Loved these books and am now enjoying them with my children.

In love with the series. Although I read it when I had crossed my teenage long time back, I enjoyed every bit of this fictional world. I became a part of the Potter world.
Wonderful experience reading the series!

Thanks to Sarah I now know what all the hype is about. I too understand Harry's struggles, his joys, his fears, his fits of courage and his moments of angst. What I still don't get is who the hell cares? But I would like some credit for giving this a second shot (1st attempt only got me about 1/8 of the way through the audio version, 2nd attempt got me through, what... like 6 books? - true it was only being condensed and re-told for the purposes of understanding the movie but still I feel as though I got the jest).
And I have to admit after seeing the movie (ok seeing about 1/3 of the movie...thanks for letting me drive your car home Sarah) I too am curious: Will the smeglmorfes kill the neecomblobs? Will marfugaloz fall in love and marry whickensob? Can Valkuzelibs good be enough to over come Bagentoo's evil? So many questions left unanswered - I'm practically wetting myself thinking about how all this comes together in volume 9042!

When it comes to JK Rowlings universe I am simply obsessed with all things Wizards! This book series is so creative quirky and exciting with excellent storytelling and character arcs that make you hold a special place in your heart for each and every one of her extremely lovable characters! Truly a work of art on a level above the rest!

I really enjoyed Harry Potter. There was so much more to it than a story. It was a whole world full of facts and fiction of magic. I am amazed how Joanne Rowling managed to write such a fantastic series that all ages enjoy.

It's a beautiful collection that has been there in all the rough times of my childhood, with amazing characters that feel real and feel like friends with whom you deeply connect. Read it several times and there's always something new to discover! One of the best fantasy works of the last century, a Hooray to J.K. for that.

x

One of the stories from my childhood, it still thrills me when I re-read the book. Truly magical.

As a kid the Harry Potter books were my life. As you get older though and really start to look at the books, and more specifically what they're saying? Well it's not good.

JK over the years has attempted to add to the Universe, but there is no point telling readers years later that Dumbledore was gay when this isn't touched on at all in the books. Ron is written as a gormless idiot. The Harry/Ginny pairing was to an extent unnecessary, but I can see their appeal. Ron/Hermoine on the other hand I can't. The redemption of Snape was completely unjustified and I can't with Harry naming one of his kids after him, nor proclaiming Snape as one of the greatest men he's ever known. The side characters aren't really developed well either.

The Sorcerer's Stone: 4/5

Harry Potter had his life stolen from him before it ever had the chance to begin. He's haunted by nightmares of green explosions and evil laughter. His parents were violently murdered when he was just a baby. He's forced to live with his wicked aunt, uncle and cousin who treat him worse than garbage. His life is a complete disaster until he learns on his eleventh birthday that's he's a wizard destined for great things as well as having already accomplished quite a few of them without even realizing it. Many strange, exciting and dangerous things are waiting for him at Hogwarts; the notorious school for wizards.

To say I'm very late to the party is an understatement. Harry Potter was pretty much the only fantasy series I ever heard other people my age talking about when I was younger and they spoiled it for me before I ever had the chance to read it myself. After many years have passed and having read hundreds of other fantasy series, I've forgotten about most of the chatter, hype and spoilers revolving around the critically acclaimed series and I decided it was the perfect time to give it a go. I'm glad I did because I enjoyed it far more than I expected I would.

It was fun and witty, adventurous and full of simple yet relatable emotional depth. There were moments that made me feel for the protagonists such as when Harry looked into the Mirror of Erised and saw his dead parents that he desperately wanted to be meet since he was a baby and when Harry solidified his friendship with Ron and Hermione after battling the troll. There were also a lot of charming antics and quips that genuinely made me laugh at times, especially the line regarding Dudley at the very end of the book.

The opening chapters didn't intrigue me all that much at first, but once Hagrid was introduced I ended up growing attached to his character and many others that were introduced soon after. Hagrid remained my favorite character to the end of the book. He's intimidating yet a big softy, he loves breeds of creatures that have been shunned and deemed unworthy of affection because of their dangerous reputations, he stands up for the defenseless and he's an all around cool and jolly guy.

I like the gentle and mysterious nature of Dumbledore, there's more to him than meets the eye. Snape strikes me as the tragic antihero type that acts cruel to hide his inner insecurities and fear of showing affection do to past trauma. I’m also curious about Voldemort and his relationship with Harry’s parents. Voldy is a creepy, spiteful bastard and he knows how to make an entrance. I'm looking forward to finally getting to know these characters that I've heard so much about.

***

Chamber of Secrets: 4/5

Harry is back at Hogwarts after another brutal summer with the Dursley family and it's not all fun and games when he returns. Snape and Malfoy are still giving him trouble, a malicious voice whispers dark things to him that no one else can hear, someone or something is attacking the students and Harry is framed as the most likely suspect. Harry and his friends have no choice but to put their lives on the line to get to the bottom of things and prevent the destruction of Hogwarts from within by unraveling its many forgotten secrets.

A bit of a slow burner in the beginning, but I ended up appreciating the world building regarding the more defined relationships between wizard and muggle societies and how they can coexist, as well as learning about the histories of each respective branch at Hogwarts, especially regarding Slytherin and its connections to both Harry and Voldemort. Another thing I really liked about this book was the well-crafted murder-mystery vibe and the more dark themes of crime and violence sprinkled throughout it. I thought I knew who the culprit was for most of the book, but it turns out that I couldn't have been more wrong. I love being surprised and the revelation of the true culprit was really cool. I can see the series being more plot-focused and mature as it goes on.

(Hagrid is still the GOAT and Dumbledore's pretty cool too, even if he's a bit reckless and makes questionable decisions sometimes.)

***

Prisoner of Azkaban: 4/5

The deranged serial killer Sirius Black has broken out of Azkaban; the most brutal and horrifying prison for criminal wizards in the world. Harry has finally had enough of the Dursleys abuse and storms off on his own, not knowing that Sirius Black is searching for him. Omens of death are all around Harry, and this is confirmed in his first divination class at Hogwarts when Professor Trelawney predicts that his time is almost up. At his most trying year at Hogwarts yet, Harry confronts the bizarre horrors of the soul-sucking creatures known as dementors, comes face-to-face with an escaped mass murderer and uncovers the dark secrets that led to his parents tragic deaths.

I’m noticing that the themes within the books are slowly getting more dark, mature and personal. It gives the feeling that we’re growing up along with Harry and his friends which is a nice touch. It keeps things interesting and gives a sense of constantly growing danger on the horizon.

My favorite part of Prisoner of Azkaban is the introduction of Sirius and Lupin, two interesting and fleshed out characters who have mysterious relations with Harry and his parents. I especially loved the surprising revelation of the ‘true’ villain of this book, shedding some light on what really happened on the day Harry’s parents were killed. The final six or so chapters were the most thrilling stuff I've seen from the series so far. The introduction of the dementors, the psychological thriller elements of betrayal and long lasting grudges being dug up and the looming promise of Voldemort's return made this more intense than Sorcerer's Stone and Chamber of Secrets. More darkness and horror is always welcome in fantasy. Even Ron's pet rat Scabbers gets some huge development that I certainly wasn't expecting.

Hagrid is still my favorite character but Sirius and Lupin have quickly worked their way up to my 2nd and 3rd favorites. I also like Hermione much better in this one as she's been easing up on the snobbish attitude and showing some grit. She also stood up for Harry and Ron quite a bit in this one even when they couldn't appreciate what she was doing for them. She's earned my respect.

I hear the second half of the series is where all the best stuff happens so I’m excited to be fast approaching that point.

***

Goblet of Fire: 5/5

Goblet of Fire begins with Harry having a dreadful vision of Voldemort conspiring with Wormtail about his destined resurrection to power. He wakes with his scar burning more than ever, reminding him that danger is growing closer and closer. He joins Hermione and the Weasley's at the Quidditch World Cup to take his mind off the constant burning of his scar, only for things to go horribly wrong. When the sign of the dark mark is seen at the event, the imminent return of Voldemort is made known to all. On top of this, Professor Dumbledore announces the return of the Triwizard Tournament, an ancient tradition that allows wizarding schools from all around the world to bond and compete in friendly competition. Things get even worse at Hogwarts when Harry's name is mysteriously drawn from the Goblet of Fire, forcing him to compete in many dangerous competitions against foreign wizarding schools against his will. All while dealing with the pressures of puberty, trying to discover who snuck his name in the Goblet of Fire and the looming threat of Voldemort, Harry faces his most challenging year at Hogwarts yet.

The first three books are fun and witty adventure stories with touches of emotional triumph, moral dilemmas and subtle creepiness, but this one completely blows everything that came before it out of the water. The characters are growing and learning about love, religion, slavery, genocide, prejudice, racism and the darker side of the wizarding world. People are starting to die and scandalous truths are being revealed. Traitors as far as the eye can see, double agents hunting down innocent wizards and muggles, Voldemort coming back in full force. The stakes are higher than ever before.

So many crazy things happened in this book that completely changed the tone and intensity of the series. The jolly days of childhood are over and the horrors of the world are slowly coming into view. The trials of the Goblet of Fire were exciting and much more interesting than the typical quidditch competitions. The introduction of several other wizarding schools into the story expanded the horizons of the main characters and opened the world to more intriguing possibilities.

I’ve learned to appreciate and sympathize with Harry a lot more as he was incredibly brave and noble this time around. His final scene at the end of the book involving a certain act of kindness to Ron’s siblings really solidified the respect I have for him. I also enjoyed his friendship with Cedric.

One thing that did annoy me a bit was the mistreatment of Hermione. I always thought she was a much better friend to Harry than Ron, yet both of the boys always seem to take her for granted and never give her the respect she deserves. Even when Harry and Ron have a big falling out over something very childish, Hermione instantly swoops in to support Harry and tries to mend their friendship. And right after the drama between the boys is settled, they go right back to treating Hermione as a third wheel. She deserves better imo.

(Hagrid is still the GOAT, his relationship with Madam Maxine made for many entertaining scenes that also introduced some interesting lore regarding the history of giants.)

***

Can't fit the rest of the series into the review so I'm going to paste them into the comments!

Y'all this is my life read please okay it's amazing and it's a child's book but really deep and well just read it yourself and I can assure you will find a pookie reading this series *Bellatrix* srry I coughed

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