Hello! My name is Chie. I am likely to be the girl you'll see whose eyes would bulge out of their sockets at the sight of a book store and be seized by waves of epileptic shock whenever there is a book bargain. I'll probably be the one pushing you out of my way to get through the book bargain bins and tediously combing through the pile. (I forget my manners when it comes to books). I am tone deaf and have two left feet. But I would endure the embarrassment of a performance in exchange for books (terms and conditions apply). I have created this blog in order to find kindred souls. Those who would gladly share the same passion for books and reading because although reading is solitary task most of the time, it's no fun having no one to ramble to after..
Synopsis: It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn't much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband and father of three school-age children. While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to say where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places.
Review: It is finally time for to review a new Harry Potter story and that feels amazing. What doesn't feel amazing is that my thoughts are so conflicted, I finished reading this play and immediately stamped 5.5 on my Goodreads review. It wasn't that I loved the story, it was that I loved being transported back to a world I love, to characters I adore so much and to experience that magic once again. I had tears in my eyes whilst finishing this book because it brought back all those nostalgic feelings. The problem was that the story wasn't good as I had hoped and the more I think about the book, the less happy with it I get. It's currently on a 3/5 with the potential to go lower if I dwell on it anymore. So, no more dwelling, time for reviewing. And don't worry, if you haven't read the book yet then I won't spoil it. I will keep this part completely non-spoilery and have the spoilers after a massive warning, for all those who have read it.
This was never going to be the story that most Harry Potter fans wanted. For one thing, it is a script of a play, and not a novel. We all knew this before buying so it's not a shock, but it does mean it's a weird new way to experience the Harry Potter world. This is something that is supposed to be experienced and watched, not read. The other main issue is that, no matter how largely they write her name on the cover, this was not written by J.K. Rowling. And that is a terrible thing to me as it meant that I felt the characters were just lacking in a way they wouldn't have been if she had wrote it. The characters always just felt a little off and not like the characters we spent seven books getting to know.
The story itself was not at all what I was expecting, but I am mentioning nothing about it here. I think it is better to go blind. We all know this book takes place 19 years after the Battle of Hogwarts, and follows Harry's son Albus rather than Harry. We meet some brilliant characters in this, but also some bad ones. My main issue with the story was that it felt all a bit ridiculous and that alot of it didn't make sense. I, quite honestly, can never view this play as canon because it all just feels ridiculous and as if it would never happen. Another major issue is the gaping plot holes that this book leaves us with, and I hate gaping holes!
So yes, overall I was disappointed, I loved some aspects of this but was really pissed about other, I need to go into spoilery detail to explain that. If you haven't read this yet or seen the play then now is the time to skip out.
I am actually excited to review this and go into all my spoilery thoughts. I have to, I won't be able to contain myself otherwise. I need to lay it all out on the table. First, I need to get this out of the way: I LOVE HARRY POTTER! If you know me in real life or from my blog, Twitter, or Instagram, then you already know this. Harry Potter is my life and has been since I was a teenager. And because of my Gran I bought the whole set of books. Harry Potter was basically my childhood and I loved every minute of it. It was a childhood of midnight releases of books and films. Harry Potter is life and forever will be. But I am never going to be one of those people who is blinded by my love for something. I wanted to love this play, I really did, but I didn't in the end and that is because it has alot of flaws and problems and things I didn't like. Plus, I feel that this is important, it is a script for a play and I feel it is better to experience as a movie.
I will do a very quick summary for anyone reading the spoilery side even if they haven't read the play. Basically the story focuses on Harry's son Albus as he begins attending Hogwarts and gets placed in Slytherin. This is a huge deal and Albus ends up sucking at magic and forever living in his fathers shadow, which he resents, and their relationship is basically strained. Harry is a terrible father for some reason. Scorpius Malfoy is the most adorable bean of all time, and him and Albus become best friends. who are totally in love with each other - we'll get to that later -. Amos Diggory shows up out of the blue with his niece Delphi, wanting Harry to go back in time and save Cedric's life. Harry even though the one last surviving time turner has been found, lies and says he can't. Albus then decides to do it himself, with the help of good ol' Scorpius. Of course going back in time and changing one tiny detail changes everything. So then they keep having to go back, changing things until we eventually figure out that Delphi is the love child of Voldemort and Bellatrix and she wants to go back in time to prevent him from ever killing Harry, so that he would never have been defeated. And, yeah, the simplified version of this messy plot.
The first thing I have to mention is probably what anyone who has read it wanted to discuss the most... Voldemort had a love child with Bellatrix Lestrange! REALLY?!?!?! I got to that point in the book and suddenly understood why I heard people saying that they felt this read like a fan fiction. My mouth dropped open and disappointment set in. It just makes zero sense tom me, and the explanation of it and timeline of those events also makes no sense to me. I just don't see Voldemort as someone concerned with having a child. His plan was to get the Deathly Hallows and master death, so he wasn't looking for an heir. And, come on, it's like the guy has even one tiny paternal bone in his body. The only thing that does make sense is that if Voldemort had a kid with anyone, it would be Bellatrix, you can totally see her wanting to have his baby. I still don't get how this all happened and no one knew. And that it was never alluded to in the final book. She apparently gave birth in the Malfoy Manor before the Battle of Hogwarts. So where was the baby whilst she was off fighting? Why did Draco not know about it? Or did he and just never felt like he should mention it? Come on, this is the most ridiculous Harry Potter story line in the history of ever and I am going to pretend that it is a fan fiction and not cannon because otherwise I'd have to rate this a 1/5 and I just can't deal with that right now.
The next thing we have to discuss is the main plot device here: Time Travel. Why?! Do not mess with the time travel, it's far too overused and just results in endless plot holes and problems. This book is not an exception to that rule. Especially when we take into account that the main plot here is that Albus and Scorpius want to use the time turner to go back in time and save Cedric Diggory's life.
They have a time turner that can take them back years and they are going to use this to save Cedric Diggory. Can we all take a moment to appreciate how utterly pointless and stupid that act would be if we think about the fact they could go back in time and strangle tiny, evil baby Voldemort and save thousands of people?! Oh no, let's just go back in time and save one boy.
That is like someone giving you a time turner in our world and going back in time to save Anne Frank, rather than killing Hitler. If you kill the evil overlord then you would save all the people that died at their hands. So the whole time I am just sitting here wanting to slap everyone for just being so stupid. But it is obvious why they can't all suddenly realise they have the power to murder Voldemort and prevent everything. It would mean that everything that came after that would completely change and the first seven Harry Potter books would never have happened. So of course we can't have that, so we will just have this giant stupid plot hole instead.
The next biggest problem with this book is the characterisation and how wrong it is in this play. Ron is suddenly reduced to just a little bit of comedic relief. He just eats food and pulls pranks and apparently got so drunk at his wedding and that he forgot most of it. Why has Ron suddenly turned into a Weasley twin too? I know he liked pranks and found them funny before but he was no Fred or George. And why is he giving a small boy a love potion as a joke gift? He was put under the influence of love potion and it wasn't an experience he particularly enjoyed, so I can't see him then being stupid enough to give one to a child. I hated seeing what Jack Thorne reduced his character to here, it was not fun to read.
Harry was even worse, I hated him being the world's worst father who would be horrible to tell his son that sometimes he wished he wasn't his son. I just don't see Harry ever saying that. I feel he would love his children, no matter how difficult they could be and appreciate being able to be there for them, as he never had that as a child. And watching him treat Professor McGonagall made even for even more unpleasant reading. Am I supposed to believe that Harry, the guy who flipped out when a Death Eater spat on her, would then go and treat her with so little respect? Nope, I am not buying that.
Hermione was just as hard to read, especially in the timeline where she and Ron and never got together. She basically becomes a female version of Snape. She's the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts who treats the children horribly. She's nasty and bitter, and apparently all because she didn't wind up with Ron?! No. Are we really reducing Hermione down to this? She is a strong, brave, kind person and I don't see her ever turning that bitter because of a guy. She is so much better than that. Why did J.K. Rowling give this her stamp of approval?
And I am still sold on the fact that getting humiliated one time would suddenly turn Cedric Diggory into an evil Death Eater situation but it is just awful. I don't believe for one second that Cedric would allow that one moment in his life change him so completely that he suddenly goes to the Harry Potter dark side and start working for Voldemort. No.
I have another big issue and that is, Scorpius and Albus are blatantly in love with each other. The issue isn't that they love each other, the issue is that it seems super obvious to 90% of people reading and yet it is never addressed. Come on, they totally love each other and I ship it endlessly. I just get so sad to see the potential to have our first openly gay couple in the Harry Potter universe squandered. These two were just utterly adorable. Not just watch them fill a play with so much homoerotic subtext and then just brush it all aside at the end. In my mind they become the most adorably squishy couple ever, get married and join the Potter and the Malfoy households.
It wasn't all bad though and there were aspects that I really liked. The biggest one being Scorpius Malfoy. He is adorable and I just loved his character. He is so sweet and kind, and I was just happy with his character. I also loved that Albus and Scorpius were both Slytherins, and both kind, wonderful Slytherins. I have a big spot for Slytherin house so I was happy that this plays shows that Slytherins are just as awesome. I also loved when Ron told Hermione he wanted to renew their wedding vows.
Writing this review actually felt quite therapeutic, but I must admit that the more I think about the story the more upset I get, I just wanted this to be amazing and everything I was hoping for, and it wasn't, I feel this was definitely missing J.K. Rowling's touch and I wish she had been the one to write the script, as I feel the characters would have felt more real if she had. It wasn't all bad and I enjoyed the story whilst reading. It blew my mind reading it, as I tried to figure out how they were going to pull this off on stage. I can't ever consider this as a canon because it is just had too many plot holes and makes little sense when you think back on the Harry Potter Books.
Bloomsbury Reveals Plans to Celebrate Twentieth "Potter" Anniversary
Date: Wednesday, February 10, 2016 Time: 7:51 PM
Last October saw the release of the first Jim Kay Illustrated Harry Potter. The next in the series, Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets, is due to be released this coming October. The first in the series had already sold over 94,000 copies in the UK. In the lead up to the release of the second illustrated book and following the second successful Harry Potter Book Night on February 4, Bloomsbury have revealed their upcoming Potter plans. With the twentieth anniversary of Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone looming in 2017, plenty of plans are in place to celebrate this exciting anniversary. Special Hogwarts house editions of the first book, Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone/Philosopher's Stone will be published in 2017 to coincide with the anniversary.
The plans also include ways of celebrating the upcoming Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them film, which is due to be released this coming November. An updated version of the school text book, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them originally published in 2001, will be released early 2017. The new edition will contain new content from J.K. Rowling.
Bloomsbury also plan to publish Illustrated editions of The Hogwarts Library books and the releases will be staggered from 2017.
Bloomsbury will commission three new illustrators to create lavish, full-colour illustrated editions of J.K. Rowling's three Hogwarts Library books, starting with Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them in Autumn 2017, The Tales of Beedle of the Bard in 2018, and Quidditch Through The Ages in 2019. Illustrator announcements will follow in due course.
Scholastic, Little Brown UK to Publish "Cursed Child" Script this Summer!
Only a couple of weeks ago, I was cautiously optimistic that Harry Potter and The Cursed Child would be published as a book sooner than I originally hoped, meaning those fans unable to make the trip to London to see the show wouldn't be missing out on reading the next chapter of Harry's (and Albus') story. Now, I have confirmed - the full script of Cursed Child will be released on Harry's (and Jo's) birthday: July 31, 2016. Of course this is only a day after the play officially opens (although it does run in previews for a few weeks prior) which means that readers around the world will get the chance to read the story almost in real time, greatly reducing the risk of running across spoilers on the internet.
In the U.S., the book will cost $29.99, and in Canada it will priced at $39.99. The British hardcover will be £20. A digital edition will be released via Pottermore simultaneously. Information released by the publishers states that this edition will contain the script of the play as it stands during the production's preview period - a Special Rehearsal Edition. As further rehearsal and transition to performing in front of the live audiences may produce changes to the script, this edition will be available for a limited time - a Definitive Collector's Edition with the final version of the script will be released at a later date.
The CEO of Little Brown Book Group UK, David Shelley said of the announcement:
We are so thrilled to be publishing the script of Harry Potter and The Cursed Child. J.K. Rowling and her team have received a huge number of appeals from fans who can't be in London to see the play and who would like to see the play in book format - and so we are absolutely delighted to be able to make it available for them.
Scholastic's promotion for the book's release has already got me excited. And planning which robes I am going to wear to the midnight release of course. Wait, there's no such thing as midnight release here in the Philippines.
Upcoming Film: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Cast: Eddie Redmayne (Newt Scamander), Katherine Waterston (Porpentina "Tina" Goldstein), Dan Fogler (Jacob Kowalski), Samantha Morton (Mary Lou), Ezra Miller (Credence), Collin Farrell (Percival Graves), Faith Wood-Balgrove (Modesty), Carmen Ejogo (Seraphina), Jon Bought (Henry Shaw), Ron Perlman (Gnarlack) Directed by: David Yates Date Premiered: November 18, 2016 Distributed by: Warner Bros. Pictures Based on: Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them (Newt Scamander -J.K. Rowling) Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Family
Synopsis: The story revolves around Newt Scamander's arrival at the Magical Congress of the United States of America (MACUSA), for a meeting with an important official. Central to the story and this meeting is a magically expanded briefcase which houses a number of dangerous creatures and their habitats. When the creatures escape from the briefcase, it sends the American Wizarding after Newt, and it threatens even further strain the state of magical and non-magical relations, which is already in a dangerous place, due to the threatening presence of fanatical New Salem Philanthropic Society, an extremist organisation dedicated to the eradication of wizard-kind. The story tells of what effect this devastating mistake has on the state of wizard/No-Maj (the American term for a non-magical person) relations in New York City's community of wizards and witches in 1926, the effort to correct the mistakes, and the horrors of the resultant increase in violence, fear, and tension felt between magical and non-magical people.
Thoughts: I thought I would be done with this. I thought I had cried my final tears four years ago when the last Harry Potter film ended. Never would I have thought that I would be writing related to Harry Potter in my adult life, especially something that is relevant to our present day. But as Warner Bros. have decided to adapt J.K. Rowling's novel Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them to the big screen. I am obviously going to take any chance that I can get to write about it. Within the past couple of months, the public have been given a handful of information about the film here and there, which have been spread sporadically through our social media platforms. However, I am going to try and lay out all the information I could gather about the film for you all in one post. And I hope that my inner childhood Harry Potter fan girl doesn't take over.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is originally a 2001 novel written by J.K. Rowling under the pseudonym of Newt Scamander, a fictional magizoologist (the study of magical creatures). In the book, Scamander lists the 85 magical creatures that reside around the world, which he found through observations from his travel around 5 different continents. Within the Harry Potter Universe, Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them is uses as a Hogwarts textbook that is compulsory for first year students (even though the class Care of Magical Creatures is not introduced until third year). However, the book is a helpful encyclopedia to identify dark creatures for the class Defense Against the Dark Arts, and according to Dumbledore, is a wonderful addition for a wizarding household.
Newt Scamander
As the current synopsis goes, the film will follow the adventures of Newt Scamander and his quest to find magical beasts. J.K. Rowling herself has stated that it does not serve as prequel or a sequel to the Harry Potter world, but will act as an addition to the Wizarding Universe. It will take place in 1920's New York, which is seven decades before Harry Potter and his gang go to Hogwarts.
Because the film is set in America, we definitely get to see US witches and wizards right? Absolutely! If your are religiously following Rowling on Twitter, you would know that she has already teased the idea of the American School of Wizadry. Even though it is uncertain that we will be introduced to this school, we do get to meet some of its ex-students and may even explore the inner workings of American magic, which apparently is influenced by Native American culture.
It's reunion time for the Harry Potter crew, as all have worked on most/all of the movies within the franchise. Producer David Hey man and Executive Producer Lionel Wigram are making their comeback alongside David Yates who directed the last four Harry Potter films. J.K. Rowling has written the script herself with the involvement from Steve Kloves, who has scripted all but one of the Harry Potter films.
Unlike the crew, we won't be seeing any of the original cast return for the film.
Like The Hobbit, this one singular novel will be turned into three films. Kevin Tsujihara has already confirmed that it will become "three mega movies" and J.K. Rowlkng has nearly finished the material for the first film and is already working on the two additional chapters. Release dates have already been chosen, with the first movie set to come out on November 18, 2016 and the two preceding on November 16, 2018 and November 20, 2020.
Thank you, Warner Bros. Thank you for keeping the Harry Potter and all its magic alive. From what I have read, the public, young and old, are genuinely excited to see this novel adapted into a live-action. Hopefully the success of this film will manifest into others within The Hogwarts Library like Quidditch Through The Ages and The Tales of Beedle The Bard
Harry Potter and The Cursed Child is the upcoming two-part West End stage play scheduled to open in July 2016, set nineteen years after the end of Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows, which will be about Harry Potter (now a Ministry of Magic employee) and his son Albus Potter. Considered to be the sequel of the Harry Potter books, most fans are worried because they will not be able to experience it since it is only available for those who can visit London. However, the big hope of getting the play script published as a book was latent since the announcement.
And there seems to be good news now. I read that at least two publishers are trying to get the rights to publish the script play. Remember it is not a J.K. Rowling's work, given the play is written by Jack Thorne and he will probably listed as the author - which is an important fact to be considered in the negotiations.
This is all I know so far - but two publishers negotiating to get the publishing rights is a good sign and almost a confirmation that we will Harry Potter and The Cursed Child published as a book.
Personal Thoughts: This was originally posted on my Facebook Account last July 31, 2011.
I was nearly late to the ending of my childhood. Just seen Harry Potter the other day.
I'd only gotten home at two in the morning, and the end was to begin at 9:30 in the morning. And because the world is conspiring against me on that morning in particular, my bus with the petrol fumes spilling out the back into the crisp morning air, pulled up around ten minutes late.
Still, I made it there on time -- well, only a minute or two late -- for the end. Even if I did have to run down, and take a short cut through the stations beneath the city streets, it was all worth it to get there on time.
Later, my friend told me that if I'd come the first day of showing, I'd have experienced the best part. The way the boys and girls, eighteen, nineteen, twenty and dressed in preppy school uniforms with a crest featuring a familiar badger, snake, eagle, and lion all surrounding a large letter H, greeted each other by saying "Hello, fellow wizards".
Me, I think this kind of nerdiness is awesome. I think in my childhood, I would have found it more awesome. I am sad I missed it, but at least I was there, stumbling up the cinema steps into the hushed, darkened theatre before the movie began.
I want to say that I loved the movie. That I loved every last minute of my childhood's ending, but the truth is that sometimes my friend was distracted by my melodramatic laughter, or tears, the way I accidentally knocked an entire tub of popcorn into the aisle by jumping at one point. And my 2:00am bedtime the night before meant that sometimes my attention was divided between The Dark Lord vs Harry Potter vs my sleepiness, or the chill of the cinema.
Still it was amazing. I no longer want to experience a transformation like Cinderella. I want to experience a transformation like a female version of Neville Longbottom. Old Draco was a laugh. Albus Severus Potter sniffed every ten seconds and was adorable and Severus Snape made me tear up behind my 3D glasses.
I wished that it wouldn't end, but it did. My childhood slowly died. It only took a few hours and by the end of it, I felt grown up. More grown up than I did after my eighteenth birthday. More grown up, even, than when I go out and don't get asked for ID.
Afterwards, we hung around the cinema, staring at the posters of characters who'd become our childhood friends. We milled around in the shabby exhibition in the cinema had put together, marveling over bits and bobs of paper from the films of the set. The stupidest things, really, apart from this gorgeous dress of Luna Lovegood's, but there was a sense that you had to marvel. You had to be awed, because this was the end.
And then we left the scene of the crime, the place where our childhoods died, and we went and got a late lunch. At an almost respectable establishment that didn't serve hamburgers or french fries or pizza or anything like that. And then we went to a café and I ordered two long blacks, because God I was still tired from the night before. And the barista looked at me like I was crazy because how many people like me like their coffee that strong with no sugar?
But my childhood had just died. I wasn't in the mood to justify anything.
Much later that day, when I got home, I searched for my ticket. The one with Cinema 3, and that fantastic title, Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows, emblazoned upon it, I dumped the entire contents of my wallet and bag out onto my desk, turning over odd stuffs that I didn't know I had in the process, but it wasn't there. The ticket was gone. My childhood was gone.
Upcoming Show: Harry Potter and The Cursed Child (Stage Play) Cast: Jamie Parker (Harry Potter), Noma Dumezweni (Hermione Granger), Paul Thornley (Ron Weasley) Directed by: John Tiffany Date Premiered: July 30, 2016 Place Premiered: Palace Theatre, London, United Kingdom Based on: Harry Potter Series (J.K. Rowling) Genre: Fantasy, Drama
Synopsis: Harry Potter and The Cursed Child is an upcoming two-part West End stage play, written by Jack Thorns and based on a story by author J.K. Rowling, Thorns and director John Tiffany. The play is scheduled to open in July 2016, at the Palace Theatre, London, England, and will feature Rowling collaborating with an experienced team to bring the production to the stage. The play is set nineteen years after the conclusion of Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows and follows Harry Potter, now a Ministry of Magic employee, and his youngest son Albus Severus Potter.
It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn't much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband and father of three school-age children.
Whilst Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes darkness comes from unexpected places.
Thoughts: So if you have been following this blog for awhile, you would know that I am a HUGE Harry Potter fan. The story line was something perfect. Even though multiple of the books were out when I first started reading them, I still grew up on the books. I would not be where I am today if Harry Potter wasn't a part of my life, and I don't think lot of us would be. Harry Potter shaped my childhood, and shaped who I am today. This is why when it was announced that there was going to be a Harry Potter play, called the Harry Potter and The Cursed Child, I was ecstatic. I had absolutely no idea what it was going to be about, but just knowing there was going to be an extension of the Harry Potter world in some form, it was amazing.
Jamie Parker, Paul Thornley and Noma Dumezweni
The plot was announced, and the entire Potter fandom freaked. We are getting an eighth story. They are continuing the story from where it left off. The tagline for the play is "The Eighth Story, Nineteen Years Later".
I was completely fangirling for many, many hours after this was announced. I still am freaking out and fangirling about this play. However, it sort of died down, and turned into a little bit of disappointment and confusion, when I realised that this was a play. It was a play, which at least for now was only premiering in London. How was I, living in the Philippines, going to be able to watch a play that was only showing in London?
This doesn't just apply to me. Potterheads from all over the world started to wonder the exact same thing. How were they going to be able to experience this amazing story, the continuation of a story that we have all loved and grown up with, if they didn't live in London? Harry Potter and The Cursed Child is still in the early stages, and you never know. There could be a professionally filmed version of the play for people to see all over the world, the play could tour the world for others to see, or they may even be a book written for the play.
However, those things, if they were to even happen are very far down the road. The play itself premieres in July 2016, which means that for people that have no way to see the play in London, it could be years before we find out more about what happened nineteen years later.
Don't get me wrong, I am sooper excited to eventually see what happens in this play. If J.K. Rowling thought that the best way to get across her new story, would be showing it up on stage, then I trust her. Though by having thousands and millions of Harry Potter fans around the world, and then making the eighth story available not even a tenth of those fans, just don't feel like a very smart idea.
J.K. Rowling herself said:
"I am confident that when audiences see Harry Potter and The Cursed Child they will understand why we chose to tell this story in this way."
Do I wish that our long awaited eighth story, sequel, to the Harry Potter series would have been released in a different format? Yes. Do I wish that the format had been in a book? Absolutely. I just hope that they somehow find a way to get this story to all Potterheads around the world.
I would absolutely hate to miss out on this amazing sequel to my favourite series of all time, just because I didn't live in the right place.
Harry Potter will always be a huge part of my life. I re-read the books all the time, and have multiple movie marathons every month. My dream place to go would be the Harry Potter studio in London, or the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Florida. I am a huge Potterhead, and I always will be. I hope that I will be able to see this continuation of the Wizarding World in some way, and that I will be able to experience the continuation of the magic that J.K. Rowling has created.
If you would like to hear more about the play and some official information on it, you can check it out here and here.
I am sorry about this rant, I just felt sad about the subject, and it's all that I have been able to think about for the last 24 hours or so when I found out.
I hope that some of you share my same feelings on this topic. I am still sooper excited for this play, and I can't wait to see how it plays out. I just hope that I get to see this for myself, and not through somebody else's eyes.
Synopsis: When Barry Fair brother dies in his early forties, the residents of the small town of Pagford are shaken. Barry was a father, a husband, and a friend. But at the same time, others in this seemingly ideal English town are secretly devastated about Barry's death. Now that Barry is gone, his former seat on the parish council is open. With an election in the works for Pagford, the town finds itself divided. Barry was a crusader for the people living in the Fields, the poor development that is technically part of the principality of Pagford, but still looked down on. Now that Barry is gone, the fate of the Fields and the addiction clinic are in peril. For people like sixteen-year-old Krystal Weedon, Barry was someone who believed in her and saw the best in her, when to everyone else she was just the daughter of a druggie and a prostitute. To others, Krystal is just another reason Pagford should have nothing to do with the fields and its residents. As the election looms over the small town, each candidate has a different motif for running and each has their secrets. Through the eyes of the many different residents of a small English town, The Casual Vacancy looks at poverty, secrecy, and the gaping hole left on a town by one man.
Review: This is J.K. Rowling's first book for adults and her first book outside of the Harry Potter series, which was obviously what brought about her fame and success. Before you start reading this book, if you choose too, you should come in with no expectations and forget about the name on the cover. To enjoy this book, I really think you have to let go of Harry Potter for at least a few days and take The Casual Vacancy for what it is. Initially, I was under the impression that this book was a murder mystery. I quickly chose to forget everything I thought I knew about J.K. Rowling as a writer and pretend this book had been written by anyone else. The only thing that this novel and Harry Potter have in common is that they are both very good. Whilst I would say that some of the strongest aspects of the Harry Potter books are the construction of plot and the world building, that's not the case for The Casual Vacancy. World building is more important in fantasy, and the plot isn't what drags you into this book unlike Harry Potter. Like in Harry Potter, the characters were what made me love this book, but in a completely different way. Whilst the Harry Potter books were very much about the internal battle between good and evil in all of us, I think everyone had characters that they loved, even if they were flawed. Any of the characters in The Casual Vacancy would give you reason to detest them, but I thought they were all very real. I was impressed with the honesty it would have taken when writing the many characters in this novel, and even admired how Rowling wasn't afraid to show the very worst parts of people, without apologies.
I am a big fan of the Harry Potter books, but somehow I was still impressed by the writing in The Casual Vacancy. There were honestly a few parts where I would put the book down and curse, because the writing was so impressive. I was very impressed and easily engrossed in the story. I was also impressed by how smoothly the novel transitioned through the different characters' narratives. The multiple third person perspectives were handled expertly, and having so many characters could have easily made this book fall flat. Another one of its strong points was the deep emotional effect it had, and how well it presented the issues that were at the heart of the novel. This is really a novel about poverty and prejudice and Rowling dealt with important issues that were obviously very important to her very well. After finishing this book, I felt sort of like I had been punched in the stomach, in the most heart breaking way. That sounds like a bad thing, but this is the type of story that should leave you feeling that way, if the writer is doing their job.
I haven't read very many reviews of this book, but I can guess what the main criticisms are. Firstly, this book is slower moving at the beginning, although it might feel that way in part because of all my anxiety over whether I would like this book by my favourite author. There were alot of swearing and things that you would never see in a Harry Potter book, like sex, drugs, rape, and abuse. I feel like most people are complaining about the swearing, but this is a book for adults, and based on the topic and some of the characters, of course there's going to be swearing. I don't think it would be true to character if some of the people in this book didn't swear. I feel like people will make a big deal about the writer of such beloved children's books writing a very adult novel. But I was impressed with how J.K. Rowling boldly departed from her former series in a very extreme way. If you want this book to be the next Harry Potter, then just skip it and re-read the books you already love. However, if you think you can read a great book by a great writer without any expectations, then The Casual Vacancy is a book that deals with unpleasant truths with fearless honesty.
Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone (Illustrated Edition)
Date: Sunday, January 3, 2016 Time: 4:34 AM
Author: J.K. Rowling Illustrator: Jim Kay Ratings: 5/5
Synopsis: Harry Potter has never been the star of a Quidditch team, scoring points whilst riding a broom far above the ground. He knows no spells, has never helped to hatch a dragon, and has never worn a cloak of invisibility.
All he knows is a miserable life with the Dursleys, his horrible aunt and uncle, and their abominable son Dudley - a great big swollen spoiled bully. Harry's room is a tiny closet at the foot of the stairs, and he hasn't had a birthday party in eleven years. But all that is about to change when a mysterious letter arrives by owl messenger: a letter with an invitation to an incredible place that Harry - and anyone who reads about him - will find unforgettable.
Review: This is around the sixth or seventh time that I've read the Harry Potter series. Let me tell you right now, I don't read books six or seven times. Of course, Harry Potter isn't a 5/5 star-books. I'd say it's closer to 500/5.
Because of that, this isn't going the one of my normal reviews where I talk about pros and cons and character development. I highly recommend the story of Harry Potter but what I am reviewing now is this particular edition of Harry Potter.
Words cannot describe how excited I was when I first heard that they were making illustrated editions of these beloved books. Although I was a month late of buying it cus a) I bought seven books of Rick Riordan b) both Fully Booked and National Book Store and even the online sellers were saying they don't have the book available on their shelf anymore. So I have to wait. Only afer two months of the agony of waiting, Fully Booked said they have it but on a UK edition which is a bit pricey compare to the US edition.
I was not disappointed at all. And I would highly recommend it. However, I understand that this is pretty expensive book £30.00 or in Philippine Peso, it is PhP 2,099.00. So here are all the things you should know before you make a decision on whether or not to buy it.
The entire story is in here: Nothing was cut out of the original story or substituted for a picture that illustrated the same basic idea. Well for some spellings as I got mine on a UK edition. Some words had been spelled differently from the US edition.
The book is incredibly well-made: Every page is glossy and thick. It's a solid hardback and the spine do not crease or fold even when I had this gigantic book flopped open on my lap. It comes with one of those cute little built-in ribbon bookmarks.
Some of the punctuation is a little weird: I was surprised to see when I first opened the book that some of the punctuation was changed from the original Harry Potter books I was used to. It also doesn't use periods after words like mister (i.e. Mr instead of Mr.) It's not the biggest deal in the world and I didn't find it too distracting but if that's something you have an issue with, be aware.
The text is in columns: Like in a newspaper, the text in this book is in columns instead of just straight across the page.
The illustrations are stunning: I was tempted to completely litter this review with pictures of my favourite pages, but I honestly feel like I would end up showing you the entire book and ruining the fun of seeing the pictures for the first time in the book.
There aren't illustrations on every single page: Sometimes there are pictures that take up two whole, side-by-side pages and sometimes there are two side-by-side pages with no illustrations at all, leaving you with just the columns of text. These pages are still wonderful (how could they not be, they're covered in words from The Philosopher's Stone) and have a cool background that makes them seem as if they could've been written on parchment paper.
This book isn't life-changing: If you hated Harry Potter on your first go-around, this version most likely isn't going to change your opinion. But how did you hate Harry Potter on your first go-around?
This book is a really fun new way to experience Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone: The Illustration Edition aren't just cartoon versions of the same scenes and faces you see in the movies or the original little illustrations in the books. By picking this book, you're getting a fresh new experience and perspective. I completely adored this book. My ratings isn't just for the story that I already knew that I loved, but it's also for the incredible illustrations. I would 100% recommend picking this up, it blew me away.
The Hogwarts Library: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Date: Friday, January 1, 2016 Time: 9:03 PM
Author: Newt Scamander (J.K. Rowling)
Ratings: 5/5
Synopsis: A copy of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them? resides in almost every wizarding household in the country. Now Muggles too have the chance to discover where the Quintaped lives, what the Puffskein eats and why it is best not to leave milk out for a Knarl.
Review: I liked Quidditch Through The Ages. But I loved Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them? I find it quite difficult to get into books that don't really have a plot, neither of these books do, yet I was really intrigued by the content of this book more-so than that in Quidditch Through The Ages. I think this might purely be because of the fact that in my opinion magical creatures > magical sport, but regardless, I found it so easy to flick through the pages.
True Harry Potter fans will love the "triple-threat" action that this book features due to a) J.K.'s wonderful writing style b) Harry and Ron's sarcastic comments handwritten throughout the pages and c) simply reading such rich, detailed information about all of the beasts and magical creatures that are quite possibly lurking around our Muggle world.
The book is split into two parts, the first part giving a summary of the history of fantastic beasts, the second part being an encyclopedia of sorts. It even features the Ministry of Magic's danger classification. The second part was definitely my favourite part to read, and I loved imagining all of the creatures based on the description given. I definitely had a little nerd thrill every time I recognised a creature that was featured in the books. My favourite entries though, go to the Kelpie and the Moon Calf. The Moon Calf is a little flat-footed creature with bulging eyes that dances in the moonlight. And the Kelpie is a shape-shifting water demon that drags travelers underwater and eats them.
Overall, I really love this little book. It's the perfect Harry Potter companion, along with the Quidditch Through Ages and The Tales of Beedle The Bard. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them? is set to become a trilogy -screen written by Joanne herself- which I am excited for as it's about the author of this book's journey discovering all of the magical creatures featured in the silver screen.
Synopsis: Did you know that there are 700 ways of committing a foul in Quidditch? The first game began to evolve on Queerditch Marsh - What Bumphing is? That Puddlemere United is oldest team in the Britain and Ireland league (founded 1163). All this information and much more could be yours once you have read this book. This is all you could ever need to know about the history - the rules, and the breaking of all the rules - of the noble wizarding sport of Quidditch.
Review: Naturally I couldn't leave it behind - anything remotely to do with Harry Potter becomes an obsession of mine - and it now takes pride of place next to the Harry Potter series on my bookshelf. This teensy 105-page book was one of the two books that Joanne wrote in aid of Comic Relief, the second of which is soon to be a film! It's basically a fictional nonfiction work featuring everything you ever wish to know about Quidditch. Personally, I wish that she would write up every single book that is ever mentioned in the books, but alas, that has not yet happened.
One of the things that I adore about this book is that it features J.K. Rowling's signature simple, winning writing style. It's such an easy read and I literally flipped through the pages in about an hour. Each chapter contains hilarious tidbits of information about Quidditch and broomsticks, the time-scale ranging from 1107 to present day. The evolution of the magical game is simply genius, and the writing style makes everything so authentic. My favourite part (aside from reading about the broomsticks) was learning about how the Golden Snitch came about - the pretty, golden version that Harry uses during the Harry Potter series replacing a poor golden bird that was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Little additional features of the copy include a foreward written by Albus Dumbledore himself, and within every copy is also a little glossary type descriptive section at the back that lists Quidditch teams that played in the British and Irish League and a bunch of Quidditch moves and hilarious little drawings showing them in action.
Synopsis: Harry is waiting in Privet Drive. The Order of the Phoenix is coming to escort him safely away without Voldemort and his supporters knowing - if they can. But what will Harry do then? How can he fulfill the momentous and seemingly impossible task that Voldemort has left him?
Review: I know many fans find The Deathly Hallows disappointing. In one sense, I understand the feeling. The book differs drastically from its predecessors in both structure and tone. This is not simply "Year Seven" at boarding school. Harry, Ron and Hermione have left Hogwarts to embark upon a more traditional epic fantasy quest to find magical artifacts.
Although Deathly Hallows probably could never have satisfied the fevered expectations of fans in 2007, the book does suffer from introducing too much plot too late in the series. Almost everything the heroes needed to do in order to defeat Voldemort they learn and accomplish in this book. It makes the book and the series as a whole
In The Half-Blood Prince Dumbledore discovers that Voldemort created seven Horcruxes in order to preserve his soul. One - Tom Riddle's Diary - was destroyed in The Chamber of Secrets whilst Dumbledore destroyed another - Marvolo's Ring - sometime before The Half-Blood Prince. That means Harry, Ron and Hermione still have to find and destroy five additional Horcruxes in the final book. In theory, the Horcruxes could be anywhere and anything. That alone would pose a huge obstacle, enough for most epic fantasy novels.
Because the task is so daunting, The Deathly Hallows - rightly - tries to make the process of searching for Horcruxes seem difficult. We needed to see Harry, Ron and Hermione wandering in the woods at a loss for what to do. Yet, because none of the previous books featured Horcruxes, The Deathly Hallows bears this burden alone. In other words, this one book - which supposedly finishes the series - also acts as the beginning, middle and end of the Horcrux subplot. Thus, it feels like a cheat when Harry, Ron and Hermione manage to destroy all of them (with an assist from Neville Longbottom) so quickly. It's quite convenient that Voldemort hid all five Horcruxes in the greater London metropolitan area rather than say, in a junkyard in China or in a deep ocean trench.
On top of that, halfway into The Deathly Hallows, the book adds yet another artifact quest. Harry, Ron, and Hermione must not only destroy Horcruxes but also stop Voldemort from obtaining the Deathly Hallows. Harry still needed to learn to truly accept death as part of human life. However, you'd think that by book seven in the series, the characters would basically know what they have to do and have already started doing it. Because the book needs to spend so much time on exposition for these additional quests, it has less time to spend exploring the implications of these plot developments.
The Deathly Hallows feels more like the end of the beginning than the end, or even the beginning of the end.
For example, there was a moment when Harry considers pursuing The Deathly Hallows for himself. He already has the Resurrection Stone and Invisibility Cloak, and he knows where to find the Elder Wand. With these three, he would become master over death and supposedly have the power to bring the dead back to life. Even with everything Harry has learnt up to this point, I still think this was - or should have been - a difficult choice. Wouldn't he have been tempted to bring his parents back? Even Dumbledore couldn't resist trying to use the Ressurection Stone to ressurect his sister. Harry's decision should have been a crucial moment for the character, but the book barely touched upon it. I felt that we as readers needed to see Harry struggle at least to make the right choice.
And yet, even if the dénouement feels rushed, emotionally The Deathly Hallows works a story about accepting death. The Tale of Three Brothers with the younger brother who wore the invisibility cloak and welcome death as an old friend, is a beautiful metaphor for passing on gracefully. Harry's walk through the Forbidden Forest to meet his own death at Voldemort's hands reflects a mature acceptance and acknowledgement of the human condition. I am sure many readers cried when the ghosts of James and Lily Potter, Sirius Black, and Remus Lupin appeared to comfort Harry.
I wouldn't consider The Deathly Hallows to be the greatest book in the series, but I am also not disappointed. It has some good ideas and the slower parts - the character development, exposition, even the wandering in the forest - were necessary to obtain the emotional pay off at the end. I just wish J.K. Rowling had spread a bit more of the plot and exposition amongst the other six books. The Deathly Hallows doesn't feel like the final installment of a seven-book series building to a climax. In fact, taking the Harry Potter series as a whole, I'd say Deathly Hallows contains around 80% of the crucial plot, making previous six books feel like glorified back story.
Epilogue:
The epilogue of The Deathly Hallows has become infamous. Deservedly so. The final book in a series should provide a sense of closure. The Deathly Hallows epilogue really only reveals the marital status of the main characters, which readers probably could have guessed. (Ron and Hermione, Harry and Ginny). It does not resolve the many remaining questions. Did Hermione succeed in promoting Elfish welfare? Did Harry ever become an Auror? Did Draco Malfoy find redemption - or is he still a shady Slytherin? How did wizarding society achieve peace and reconciliation after such a bloody civil war? After all, many wizards and witches such as Dolores Umbridge willingly supported Voldemort's anti-muggle policies.
Apparently, the Pottermore website has short stories about the lives of the main characters after The Deathly Hallows.
Synopsis: It is the middle of summer, but there is an unseasonal mist pressing against the windowpanes. Harry Potter is waiting nervously in his bedroom at the Dursley's house in Privet Drive for a visit from Professor Dumbledore himself. One of the last times he saw the Headmaster was in a fierce one-on-one duel with Lord Voldemort, and Harry can't quite believe that Professor Dumbledore will actually appear at the Dursley's of all places. Why is the Professor coming to visit him now? What is it that cannot wait until Harry returns to Hogwarts in a few weeks' time? Harry's sixth year at Hogwarts has already got off to an unusual start, as the worlds of muggles and magic start to intertwine.
Review: It should have been called Harry Potter and You-Know-Who because the primary plot gives Harry - and the readers - a glimpse into Voldemort's back story. Dumbledore schedules private lessons in which he uses the Pensieve to show Harry from key moments in Voldemort's life.
In the Half-Blood Prince, J.K. Rowling combines intimidating and pathetic into Voldemort, as if Sauron and Saruman were a single character. It's tricky because those two character traits works against each other. Before The Half-Blood Prince, Voldemort was successful at managing his reputation that few wizards even dared to speak his name aloud. Only a handful of wizards realised that in his youth Voldemort was Tom Riddle, and only Dumbledore seems to have pieced together his back story. We only saw Voldemort a few times, and whenever he appeared somebody usually died. In the The Goblet of Fire he demonstrate his casual disregard for life by telling Peter Pettigrew to "Kill the spare" (Cedric Diggory)
After The Half-Blood Prince, readers learn that Tom Riddle's hatred of muggles all comes down to daddy issues. Riddle's mother tricked his muggle father into loving her, only to leave her when the spell wore off. Riddle's mother died after childbirth, leaving young Tom in an orphanage. The book strips away the cool, cruel image that Voldemort created for himself and reveals him to be deeply insecure and emotional. With the veil of mystery lifted, Voldemort becomes less scary and more pathetic. In fact, if the young Tom Riddle weren't such a creep, I suspect many readers would have felt bad for him.
But readers don't get feel sympathetic for Voldemort because the back story never actually "humanizes" the character. Voldemort was inherently evil, and nothing in his back story changes my assessment. There's no tragedy about Tom Riddle, no sense of missed opportunities, no possibility of redemption. We never get the sense that Voldemort had good in him, or that he might have turned from evil had his mum and dad loved him. When Dumbledore first met Tom in the orphanage, he already bullies other kids and steals from them.
Ultimately, The Half-Blood Prince manages to leave Voldemort's evilness intact even after removing some of the mystery; it's just a different type of evil. It's a good balance that makes Voldemort just enough of a threat for Deathly Hallows. Voldemort is still scary, but he's also a loser. Unfortunately, Voldemort is still a very one-dimensional character, inherently evil. I think it might have been more interesting had Rowling given him a few positive virtues. That said, even if Voldemort doesn't rank amongst my favourite villains, I give Rowling alot of credit for exploring different facets of evil.
Up to this point, the Harry Potter series had primarily presented Voldemort as an ominous threat. Other wizards so fear him that they dare not speak his name. For the first time, The Half-Blood Prince shows Voldemort as an actual character. However, this doesn't necessarily humanize him. On the contrary, it demonstrates a different facet of Voldemort's inhumane evil.
Synopsis: Voldemort is back, but Harry has been shunted to Privet Drive all summer with no information. What is Dumbledore's plan? Will the Ministry of Magic ever acknowledge what's happening? Ministry is interfering with their education at Hogwarts. Is it possible for him to worry about impending war whilst also going on dates?
Review: So today we're talking The Order of the Phoenix, which is 100% the most underrated book in the entire series. Why you ask? Well, let me tell you.
Alot of people write this book off because it's a little... cerebral... compared to the others in the story. There's doesn't always seem to be action or adventure, despite containing one of the biggest fight scenes in the entire series. The cause for this is that too many people write off what they deem Harry's "grumpiness" in the book and get mad it's so central to the story. His grumpiness, which is probably more accurately described as depression is SO unbelievably important. The boy has just gone through an incredible trauma, and yet he still tries to figure out a way to help his cause throughout the story. Despite never getting answers, he wants to help. He also continuously hides his feelings, or at least he tried to. Alot of people can relate to Harry's struggle in this book. His sadness and anger shouldn't be pushed aside and labeled as grumpy or emotional.
The Order of the Phoenix is more cerebral; so much of it takes place within the mind - Harry's mind, Voldemort's mind, even the Longbottoms' minds. Being in the "mind" doesn't mean there's no action, there certainly is. And we shouldn't hate on a book simply because it's not a 500-page battle sequence.
People write it off but I am going to talk about why I didn't. I am all about being in the heads of characters. And I think this book provides that in so many different ways. Obviously, we're in Harry's head all the time. It's important that we see him struggle in the death of Cedric and Voldemort's return. How could he NOT struggle? I love as well that we get to see more of his classmates' family lives. Seamus' mother doesn't approve of Harry whilst Neville's grandmother does. Speaking of the Longbottoms', that scene, where Harry, Ron and Hermione saw Neville at St. Mungo's is such a poignant and important scene. It truly highlights that Harry's not the only one that lost a family the last time Voldemort was around. I think it's great that Rowling goes further into relationships in this one. They're 15 now and they're curious. Harry has liked Cho for two years. I also love that we get see some Harry's true, innate abilities in this book as well. With everything he went through in The Goblet of Fire where he wasn't really prepared at all, it's nice to see him excel. Hermione is the best sure, but Harry being a teacher was such a brilliant idea. I so enjoyed seeing all of those different characters come together to learn Defense Against the Dark Arts stuff. With that in mind, I love Rowling's decision to make Fudge paranoid and have him inserted Umbridge. She's honestly one of the top two vile people in this entire series. And that's why I love the decision. Her evilness is what truly makes Harry the leader he's meant to be; he earns it from his skills, rather than his circumstances. And that is so important. Then there's the battle. What a brilliant battle! Highlighting that Harry is an incredible teacher, along with the courage of those students, just brings a smile to my face. Then adding the Order of the Phoenix members who mean so much to them all, just wonderful. I love the way that we see the evil surrounding them. Dumbledore versus Voldemort is perfect. I just thought it was a brilliant bit of writing for Rowling. I thought she did so right by her characters. Finally, I love that we finally get explanations for why things have happened the way they have. Dumbledore's answers are finally sufficient.
Even though I rated this review perfect 5, but I think everyone is really shitty to Harry in this book. How is it that no one except for Hermione one time asks Harry how he feels, and how's he's doing and how he's coping? It's completely ridiculous. The kid WITNESSED A MURDER. I can't grapple with the fact that Dumbledore is not aware enough to realise that having Snape do the Occlumency is a terrible idea. Whilst Dumbledore may have forgotten how youth feels. I really do find it inexcusable. It makes no sense. Almost every decision Rowling made usually I can find understanding in it. I cannot find understanding in the Occlumency decision. I've read the book a dozen of times. And I can't. I understand that Snape is an accomplished Occlumens and that he is an Order of the Phoenix member at the school. I get all of that. I am sorry I know Dumbledore is the most brilliant wizard ever, and even if he was trying to stay away from Harry, he should've been smarter than that. Also, obviously, I hate Sirius's decision, but I understand it - it just makes me sad.
Synopsis: When the Quidditch World Cup is disrupted by Voldemort's rampaging supporters and the terrifying Dark Mark appears against the night sky, it is obvious to Harry Potter that far from weakening, Voldemort is getting stronger. Back at Hogwarts for the fourth year Harry is astonished to be chosen to represent the school in the Triwizard Tournament. The competition is dangerous, the tasks were terrifying, and true courage is no guarantee of survival - especially with the Dark Lord's forces on the rise.
Review: I am weary. I am aware of which characters will die and I really don't want the series to end. When I first read the Goblet of Fire, it wasn't my favourite book. But reading it this time around, I can honestly say I absolutely loved it and, in fact, it ties with my enjoyment levels I felt when reading The Prisoner of Azkaban. I never thought having a bad memory had any positives, but when it comes to rereading it does, as it felt like I was reading the first time as I had most forgot what happened. I remember which character died, but all the other plot twists I had completely forgotten about, which made for an even more enjoyable reading experience.
The book was fantastic. The plot was so entertaining and I was flying through the pages, completely unaware of that fact. I also loved that I got to learn more about the wizarding world and that I was able to "witness" the Quidditch World Cup and learn more about the sport, as well as the world when Voldemort was in power. The writing was fantastic and the characters were just as amazing as ever, the whole entire story was just utterly phenomenal and I can't express how much I enjoyed reading this book.
The Goblet of Fire was definitely a noticeable turning-point in the series. As I said, everything becomes more detailed and more mature in this book. In the previous installments, we had heard of Voldemort but we hadn't actually seen what it would be like if he came to power, and in this book, his grotesque and violent nature is revealed and it genuinely made me scared for the characters whilst reading the book, as I was terrified of what would become of them once Voldemort returned. The students at Hogwarts were treated like adults in this book, and Dumbledore told them the truth and hid nothing from them, and I felt like we, the readers, were also being treated like adults by J.K. Rowling as she finally revealed to us the torture Voldemort inflicted on the people in the wizarding world. Like I said, I truly felt terrified for the characters as they feel like my best friends and when I am reading the books, their world is currently my own, and I cared deeply about what would happen to the world that I was currently living in. It takes a truly great writer to suck a reader in make them feel, for awhile, as if their story is their reality, and J.K. Rowling is a master of that.
The characters were just as lovely in this book, but we can clearly see that they are maturing and at times it was sweet (and frustrating) to see them try to navigate the uneven seas of growing up. There was something in this book that lacking in the previous three: romance. It was extemely interesting watching Hermione, Ron and Harry develop crushes and there's definitely some chemistry between Ron and Hermione.
With each book Harry seems to grow all brave. The emotional turmoil he experienced was evident and towards the end it was clearly that he was completely worn out and perhaps even slightly depressed, which would be completely understandable. I think Harry finally realises how powerful Voldemort and I suppose he feels responsible to stop him, because he was able to before.
In the previous books, Ron has always been the sidekick, the one with the sense of humour and the one who sticks beside Harry. In The Goblet of Fire, we were revealed his most vulnerable side, such as how he hates being poor when everyone else around him has new things in working order and we also see how left out he feels when Harry receives all the attention. It was interesting seeing this side of Ron.
I didn't feel as if we saw much of Hermione in this novel, but it was clear that she has matured in this book - more feisty. You can see she has started taking more care of her appearance and has started noticing boys.
The entire Weasley family were just wonderful as ever. Dumbledore was just as wise and kind, and Sirius was fantastic.
In the first three books, we were never shown just how powerful Voldemort is and in this book his power and destruction he is able to cause hit me like a ton of bricks. There was evidence that he was gaining power. I felt horrified when the things he had done in the past were revealed and I finally understand why people are so terrified of him.
We were also introduced to a new character in this book: Mad-Eye Moody. It's really hard to say where I stand with him, as it also turns out we didn't actually know him at all. I loved him and his relationship with Harry, but as we saw at the end, it wasn't real. When I found out who he really was, I was completely astounded and I'd actually felt sickened because I had adored his character and I felt cheated - just how Harry must've felt. I wasn't expecting it and that was a genius plot twist.
I really appreciate that Rowling has incorporated such strong friendship and family dynamics throughout her series. The books will teach people to stand up for one another, be loyal to their friends and do what is good and right. The family bonds are beautiful and you can see all the characters truly care for each other and it's just written so perfectly. It's during this book we see the characters struggle with internal decisions that will completely affect their lives, we see the true horror and power that Voldemort is capable of, we see tremendous sacrifices that will be made. The Goblet of Fire is darker, magical and more exhilarating than ever.
Synopsis: Harry Potter is lucky to reach the age of thirteen, since he has survived the murderous attack of the feared Dark Lord on more than one occasion. His hopes for a quiet school term concentrating on Quidditch are dashed, though, 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 his imagination that is making him feel eyes watching him in the dark, and should he be taking Professor Trelawney's ghoulish predictions seriously?
Review: I was so excited to read The Prisoner of Azkaban as it was my favourite book. I wish I was reading it for the first time again so I could experience the plot twists and such without knowing what the outcome would be. It was so enjoyable and captivating just as I knew it would be. The suspense, the action, the characters, the fantasy element and the under current themes of friendship, loyalty and family combined, totaled to an immensely entertaining end, and at times, quite a heartbreaking story. The Prisoner of Azkaban was astoundingly good and I love it as much as, maybe even more so, than the first time reading it.
In The Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter is returning to Hogwarts for his third year of wizadry training. However, the atmosphere is far from relaxed as Sirius Black, powerful wizard, who also happens to be a mass murderer is on the loose - and he's heading straight for Hogwarts... and straight for Harry. Soon Dementors, soul-sucking creatures that guard the Azkaban having a particularly nasty effect on Harry. Students aren't allowed to leave the school after dark and Harry is generally accompanied by someone everywhere he goes. The level of tension soars and the atmosphere is taut with nervousness as evidence of Sirius being in the castle appears. Soon everywhere is dangerous and everyone's nerves as are frayed as they wait for the notorious killer and supporter of Voldemort to appear. However, things are never as they appear to be. The book was fantastic! It was filled with so many plot twists and several revelations that shocked me nearly as much as the first time reading it. The writing was once again fabulous and the characters, I just completely adore them. I couldn't find any faults with this book, it was magnificently written.
The plot in Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban was fantastic and the best of the ones I read. There are plenty of plot twists that will astound you and later on one another will be revealed that will have you disbelieving the other plot twist and leaving you in a puzzled state as you try to figure everything out. The suspense is immense and the constant guessing will have your heart racing and your finger nails completely gone as you sit at the edge of your sit, more plot twists buffering you. It's SO good. Siriusly.
The characters are once again amazing. I felt quite a deep connection with Harry in this book, I finally understood just how traumatic it must've been for him to lose his parents and the torture he must surely go through knowing that he'll never be able to see them again. Harry showed immense bravery yet again and his courage and kindness just grows constantly throughout the series.
I adore Ron as well and I really admire how he is always there for Harry and always there to back him up, despite the amount of trouble he might get himself into. His loyalty and bravery is also something that is to be highly admired.
I absolutely adored Hermione in this book - even more than I usually do. The strain from all her studies was obviously getting to her and she was so spunky and sassy - it was highly amusing, especially Ron's reaction towards it. I think Hermione will always be my favourite character. She's also incredibly kind, brave, honest and just such a fantastic character.
The other new characters were really interesting and I grew close to several of them especially Lupin and a certain someone who I won't mention in case it spoils someone. I also loved once again Hagrid and Dumbledore in this book. I love Hagrid's big heart and Dumbledore's kind, wise nature. Actually, all the characters in this series are fabulous.
The Prisoner of Azkaban was a phenomenal sequel. It's packed full of action, mystery, magic and humour. You will have your eyes glued to the pages and your fingers flicking through the pages at an immense rate. It was also quite saddening at times when we were given glimpses into Harry Potter's parents' final moments and it made me thank God several times that my parents are safe and sound and that so am I and my man.
Synopsis: The Dursleys were so mean and hideously that summer that all Harry Potter wanted was to get back to Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizadry. But just as he's packing his bags, Harry receives a warning from a strange, impish creature named Dobby who says 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 Lockhart, 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: Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets used to be one of my least favourite books because I didn't like Ginny and the plot was not as interesting as the other books. In fact, I planned on skipping this review and just re-read it for the sake of reading the whole Harry Potter set this year (including the three Harry Potter library books). But when my mind was blown -- twice -- whilst re-reading it, I knew I had to write about my newfound love for book two.
I don't know how I missed these in my first and second re-reading of Harry Potter. I guess this experience just proved to me that there's still something new I can discover when I re-read a good book. It may perhaps be because I skipped over that one the first time, or I looked over its significance, or simply, I grew up and became more sensitive to the tiny details in the story.
My first mind-blowing experience with Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets was during the dueling scene. It was the first time that the disarming charm, Expelliarmus, was used in the whole Potter-verse (spoiler alert). And this said disarming charm later became Harry Potter's signature spell. But do you remember who first used the spell? Severus Snape. My Harry Potter screamed when I realised that. I was like, Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Did J.K. Rowling mean for that to happen? Did she realise that? I bet she did because she's epic like that.
The second moment was when I realised this: Voldemort was awarded a Special Awards for Services to the School for "catching" the Heir of Slytherin. Fifty years later, Harry Potter earns the same award for the same reason. God, that realisation was mind blowing. It is also in this book that Voldemort told Harry Potter that they had alot of similarities. But J.K. Rowling, in her brilliance, said it through Dumbledore: "It is our choices that define us. That is certainly true".
Am I the only one who missed out on these things? Heh. I hope not.
There are alot of things that can be said about the three friends. Harry, Hermione and Ron, but this was the first time I truly admired Ron Weasley. I know alot of people love him, but this was the first time I realised how truly brave and loyal he was. This was displayed when he put aside himself and followed Harry into the forest despite his psychological terror of spiders. I am the same towards cockroaches, and I cannot imagine myself doing the same thing he did for anyone. I'll probably have a mental breakdown if I find a cockroach as big as Aragog. His act of doing that for Hagrid and Hermione just spoke volumes about him, and I have started to love him for it.
As I said in my opening statement, Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets used to be one of my least-liked in the series. But now that I've discovered these little gems, I can safely say it's one amazing book. In fact, with these, I feel like I am going to be reading the next five remaining books with a fresh set of eyes. I am ready.
What about you lovely, what's your favourite book in the Harry Potter series?
Synopsis: Harry Potter has never played a sport whilst flying on a broomstick. He's never worn a Cloak of Invisibility, befriended a giant, or helped hatch a dragon. All Harry knows is a miserable life with the Dursleys, his horrible aunt and uncle, and their abominable son, Dudley. Harry's room is a tiny cupboard under the stairs, and he hasn't had a birthday party in ten years.
But that is all about to change when a mysterious letter arrives by owl messenger: a letter with an invitation to a wonderful place he never dreamed existed. There he finds not only friends, aerial sports, and magic around every corner, but a great destiny that's been waiting for him... if Harry can survive the encounter.
Review: I have alot going on this month, and I am taking my sweet time reading books this year, so finishing a book is taking longer than it did the past two years. But I finally re-read Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone after so many years, and let me tell you, I actually hugged the book afterwards. I hesitated in writing this review because what could I say that hasn't already been said? But my mind's been stuck on Harry Potter, and I just had to let it out. So here we are.
Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone is not my favourite book in the series, but it definitely holds a place in my heart because it's the book that introduced us to the amazing, fantastic world of everything - Harry Potter. Even Voldemort because, as Mr. Ollivander's said, "Terrible, but great". Although in this context, when I say great, I meant that he was able to acquire so much knowledge and Voldemort was undeniably, highly skilled, and that is, more often than not, the basis for the usage of the word "great"
I first read this book in 2009, and this copy is so special to me for so many reasons. When the whole Harry Potter franchise became popular in the Philippines around the year 2000, alot of schools banned the books, and the book was highly controversial. You know how I got a copy? My grandmother gave me a money, and then I bought the boxed set. How cool she is? I mean she's pretty conventional and strict Catholic but she didn't buy into the whole "magic is evil" argument that was spouted by some back then.
Another reason why I like Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone is that aside from the loss of Professor Quirrell, whom I first pitied but is now my most disliked characters in the Harry Potter world, all our beloved characters are happy there. If you've read the series, then you must know that the books progressively get darker and darker, and this is one of the books that still has a happy tone to it.
I love the different values espoused in the book even though they are not "in your face". There's a strong family ties, great friendship, support system, discipline, and knowing when to give a person a space and a little slack to get his act together. I also love that even at a young age, Harry, Ron, and Hermione took it upon themselves to do what must be done even though they're scared, or they might get hurt.
Now that I am older and have read more books, I am even more impressed by J.K. Rowling. Whilst reading Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone, I really wondered at her imagination and how she was able to create this whole world, all these characters with different personalities. the various structures (hello, Gringotts and 9 3 quarters?) and the character progression. She put all these fantastical creatures in a single world and made it, and nay, even logical that they are just there (goblins + centaurs + unicorns). Plus, she made you just want to be in that book, or even wish that the whole wizarding world is not just a figment of her imagination, even though there's a "real" evil lurking everywhere. I know she's into adult/mystery books now but I am really waiting for another fantasy series from her. I hope I am not the only one.
Synopsis: It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn't much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband and father of three school-age children. While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to say where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places.
Review: It is finally time for to review a new Harry Potter story and that feels amazing. What doesn't feel amazing is that my thoughts are so conflicted, I finished reading this play and immediately stamped 5.5 on my Goodreads review. It wasn't that I loved the story, it was that I loved being transported back to a world I love, to characters I adore so much and to experience that magic once again. I had tears in my eyes whilst finishing this book because it brought back all those nostalgic feelings. The problem was that the story wasn't good as I had hoped and the more I think about the book, the less happy with it I get. It's currently on a 3/5 with the potential to go lower if I dwell on it anymore. So, no more dwelling, time for reviewing. And don't worry, if you haven't read the book yet then I won't spoil it. I will keep this part completely non-spoilery and have the spoilers after a massive warning, for all those who have read it.
This was never going to be the story that most Harry Potter fans wanted. For one thing, it is a script of a play, and not a novel. We all knew this before buying so it's not a shock, but it does mean it's a weird new way to experience the Harry Potter world. This is something that is supposed to be experienced and watched, not read. The other main issue is that, no matter how largely they write her name on the cover, this was not written by J.K. Rowling. And that is a terrible thing to me as it meant that I felt the characters were just lacking in a way they wouldn't have been if she had wrote it. The characters always just felt a little off and not like the characters we spent seven books getting to know.
The story itself was not at all what I was expecting, but I am mentioning nothing about it here. I think it is better to go blind. We all know this book takes place 19 years after the Battle of Hogwarts, and follows Harry's son Albus rather than Harry. We meet some brilliant characters in this, but also some bad ones. My main issue with the story was that it felt all a bit ridiculous and that alot of it didn't make sense. I, quite honestly, can never view this play as canon because it all just feels ridiculous and as if it would never happen. Another major issue is the gaping plot holes that this book leaves us with, and I hate gaping holes!
So yes, overall I was disappointed, I loved some aspects of this but was really pissed about other, I need to go into spoilery detail to explain that. If you haven't read this yet or seen the play then now is the time to skip out.
I am actually excited to review this and go into all my spoilery thoughts. I have to, I won't be able to contain myself otherwise. I need to lay it all out on the table. First, I need to get this out of the way: I LOVE HARRY POTTER! If you know me in real life or from my blog, Twitter, or Instagram, then you already know this. Harry Potter is my life and has been since I was a teenager. And because of my Gran I bought the whole set of books. Harry Potter was basically my childhood and I loved every minute of it. It was a childhood of midnight releases of books and films. Harry Potter is life and forever will be. But I am never going to be one of those people who is blinded by my love for something. I wanted to love this play, I really did, but I didn't in the end and that is because it has alot of flaws and problems and things I didn't like. Plus, I feel that this is important, it is a script for a play and I feel it is better to experience as a movie.
I will do a very quick summary for anyone reading the spoilery side even if they haven't read the play. Basically the story focuses on Harry's son Albus as he begins attending Hogwarts and gets placed in Slytherin. This is a huge deal and Albus ends up sucking at magic and forever living in his fathers shadow, which he resents, and their relationship is basically strained. Harry is a terrible father for some reason. Scorpius Malfoy is the most adorable bean of all time, and him and Albus become best friends. who are totally in love with each other - we'll get to that later -. Amos Diggory shows up out of the blue with his niece Delphi, wanting Harry to go back in time and save Cedric's life. Harry even though the one last surviving time turner has been found, lies and says he can't. Albus then decides to do it himself, with the help of good ol' Scorpius. Of course going back in time and changing one tiny detail changes everything. So then they keep having to go back, changing things until we eventually figure out that Delphi is the love child of Voldemort and Bellatrix and she wants to go back in time to prevent him from ever killing Harry, so that he would never have been defeated. And, yeah, the simplified version of this messy plot.
The first thing I have to mention is probably what anyone who has read it wanted to discuss the most... Voldemort had a love child with Bellatrix Lestrange! REALLY?!?!?! I got to that point in the book and suddenly understood why I heard people saying that they felt this read like a fan fiction. My mouth dropped open and disappointment set in. It just makes zero sense tom me, and the explanation of it and timeline of those events also makes no sense to me. I just don't see Voldemort as someone concerned with having a child. His plan was to get the Deathly Hallows and master death, so he wasn't looking for an heir. And, come on, it's like the guy has even one tiny paternal bone in his body. The only thing that does make sense is that if Voldemort had a kid with anyone, it would be Bellatrix, you can totally see her wanting to have his baby. I still don't get how this all happened and no one knew. And that it was never alluded to in the final book. She apparently gave birth in the Malfoy Manor before the Battle of Hogwarts. So where was the baby whilst she was off fighting? Why did Draco not know about it? Or did he and just never felt like he should mention it? Come on, this is the most ridiculous Harry Potter story line in the history of ever and I am going to pretend that it is a fan fiction and not cannon because otherwise I'd have to rate this a 1/5 and I just can't deal with that right now.
The next thing we have to discuss is the main plot device here: Time Travel. Why?! Do not mess with the time travel, it's far too overused and just results in endless plot holes and problems. This book is not an exception to that rule. Especially when we take into account that the main plot here is that Albus and Scorpius want to use the time turner to go back in time and save Cedric Diggory's life.
They have a time turner that can take them back years and they are going to use this to save Cedric Diggory. Can we all take a moment to appreciate how utterly pointless and stupid that act would be if we think about the fact they could go back in time and strangle tiny, evil baby Voldemort and save thousands of people?! Oh no, let's just go back in time and save one boy.
That is like someone giving you a time turner in our world and going back in time to save Anne Frank, rather than killing Hitler. If you kill the evil overlord then you would save all the people that died at their hands. So the whole time I am just sitting here wanting to slap everyone for just being so stupid. But it is obvious why they can't all suddenly realise they have the power to murder Voldemort and prevent everything. It would mean that everything that came after that would completely change and the first seven Harry Potter books would never have happened. So of course we can't have that, so we will just have this giant stupid plot hole instead.
The next biggest problem with this book is the characterisation and how wrong it is in this play. Ron is suddenly reduced to just a little bit of comedic relief. He just eats food and pulls pranks and apparently got so drunk at his wedding and that he forgot most of it. Why has Ron suddenly turned into a Weasley twin too? I know he liked pranks and found them funny before but he was no Fred or George. And why is he giving a small boy a love potion as a joke gift? He was put under the influence of love potion and it wasn't an experience he particularly enjoyed, so I can't see him then being stupid enough to give one to a child. I hated seeing what Jack Thorne reduced his character to here, it was not fun to read.
Harry was even worse, I hated him being the world's worst father who would be horrible to tell his son that sometimes he wished he wasn't his son. I just don't see Harry ever saying that. I feel he would love his children, no matter how difficult they could be and appreciate being able to be there for them, as he never had that as a child. And watching him treat Professor McGonagall made even for even more unpleasant reading. Am I supposed to believe that Harry, the guy who flipped out when a Death Eater spat on her, would then go and treat her with so little respect? Nope, I am not buying that.
Hermione was just as hard to read, especially in the timeline where she and Ron and never got together. She basically becomes a female version of Snape. She's the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts who treats the children horribly. She's nasty and bitter, and apparently all because she didn't wind up with Ron?! No. Are we really reducing Hermione down to this? She is a strong, brave, kind person and I don't see her ever turning that bitter because of a guy. She is so much better than that. Why did J.K. Rowling give this her stamp of approval?
And I am still sold on the fact that getting humiliated one time would suddenly turn Cedric Diggory into an evil Death Eater situation but it is just awful. I don't believe for one second that Cedric would allow that one moment in his life change him so completely that he suddenly goes to the Harry Potter dark side and start working for Voldemort. No.
I have another big issue and that is, Scorpius and Albus are blatantly in love with each other. The issue isn't that they love each other, the issue is that it seems super obvious to 90% of people reading and yet it is never addressed. Come on, they totally love each other and I ship it endlessly. I just get so sad to see the potential to have our first openly gay couple in the Harry Potter universe squandered. These two were just utterly adorable. Not just watch them fill a play with so much homoerotic subtext and then just brush it all aside at the end. In my mind they become the most adorably squishy couple ever, get married and join the Potter and the Malfoy households.
It wasn't all bad though and there were aspects that I really liked. The biggest one being Scorpius Malfoy. He is adorable and I just loved his character. He is so sweet and kind, and I was just happy with his character. I also loved that Albus and Scorpius were both Slytherins, and both kind, wonderful Slytherins. I have a big spot for Slytherin house so I was happy that this plays shows that Slytherins are just as awesome. I also loved when Ron told Hermione he wanted to renew their wedding vows.
Writing this review actually felt quite therapeutic, but I must admit that the more I think about the story the more upset I get, I just wanted this to be amazing and everything I was hoping for, and it wasn't, I feel this was definitely missing J.K. Rowling's touch and I wish she had been the one to write the script, as I feel the characters would have felt more real if she had. It wasn't all bad and I enjoyed the story whilst reading. It blew my mind reading it, as I tried to figure out how they were going to pull this off on stage. I can't ever consider this as a canon because it is just had too many plot holes and makes little sense when you think back on the Harry Potter Books.
Bloomsbury Reveals Plans to Celebrate Twentieth "Potter" Anniversary
Last October saw the release of the first Jim Kay Illustrated Harry Potter. The next in the series, Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets, is due to be released this coming October. The first in the series had already sold over 94,000 copies in the UK. In the lead up to the release of the second illustrated book and following the second successful Harry Potter Book Night on February 4, Bloomsbury have revealed their upcoming Potter plans. With the twentieth anniversary of Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone looming in 2017, plenty of plans are in place to celebrate this exciting anniversary. Special Hogwarts house editions of the first book, Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone/Philosopher's Stone will be published in 2017 to coincide with the anniversary.
The plans also include ways of celebrating the upcoming Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them film, which is due to be released this coming November. An updated version of the school text book, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them originally published in 2001, will be released early 2017. The new edition will contain new content from J.K. Rowling.
Bloomsbury also plan to publish Illustrated editions of The Hogwarts Library books and the releases will be staggered from 2017.
Bloomsbury will commission three new illustrators to create lavish, full-colour illustrated editions of J.K. Rowling's three Hogwarts Library books, starting with Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them in Autumn 2017, The Tales of Beedle of the Bard in 2018, and Quidditch Through The Ages in 2019. Illustrator announcements will follow in due course.
Scholastic, Little Brown UK to Publish "Cursed Child" Script this Summer!
Only a couple of weeks ago, I was cautiously optimistic that Harry Potter and The Cursed Child would be published as a book sooner than I originally hoped, meaning those fans unable to make the trip to London to see the show wouldn't be missing out on reading the next chapter of Harry's (and Albus') story. Now, I have confirmed - the full script of Cursed Child will be released on Harry's (and Jo's) birthday: July 31, 2016. Of course this is only a day after the play officially opens (although it does run in previews for a few weeks prior) which means that readers around the world will get the chance to read the story almost in real time, greatly reducing the risk of running across spoilers on the internet.
In the U.S., the book will cost $29.99, and in Canada it will priced at $39.99. The British hardcover will be £20. A digital edition will be released via Pottermore simultaneously. Information released by the publishers states that this edition will contain the script of the play as it stands during the production's preview period - a Special Rehearsal Edition. As further rehearsal and transition to performing in front of the live audiences may produce changes to the script, this edition will be available for a limited time - a Definitive Collector's Edition with the final version of the script will be released at a later date.
The CEO of Little Brown Book Group UK, David Shelley said of the announcement:
We are so thrilled to be publishing the script of Harry Potter and The Cursed Child. J.K. Rowling and her team have received a huge number of appeals from fans who can't be in London to see the play and who would like to see the play in book format - and so we are absolutely delighted to be able to make it available for them.
Scholastic's promotion for the book's release has already got me excited. And planning which robes I am going to wear to the midnight release of course. Wait, there's no such thing as midnight release here in the Philippines.
Upcoming Film: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Cast: Eddie Redmayne (Newt Scamander), Katherine Waterston (Porpentina "Tina" Goldstein), Dan Fogler (Jacob Kowalski), Samantha Morton (Mary Lou), Ezra Miller (Credence), Collin Farrell (Percival Graves), Faith Wood-Balgrove (Modesty), Carmen Ejogo (Seraphina), Jon Bought (Henry Shaw), Ron Perlman (Gnarlack) Directed by: David Yates Date Premiered: November 18, 2016 Distributed by: Warner Bros. Pictures Based on: Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them (Newt Scamander -J.K. Rowling) Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Family
Synopsis: The story revolves around Newt Scamander's arrival at the Magical Congress of the United States of America (MACUSA), for a meeting with an important official. Central to the story and this meeting is a magically expanded briefcase which houses a number of dangerous creatures and their habitats. When the creatures escape from the briefcase, it sends the American Wizarding after Newt, and it threatens even further strain the state of magical and non-magical relations, which is already in a dangerous place, due to the threatening presence of fanatical New Salem Philanthropic Society, an extremist organisation dedicated to the eradication of wizard-kind. The story tells of what effect this devastating mistake has on the state of wizard/No-Maj (the American term for a non-magical person) relations in New York City's community of wizards and witches in 1926, the effort to correct the mistakes, and the horrors of the resultant increase in violence, fear, and tension felt between magical and non-magical people.
Thoughts: I thought I would be done with this. I thought I had cried my final tears four years ago when the last Harry Potter film ended. Never would I have thought that I would be writing related to Harry Potter in my adult life, especially something that is relevant to our present day. But as Warner Bros. have decided to adapt J.K. Rowling's novel Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them to the big screen. I am obviously going to take any chance that I can get to write about it. Within the past couple of months, the public have been given a handful of information about the film here and there, which have been spread sporadically through our social media platforms. However, I am going to try and lay out all the information I could gather about the film for you all in one post. And I hope that my inner childhood Harry Potter fan girl doesn't take over.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is originally a 2001 novel written by J.K. Rowling under the pseudonym of Newt Scamander, a fictional magizoologist (the study of magical creatures). In the book, Scamander lists the 85 magical creatures that reside around the world, which he found through observations from his travel around 5 different continents. Within the Harry Potter Universe, Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them is uses as a Hogwarts textbook that is compulsory for first year students (even though the class Care of Magical Creatures is not introduced until third year). However, the book is a helpful encyclopedia to identify dark creatures for the class Defense Against the Dark Arts, and according to Dumbledore, is a wonderful addition for a wizarding household.
Newt Scamander
As the current synopsis goes, the film will follow the adventures of Newt Scamander and his quest to find magical beasts. J.K. Rowling herself has stated that it does not serve as prequel or a sequel to the Harry Potter world, but will act as an addition to the Wizarding Universe. It will take place in 1920's New York, which is seven decades before Harry Potter and his gang go to Hogwarts.
Because the film is set in America, we definitely get to see US witches and wizards right? Absolutely! If your are religiously following Rowling on Twitter, you would know that she has already teased the idea of the American School of Wizadry. Even though it is uncertain that we will be introduced to this school, we do get to meet some of its ex-students and may even explore the inner workings of American magic, which apparently is influenced by Native American culture.
It's reunion time for the Harry Potter crew, as all have worked on most/all of the movies within the franchise. Producer David Hey man and Executive Producer Lionel Wigram are making their comeback alongside David Yates who directed the last four Harry Potter films. J.K. Rowling has written the script herself with the involvement from Steve Kloves, who has scripted all but one of the Harry Potter films.
Unlike the crew, we won't be seeing any of the original cast return for the film.
Like The Hobbit, this one singular novel will be turned into three films. Kevin Tsujihara has already confirmed that it will become "three mega movies" and J.K. Rowlkng has nearly finished the material for the first film and is already working on the two additional chapters. Release dates have already been chosen, with the first movie set to come out on November 18, 2016 and the two preceding on November 16, 2018 and November 20, 2020.
Thank you, Warner Bros. Thank you for keeping the Harry Potter and all its magic alive. From what I have read, the public, young and old, are genuinely excited to see this novel adapted into a live-action. Hopefully the success of this film will manifest into others within The Hogwarts Library like Quidditch Through The Ages and The Tales of Beedle The Bard
Harry Potter and The Cursed Child is the upcoming two-part West End stage play scheduled to open in July 2016, set nineteen years after the end of Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows, which will be about Harry Potter (now a Ministry of Magic employee) and his son Albus Potter. Considered to be the sequel of the Harry Potter books, most fans are worried because they will not be able to experience it since it is only available for those who can visit London. However, the big hope of getting the play script published as a book was latent since the announcement.
And there seems to be good news now. I read that at least two publishers are trying to get the rights to publish the script play. Remember it is not a J.K. Rowling's work, given the play is written by Jack Thorne and he will probably listed as the author - which is an important fact to be considered in the negotiations.
This is all I know so far - but two publishers negotiating to get the publishing rights is a good sign and almost a confirmation that we will Harry Potter and The Cursed Child published as a book.
Personal Thoughts: This was originally posted on my Facebook Account last July 31, 2011.
I was nearly late to the ending of my childhood. Just seen Harry Potter the other day.
I'd only gotten home at two in the morning, and the end was to begin at 9:30 in the morning. And because the world is conspiring against me on that morning in particular, my bus with the petrol fumes spilling out the back into the crisp morning air, pulled up around ten minutes late.
Still, I made it there on time -- well, only a minute or two late -- for the end. Even if I did have to run down, and take a short cut through the stations beneath the city streets, it was all worth it to get there on time.
Later, my friend told me that if I'd come the first day of showing, I'd have experienced the best part. The way the boys and girls, eighteen, nineteen, twenty and dressed in preppy school uniforms with a crest featuring a familiar badger, snake, eagle, and lion all surrounding a large letter H, greeted each other by saying "Hello, fellow wizards".
Me, I think this kind of nerdiness is awesome. I think in my childhood, I would have found it more awesome. I am sad I missed it, but at least I was there, stumbling up the cinema steps into the hushed, darkened theatre before the movie began.
I want to say that I loved the movie. That I loved every last minute of my childhood's ending, but the truth is that sometimes my friend was distracted by my melodramatic laughter, or tears, the way I accidentally knocked an entire tub of popcorn into the aisle by jumping at one point. And my 2:00am bedtime the night before meant that sometimes my attention was divided between The Dark Lord vs Harry Potter vs my sleepiness, or the chill of the cinema.
Still it was amazing. I no longer want to experience a transformation like Cinderella. I want to experience a transformation like a female version of Neville Longbottom. Old Draco was a laugh. Albus Severus Potter sniffed every ten seconds and was adorable and Severus Snape made me tear up behind my 3D glasses.
I wished that it wouldn't end, but it did. My childhood slowly died. It only took a few hours and by the end of it, I felt grown up. More grown up than I did after my eighteenth birthday. More grown up, even, than when I go out and don't get asked for ID.
Afterwards, we hung around the cinema, staring at the posters of characters who'd become our childhood friends. We milled around in the shabby exhibition in the cinema had put together, marveling over bits and bobs of paper from the films of the set. The stupidest things, really, apart from this gorgeous dress of Luna Lovegood's, but there was a sense that you had to marvel. You had to be awed, because this was the end.
And then we left the scene of the crime, the place where our childhoods died, and we went and got a late lunch. At an almost respectable establishment that didn't serve hamburgers or french fries or pizza or anything like that. And then we went to a café and I ordered two long blacks, because God I was still tired from the night before. And the barista looked at me like I was crazy because how many people like me like their coffee that strong with no sugar?
But my childhood had just died. I wasn't in the mood to justify anything.
Much later that day, when I got home, I searched for my ticket. The one with Cinema 3, and that fantastic title, Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows, emblazoned upon it, I dumped the entire contents of my wallet and bag out onto my desk, turning over odd stuffs that I didn't know I had in the process, but it wasn't there. The ticket was gone. My childhood was gone.
Upcoming Show: Harry Potter and The Cursed Child (Stage Play) Cast: Jamie Parker (Harry Potter), Noma Dumezweni (Hermione Granger), Paul Thornley (Ron Weasley) Directed by: John Tiffany Date Premiered: July 30, 2016 Place Premiered: Palace Theatre, London, United Kingdom Based on: Harry Potter Series (J.K. Rowling) Genre: Fantasy, Drama
Synopsis: Harry Potter and The Cursed Child is an upcoming two-part West End stage play, written by Jack Thorns and based on a story by author J.K. Rowling, Thorns and director John Tiffany. The play is scheduled to open in July 2016, at the Palace Theatre, London, England, and will feature Rowling collaborating with an experienced team to bring the production to the stage. The play is set nineteen years after the conclusion of Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows and follows Harry Potter, now a Ministry of Magic employee, and his youngest son Albus Severus Potter.
It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn't much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband and father of three school-age children.
Whilst Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes darkness comes from unexpected places.
Thoughts: So if you have been following this blog for awhile, you would know that I am a HUGE Harry Potter fan. The story line was something perfect. Even though multiple of the books were out when I first started reading them, I still grew up on the books. I would not be where I am today if Harry Potter wasn't a part of my life, and I don't think lot of us would be. Harry Potter shaped my childhood, and shaped who I am today. This is why when it was announced that there was going to be a Harry Potter play, called the Harry Potter and The Cursed Child, I was ecstatic. I had absolutely no idea what it was going to be about, but just knowing there was going to be an extension of the Harry Potter world in some form, it was amazing.
Jamie Parker, Paul Thornley and Noma Dumezweni
The plot was announced, and the entire Potter fandom freaked. We are getting an eighth story. They are continuing the story from where it left off. The tagline for the play is "The Eighth Story, Nineteen Years Later".
I was completely fangirling for many, many hours after this was announced. I still am freaking out and fangirling about this play. However, it sort of died down, and turned into a little bit of disappointment and confusion, when I realised that this was a play. It was a play, which at least for now was only premiering in London. How was I, living in the Philippines, going to be able to watch a play that was only showing in London?
This doesn't just apply to me. Potterheads from all over the world started to wonder the exact same thing. How were they going to be able to experience this amazing story, the continuation of a story that we have all loved and grown up with, if they didn't live in London? Harry Potter and The Cursed Child is still in the early stages, and you never know. There could be a professionally filmed version of the play for people to see all over the world, the play could tour the world for others to see, or they may even be a book written for the play.
However, those things, if they were to even happen are very far down the road. The play itself premieres in July 2016, which means that for people that have no way to see the play in London, it could be years before we find out more about what happened nineteen years later.
Don't get me wrong, I am sooper excited to eventually see what happens in this play. If J.K. Rowling thought that the best way to get across her new story, would be showing it up on stage, then I trust her. Though by having thousands and millions of Harry Potter fans around the world, and then making the eighth story available not even a tenth of those fans, just don't feel like a very smart idea.
J.K. Rowling herself said:
"I am confident that when audiences see Harry Potter and The Cursed Child they will understand why we chose to tell this story in this way."
Do I wish that our long awaited eighth story, sequel, to the Harry Potter series would have been released in a different format? Yes. Do I wish that the format had been in a book? Absolutely. I just hope that they somehow find a way to get this story to all Potterheads around the world.
I would absolutely hate to miss out on this amazing sequel to my favourite series of all time, just because I didn't live in the right place.
Harry Potter will always be a huge part of my life. I re-read the books all the time, and have multiple movie marathons every month. My dream place to go would be the Harry Potter studio in London, or the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Florida. I am a huge Potterhead, and I always will be. I hope that I will be able to see this continuation of the Wizarding World in some way, and that I will be able to experience the continuation of the magic that J.K. Rowling has created.
If you would like to hear more about the play and some official information on it, you can check it out here and here.
I am sorry about this rant, I just felt sad about the subject, and it's all that I have been able to think about for the last 24 hours or so when I found out.
I hope that some of you share my same feelings on this topic. I am still sooper excited for this play, and I can't wait to see how it plays out. I just hope that I get to see this for myself, and not through somebody else's eyes.
Synopsis: When Barry Fair brother dies in his early forties, the residents of the small town of Pagford are shaken. Barry was a father, a husband, and a friend. But at the same time, others in this seemingly ideal English town are secretly devastated about Barry's death. Now that Barry is gone, his former seat on the parish council is open. With an election in the works for Pagford, the town finds itself divided. Barry was a crusader for the people living in the Fields, the poor development that is technically part of the principality of Pagford, but still looked down on. Now that Barry is gone, the fate of the Fields and the addiction clinic are in peril. For people like sixteen-year-old Krystal Weedon, Barry was someone who believed in her and saw the best in her, when to everyone else she was just the daughter of a druggie and a prostitute. To others, Krystal is just another reason Pagford should have nothing to do with the fields and its residents. As the election looms over the small town, each candidate has a different motif for running and each has their secrets. Through the eyes of the many different residents of a small English town, The Casual Vacancy looks at poverty, secrecy, and the gaping hole left on a town by one man.
Review: This is J.K. Rowling's first book for adults and her first book outside of the Harry Potter series, which was obviously what brought about her fame and success. Before you start reading this book, if you choose too, you should come in with no expectations and forget about the name on the cover. To enjoy this book, I really think you have to let go of Harry Potter for at least a few days and take The Casual Vacancy for what it is. Initially, I was under the impression that this book was a murder mystery. I quickly chose to forget everything I thought I knew about J.K. Rowling as a writer and pretend this book had been written by anyone else. The only thing that this novel and Harry Potter have in common is that they are both very good. Whilst I would say that some of the strongest aspects of the Harry Potter books are the construction of plot and the world building, that's not the case for The Casual Vacancy. World building is more important in fantasy, and the plot isn't what drags you into this book unlike Harry Potter. Like in Harry Potter, the characters were what made me love this book, but in a completely different way. Whilst the Harry Potter books were very much about the internal battle between good and evil in all of us, I think everyone had characters that they loved, even if they were flawed. Any of the characters in The Casual Vacancy would give you reason to detest them, but I thought they were all very real. I was impressed with the honesty it would have taken when writing the many characters in this novel, and even admired how Rowling wasn't afraid to show the very worst parts of people, without apologies.
I am a big fan of the Harry Potter books, but somehow I was still impressed by the writing in The Casual Vacancy. There were honestly a few parts where I would put the book down and curse, because the writing was so impressive. I was very impressed and easily engrossed in the story. I was also impressed by how smoothly the novel transitioned through the different characters' narratives. The multiple third person perspectives were handled expertly, and having so many characters could have easily made this book fall flat. Another one of its strong points was the deep emotional effect it had, and how well it presented the issues that were at the heart of the novel. This is really a novel about poverty and prejudice and Rowling dealt with important issues that were obviously very important to her very well. After finishing this book, I felt sort of like I had been punched in the stomach, in the most heart breaking way. That sounds like a bad thing, but this is the type of story that should leave you feeling that way, if the writer is doing their job.
I haven't read very many reviews of this book, but I can guess what the main criticisms are. Firstly, this book is slower moving at the beginning, although it might feel that way in part because of all my anxiety over whether I would like this book by my favourite author. There were alot of swearing and things that you would never see in a Harry Potter book, like sex, drugs, rape, and abuse. I feel like most people are complaining about the swearing, but this is a book for adults, and based on the topic and some of the characters, of course there's going to be swearing. I don't think it would be true to character if some of the people in this book didn't swear. I feel like people will make a big deal about the writer of such beloved children's books writing a very adult novel. But I was impressed with how J.K. Rowling boldly departed from her former series in a very extreme way. If you want this book to be the next Harry Potter, then just skip it and re-read the books you already love. However, if you think you can read a great book by a great writer without any expectations, then The Casual Vacancy is a book that deals with unpleasant truths with fearless honesty.
Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone (Illustrated Edition)
Author: J.K. Rowling Illustrator: Jim Kay Ratings: 5/5
Synopsis: Harry Potter has never been the star of a Quidditch team, scoring points whilst riding a broom far above the ground. He knows no spells, has never helped to hatch a dragon, and has never worn a cloak of invisibility.
All he knows is a miserable life with the Dursleys, his horrible aunt and uncle, and their abominable son Dudley - a great big swollen spoiled bully. Harry's room is a tiny closet at the foot of the stairs, and he hasn't had a birthday party in eleven years. But all that is about to change when a mysterious letter arrives by owl messenger: a letter with an invitation to an incredible place that Harry - and anyone who reads about him - will find unforgettable.
Review: This is around the sixth or seventh time that I've read the Harry Potter series. Let me tell you right now, I don't read books six or seven times. Of course, Harry Potter isn't a 5/5 star-books. I'd say it's closer to 500/5.
Because of that, this isn't going the one of my normal reviews where I talk about pros and cons and character development. I highly recommend the story of Harry Potter but what I am reviewing now is this particular edition of Harry Potter.
Words cannot describe how excited I was when I first heard that they were making illustrated editions of these beloved books. Although I was a month late of buying it cus a) I bought seven books of Rick Riordan b) both Fully Booked and National Book Store and even the online sellers were saying they don't have the book available on their shelf anymore. So I have to wait. Only afer two months of the agony of waiting, Fully Booked said they have it but on a UK edition which is a bit pricey compare to the US edition.
I was not disappointed at all. And I would highly recommend it. However, I understand that this is pretty expensive book £30.00 or in Philippine Peso, it is PhP 2,099.00. So here are all the things you should know before you make a decision on whether or not to buy it.
The entire story is in here: Nothing was cut out of the original story or substituted for a picture that illustrated the same basic idea. Well for some spellings as I got mine on a UK edition. Some words had been spelled differently from the US edition.
The book is incredibly well-made: Every page is glossy and thick. It's a solid hardback and the spine do not crease or fold even when I had this gigantic book flopped open on my lap. It comes with one of those cute little built-in ribbon bookmarks.
Some of the punctuation is a little weird: I was surprised to see when I first opened the book that some of the punctuation was changed from the original Harry Potter books I was used to. It also doesn't use periods after words like mister (i.e. Mr instead of Mr.) It's not the biggest deal in the world and I didn't find it too distracting but if that's something you have an issue with, be aware.
The text is in columns: Like in a newspaper, the text in this book is in columns instead of just straight across the page.
The illustrations are stunning: I was tempted to completely litter this review with pictures of my favourite pages, but I honestly feel like I would end up showing you the entire book and ruining the fun of seeing the pictures for the first time in the book.
There aren't illustrations on every single page: Sometimes there are pictures that take up two whole, side-by-side pages and sometimes there are two side-by-side pages with no illustrations at all, leaving you with just the columns of text. These pages are still wonderful (how could they not be, they're covered in words from The Philosopher's Stone) and have a cool background that makes them seem as if they could've been written on parchment paper.
This book isn't life-changing: If you hated Harry Potter on your first go-around, this version most likely isn't going to change your opinion. But how did you hate Harry Potter on your first go-around?
This book is a really fun new way to experience Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone: The Illustration Edition aren't just cartoon versions of the same scenes and faces you see in the movies or the original little illustrations in the books. By picking this book, you're getting a fresh new experience and perspective. I completely adored this book. My ratings isn't just for the story that I already knew that I loved, but it's also for the incredible illustrations. I would 100% recommend picking this up, it blew me away.
The Hogwarts Library: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Author: Newt Scamander (J.K. Rowling)
Ratings: 5/5
Synopsis: A copy of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them? resides in almost every wizarding household in the country. Now Muggles too have the chance to discover where the Quintaped lives, what the Puffskein eats and why it is best not to leave milk out for a Knarl.
Review: I liked Quidditch Through The Ages. But I loved Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them? I find it quite difficult to get into books that don't really have a plot, neither of these books do, yet I was really intrigued by the content of this book more-so than that in Quidditch Through The Ages. I think this might purely be because of the fact that in my opinion magical creatures > magical sport, but regardless, I found it so easy to flick through the pages.
True Harry Potter fans will love the "triple-threat" action that this book features due to a) J.K.'s wonderful writing style b) Harry and Ron's sarcastic comments handwritten throughout the pages and c) simply reading such rich, detailed information about all of the beasts and magical creatures that are quite possibly lurking around our Muggle world.
The book is split into two parts, the first part giving a summary of the history of fantastic beasts, the second part being an encyclopedia of sorts. It even features the Ministry of Magic's danger classification. The second part was definitely my favourite part to read, and I loved imagining all of the creatures based on the description given. I definitely had a little nerd thrill every time I recognised a creature that was featured in the books. My favourite entries though, go to the Kelpie and the Moon Calf. The Moon Calf is a little flat-footed creature with bulging eyes that dances in the moonlight. And the Kelpie is a shape-shifting water demon that drags travelers underwater and eats them.
Overall, I really love this little book. It's the perfect Harry Potter companion, along with the Quidditch Through Ages and The Tales of Beedle The Bard. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them? is set to become a trilogy -screen written by Joanne herself- which I am excited for as it's about the author of this book's journey discovering all of the magical creatures featured in the silver screen.
Synopsis: Did you know that there are 700 ways of committing a foul in Quidditch? The first game began to evolve on Queerditch Marsh - What Bumphing is? That Puddlemere United is oldest team in the Britain and Ireland league (founded 1163). All this information and much more could be yours once you have read this book. This is all you could ever need to know about the history - the rules, and the breaking of all the rules - of the noble wizarding sport of Quidditch.
Review: Naturally I couldn't leave it behind - anything remotely to do with Harry Potter becomes an obsession of mine - and it now takes pride of place next to the Harry Potter series on my bookshelf. This teensy 105-page book was one of the two books that Joanne wrote in aid of Comic Relief, the second of which is soon to be a film! It's basically a fictional nonfiction work featuring everything you ever wish to know about Quidditch. Personally, I wish that she would write up every single book that is ever mentioned in the books, but alas, that has not yet happened.
One of the things that I adore about this book is that it features J.K. Rowling's signature simple, winning writing style. It's such an easy read and I literally flipped through the pages in about an hour. Each chapter contains hilarious tidbits of information about Quidditch and broomsticks, the time-scale ranging from 1107 to present day. The evolution of the magical game is simply genius, and the writing style makes everything so authentic. My favourite part (aside from reading about the broomsticks) was learning about how the Golden Snitch came about - the pretty, golden version that Harry uses during the Harry Potter series replacing a poor golden bird that was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Little additional features of the copy include a foreward written by Albus Dumbledore himself, and within every copy is also a little glossary type descriptive section at the back that lists Quidditch teams that played in the British and Irish League and a bunch of Quidditch moves and hilarious little drawings showing them in action.
Synopsis: Harry is waiting in Privet Drive. The Order of the Phoenix is coming to escort him safely away without Voldemort and his supporters knowing - if they can. But what will Harry do then? How can he fulfill the momentous and seemingly impossible task that Voldemort has left him?
Review: I know many fans find The Deathly Hallows disappointing. In one sense, I understand the feeling. The book differs drastically from its predecessors in both structure and tone. This is not simply "Year Seven" at boarding school. Harry, Ron and Hermione have left Hogwarts to embark upon a more traditional epic fantasy quest to find magical artifacts.
Although Deathly Hallows probably could never have satisfied the fevered expectations of fans in 2007, the book does suffer from introducing too much plot too late in the series. Almost everything the heroes needed to do in order to defeat Voldemort they learn and accomplish in this book. It makes the book and the series as a whole
In The Half-Blood Prince Dumbledore discovers that Voldemort created seven Horcruxes in order to preserve his soul. One - Tom Riddle's Diary - was destroyed in The Chamber of Secrets whilst Dumbledore destroyed another - Marvolo's Ring - sometime before The Half-Blood Prince. That means Harry, Ron and Hermione still have to find and destroy five additional Horcruxes in the final book. In theory, the Horcruxes could be anywhere and anything. That alone would pose a huge obstacle, enough for most epic fantasy novels.
Because the task is so daunting, The Deathly Hallows - rightly - tries to make the process of searching for Horcruxes seem difficult. We needed to see Harry, Ron and Hermione wandering in the woods at a loss for what to do. Yet, because none of the previous books featured Horcruxes, The Deathly Hallows bears this burden alone. In other words, this one book - which supposedly finishes the series - also acts as the beginning, middle and end of the Horcrux subplot. Thus, it feels like a cheat when Harry, Ron and Hermione manage to destroy all of them (with an assist from Neville Longbottom) so quickly. It's quite convenient that Voldemort hid all five Horcruxes in the greater London metropolitan area rather than say, in a junkyard in China or in a deep ocean trench.
On top of that, halfway into The Deathly Hallows, the book adds yet another artifact quest. Harry, Ron, and Hermione must not only destroy Horcruxes but also stop Voldemort from obtaining the Deathly Hallows. Harry still needed to learn to truly accept death as part of human life. However, you'd think that by book seven in the series, the characters would basically know what they have to do and have already started doing it. Because the book needs to spend so much time on exposition for these additional quests, it has less time to spend exploring the implications of these plot developments.
The Deathly Hallows feels more like the end of the beginning than the end, or even the beginning of the end.
For example, there was a moment when Harry considers pursuing The Deathly Hallows for himself. He already has the Resurrection Stone and Invisibility Cloak, and he knows where to find the Elder Wand. With these three, he would become master over death and supposedly have the power to bring the dead back to life. Even with everything Harry has learnt up to this point, I still think this was - or should have been - a difficult choice. Wouldn't he have been tempted to bring his parents back? Even Dumbledore couldn't resist trying to use the Ressurection Stone to ressurect his sister. Harry's decision should have been a crucial moment for the character, but the book barely touched upon it. I felt that we as readers needed to see Harry struggle at least to make the right choice.
And yet, even if the dénouement feels rushed, emotionally The Deathly Hallows works a story about accepting death. The Tale of Three Brothers with the younger brother who wore the invisibility cloak and welcome death as an old friend, is a beautiful metaphor for passing on gracefully. Harry's walk through the Forbidden Forest to meet his own death at Voldemort's hands reflects a mature acceptance and acknowledgement of the human condition. I am sure many readers cried when the ghosts of James and Lily Potter, Sirius Black, and Remus Lupin appeared to comfort Harry.
I wouldn't consider The Deathly Hallows to be the greatest book in the series, but I am also not disappointed. It has some good ideas and the slower parts - the character development, exposition, even the wandering in the forest - were necessary to obtain the emotional pay off at the end. I just wish J.K. Rowling had spread a bit more of the plot and exposition amongst the other six books. The Deathly Hallows doesn't feel like the final installment of a seven-book series building to a climax. In fact, taking the Harry Potter series as a whole, I'd say Deathly Hallows contains around 80% of the crucial plot, making previous six books feel like glorified back story.
Epilogue:
The epilogue of The Deathly Hallows has become infamous. Deservedly so. The final book in a series should provide a sense of closure. The Deathly Hallows epilogue really only reveals the marital status of the main characters, which readers probably could have guessed. (Ron and Hermione, Harry and Ginny). It does not resolve the many remaining questions. Did Hermione succeed in promoting Elfish welfare? Did Harry ever become an Auror? Did Draco Malfoy find redemption - or is he still a shady Slytherin? How did wizarding society achieve peace and reconciliation after such a bloody civil war? After all, many wizards and witches such as Dolores Umbridge willingly supported Voldemort's anti-muggle policies.
Apparently, the Pottermore website has short stories about the lives of the main characters after The Deathly Hallows.
Synopsis: It is the middle of summer, but there is an unseasonal mist pressing against the windowpanes. Harry Potter is waiting nervously in his bedroom at the Dursley's house in Privet Drive for a visit from Professor Dumbledore himself. One of the last times he saw the Headmaster was in a fierce one-on-one duel with Lord Voldemort, and Harry can't quite believe that Professor Dumbledore will actually appear at the Dursley's of all places. Why is the Professor coming to visit him now? What is it that cannot wait until Harry returns to Hogwarts in a few weeks' time? Harry's sixth year at Hogwarts has already got off to an unusual start, as the worlds of muggles and magic start to intertwine.
Review: It should have been called Harry Potter and You-Know-Who because the primary plot gives Harry - and the readers - a glimpse into Voldemort's back story. Dumbledore schedules private lessons in which he uses the Pensieve to show Harry from key moments in Voldemort's life.
In the Half-Blood Prince, J.K. Rowling combines intimidating and pathetic into Voldemort, as if Sauron and Saruman were a single character. It's tricky because those two character traits works against each other. Before The Half-Blood Prince, Voldemort was successful at managing his reputation that few wizards even dared to speak his name aloud. Only a handful of wizards realised that in his youth Voldemort was Tom Riddle, and only Dumbledore seems to have pieced together his back story. We only saw Voldemort a few times, and whenever he appeared somebody usually died. In the The Goblet of Fire he demonstrate his casual disregard for life by telling Peter Pettigrew to "Kill the spare" (Cedric Diggory)
After The Half-Blood Prince, readers learn that Tom Riddle's hatred of muggles all comes down to daddy issues. Riddle's mother tricked his muggle father into loving her, only to leave her when the spell wore off. Riddle's mother died after childbirth, leaving young Tom in an orphanage. The book strips away the cool, cruel image that Voldemort created for himself and reveals him to be deeply insecure and emotional. With the veil of mystery lifted, Voldemort becomes less scary and more pathetic. In fact, if the young Tom Riddle weren't such a creep, I suspect many readers would have felt bad for him.
But readers don't get feel sympathetic for Voldemort because the back story never actually "humanizes" the character. Voldemort was inherently evil, and nothing in his back story changes my assessment. There's no tragedy about Tom Riddle, no sense of missed opportunities, no possibility of redemption. We never get the sense that Voldemort had good in him, or that he might have turned from evil had his mum and dad loved him. When Dumbledore first met Tom in the orphanage, he already bullies other kids and steals from them.
Ultimately, The Half-Blood Prince manages to leave Voldemort's evilness intact even after removing some of the mystery; it's just a different type of evil. It's a good balance that makes Voldemort just enough of a threat for Deathly Hallows. Voldemort is still scary, but he's also a loser. Unfortunately, Voldemort is still a very one-dimensional character, inherently evil. I think it might have been more interesting had Rowling given him a few positive virtues. That said, even if Voldemort doesn't rank amongst my favourite villains, I give Rowling alot of credit for exploring different facets of evil.
Up to this point, the Harry Potter series had primarily presented Voldemort as an ominous threat. Other wizards so fear him that they dare not speak his name. For the first time, The Half-Blood Prince shows Voldemort as an actual character. However, this doesn't necessarily humanize him. On the contrary, it demonstrates a different facet of Voldemort's inhumane evil.
Synopsis: Voldemort is back, but Harry has been shunted to Privet Drive all summer with no information. What is Dumbledore's plan? Will the Ministry of Magic ever acknowledge what's happening? Ministry is interfering with their education at Hogwarts. Is it possible for him to worry about impending war whilst also going on dates?
Review: So today we're talking The Order of the Phoenix, which is 100% the most underrated book in the entire series. Why you ask? Well, let me tell you.
Alot of people write this book off because it's a little... cerebral... compared to the others in the story. There's doesn't always seem to be action or adventure, despite containing one of the biggest fight scenes in the entire series. The cause for this is that too many people write off what they deem Harry's "grumpiness" in the book and get mad it's so central to the story. His grumpiness, which is probably more accurately described as depression is SO unbelievably important. The boy has just gone through an incredible trauma, and yet he still tries to figure out a way to help his cause throughout the story. Despite never getting answers, he wants to help. He also continuously hides his feelings, or at least he tried to. Alot of people can relate to Harry's struggle in this book. His sadness and anger shouldn't be pushed aside and labeled as grumpy or emotional.
The Order of the Phoenix is more cerebral; so much of it takes place within the mind - Harry's mind, Voldemort's mind, even the Longbottoms' minds. Being in the "mind" doesn't mean there's no action, there certainly is. And we shouldn't hate on a book simply because it's not a 500-page battle sequence.
People write it off but I am going to talk about why I didn't. I am all about being in the heads of characters. And I think this book provides that in so many different ways. Obviously, we're in Harry's head all the time. It's important that we see him struggle in the death of Cedric and Voldemort's return. How could he NOT struggle? I love as well that we get to see more of his classmates' family lives. Seamus' mother doesn't approve of Harry whilst Neville's grandmother does. Speaking of the Longbottoms', that scene, where Harry, Ron and Hermione saw Neville at St. Mungo's is such a poignant and important scene. It truly highlights that Harry's not the only one that lost a family the last time Voldemort was around. I think it's great that Rowling goes further into relationships in this one. They're 15 now and they're curious. Harry has liked Cho for two years. I also love that we get see some Harry's true, innate abilities in this book as well. With everything he went through in The Goblet of Fire where he wasn't really prepared at all, it's nice to see him excel. Hermione is the best sure, but Harry being a teacher was such a brilliant idea. I so enjoyed seeing all of those different characters come together to learn Defense Against the Dark Arts stuff. With that in mind, I love Rowling's decision to make Fudge paranoid and have him inserted Umbridge. She's honestly one of the top two vile people in this entire series. And that's why I love the decision. Her evilness is what truly makes Harry the leader he's meant to be; he earns it from his skills, rather than his circumstances. And that is so important. Then there's the battle. What a brilliant battle! Highlighting that Harry is an incredible teacher, along with the courage of those students, just brings a smile to my face. Then adding the Order of the Phoenix members who mean so much to them all, just wonderful. I love the way that we see the evil surrounding them. Dumbledore versus Voldemort is perfect. I just thought it was a brilliant bit of writing for Rowling. I thought she did so right by her characters. Finally, I love that we finally get explanations for why things have happened the way they have. Dumbledore's answers are finally sufficient.
Even though I rated this review perfect 5, but I think everyone is really shitty to Harry in this book. How is it that no one except for Hermione one time asks Harry how he feels, and how's he's doing and how he's coping? It's completely ridiculous. The kid WITNESSED A MURDER. I can't grapple with the fact that Dumbledore is not aware enough to realise that having Snape do the Occlumency is a terrible idea. Whilst Dumbledore may have forgotten how youth feels. I really do find it inexcusable. It makes no sense. Almost every decision Rowling made usually I can find understanding in it. I cannot find understanding in the Occlumency decision. I've read the book a dozen of times. And I can't. I understand that Snape is an accomplished Occlumens and that he is an Order of the Phoenix member at the school. I get all of that. I am sorry I know Dumbledore is the most brilliant wizard ever, and even if he was trying to stay away from Harry, he should've been smarter than that. Also, obviously, I hate Sirius's decision, but I understand it - it just makes me sad.
Synopsis: When the Quidditch World Cup is disrupted by Voldemort's rampaging supporters and the terrifying Dark Mark appears against the night sky, it is obvious to Harry Potter that far from weakening, Voldemort is getting stronger. Back at Hogwarts for the fourth year Harry is astonished to be chosen to represent the school in the Triwizard Tournament. The competition is dangerous, the tasks were terrifying, and true courage is no guarantee of survival - especially with the Dark Lord's forces on the rise.
Review: I am weary. I am aware of which characters will die and I really don't want the series to end. When I first read the Goblet of Fire, it wasn't my favourite book. But reading it this time around, I can honestly say I absolutely loved it and, in fact, it ties with my enjoyment levels I felt when reading The Prisoner of Azkaban. I never thought having a bad memory had any positives, but when it comes to rereading it does, as it felt like I was reading the first time as I had most forgot what happened. I remember which character died, but all the other plot twists I had completely forgotten about, which made for an even more enjoyable reading experience.
The book was fantastic. The plot was so entertaining and I was flying through the pages, completely unaware of that fact. I also loved that I got to learn more about the wizarding world and that I was able to "witness" the Quidditch World Cup and learn more about the sport, as well as the world when Voldemort was in power. The writing was fantastic and the characters were just as amazing as ever, the whole entire story was just utterly phenomenal and I can't express how much I enjoyed reading this book.
The Goblet of Fire was definitely a noticeable turning-point in the series. As I said, everything becomes more detailed and more mature in this book. In the previous installments, we had heard of Voldemort but we hadn't actually seen what it would be like if he came to power, and in this book, his grotesque and violent nature is revealed and it genuinely made me scared for the characters whilst reading the book, as I was terrified of what would become of them once Voldemort returned. The students at Hogwarts were treated like adults in this book, and Dumbledore told them the truth and hid nothing from them, and I felt like we, the readers, were also being treated like adults by J.K. Rowling as she finally revealed to us the torture Voldemort inflicted on the people in the wizarding world. Like I said, I truly felt terrified for the characters as they feel like my best friends and when I am reading the books, their world is currently my own, and I cared deeply about what would happen to the world that I was currently living in. It takes a truly great writer to suck a reader in make them feel, for awhile, as if their story is their reality, and J.K. Rowling is a master of that.
The characters were just as lovely in this book, but we can clearly see that they are maturing and at times it was sweet (and frustrating) to see them try to navigate the uneven seas of growing up. There was something in this book that lacking in the previous three: romance. It was extemely interesting watching Hermione, Ron and Harry develop crushes and there's definitely some chemistry between Ron and Hermione.
With each book Harry seems to grow all brave. The emotional turmoil he experienced was evident and towards the end it was clearly that he was completely worn out and perhaps even slightly depressed, which would be completely understandable. I think Harry finally realises how powerful Voldemort and I suppose he feels responsible to stop him, because he was able to before.
In the previous books, Ron has always been the sidekick, the one with the sense of humour and the one who sticks beside Harry. In The Goblet of Fire, we were revealed his most vulnerable side, such as how he hates being poor when everyone else around him has new things in working order and we also see how left out he feels when Harry receives all the attention. It was interesting seeing this side of Ron.
I didn't feel as if we saw much of Hermione in this novel, but it was clear that she has matured in this book - more feisty. You can see she has started taking more care of her appearance and has started noticing boys.
The entire Weasley family were just wonderful as ever. Dumbledore was just as wise and kind, and Sirius was fantastic.
In the first three books, we were never shown just how powerful Voldemort is and in this book his power and destruction he is able to cause hit me like a ton of bricks. There was evidence that he was gaining power. I felt horrified when the things he had done in the past were revealed and I finally understand why people are so terrified of him.
We were also introduced to a new character in this book: Mad-Eye Moody. It's really hard to say where I stand with him, as it also turns out we didn't actually know him at all. I loved him and his relationship with Harry, but as we saw at the end, it wasn't real. When I found out who he really was, I was completely astounded and I'd actually felt sickened because I had adored his character and I felt cheated - just how Harry must've felt. I wasn't expecting it and that was a genius plot twist.
I really appreciate that Rowling has incorporated such strong friendship and family dynamics throughout her series. The books will teach people to stand up for one another, be loyal to their friends and do what is good and right. The family bonds are beautiful and you can see all the characters truly care for each other and it's just written so perfectly. It's during this book we see the characters struggle with internal decisions that will completely affect their lives, we see the true horror and power that Voldemort is capable of, we see tremendous sacrifices that will be made. The Goblet of Fire is darker, magical and more exhilarating than ever.
Synopsis: Harry Potter is lucky to reach the age of thirteen, since he has survived the murderous attack of the feared Dark Lord on more than one occasion. His hopes for a quiet school term concentrating on Quidditch are dashed, though, 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 his imagination that is making him feel eyes watching him in the dark, and should he be taking Professor Trelawney's ghoulish predictions seriously?
Review: I was so excited to read The Prisoner of Azkaban as it was my favourite book. I wish I was reading it for the first time again so I could experience the plot twists and such without knowing what the outcome would be. It was so enjoyable and captivating just as I knew it would be. The suspense, the action, the characters, the fantasy element and the under current themes of friendship, loyalty and family combined, totaled to an immensely entertaining end, and at times, quite a heartbreaking story. The Prisoner of Azkaban was astoundingly good and I love it as much as, maybe even more so, than the first time reading it.
In The Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter is returning to Hogwarts for his third year of wizadry training. However, the atmosphere is far from relaxed as Sirius Black, powerful wizard, who also happens to be a mass murderer is on the loose - and he's heading straight for Hogwarts... and straight for Harry. Soon Dementors, soul-sucking creatures that guard the Azkaban having a particularly nasty effect on Harry. Students aren't allowed to leave the school after dark and Harry is generally accompanied by someone everywhere he goes. The level of tension soars and the atmosphere is taut with nervousness as evidence of Sirius being in the castle appears. Soon everywhere is dangerous and everyone's nerves as are frayed as they wait for the notorious killer and supporter of Voldemort to appear. However, things are never as they appear to be. The book was fantastic! It was filled with so many plot twists and several revelations that shocked me nearly as much as the first time reading it. The writing was once again fabulous and the characters, I just completely adore them. I couldn't find any faults with this book, it was magnificently written.
The plot in Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban was fantastic and the best of the ones I read. There are plenty of plot twists that will astound you and later on one another will be revealed that will have you disbelieving the other plot twist and leaving you in a puzzled state as you try to figure everything out. The suspense is immense and the constant guessing will have your heart racing and your finger nails completely gone as you sit at the edge of your sit, more plot twists buffering you. It's SO good. Siriusly.
The characters are once again amazing. I felt quite a deep connection with Harry in this book, I finally understood just how traumatic it must've been for him to lose his parents and the torture he must surely go through knowing that he'll never be able to see them again. Harry showed immense bravery yet again and his courage and kindness just grows constantly throughout the series.
I adore Ron as well and I really admire how he is always there for Harry and always there to back him up, despite the amount of trouble he might get himself into. His loyalty and bravery is also something that is to be highly admired.
I absolutely adored Hermione in this book - even more than I usually do. The strain from all her studies was obviously getting to her and she was so spunky and sassy - it was highly amusing, especially Ron's reaction towards it. I think Hermione will always be my favourite character. She's also incredibly kind, brave, honest and just such a fantastic character.
The other new characters were really interesting and I grew close to several of them especially Lupin and a certain someone who I won't mention in case it spoils someone. I also loved once again Hagrid and Dumbledore in this book. I love Hagrid's big heart and Dumbledore's kind, wise nature. Actually, all the characters in this series are fabulous.
The Prisoner of Azkaban was a phenomenal sequel. It's packed full of action, mystery, magic and humour. You will have your eyes glued to the pages and your fingers flicking through the pages at an immense rate. It was also quite saddening at times when we were given glimpses into Harry Potter's parents' final moments and it made me thank God several times that my parents are safe and sound and that so am I and my man.
Synopsis: The Dursleys were so mean and hideously that summer that all Harry Potter wanted was to get back to Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizadry. But just as he's packing his bags, Harry receives a warning from a strange, impish creature named Dobby who says 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 Lockhart, 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: Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets used to be one of my least favourite books because I didn't like Ginny and the plot was not as interesting as the other books. In fact, I planned on skipping this review and just re-read it for the sake of reading the whole Harry Potter set this year (including the three Harry Potter library books). But when my mind was blown -- twice -- whilst re-reading it, I knew I had to write about my newfound love for book two.
I don't know how I missed these in my first and second re-reading of Harry Potter. I guess this experience just proved to me that there's still something new I can discover when I re-read a good book. It may perhaps be because I skipped over that one the first time, or I looked over its significance, or simply, I grew up and became more sensitive to the tiny details in the story.
My first mind-blowing experience with Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets was during the dueling scene. It was the first time that the disarming charm, Expelliarmus, was used in the whole Potter-verse (spoiler alert). And this said disarming charm later became Harry Potter's signature spell. But do you remember who first used the spell? Severus Snape. My Harry Potter screamed when I realised that. I was like, Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Did J.K. Rowling mean for that to happen? Did she realise that? I bet she did because she's epic like that.
The second moment was when I realised this: Voldemort was awarded a Special Awards for Services to the School for "catching" the Heir of Slytherin. Fifty years later, Harry Potter earns the same award for the same reason. God, that realisation was mind blowing. It is also in this book that Voldemort told Harry Potter that they had alot of similarities. But J.K. Rowling, in her brilliance, said it through Dumbledore: "It is our choices that define us. That is certainly true".
Am I the only one who missed out on these things? Heh. I hope not.
There are alot of things that can be said about the three friends. Harry, Hermione and Ron, but this was the first time I truly admired Ron Weasley. I know alot of people love him, but this was the first time I realised how truly brave and loyal he was. This was displayed when he put aside himself and followed Harry into the forest despite his psychological terror of spiders. I am the same towards cockroaches, and I cannot imagine myself doing the same thing he did for anyone. I'll probably have a mental breakdown if I find a cockroach as big as Aragog. His act of doing that for Hagrid and Hermione just spoke volumes about him, and I have started to love him for it.
As I said in my opening statement, Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets used to be one of my least-liked in the series. But now that I've discovered these little gems, I can safely say it's one amazing book. In fact, with these, I feel like I am going to be reading the next five remaining books with a fresh set of eyes. I am ready.
What about you lovely, what's your favourite book in the Harry Potter series?
Synopsis: Harry Potter has never played a sport whilst flying on a broomstick. He's never worn a Cloak of Invisibility, befriended a giant, or helped hatch a dragon. All Harry knows is a miserable life with the Dursleys, his horrible aunt and uncle, and their abominable son, Dudley. Harry's room is a tiny cupboard under the stairs, and he hasn't had a birthday party in ten years.
But that is all about to change when a mysterious letter arrives by owl messenger: a letter with an invitation to a wonderful place he never dreamed existed. There he finds not only friends, aerial sports, and magic around every corner, but a great destiny that's been waiting for him... if Harry can survive the encounter.
Review: I have alot going on this month, and I am taking my sweet time reading books this year, so finishing a book is taking longer than it did the past two years. But I finally re-read Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone after so many years, and let me tell you, I actually hugged the book afterwards. I hesitated in writing this review because what could I say that hasn't already been said? But my mind's been stuck on Harry Potter, and I just had to let it out. So here we are.
Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone is not my favourite book in the series, but it definitely holds a place in my heart because it's the book that introduced us to the amazing, fantastic world of everything - Harry Potter. Even Voldemort because, as Mr. Ollivander's said, "Terrible, but great". Although in this context, when I say great, I meant that he was able to acquire so much knowledge and Voldemort was undeniably, highly skilled, and that is, more often than not, the basis for the usage of the word "great"
I first read this book in 2009, and this copy is so special to me for so many reasons. When the whole Harry Potter franchise became popular in the Philippines around the year 2000, alot of schools banned the books, and the book was highly controversial. You know how I got a copy? My grandmother gave me a money, and then I bought the boxed set. How cool she is? I mean she's pretty conventional and strict Catholic but she didn't buy into the whole "magic is evil" argument that was spouted by some back then.
Another reason why I like Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone is that aside from the loss of Professor Quirrell, whom I first pitied but is now my most disliked characters in the Harry Potter world, all our beloved characters are happy there. If you've read the series, then you must know that the books progressively get darker and darker, and this is one of the books that still has a happy tone to it.
I love the different values espoused in the book even though they are not "in your face". There's a strong family ties, great friendship, support system, discipline, and knowing when to give a person a space and a little slack to get his act together. I also love that even at a young age, Harry, Ron, and Hermione took it upon themselves to do what must be done even though they're scared, or they might get hurt.
Now that I am older and have read more books, I am even more impressed by J.K. Rowling. Whilst reading Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone, I really wondered at her imagination and how she was able to create this whole world, all these characters with different personalities. the various structures (hello, Gringotts and 9 3 quarters?) and the character progression. She put all these fantastical creatures in a single world and made it, and nay, even logical that they are just there (goblins + centaurs + unicorns). Plus, she made you just want to be in that book, or even wish that the whole wizarding world is not just a figment of her imagination, even though there's a "real" evil lurking everywhere. I know she's into adult/mystery books now but I am really waiting for another fantasy series from her. I hope I am not the only one.
