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

As it seems my Harry Potter reviews don’t always start with a Dumbledore quote but always end up being “My thoughts about this book” reviews as well. For a series like HP that’s been read by so many people this might be the best solution though. And because the books get longer and longer and because I don’t share my friend Jayson’s amazing and remarkable ability to describe a book in one significant sentence, I’m afraid you’ll have to bear with quite a lot of my thoughts. *lol*

1.) ”It’s one of the basic rules of breeding,” she said. “You see it all the time with dogs. If there’s something wrong with the bitch, there’ll be something wrong with the pup-“

Aunt Marge is such a horrible person!!! If you ask me she’s really lucky that Harry is such a precious cinnamon roll and only made her a big bubble gum. *lol* The audacity to talk about his dead parents like that! No wonder Harry got so angry!! Aunt Marge can float to hell!

2.) ”I’ve already had some,” said Harry. “Professor Lupin gave me some. He gave it to all of us.”
“Did he, now?” said Madam Pomfrey approvingly. “So we’ve finally got a Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher who knows his remedies.”

Lupin is the best DADA teacher they ever had and I love him so much! <333 His character is just great and I wish we would have seen even more of him. Unfortunately we weren’t blessed with all too many Lupin scenes. >_<

3.) ”How extraordinarily like your father you are, Potter,” Snape said suddenly, his eyes glinting. “He, too, was exceedingly arrogant. A small amount of talent on the Quidditch pitch made him think he was a cut above the rest of us, too. Strutting around the place with his friends and admirers… the resemblance between you is uncanny.”

And speaking of the best teacher we come directly to the worst! Snape is such a horrible teacher I can’t even! I said it once and I’ll say it again: He's cruel, he's a bully, he takes delight in instilling fear in his students. And he verbally and emotionally abuses them. His personal vendetta against Harry who never ever did anything to him except of looking like his dead father is just crazy! Movie Snape is way nicer than the one in the books and I'm sorry but if you ask me #SnapeCan'tBeRedeemed"!!

4.) ”They’ve got a new captain and Seeker, Cedric Diggory-“
Angelina, Alicia and Katie suddenly giggled.
“What?” said Wood, frowning at this light-hearted behaviour.
“He’s that tall, good-looking one, isn’t he?” said Angelina.

It’s the third book and Cedric Diggory and Cho Chang are already mentioned! Also did anyone notice that they are both introduced as Seekers as well? ;-) So we have all the main players for book 4! Harry, Draco, Cho and Cedric! XD (On a side note: Considering the giggling girls Robert Pattinson truly is a good cast! *lol*)

5.) ”You asked us a question and she knows the answer! Why ask if you don’t want to be told?”

Ron never ceases to amaze me! He’s such a shy guy but boy does he become a lion when he defends the people he cares about! <3

6.) ”Dementors are among the foulest creatures that walk this earth. They infest the darkest, filthiest places, they glory in decay and despair, they drain peace, hope and happiness out of the air around them. Even Muggles feel their presence, though they can’t see them. Get too near a Dementor and every good feeling, every happy memory, will be sucked out of you.”

The Dementor’s Kiss reminded me of one of my rp characters that died through one. Ahh the good old roleplay times. *lol* Anyway, moving on! I was always intrigued by the idea of Dementors and even after so many years their existence and mystery still didn’t lose its appeal! They are really fascinating creatures and even though I never want to meet one I still can’t help but take an interest in them. =) Certainly one of the best things about this book!

7.) ”Mr Moony presents his compliments to Professor Snape, and begs him to keep his abnormally large nose out of other people’s business.”

The first mention of the Marauder’s Map! “The Prisoner of Azkaban” is certainly one of those main books that build the foundation for everything that’s yet to come. And it’s already way darker than its predecessors. Bless Fred and George for handing Harry the map! Heaven knows he’ll have good use for it in the years to come. ;-P

8.) ”They’re dead,” he told himself sternly. “They’re dead, and listening to echoes of them won’t bring them back.”

It always kills me to read about how Harry struggles with the knowledge - or rather the lack of knowledge - about his parents. My heart bleeds for him whenever they are mentioned. I mean jeez, he’d endure a Dementor just to hear their voices. T_T

9.) “She’s got her heart in the right place, Hermione has, an’ you two not talkin’ to her –“

Is it just me or is this actually a reoccurring theme? Since book one there always seem to be sections in which they don’t talk to each other because something gets in their way. And if my memory serves me right things are going to continue in this vein. XD

10.) ”She had slapped Malfoy around the face with all the strength she could muster. Malfoy staggered.”

Once again I want to point out that I’m a pacifist! The way Hermione dished out that slap was pretty spectacular though! *lol* Guess she took Mr. Weasley as an example. Haha! Sound advice for parents: You better don’t slap mean people in front of your kids! ;-P Also is it just me or did anyone else notice the irony of the situation? A person like Hermione, a person that values words, resorted to actions because she realized words won’t get her far with a Malfoy. *lol*

11.) ”THIRTY-ZERO! TAKE THAT, YOU DIRTY, CHEATING-“
“Jordan, if you can’t commentate in an unbiased way-!”
“I’m telling it like it is, Professor!”

Jordan’s Quidditch commentary is legit one of the best things about the series! Well and the matches themselves of course. XD Plus McGonagall swearing like a trooper because the Slytherin team was playing so foul is one of the best things ever! Haha! Especially because she obviously tried to keep everything objective and neutral at first. *lol*

11.) ”I’m not doing this for you, I’m doing it because I don’t reckon my dad would’ve wanted his best friends to become killers – just for you.”

Harry is a far better person than many others would have been! Even after everything Wormtail did he still didn’t allow Sirius and Lupin to kill him. He would have had every reason to let them finish him off yet he thought of the consequences for his father’s best friends first. Aside from that I still believe that Harry would have never allowed them to kill him because he knows it’s not right. If he proved anything to us by now, then it’s that he’s a very righteous and compassionate person.

12.) ”I don’t want a bond with Pettigrew!” said Harry. “He betrayed my parents!”
“This is magic at its deepest, its most impenetrable, Harry. But trust me… the time may come when you will be very glad you saved Pettigrew’s life.”

Once again the foreshadowing!!! Rowling is a master at this discipline! XD

I can’t wait to read “The Goblet of Fire”! Not just because it’s one of my favourite HP books but also because I want to find out which other details I missed the first time around! It will get dark now and I’m so ready for it!!! <3

_________________

I’m on a Harry Potter roll this year!
So now that Christmas is coming closer with every passing day it’s about time to dive into one of my favourites! =)

I always liked “The Prisoner of Azkaban”! Not only because the kids have grown so much but also because it marks the beginning of the series getting all “Sirius”. *lol* (Sorry, I couldn’t help it. XD)

But honestly, there are so many awesome things that happen in this book and there are so many new characters that are introduced, it’s just amazing! <3

Happy reading!
I’m sure I’ll have a good time!

That was awesome. I really should have read this about ten years ago when all the cool kids did. I'm enjoying this series so much and it's great I have no idea what happens next. No spoilers, please! :) x

I solemnly swear I am up to no good

I am probably being very biased here. Prisoner of Azkaban was my favorite movie thus I had more fun reading the book whilst imagining the movie scenes itself. From all the nine movies (including the Fantastic Beasts movies) I felt as if the third movie managed to capture the essence of Harry Potter and most importantly of Hogwarts the best. Unfortunately the next book is the one I liked the least. Mostly because from there onward the deaths start to occur. The proper revival of He-Who-Must-Be-Named occurs then (this would be a spoiler to any poor soul who has yet not had the joy of reading Harry Potter. Yet).

There is something in reading these books once again when I am older knowing the full length of sadness I would feel, by knowing the end for most of the characters in the series. With full acknowledgement that despite few who find reprieve here ultimately becomes collateral damage in the end. So many essential characters are introduced here, some minor and some very important for the story to proceed. This book has managed to score the highest among the series mainly due to introducing some of characters that have managed to stay in my favorite character list, Sirius and Remus. Now knowing their bond with James and the lengths they would go for their best friend's son, pains me. Suddenly a kind of sadness that I had never felt before, managed to overtake me. Specially thinking back to the bygone days of Prongs, Padfoot, Moony and even Wormtail, who spent their teenage years dreaming of a future for all four of them, dreaming of growing old together. It occurred to me to imagine what they would have felt when making the Marauder's Map. Maybe they were thinking of the legacy of mischief makers they've leave, not knowing the grim future for them. It is just so sad to imagine, these cheerful, mischievous children, that by the end of the series, all gone, to save each other, not themselves. All died selflessly (mind you I am NOT including Peter Pettigrew). These thoughts kept running through me. The futures of all of them lost. If the prophecy was not made, they would have lived better lives. Yet, if He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was not sent away because of the actions of prophecy, they still would have died. At least they would have died knowing there was someone for them, one of the three.

In a way, this is children's novel but the implications of the story are greater. Despite being a children's novel the realistic points of the plot which do go hand-in-hand with tyrannical rulers in the world is quite interesting. For us, whatever is happening to others in the world is merely passing information on the 8 o'clock news but in reality it is the cruel reality to some. Many suffer faiths like this, losing parents, losing loved ones, losing whole futures and the repercussions that follow that. It is not with any joy that I bring about such harsh words in such a simple review but I felt that we should remember, what truly matters. Insensitivity should not be encouraged and we should not take what we have for granted.

Till once again, Mischief Managed

Full review posted:

Wow, did this book do better than the previous book on MULTIPLE levels.


(s)

I feel like this is the book where the series begins to mature and im so here for it. The first half was similar to the other books and was really losing my attention, but the second half picked up so much and I was honestly giving up valuable sleep time to keep up with the book

-tThe characters – honestly are everything
-tThe characters in this book are so COMPLEX I LOVE IT
-tLupin is the best human being in this entire book someone give him a hug
-tGreat teacher, great human
-tI really hope he gets more appearances in the coming books
-tSIRUIS BLACK
-tAgain, another COMPLEX character
-tLove the backstory, love his character
-tI NEED MORE SIRUIS IN THE COMING BOOKS PLEASE PLEASEPEASEPLEASE AND NO ONE HURT HIM PLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASE
-tHarry is still meh don’t get your hopes up too high
-tHe’s growing but im not v interested in him bye
-tHermoine is my favourite from the squad, much better than the other two
-tTHE WEASLEYS
-tYou’re lying if you don’t want Mr. and Mrs. Weasley to adopt you
-tWhere can I sign the contract ???
-t SO MUCH ACTION IN THE SECOND HALF
-tHagrid, sweet Hagrid
-tMalfoy can go byebye no one cares about your tantrums
-tI WANNA MEET THIS VOLDEMORT GUY
-tCAN WE GET HIM ON SET
-tMore lily and james too plz
-tNeed that backstory
-tThis book was just genuinely v entertaining and v action-packed
-tIm actually interested in the next book


(s)

“I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.”

3.5 stars!!


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

oh would you lookie here. . .its the 15th of the month, that means its HP time.

all responsibility goes to these poops for ruining my life with their insistent forcing of HP on my soul.

not nice :( :( :(

Le sigh, so magical.

So Buckbeak.
So Hermione is a badass.



FAVORITE moment in ever, people.

But I digress.

I've said it in both my reviews for the first and second HP books, but I'll say it again here...In fact, lemme just copy/paste what I said in review #1 to save us all some time (typing for me and possible link clicking for you):

I have a confession to make.

*
*
*

I have never read Harry Potter.



Yes, yes, I know...this is akin to reader sacrilege.

But I just had no interest in these books when they came out. I was too busy reading about men in kilts fucking the milkmaid.

Therefore, my only experience with "Hermione" is the SNL skit where Lindsey Lohan shows Harry and that other scarfed dude her ginormous tatas.

  

Well, what with everyone going ape shit over the newest installment, I figure I should probably find out what all this Hogwart's business is about.

And since my friend's 9 year old demanded that I read his copy, I now have the paperback in my possession.

I also never saw any of the movies when they came out and I have been watching them now only once I polish of the corresponding book.

But, anyway, there you have it.

Yes, this is my first time reading through the HP series, and no I'm not just claiming that to get attention. As you all know, I could give a fuck.

But again, I digress.

I absolutely see why these books are so loved and I am looking forward to the next one, brick that it is.

Okay, I will admit it here, publicly, for the very first time: I've got a mad crush on Remus Lupin.

How could I not have fallen hard for a man who, by day, has the vibe of a young Pablo Neruda, and by night strips down naked and takes on werewolf form?

I mean, can you imagine having sex with this man?

Well, I have. Several times. And, as a woman who read the entire Harry Potter series as an adult, rather than a child, I could not get over my joy when the series shifted from the wonderful, but somewhat saccharine, child-like storytelling in books 1 and 2 and took on a more mature feel.

Please, don't get me wrong. I love the first two books in this series, but I love them for their magical quality, their appeal to children, and their overall introduction to this world.

But The Prisoner of Azkaban, at least for me, marks the shift into adolescence and the less tidy endings.

And, of course, the introduction of Sirius Black and Remus Lupin to the plot.

I loved rereading this third book the past two weeks with my middle child, and I can not get over this new set of the illustrated series by Jim Kay. I mean. . . I'm not sure I can imagine a reading experience more sublime. Can you?

My two absolute highlights from this novel are:

When Remus Lupin turns to Hermione Granger and says, “You're the cleverest witch of your age I've ever met, Hermione.” It's a shift from everyone poking fun of Hermione for being a teacher's pet or a “nerd” and acknowledging her as a force to be reckoned with.

And Jim Kay's illustration of Harry summoning his first real Patronus. . . my God, I turned the page, and goosebumps ran down the entire length of my body. Then I cried like a child. My daughter, who was sitting next to me, wasn't exactly surprised (she's been around for the last two years of this horror called perimenopause), but she was like, “Mom, pull it together.”

I couldn't help it. Damn it, I think I'd run back into a burning building to grab this book.

Remus!

Another one completed, the re-read continues ♥️

This is my favourite book in the Harry Potter series!

It marks a distinct change in tone and a maturation of the writing. As the characters grew older, the challenges they faced became more dark and intense. The plot became murkier especially in regard to Sirius and his involvement (or lack thereof) in the murders of Potter’s parents. It all just got so much better. I think this is a large part of Rowling’s success. She could have fell into a trap and continuously wrote books like the first two, but instead she moved her story forward and let it grow. And her readers rejoice.

This is also the first time the real threat to Harry is realised. Sure, we’ve seen Voldemort on the back of Professor Quirrel’s head and we saw an early Tom Riddle in the form of Horcorux diary type thing, but the dementors were an entirely different level of danger. The entire story felt less comic and less feel-good, for the first time it seemed like Harry Potter could actually die if he didn’t find his courage and repel them with his power. He owed much to Lupin here, a character who becomes slightly overlooked as the series progresses, but a hugely pivotal one in the development of Harry.

And, for me, that’s why this one is the best because eit is the one where Harry truly found his confidence.

This might be a very unpopular opinion, but I always disliked the 3rd movie the most and I feel like it's probably going to be the same for the books.

I do love all the new characters that were introduced but I really despise this goddamn time turner shit. I hate it so so much.
It doesn't make any sense! It's just full of goddamn plot holes.

Plus: I'm not a big fan of quidditch and there was a lot of it in this one... Qudditch bores me a lot tbh.

3.75/5 ✨

finished this finally on a trip to bali of all places! these books make me happy to read - always struggling with a slump at the moment, but since finishing this i’ve had an itch to read, whether that be finishing onyx storm or reading the next one in this series! i might finish onyx storm so i can return to goodreads spoiler free!

The third HP adventure serves to bring the likable Sirius Black into the story and get Gryffindor their Quidditch Cup, but the story and action was still far less gripping than the first novel. I thought that Lupin was an interesting character, but less spectacular than the previous two teachers against the Black Arts. I recall reading this for the first time nearly two decades ago when it came out and losing enthusiasm for the Harry Potter universe. However, I read it again so that I can read the rest with my son (he refused to read 2 and 3 with me because he felt they were the weakest books in the series and I have to say I agree with him). Nonetheless, one must read this story for the long game if one wishes to make sense of the rest. I am still a bit baffled by the whole switcheroo that Prang & Co did leading to the death of HP's father and mother, but perhaps they will return to that later.
On to The Goblet of Fire and the Quidditch World Cup!

JO ROWLING after typing the last sentence for this book:

  

SAY WHATEVER the fuck you want, this is possibly one of the most ingenious, well crafted, well written, well developed Children's book out there.

This person sat down, and not only put together an universe where children can do magic, away from their parents, while studying at a British boarding school alongside magical creatures, but this motherfucker sat down and genuinely created

★ DEMENTORS, energy sucking creatures who guard a prison and feed off of your happiness. And the only way to shield yourself from them is to perform a spell that uses your happiest memory for strength. Also, yeah, chocolate helps too. (as an adult this hits so fucking hard)

★ PAINTINGS WHO TALK TO EACH OTHER. Paintings who cover the walls of this magical castle, paintings who have feelings, memories, and communicate with the students. I mean that is not only hilarious, that is so endearing and unique.

★ A TIME TURNER. THE FUCKING TIME TURNER. Not that Rowling has invented it herself but the way she used it in this book? Reading Dumbledore say:

n  You can save more than one innocent life tonight??!!!?!!?!!? n

n   BRO IF THAT SHIT DOESN'T TOUCH YOU, YOU'RE DEAD INSIDE. DEMENTORS WOULD STARVE TO DEATH IF THEY WERE STUCK IN A CELL WITH YOU, YOU ALREADY HAVE NO HAPPINESS LEFT INSIDE YOURSELF. n

★ SNAPE? THE LEVEL OF COMPLEXITY of Snape's character. In a Children's book?? Really? Do I even need to start talking about Sirius and Buckbeak's arc in this book? OK I THOUGHT SO

★ THE NAME OF EVERY SINGLE SPELL

★ HOGSMEAD? DIAGONAL ALLEY? HOGWARTS ITSELF?

★ THE NAME OF EVERY ROOM, EVERY ITEM? THE MARAUDERS MAP?

★ QUIDDITCH? You are going to look at me, sit here and tell me that inventing quidditch from scratch is not the most unbelievable thing? Also, I am mad we got robbed of seeing Cho play Quidditch against Harry on television. Why did no one tell me this bitch was a FEMALE SEEKER FOR RAVENCLAW? That slaps.

And this woman was capable of creating ALL OF THIS AND MUCH MUCH MUCH MORE and still develop all of her characters thoughts, feelings, arcs, emotional baggage? I mean a pet rat here has a more complex arc than all of the "booktok" recommended books' characters I've read about combined.

Anyways, I usually don't cry while reading books. It's nearly impossible. But I did get quite emotional multiple times during this one.

"So you did see your father last night, Harry. . . . You found him inside yourself."  

I, Sirius Black, Harry Potter’s godfather, hereby give him permission to visit Hogsmeade on weekends.  

Perhaps we should think about dragons at the school entrance. . . .” “Hagrid would like that,”

About Snape: “Fellow seems quite unbalanced,” said Fudge, staring after him. “I’d watch out for him if I were you, Dumbledore.” “Oh, he’s not unbalanced,” said Dumbledore quietly. “He’s just suffered a severe disappointment.”

  

The hippogriff took off into the air. . . . He and his rider became smaller and smaller as Harry gazed after them . . . then a cloud drifted across the moon. . . . They were gone.

  

“Sirius is locked in Professor Flitwick’s office on the seventh floor. Thirteenth window from the right of the West Tower. If all goes well, you will be able to save more than one innocent life tonight."  

Anyway, if you ever want to know what World Building and Character Development in a book is supposed to look like, you just have to read this.

The market is so oversaturated, everyone nowadays think they can write a fantasy book because the internet and KU makes it possible. And this book, THIS CHILDREN'S book, is here to prove to you that no, not everyone can.

Funny, heart wrenching and warming at the same time, creative, unique, well paced, entertaining, imaginative, poignant, artistic, expressive, compelling, engaging...

A fucking world phenomenon, for a damned good reason.

  

I still have hope that in this mass market oversaturation where only Booktok books are getting deals because their authors have lots of followers, that someone, somewhere, will re-ignite a real passion for literature over their greed for fucking money and we will start seeing real fantasy novels like this one again.