Still five stars. Love this so much. Can't review. Couldn't even take notes. Watched the movie immediately after finishing. Need next book. Wish I lived in this world. Damn you, Rowling.

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***Please note that this review may contain spoilers for the overall series, not just this book.***

It's been quite a few years since I last read this series, and I am so impressed with how well they hold up. I have been reminded that they are my favourite books for a reason. I don't have a favourite out of the series, but the third book is the one where things suddenly feel more mature and the tragedies of an earlier war are revealed in more detail, heartbreakingly showing the kinds things will come to pass again in the very near future.

In this one we meet Sirius Black and Remus Lupin who are, I think, some of the most dynamic and fascinating characters in the entire series. Both have lost a huge amount, their friends, family, dignity, freedom. Remus is an outcast because he is a werewolf. Sirius because the entire Wizarding World thinks he is a deranged mass murderer. A select few also think he betrayed his best friends to Voldemort, making him Voldemort's most valuable ally. Though I don't approve of murdering people (that hopefully goes without saying, but I'm adding it just to be clear), I can understand him escaping Azkaban Prison to find and murder Peter/Scabbers! I would be tempted myself.

The scene where Fudge, Hagrid, Flitwick and McGonagall tell Madame Rosmerta about Sirius and the Potter's is heartbreaking, especially knowing all too well the true version of events. Poor Sirius. This time around my sympathy for everyone involved increased markedly. The Potter's, Dumbledore, and of course Lupin, who loses all of his best friends in one fell swoop. The hardships he and Sirius have faced are heartbreaking. I do wish they had found a way to put Gary Oldman on that flying bike in one of the films. It would have been brilliant.

I had forgotten that Cedric debuts here in the books, not the fourth. It adds more to his character and makes me care for him even more.

Oh my goodness, the Firebolt! 

That Harry hears his Mum being murdered several times over the course of the book feels more brutal than ever. Things darken swiftly from this point. Every time Harry hears his parents I want to burst into tears. It's so tragically awful. 

Hagrid's dedication to Buckbeak is heartwarming. I would love a short story about their day in London. 

Poor Sirius, finally reunited with the people most important to him, with them at last knowing the truth, only to have to flee and hide once more. How do you hide with a hippogriff? And Harry, having to return to the Dursley's -- even knowing what we know from later books in regards to this, my sympathy remains! 

As I have now come to expect, Stephen Fry narrates superbly. I am so impressed with his work here.
I am eagerly awaiting my next Audible credit so I can start Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.


Updated 2023:
Seventh listen.

This home prison a.k.a voluntarily quarantine making cookies and throwing them into trash days( I never say I’m a good cook and each day I’m getting worse!) giving me nostalgic vibes. It’s like living never ending mercury retrograde! You don’t want to start a new thing, you have to go back to your past or you have to deal with your unfinished businesses.

Of course this is not a book from my TBR or DNF list. I’ve read it very same day it has been released: 16 freaking years ago when I was still hot, dump, in my silly 20’s . The year I finished it, I flipped my bird to my managers at the workplace and quitted for chasing my writing dreams. (It was not entertaining, sunshine and rainbow story, there is so much rebellion, pain, fight, humiliation but freedom never comes without dues to pay!) And after devouring this book in one day( because I locked myself at my childhood room. Yes, I was single! It was easier to isolate yourself!) and I decided that’s my all time favorite Harry Potter book (I know there were more to come but my life was changing and my three musketeers’ lives were also going different directions. They were finally growing up, just like me!)

Sirius Black has a special place in my heart and at the beginning he escaped from Azkaban and we think he was after Harry to kill him. This book faces Harry’s past trauma about his family, his guilt feelings, night terror, his self insecurities and sometimes we think his inner demons were more terrifying than the outside world’s vicious, dangerous avengers coming after him.
And at the end, Harry and Sirius’s special relationship always melts my heart and fills my eyes in tears. I always find this is one of the most meaningful and genuine relationships JKR formed between two characters.

And we also see the growing pains of two main characters: Ron always loyal, likable, witty and Hermione is passionate, intelligent but also kind-hearted.
Maybe this is the best part of their story because after this book, everything gets bleaker, darker and more violent! My dear three musketeers’ lives will never be the same.

I read this book 16 years by locking myself in my room and as a de je vu or reenactment of my younger and dumber self, I reread my favorite HP book. I smiled, entertained, cried, jumped, horrified again! And I felt good and gave my five gazillion stars over and over again!

In these days, the best thing you gotta do: sticking with the things that makes you happy and rekindle your past experiments by making a visit to your memory lane with a great book!
That’s what I did and it worked so well with me!

My Experience: I started reading Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban on 5/21/18 and finished it on 6/8/18. Definitely a fantastic read second time around. I love the Knight Bus and Stan’s accent even though it’s not so easy to read. The Dursley are hideous and well written. I enjoy the Boggart chapter a lot and the Marauder’s map is awesome. I compare the read to the movie a lot in this book and I must say, the actors acted very well to how the book is written, especially Snape and Malfoy’s sneers! I absolutely love Fred and George. The twins and their speech are always makes me smile.

This book is told in the third person point of view, following Harry Potter as he gets ready for his third year back at Hogwarts. His summer at home with his aunt Petunia’s family is as horrible as ever. There is a new teacher for Defense Against the Dark Arts. This year Harry learns about the notorious jail breaker, Sirius Black. This book also introduces the soul sucking Dementors, who are guards for the Azkaban prison. The Dementors comes to Hogwarts to protect Harry and hope to catch Sirius Black. The concern is that Sirius Black is hunting for Harry Potter, but what surprises Harry most was when he learns who Sirius Black truly was!

A well written book, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is a go-to pick me up kind of read. I first read this series in 2008-2009. I remember loving it. I have seen all the movies. I started re-reading the series last year, 2017. This year, 2018, I continue on re-reading the series. I think I love it more now than reading it during my first time because I have the movies to help me imagine how the story goes. The actors, both heroes and villains played their parts in the movies very well. I love the magic, 4 houses, Quidditch game, class lessons, actions and adventures with Harry and friends, and the writing. I love the illustration at each chapter headings. The writing just pull me in and I could never put it down. I love this series and I highly recommend everyone to read it soon!

Pro: actions & adventures, friendships, mystery, suspense, humor, magical world, couldn’t put down, fast paced, page turner, easy to read, illustrations

Con: none

I rate it 5 stars!

***Disclaimer: I’m reading books I own for a change..

xoxo,
Jasmine at www.howusefulitis.wordpress.com for more details

This might be my favorite one yet! ☺️

This one is definitely my favourite of the 3 i've read so far.. :)

(Watch my review here): https://youtu.be/gFZ99uPXiIU

The Harry Potter books are a bit of a puzzle. The series started to get into print only twenty years ago. It was initially intended, despite the massive page count of these novels, as a young boy’s read. Today, it’s already the best-selling book series in human history (half a billion copies sold to date), the most translated literary work and, as a result, one of the most read piece of literature in the world, just behind the Bible and neck and neck with Don Quixote (1605). Why is that? I kept asking myself while reading The Prisoner of Azkaban…

This third instalment in the series is indeed an excellent sample of Bildungsroman. As in The Philosopher's Stone and The Chamber of Secrets, we follow the adventures of a young orphan boy who lives, during summer, in South East England, with his cruel foster parents (a parody of Victor Hugo’s Thénardiers or Dickens’s Murdstones). We also know from the first book — and just from general knowledge — that Harry Potter has magical powers. As the school year begins, he joins his two friends, Ron and Hermione, and goes to Hogwarts, a boarding school for young wizards and witches. The different classes alternate, held by a rather flamboyant staff (Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, Hagrid, etc.). There’s a Quidditch — magical team sport — championship going on, where Harry is a crucial element (a bit too much of that stuff to my mind). There’s the nasty foolish brat (Malfoy and his gang), with whom he has to struggle. But above all else, there’s a mystery plot going on, that involves Harry and the evil forces the archenemy (Voldemort and his gang) is marshalling against him. Many plot twists and mythological tropes later, and right at the end of the school year, the mystery is lifted (as in Agatha Christie’s novels), and Harry and his friends are victorious.

This brief (spoiler-free) summary calls for a couple of comments that might shed some light on a few of the reason why the Harry Potter books kindle so much enthusiasm for so many readers:

The setting contributes to a strange sense of realism. The world-building is extensive, but unlike most fantasy novels, set in wholly imaginary worlds, J.K. Rowling manages to structure the surroundings of her books as an in-between. It's a world where people can seamlessly go back and forth between the mundane (Dursleys' house in Surrey, King’s Cross station in London…) and the poetic and imaginary (Diagon Alley, Hogwarts School, the village of Hogsmeade…). This odd sort of magical realism somehow suggests that the magic world is real and unseen rather than merely fictional.

The plot framework is identical to that of the first two instalments. Only some characters change, as well as the nature of the mystery Harry needs to solve. It naturally could be seen as a repetitive, almost predictable story. But I suspect that this sort of variation on the same, efficient, firmly established scenario, is part of the pleasure these books provide. The very pleasure children may draw from hearing the same bedside story over and over again, the sheer joy we, as adults, take from watching TV series that develop the same overall plot over and over.

Furthermore, the general story isn’t incredibly original: the story of the poor orphan who discovers he has extraordinary powers and eventually becomes a celebrity is very similar to that of Cinderella’s or The Ugly Duckling’s plot. (There's an excellent video with Kurt Vonnegut on the Cinderella-type plot.) But this is, in fact, a story that lets the readers secretly sense or hope that they are more than what they (and others) might think. It's a call to a better Self.

Edited to add: note that the plot around Harry Potter is very similar to the one around Luke Skywalker (Star Wars): a lad of humble origins who must fight a monstrous devil, a group of assorted chums, various challenges overcome, the evil defeated against all the odds, etc. People love that story!

Whereas most of the characters in the story are well-drawn and colourful (think Hagrid, Hermione, Snape, even Pettigrew — a shrewd invention on Rowling's part), the very character of Harry, even though he is a central figure in the middle of everything else, comes across as somewhat bland and bloodless. In a way, Harry Potter (a common name) is a blank figure, and just as Ulysses, he could say: “my name is Οὖτις (no-one)”. Or in other words: “my name is potentially everyone, including you, faithful reader. I am the mirror of your life.”

In the end, the one and (almost) only thing Harry Potter profoundly expresses is his unconditional love for his deceased parents: in a word, a feeling of endless mourning. This, albeit a bit soppy, is perhaps one of the most profound things the Harry Potter novels convey: what is truly magical and precious isn’t the many tricks and spells taught at Hogwarts. It is the past love that, in some way or other, we received at the beginning of our lives and which goes on through friendship.

A final note: the best part of The Prisoner of Azkaban is probably the last hundred pages, and especially the story around the Time-Turner device. Alfonso Cuarón's film manages to make the most of it in what is perhaps the best of all the Harry Potter movie adaptations.

"The consequences of our actions are always so complicated, so diverse, that predicting the future is a very difficult business indeed."

This is the first Harry Potter book that truly got me excited to be in the wizarding world. Up until Prisoner of Azkaban, this series is essentially for a very young audience, and reading these for the first time as an adult made it very difficult to connect. Now, having re-read them multiple times, it's very easy to understand how compelling and mysterious the first two books are to bring you to this one. And this one is where the magic truly begins.

First, I adore Professor Lupin. I think that meeting him was the first thing that made me want to know more. I wanted to know about his connection to James, more about the friendship he had with Sirius and Peter. I wanted to know about their group dynamic as children in Hogwarts, and we get to much of that here. He's one of the sweetest characters in the entire series. A wizard, turned into a werewolf, forced to suffer through prejudice and still being one of the greatest role models Harry could have. He's called the "best defense against the arts teacher" the kids have ever had, and I think all the way to the end, that remains true. His mentorship is one of the greatest things Harry could have had going into the rest of the series.

This is also the last book that Harry is allowed to be a child. The last time that Voldemort is an idea, not a reality. Going forward there is only hurt, and conflict no one should have to go through at Harry's age. And because of that I love that Harry allows Peter to go free and be in his debt. It's a decision that has a consequence, as so eloquently pointed out by Dumbledore in the quote above. It's a decision that allows a future where Harry just might live, not that he is aware of that now. I love that he thinks to himself "had all four of them been out on the ground tonight?" because it's the last time he's truly hopeful about a future that involves all of his father's friends being with him. And rooting for him. All in the same place.

But what this book really solidifies for me is the friendship between Hermione and Harry. He becomes the middle man to Ron and Hermione's constant bickering, a shoulder for one and an ear for the other. It's such a beautiful dynamic and there are very few friendships as special as the one built here. It's such a perfect example of why they work so well together in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, why a romance between them would never work.

Platonic soulmates are slowly becoming a favorite trope of mine to read, and I think Harry and Hermione are the reason.

The excellent series takes a step up and into a darker world as Harry must wonder if the escaped prisoner is coming for him, while coping with new, soul-sucking opponents. Rowling continues to impress as both she and Harry mature.

Finally, back to my favourite characters of all time! I started this series almost an year ago. After reading two and half books, I left it. Because at that time I was new to reading books and I used to get afraid of long novels. But now I am good with them. So I again started this series a month ago. I am so happy now that I can't tell! Harry, Ron, Hagrid, n   DUMBLEDOREn!!!! I love each of them very much. Oh sorry, I forgot to mention Voldemort. But I love him as the villian.

This series gets improve with every next installment. From Sorcerer's Stone to Prisoner of Azkaban I don't remember a page which I didn't enjoy.

As far as this book is concern, I adored it. Excitement was limitless. Stakes were higher than the previous ones. Even though I was missing Voldemort, I still enjoyed it.

n  OVERVIEWn
Sirius Black has escaped from Azkaban, a prison for criminal wizards, which no one has broken but him. He is after Harry apparently . He is believed to be the one who helped Voldemort in killing Harry's parents.

n   RANDOM THOUGHTSn
=>I liked what Harry did to Aunt Marge. Hehehe...

=>This book started slowly towards the main plot. There were many Quidditch matches which actually didn't have to do anything with the plot. BUT it's my favourite sport. I love reading it. Privately, I really wish that I could play it. Last year my friend on GR recommended a book entirely based on this sport. In this year, I will read it after finishing this series.

=>You know what? During reading, I was thinking 'why Sirius isn't showing up'. There were just talks about him. But in the end, I came to know that, I was reading him all the time but I was ignoring him.

=>Dementors were great. I liked the concept of them. And Dementor's Kiss. I literally shivered on the effects of it.

=>There was a very shocking revelation. Ron's rat!! What it turned out in the ending was mouth-dropping.

Overall, an amazing installment in the HP series.

n  He was my mum and dad's best friend. He's a convicted murderer, but he's broken out of wizard prison and he's on the run. He likes to keep in touch with me, though...keep up with my news...check if I'm happy...n

Smart move Harry. Hats off to you!

Audiobook Comments
Read by Jim Dale - and he nailed it. This series was just absolutely amazing on audio.

YouTube | Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Snapchat @miranda_reads

Well, my ratings have summed up my thought. No more explanation. Lol.


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n  Second Read Reviewn

THIS BOOK. IT WAS SO FUCKING WONDERFUL AND I CRIED. I have several things to say about this book, but first of all, I'm going to say that I love the Marauders, except Peter Pettigrew because he's a fucking a coward and he made Lily and James died! I hate him so much and when Sirius voice broke after he told Harry what truly happened that he was not their Secret Keeper, but it was Peter and then he found out that Lily and James died, I felt like my heart was cracking and I wanted to hug him and said to him that it was not his fault. Oh God, I just feel really sorry for Sirius.





Remus Lupin is such a sweet character

He is honestly the best Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher! and he was also a caring and a sweet guy. He often smiled. He's smart, fun, and kind! he defended Neville when Snape bullied him or whatever that was because he kind of underestimated Neville and that was pretty mean, you know. I mean, yeah Neville might be reckless or that he often made mistakes, but seriously that was mean! he did not deserve it and I was so glad when Lupin defended him. This man was very amazing. so ... umm where do I find a guy like him in real life? he's such a sweet guy!

OH! and one more thing, when Lupin was ill and he did not come to the class, but Snape came in the class instead ( I guess he was substituting this subject for a while because Lupin was ill) and he gave the students an assignment about werewolf so someone would realize his symptoms. UGH. SO WHAT IF HE'S A WEREWOLF? I mean, it would be okay if we put certain precautions. Basically, Lupin was just an amazing guy and I really like him. I am so sad that he resigned from teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts. He's the best teacher for this subject!



Professor McGonagall and Professor Trelawney

One of the best scenes in this book for me is when Professor McGonagall and Professor Trelawney bickered. It was too funny ahahahahaha. Thank God, I was at home when I read this scene. I would surely get funny looks, if I laughed in public place.

n
'If you must know, Minerva, I have seen that poor Professor Lupin will not be with us for very long. He seems aware, himself, that his time is short. He positively fled when I offered to crystal-gaze for him-'

'Imagine that,' said Professor McGonagall drily.

n

HAHAHAHA I bursted out laughing when I read that part. That was just so funny.





Hermione being disrespectful toward Professor Trelawney

Look, I really adore Hermione. She's smart, brave and such a devoted friend. She's honestly one of my inspirational characters that I adore very much. However, I did not like it when she was being disrespectful toward Professor Trelawney. It is okay, if she did not like the study or believe the study or whatever it was. It is totally okay. I also have some subjects that I do not like to study, but I never disrespect any teachers. So It just slightly annoyed me when Hermione being disrespectful toward Professor Trelawney

n
Hermione snorted.

'Well, honestly ... "the fates have informed her" ... who sets the exam? She does! What an amazing prediction!' she said, not troubling to keep her voice low.
n

Indeed, I can see her point. I understand her. But still, it is not okay to say something like that. She did not even keep her voice low! That's just not okay at all in my opinion.

Overall, I loved this book very much. I had a great adventure with it and my days felt so magical when I spent them by reading it. Thank you very much for reading and liking this review. I really appreciate it. I hope you all have a great day! bye!



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n   First Read Reviewn

5 STARS

" Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard. Just stick out your wand, step on board and we can take you anywhere you want to go. "

Harry Potter is a 13 year old boy now. He stays at his uncle's and aunt's house like he usually does for the whole summer. But this year is different, he can not control his anger anymore and he leaves his uncle's and aunt's house.
There is also a man named Sirius Black, Mass-Murderer and follower of Lord Voldemort escaped from Azkaban. Most prisoners go mad withins weeks in Azkaban but this man doesn't and people say that he is coming after Harry and in Harry's first divination class, Professor Trelawney sees an omen of death in Harry's tea leaves and now, the school grounds are being Patrolled by DEMENTORS.

My Opinion

The cover of this book is so BEAUTIFUL! and the story was as amazing as the cover.
I also found a new favorite character in this book and this person is Professor Lupin!! He is so cool and he is the best Defence Against The Dark Arts teacher I have ever met. because you know, all the Defence Against The Dark Arts teachers from the first book were not nice guys at all including that guy with useless ability. What's his name again?? LOCHART! GILDEROY LOCHART. I just remembered his name. Actually, where is he now? no one mentioned him and I hope I won't see him as a teacher in Hogwarts again. I still can't forgive him for what he was about to do with Ron and Harry in the second book. That guy is pathetic.



I loved all the characters in this book and Fred and George weasley were so funny in this book. Percy is the last person I like. I don't hate him but I don't really like him too. He's so stritch about rules and sometimes he annoys me but not much. here is my favorite scene :

'How're we getting to King's Cross tomorrow, Dad?' asked Fred, as they tucked into a sumptuous chocolate pudding.
'The Ministry's providing a couple of cars,' said Mr Weasley.
everyone looked up at him.
'Why?' said Percy curiously.
'it's because of you, Perce,' said George seriously. 'And there'll be little flags on the bonnets, with HB on them -'
'- for humungous Bighead,' said Fred.
Everyone except Percy and Mrs Weasley snorted into their pudding.



I laughed so hard in the middle of the night because of this. I wish I were there to see Percy's face when Fred and George said that. Oh! and I remembered I laughed so hard too when Ginny said he found out that Percy was kissing Penelope Clearwater, his girlfriend. I mean Percy is so stritch about rules and he always study, study, study, so the thought of Percy's having a girlfriend was never crossed my mind. But he was cool enough to get a girlfriend. *shrugs*

I was so shocked when I found out that Sirius was innocent and the bad guy was Peter Pettigrew.
how could he betray his own bestfriend?! I think he did it to save his own skin without thinking twice about his bestfriend's life. James and Lily Potter died because of him and how dare he to say that Sirius was the one who betrayed James Potter! this guy is more pathetic than Gilderoy and I was shocked when Harry told Lupin and Sirius not to kill him and put him in Azkaban instead. That moment I realised that Harry was so kind. this guy was the reason his parents died and he didn't want him to be killed.

This book also have the best ending. the ending in this book made me grinning but don't get me wrong, the ending in the first and the second book were all great too but this ending was perfect.

'What's that?' he snarled, staring at the envelope Harry was still clutching in his hand. 'if it's another form for me to sign, you've got another -'
'it's not,' said Harry cheerfully. ' it's a letter from my godfather.'
'Godfather?' spluttered Uncle Vernon. 'you haven't got a godfather!.'
'Yes I hav,' said Harry brightly. 'He was my mum and dad's best friend. He's a convicted murderer, but he's broken out of wizard prison and he's on the run. He likes to keep in touch with me, though... keep up with my news... check I'm happy...'
And grinning broadly at the look of horror on Uncle Vernon's face, Harry set off towards the station exit, Hedwig rattling along in front of him, for what looked like a much better summer than the last.


Thank you guys for reading and liking my review. Hope you all have a great day!! ❤❤❤