange that Harry doesnt ask more questions of Lupin at this point, but I guess after fighting off fake dementors, his mind was probably a little fuzzy. It was kind of like a classic middle-grade novel move, where the character is super shady and you're screaming at the book wondering why the main character isnt catching on. Not that there's much to catch on to, but I for one would have asked more questions, even if I wasnt suspicious of Lupin himself, wouldnt you?

Oh, and our beloved Fred and George. We've gotten our map (and the name for my blog, thank you very much boys)! I honestly love that this map even exists. The secret tunnels on the map are awesome, though some useless for several different reasons. I wouldn't know what to do with a map that told me where people are at any given time either - it just blows my mind, lol. But my favorite part of the map is the enchantments the creators used in making it "talk" and respond to the person trying to use it. My favorite scene by far is one that we havent gotten to yet when Snape tries using it and the map insults so many times. Cracks me up every time! Which is your favorite aspect of the map? Are you an explorer or would you use it for convenience, to find someone you're looking for... or hide from someone you dont want to find you?

Enjoying this read a ton and cant wait until my favorite scene comes around, but also cant wait until we finally meet Sirius and find out some major things! Are you as excited as I am for the rest of this book? Love hearing from you guys! :)

A.

Harry Potter Read-Along/Discussion [9]

Alright guys! Time to get back to business! I've skipped a week and a day of my Harry Potter discussions in case you hadnt noticed. As much as I'd love to rant and rave to you about the crazy couple of weeks I've had (which include getting sick and having a girl quit in the middle of our busiest season at work), I'd rather get back to business. :)

I started read the third Harry Potter book which, if you remember, is definitely one of my favorites. I mean, I guess the whole series is my favorite lol, but this one definitely changes the series in its entirety. We go from 0 to 60 in 5 seconds flat, so to say. As I've mentioned one of my amigas saying before, it definitely sets the tone for the rest of the series.

RECAP - Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Chapters 1 through 6

We meet Harry again, living with his aunt and uncle for the summer holiday, hating life as usual. Aunt Marge, Uncle Vernon's nasty sister comes to stay for a week, and Harry promises to be on his best behavior in exchange for Vernon to sign his permission slip to visit the all-wizarding village of Hogsmeade at school that year. Instead, when Marge is being particularly nasty, Harry inflates her to quite a large size by accident and runs away - even though there's news that a crazed escaped prisoner named Sirius Black is on the loose. Harry is picked up by the Knight Bus, thank goodness, and Cornelius Fudge gives him strict instructions to spend his time left before school at the Leaky Cauldron and not to do anything dangerous.

Hermione and the Weasleys come to stay the night before school begins and Harry finds out that Black has escaped wizard prison to kill him - thankfully Harry isnt worried since he's faced Voldemort before. On the train to Hogwarts, the train is stopped and invaded by Dementors (creepy Azkaban prison guards) searching for Black. Harry is the only one to pass out and "have a fit" but everyone says they felt as though they'd never be happy again. The new Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher, the shabby-looking Professor Remus J. Lupin, sends the dementors off and gives Harry some chocolate to feel better. The students find out once they arrive at school that the dementors will be guarding the school in case Black comes a-lookin' for Harry. Inside, Harry and friends also see that Hagrid has been named the new Care of Magical Creatures professor! Yay Hagrid!

Hermione is somehow taking every course offered to third-years at Hogwarts, though Harry and Ron dont quite understand how that's working out for her. The three of them have their first Divination class with Professor Sybil Trelawney who ultimately predicts Harry's untimely demise because of the Grim (scary black dog that happens to be a death omen) she reads in his tea leaves! Hermione is very skeptical about divination in general and doesnt think Harry is going to die, even though he has seen a real Grim lurking around him before. The kids take their first lesson with Hagrid in which they meet Buckbeak the Hippogriff who lets Harry ride him but then it attacks Malfoy. Just great, because now Hagrid is convinced he'll be fired from his dream job!

This is obviously a movie poster, but the tag line is so true. Everything will change!

DISCUSSION

Super excited to finally have started reading this book. This is the book that gave me the name for my blog after all. :) So, since I was pretty stumped on discussion questions this week rather than just my ramblings, I was looking through some school discussion questions and came upon a question that made me laugh a little bit. It read:

"What do you think is going through Aunt Petunia’s mind when Aunt Marge says, “If
there’s something wrong with the bitch, there’ll be something wrong with the pup”? " (source)

I couldnt help but laugh at that. This one line in the entire book over everything else just enrages me. I dont blame Harry at all for inflating her and I kind of wish he'd blown her up. After reading the series in its entirety, I kind of wondered sometimes if Petunia secretly felt bad or guilty because even though she was jealous, none of the stuff that was said was actually true. I mean 13 years later, she must have realized what an ass shes been, right? I mean eventually she kind of softens up a little, but still. In my mind, I think she was too proud to admit after a certain point that she didnt hate her sister so much after all, and she was being a nasty little....nevermind. What do you think?

Another thing I found interesting about this book already is that Hermione is adamant about the uselessness of Divination because Trelawney is basically a fake. But... other than her major predictions that we find out about later in the books, some of the stuff does oddly enough come true, if not in the way we expect. I mean, other than knowing Neville is a complete and total klutz and telling him he's going to drop a tea cup would make him nervous enough to actually drop one, I mean... she's kind of clever. She kind of reminds me of the real life Cris Angel (I think that's his name) who uses illusions and other craziness to make it seem like the magic is real. Maybe she doesnt tell the future, but she is one smart lady, don't ya think?

I'm enjoying this book immensely and cant wait until we run into the Marauder's Map later in the book! Scenes with the map just so happen to be my favorite. :)

Hope to talk to you all next week about Harry and friends as the book and series go on!

Mischief managed!
A.

Review: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

ISBN: 9780439064873
Release Date: July 2, 1998
Series: Harry Potter #2
Page Count: 341 pages

     GOODREADS SYNOPSIS:

The Dursleys were so mean and hideous that summer that all Harry Potter wanted was to get back to the Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. But just as he's packing his bags, Harry receives a warning from a strange, impish creature named Dobby who says that if Harry Potter returns to Hogwarts, disaster will strike.
And strike it does. For in Harry's second year at Hogwarts, fresh torments and horrors arise, including an outrageously stuck-up new professor, Gilderoy Lockheart, a spirit named Moaning Myrtle who haunts the girl's bathroom, and the unwanted attentions of Ron Weasley's younger sister, Ginny.
But each of these seem minor annoyances when the real trouble beings, and someone--or something--starts turning Hogwarts students to stone. Could it be Draco Malfoy, a more poisonous rival than ever? Could it possibly be Hagrid, whose mysterious past is finally told? Or could it be the one everyone at Hogwarts most suspects...Harry Potter himself.

     REVIEW:
WHAT I LIKED:

• It's another magical installment to a wonderful series. We learn more about the world through Rowling's world-building skills which are nearly unmatched, in my opinion.
• We learn deeper lessons in all of the books, but Dumbledore's little lessons and encouragement come often in this novel. We learn a lot about honor and loyalty and most of all, love.
• This story was so multi-faceted in ways that truly hooked me. The main story line about the heir of Slytherin was the focus, but we also cared about Percy and his girlfriend, Ginny and her seeming illness, Sir Nicholas and his dreadful death day. And they all come together in a spectacular climax that leaves us rushing out to pick up the next book, to come back to Hogwarts with Harry as soon as possible.
• Less holes in this one. Still some, which I'll mention below, but the first book had some things missing that kind of bugged me, and this book was mostly solid. Rowling's second novel was stronger and better and they only get even more so as the series goes on.

WHAT I DIDNT LIKE:

• There were only a few inconsistencies in the novel, nothing that really irked me like last time. One of the very few things that annoyed me, for example, was a problem I had with the Expelliarmus spell. I understand it, dont get me wrong, but at times the spell knocks a person back, and at times it only sends flying something they had in their hand. I'm sure its only because the spell-caster aimed at the person one time and the object another but for a first time reader, understanding the spell, which becomes very important later in the books (since Harry and his friends are innocents and are loathe to use any more damaging spells on their enemies), becomes difficult because how are you supposed to know that it is a "disarming" spell if it sends your opponent crashing across the room every other time you use it? Okay, I'm sorry, I know this isnt important, but I guess this is what happens when you examine an almost flawless book that you've read a bajillion times.

     RATING: ★★★★ 1/2    (4.5 stars)
I loved this book. I guess its going to get old if I keep saying that about Harry Potter books. I did kind of find myself dragging through some of it, not much though, just kind of like, OK, here we are six months later and we still have no clue who the heir is, and you still think its Harry?, type of thing. The stories are so magical and multi-faceted and I loved every little bitty detail, down to wondering which classes Harry and his friends would choose for their next term at Hogwarts. Super excited to read the next book, The Prisoner of Azkaban, which is probably my favorite out of the seven, because as my fellow blogger, Elizabeth, said in one of our Harry Potter discussions, it basically sets the tone for the rest of the series.

What did you all think when you read this book, back in the day, or recently? Loved it? More or less than the first one? Cant wait to hear from you!

A.