n  I don't understand why they use time travel in this one,and not in the other books.That would have made things a lot easier.n

Sirius Black, a prisoner at Azkaban, has escaped and is out on the loose. How will Harry survive?

I will likely rewrite this review at some point in the future as I have a serious cold and feel like I am on my deathbed. I need to layoff the Greek mythology because I might have muttered that I was the goddess of animals in a state of delirium. Anyways, Harry Potter.

What I enjoyed about Harry Potter #1 was his wonderment and amazement. He is grateful that he isn’t going to be stuck with the Dursleys anymore. Now, in Harry Potter #3, the wonder and amazement are gone. Harry is constantly bemoaning that he can’t go to Hogsmeade. Harry Potter #3 does show some character development because Harry finally decides to stop waiting for someone to rescue him from the Dursleys and leaves on his own accord. I’m still completely baffled as to why he doesn’t make arrangements to stay with Hermione or Ron or even Hagrid.

The story itself is ok. JK Rowling relies too heavily on the popularity of the fan favorite characters. The ending on this seemed to drag on and on. The book also lacked some originality. This book revisits many of the tropes that were explored in the first two books, starting off at the Dursley’s, going to school, and Quidditch. The books almost seem to follow a formula. Given the events in Harry Potter #3, I would have been more interested to hear the story from the perspective of Hermione (getting to know her Muggle family and what they think of the school, all of Hermione’s different classes, what the girls of the school think of her, etc.). Additionally, Professor Trelawney seemed like a watered-down version of Miss Cleo. Harry Potter #3 is longer than the first two installments, and it could have used some additional editing down.

One of the biggest positives about this book is that now whenever I am eating some chocolate, I can tell people that I am just recovering from a dementor attack.

2025 Reading Schedule
JantA Town Like Alice
FebtBirdsong
MartCaptain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Berniere
AprtWar and Peace
MaytThe Woman in White
JuntAtonement
JultThe Shadow of the Wind
AugtJude the Obscure
SeptUlysses
OcttVanity Fair
NovtA Fine Balance
DectGerminal

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this book ate i have not a bad word to say about it. i loved every second. sirius??? remus??? they literally won me over so hard bye

Reread in December 2018 for the #HarryXmasToYou readalong

There really isn't much I can say about this book other than this: Sirius Black.

FINALLY.

Having read this book previously I know about (and LOVE) Sirius, and I had been waiting rather impatiently for his appearance in this book. He's, like, my favorite character as of now (and at the time I read Prisoner of Azkaban before).

But seriously, there's absolutely nothing negative I can say about this book. (Well, okay, except for that happy moment between Sirius and Harry toward the end right before all hell broke loose. Yeah, I could have done away with the all hell breaking loose part, but I guess famous Harry Potter doesn't get that perfect outcome just yet...or ever.)

Another spectacular one from JK Rowling, and I can't wait to move on to Goblet of Fire!

Ein Jahr ohne mindestens ein Harry Potter Buch gelesen zu haben ist ein schlechtes Jahr!
Der dritte Band ist und bleibt einfach einer meiner liebsten! Viel Quittich, Sirius Snape und Hermine, die Draco ohrfeigt, geht es noch besser?!

I have so much more love for this one re-reading it as an adult.

Five stars of course.

Last week when I posted my bookfessional on special edition books, I’d just started thumbing through this year’s illustrated edition of Harry Potter. Now that I’ve finished . . . WHUH.

Last year, when I saw the the beautiful depictions of the Herbology greenhouse on the inside covers of HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS, I’d thought it would hard for future editions to compete, and when I saw the dementors that graced the covers of HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN, I (prematurely) wrote it off as inferior.

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Not that that isn't an excellent dementer . . . *shudders*

BUT.

Then there was Harry furiously completing his homework under blankets, and THE MONSTER BOOK OF MONSTERS, and the first of many illustrations of Crookshanks (my favorite literary cat ever), and a scraggly Fawkes on Dumbledore’s head:

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And we were just getting started. *waves at Aunt Marge as she floats away*

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I still think last year’s book is beautiful, but Herbology greenhouses, gorgeous as they were, cannot compete with the majestic hippogriff.

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They just can’t. *shrugs*

BUT. I’ve learned my lesson about (prematurely) deciding that any of these new versions is the “best.” I mean, come on . . . We haven’t even gotten to HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE yet. *begins the looooooong wait for next year’s book*

Verdict: an absolute must for any Harry Potter fan. Even if you're a staunch adherent to the no-multiple-editions school of thought. Gift your lesser versions to the child of a family friend and get these for yourself.

this book is superior simply because it has sirius black in it. sir please take my heart i do not care

“Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.”

Third buddy read with my OTP

My god, this was gooooooooooood!. Up until now I’ve definitely enjoyed the books, but this had a darker side to the story which I really really enjoyed. I loved the fact that we got SO much more in this book. We find out more about James Potter along with; Lupin, Serius and Peter while at the school and the Marauder’s Map GIRL I LOVE IT.

We get to see lots of magical aspects in this book, and learning about the Patronous, then well see Harry, Ron and Hermione grow as characters. We see mini breakdowns with Hermione, but I think it made her so likeable and human. The boggart and exams. I have serious serious love for Lupin. His whole back story literally had me sold. He is by far the best Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher! I need more Lupin and Serius PLEASE.

What I liked?
- The books fighting with each other in the cages, I mean how much more mythical do you need?
- I’m sorry… but this book made me realise how much of a crazy cat lady I am… Crookshanks is by far my favourite animal! How smart?! And the bouncing around together, stealing certain things, screaming
- I think things were so well put together and placed… it had me living!
- Draco dressing up as a Dementor for the Quidditch, I can’t, it’s making me laugh just thinking about it again
- In fact, Quidditch in general. It was so well done and built up, it had me on edge thinking what’s going to happen?! It was built up so well and the descriptions used made me feel like I was there watching it play out (not only that, but top commentary)
-I’ve been moaning that the end section seems to happen so quickly… but this? FINALLY I got what I wanted!
- Hagrid has my heart!

What I didn’t like?
- You know… I’m not really a fan of Snape, I just don’t understand why he acts like he does to Harry for something that James did?

Overall… well, hmmm… bring on Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

Philosopher's Stone 4.5 Stars
Chamber of Secrets - 4 Stars
Prisoner of Azkaban - 5 Stars
Goblet of Fire - 4.5 Stars
Order of the Phoenix - 4.5 Stars

Since pretty much everyone I know has read these books, I figure reviewing them is pretty pointless. But with the new book coming out in a couple of weeks, I have to go through them beginning to end. To make the reviews more entertaining, I will be doing them in a variety of unexpected formats. For this review, I will be writing as Crookshanks fan fiction.

Crookshanks swished his tail back and forth as he crept up the stairs to the boys' bedrooms. He knew the rat wasn't what it was pretending to be, but all of his attempts to alert the humans to this fact had failed. "I don't know why I even bother," he muttered to himself. "I could get along fine without any of them. Let the rat do whatever it is it's trying to do. So long as Girl keeps feeding me and scratching my belly, I'll - hello, what's this?"

He could smell the rat. Its scent was like nothing Crookshanks had ever smelled, and for all his time living in a magical pet shop, he'd smelled a lot. The rat did smell like a rat, yes, but there was also something else. Something... human. It was just like that big black dog he'd met on the grounds the other day. Every instinct in him had screamed to run away, but there was that smell. And even Crookshanks knew what they said about cats and curiosity. The dog had turned out to be more than just a dog, and it had convinced Crookshanks to help it. First order of business: retrieve a certain rat from the bedroom of the Red-Haired Boy.

The Boy wasn't in, but the rat was. Crookshanks circled the bed a few times. This time, maybe, he would be able to get the damn thing. He tensed for a moment and then leapt onto the bed.

By luck or skill, he was nearly on top of the thing when he landed. "A-HA!" he yowled. "Gotcha!" He pinned the rat under his sizable paw. "Where you gonna run to now, ratty?" he asked, sneering as best he could.

The rat writhed in his grip. "Please," it said. "Just let me go. You don't know what will happen if you eat me, it would be a terrible mistake!"

"A mistake, eh?" the cat said. "We'll see about that. I have a great big doggie friend who's just aching to get his jaws around you...."

He barely had time to finish his sentence when the rat went mad. It squealed and bit and slashed with its paws. And then, against all of Crookshanks' previous experience - it grew! It nearly threw the cat off the bed as it became much more massive - its legs lengthened and its arms stretched until it had reached a human size and shape. Crookshanks goggled. Of all the things he'd expected from this rat, this wasn't it. The human grabbed at him, but Crookshanks was too fast. He jumped off the bed and shimmied under the wardrobe, where he could see but not be seen.

The human looked around, breathing heavily. He was pale and thin, and still looked ratty. "Think, Peter, think," he said. "Gotta get out of here, but..." He stopped, glanced at the wardrobe, and grimaced. "You may just have given me my way out, cat," he said. And then he bit the ball of his hand.

Blood dripped out, leaving spreading red blotches on the sheets. "They'll think it was you," he said. "They'll leave me for dead and I'll be free to rejoin my Lord." He looked at the recently repaired curtains on Ron's bed. "It's not safe here anymore." He sucked at the wound to stop the bloodflow and then went to the window. Perched on the windowsill, he looked over at Crookshanks' hiding place. "If I were human," he said, "the fall would kill me. But as a rat...." His body rippled and twisted and shrank, and then there was an old grey rat on the sill. Crookshanks was pretty sure it winked at him before leaping off.

After a minute or two, Crookshanks wriggled out from under the wardrobe, his thoughts dark. The Red-Haired Boy was going to be angry, and so was the Girl. But more importantly, the Dog was going to be furious. It was barely holding on to its sanity as it was. Crookshanks shook his head. This was going to get worse before it would get better...

my HP books ranking so far:

1. Prisoner of Azkaban (humor is on point, MARAUDER'S, we meet Sirius, THE TIME TURNER, things start getting real serious)
2. Philosopher's Stone
3. Chamber of Secrets

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The third book in the Harry Potter series is by far the best of the first three. We get introduced to Sirius Black early on in the book, and I have to say, he’s my favorite character to date in the series. Getting more answers about Harry’s parents and past, you can tell this book sets up so many things for future books.

Sirius and Remus were the best part of the book for me. I could see where THIS would be the book that hooks so many HP fans. Don’t get me wrong, the first two are good, but there was something special about this book. Something that makes me want to jump into book 4 asap. This world is magical and yes, the books are so much better than the movies (which I’ve seen multiple times) and I’m so happy I’m reading them! 5 stars!