Review | Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by JK Rowling

Complex characters, plot twists, and whispers of an incredibly complicated backstory – oh my! Azkaban is – hands down – the very best Potter book.

I read Azkaban 32 times – not joking – while waiting for Goblet of Fire to be released. I could finish it up with ease over the course of a single afternoon – much to my mom’s annoyance as she yelled at me for not completing my assigned Saturday chores. (“Haven’t you read that before? Aren’t you bored of it? Get up and do something!”)

You don’t read a book 32 times for no good reason.

Azkaban is the book that marks the transition from Potter-as-children’s-series to Potter-as-legit-fantasy-literature. Philosopher’s Stone and Chamber are both excellent reads, but there’s always been a bit of childish sparkle about them – almost like Cinderella. (Poor, neglected Harry is whisked away by a fairy-gamekeeper to a magic school.) Not only does Harry start to display greater personal agency (i.e., he CHOOSES to leave the Dursleys this year – he doesn’t wait for somebody to save him) — but, for the first time, he’s forced to face his history of death and betrayal.

Talk about thematic foreshadowing …

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The Details:

• The Book: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by JK Rowling
• Published: 1999, Bloomsbury
• My Copy: via Volume One Books
• Read date: December 27-28, 2018
• Rating: ★★★★★
• You should read this if you like … time-travel plot twists
• Avoid this if you dislike …

<< Check out my Chamber of Secrets review here!

Review | Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by JK Rowling

Carrying on with the stats? Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets has sold 77 million copies worldwide – which is slightly less than The Da Vinci Code (80 million copies) but more than Prisoner of Azkaban (65 million copies).

Chamber of Secrets was never my favourite of the original three. Back before Goblet of Fire was published, I’d satisfy my Potter cravings by reading Philosopher’s Stone and Azkaban every few months – completely (and without regret) skipping over Chamber. There was just something about the book that didn’t grab me like the others.

It’s still Potter. It’s still brilliant. But …

Maybe this is my 11-year-old bias coming out – but I felt the same with this re-reading. Relative to Philosopher’s Stone and Azkaban, Chamber lacks a certain spark. There’s less passion to Rowling’s writing, and less wonder and discovery in the prose.

And, jeez … Dobby. Can you, like, chill?

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The Details:

• The Book: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by JK Rowling
• Published: 1998, Bloomsbury
• My Copy: via Volume One Books
• Read date: December 24-25, 2018
• Rating: ★★★★☆
• You should read this if you like … spiders
• Avoid this if you dislike … snakes

<< Check out my Philosopher’s Stone review here!

Review | Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by JK Rowling

Here’s a statistic to blow your mind: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone has sold over 120 million copies world-wide. It’s the third best-selling book in history after Lord of the Rings (150 million copies, published 1954-1955) and The Little Prince (140 million copies, published 1943).

I admit to owning 5 of those 120 million copies. (And – lemme tell you – that illustrated version? Le sigh!)

Last February, I was struck with the realization that it had been a long, long time since I last picked-up Harry Potter. This was immediately followed by the realization that I had never (never ever!) read all seven books back-to-back before.

I know. Shameful.

I attempted a re-read this past summer after completing my Comp Exams – but, faced with the worst burn-out of my student career, I found myself unable to do anything except sleep and watch TV. Reading – of any sort – was completely unbearable for about three months. And then fall term started, and all hopes of a re-read went out the window.

Thank goodness for extended Christmas breaks.

I honestly can’t remember the last time I read Philosopher’s Stone – middle school, definitely before Order of the Phoenix was released. (This coming from the girl who, at one point, could recite a large portion of chapter 1 from heart.) I won’t bore you with a review because – with 120 million copies sold – there nothing that I can say that hasn’t been said before. My personal connection with Harry – gawky, bullied pre-teen looking for something – probably isn’t that special either.

What I will say is that revisiting Harry after all these years is exactly like visiting an old friend. Philosopher’s Stone is as brilliant as it was when I was 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14 … full of wit, charm, and magic.

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The Details:

• The Book: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by JK Rowling
• Published: 1997, Bloomsbury
• My Copy: via Volume One Books
• Read date: December 17-23, 2018
• Rating: ★★★★★
• You should read this if you like … Harry Potter
• Avoid this if you dislike … Harry Potter