Um. Wow. Yeah. That was freaking FANTASTIC!!!! Probably my favorite so far, just wow oh my gosh......WHAT EVEN!! I feel empowered and sad at the same time (sad because...you know). 5/5 stars of course!

Oh my gosh...I ‘must’ dedicate this little review to *Cheri*....
‘Queen of songs’.
Songs come to Cheri when she reads.
It happened to me, too.
This book is DARKER than books 1-3. ( Lisa warned me) ... Characters are ‘cruel’. CRUEL ... really cruel!!!
The song I started singing to myself was an old Elvis Presley song called
“Don’t Be Cruel”.
Indulge yourself ... sing

“Differences of habit and language are nothing at all if our aims are identical and our hearts are open.”

So this quote kind of sums up what “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” was really about and I think it was cleverly done. ;-) As always there’s so much to talk about and I decided to continue with another of my “My thoughts about this book” reviews. For HP this seems to be the best solution because otherwise I’d end up writing 5.000 words essays and we all know that 1.) Goodreads won’t let me post them and 2.) No one would even want to read so much! *lol* So random thoughts it is!

1.) ”Death Eaters?” said Harry. “What are Death Eaters?”
“It’s what You-Know-Who’s supporters called themselves,” said Bill.

I found it really odd that the term “Death Eaters” was mentioned and explained for the very first time in here. I mean Voldemort and his Death Eaters are one of the first things that come to mind when you think about HP. I thought it would have been mentioned in one of the earlier books already, but nope, it really was the first mention. Knowing the Death Eaters will accompany us for the rest of the series this was kind of shocking. XD

2.) ”I shouted at you before you left!” Mrs Weasley said, starting to sob. “It’s all I’ve been thinking about! What if You-Know-Who had got you, and the last thing I ever said to you was that you didn’t get enough O.W.Ls? Oh, Fred... George...”

Mrs. Weasley is legit one of the best moms ever and you can feel her love for all of her kids including Hermione and Harry. So yes, this a Molly Weasley appreciation moment and I still think that she is one of the most underrated characters in the entire series! I love that woman! <3

3.) ”Twitchy little ferret, aren’t you, Malfoy?” said Hermione scathingly, and she, Harry and Ron went up the marble staircase laughing heartily.

Hermione clearly found her self-confidence and poise after “The Prisoner of Azkaban”. XD I loved how she always retorted comments that were thrown at her. She’s so smart it was a pleasure to see her stand up for herself! (and others) And yes, I admit it, just like Ron I wanted to hold the memory of Malfoy the bouncing little ferret in my mind. *lol*

4.) ”How are you supposed to defend yourself against something you’ve never seen? A wizard who’s about to put an illegal curse on you isn’t going to tell you what he’s about to do. He’s not going to do it nice and polite to your face. You need to be prepared.”

Ahh Mad-Eye Moody! As much as I agreed with a lot of the things he said, I also disagreed with a lot of the things he did. Does that even make sense? XD For me Mad-Eye is one of those super morally grey characters because he sometimes does bad things for “the greater good”. Then again his character is consistent too because as an Auror he saw what dark wizards are capable of and he’s totally right when he says that they won’t play nice and fair. Guess I’ll always feel conflicted about him.

5.) ”Neville, are you all right?” said Hermione.
“Oh, yes, I’m fine,” Neville gabbled, in the same unnaturally high voice. “Very interesting dinner – I mean lesson – what’s for eating?”

Neville will always break my heart. That poor boy deserved so much better than he got and I’ve such a soft spot for him. He’s another of those Hogwarts characters I really would have loved to read more about and no matter what people think: He is brave and a true Gryffindor! <3

6.) Snape looked coldly at Hermione, then said, “I see no difference.”

And here we have another reason why Snape can’t be redeemed. He’s just nasty and mean to his students and a real bully. No matter what happened in his past, he should know better than to let his students suffer for it. I still think that movie Snape is way nicer than book Snape and if you only know book Snape you know why I don’t like him. I might understand his reasons, but I still hate him. >_<

7.) ”Next second all the wind had been knocked out of him as the squealing elf hit him hard in the midriff, hugging him so tightly he thought his ribs would break.
“D-Dobby?” Harry gasped.

I love Dobby so much! <333 He’s such an adorable and sweet guy and it was so good to see him so happy! He’s probably the only house elf that appreciates his freedom but considering his former masters it’s no wonder he’s happy to do what he wants. *lol* Guess you’ve to experience the Malfoy’s as your masters to truly appreciate freedom. ;-P

8.) ”Oh, I see,” Hermione said, bristling. “So basically, you’re going to take the best-looking girl who’ll have you, even if she’s completely horrible?”
“Er – yeah, that sounds about right,” said Ron.

*sighs* I usually like Ron but I never liked his “Goblet of Fire” version and I still don’t. I mean yes, he’s a teenage boy who’s going through puberty but that doesn’t excuse the many horrible things he does and says in this one. To say it plainly he’s a total dumbass in GoF and I really don’t like him. At least in this book. First he doesn’t believe Harry and then he’s hurting Hermione whenever he opens his mouth, just because his teenage hormones apparently make it hard to think before he says something. We could blame it on puberty but I think there’s so much more going on... Luckily Hermione is clever enough to see through it.

9.) ”Only this morning, for instance, I took a wrong turning on the way to the bathroom and found myself in a beautifully proportioned room I have never seen before, containing a really rather magnificent collection of chamber pots. When I went back to investigate more closely, I discovered that the room had vanished.”

And here’s another breadcrumb that will be relevant in the next book. XD You gotta love how Rowling scatters them in the earlier books and makes use of them later on. ;-)

10.) ”If you really want to know, he – he said he’d been coming up to the library every day to try and talk to me, but he hadn’t been able to pluck up the courage!”

So after three books we dive right into the teenage drama and angst. Which is kind of suitable for their age but boy, did it impact their friendship in this one. I think from now on there’s no book in which they don’t have a conflict of some sort. No matter if it’s Ron/Harry or Hermione/Ron. There always seems to be something brewing between the trio. And bless Victor Krum for realizing how beautiful Hermione is! If none of the two boys at her side can see it, at least Victor can! I think he knows her value way more than her closest friends and I really appreciate him for it. =)

11.) ”Trying to ruin someone else’s life?” said Harry loudly.

Harry giving Rita Skeeter a piece of his mind is one of the best things in this book. That woman is horrible and she’ll only get even worse as the series proceeds. Harry’s got guts to confront her directly and I just love him for it.

12.) But Sirius shook his head and said. “She’s got the measure of Crouch better than you have, Ron. If you want to know what a man’s like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.”

And here’s another character I’d love to see more of! Sirius Black is one of the best and I loved how protective he’s of Harry! He’s like a lion protecting his pup and I lived and breathed for it. After everything Harry went through he deserves someone who loves him and stands up for him. Even if it’s against Dumbledore because he wants Harry to rest and feel better instead of recounting events. Sirius placing his hand on Harry’s shoulder and defending him against Dumbledore’s questions really made my day! Best guardian ever!

13.) ”Yes,” said Harry. “Professor – I was in Divination just now, and – er – I fell asleep.”
He hesitated here, wondering if a reprimand was coming, but Dumbledore merely said, “Quite understandable. Continue.”

Haha! As much as I disliked Dumbledore forcing Harry to relive that horrible night I still can’t help but love him for his attitude. He’s one of the best teachers ever and the fact he didn’t even bat an eye when Harry told him that he fell asleep in Divination. Priceless! *lol*

14.)  ”And as he heard Voldemort draw nearer still, he knew one thing only, and it was beyond fear or reason – he was not going to die crouching here like a child playing hide-and-seek; he was not going to die kneeling at Voldemort’s feet... he was going to die upright like his father, and he was going to die trying to defend himself, even if no defence was possible...”

I LOVE Harry so damn much, I can’t even! He’s one hell of a brave boy and I can’t even imagine how terrified he must have been. Yet he still refused to back down and didn’t give Voldemort the satisfaction of seeing him cower in front of him. This moment shows the true Gryffindor in him and why he got sorted into the house. When push comes to shove Harry always does the right and noble thing! <3 My precious boy!

15.)  ”Harry, you can’t help him now. It’s over. Let go.”
“He wanted me to bring him back,” Harry muttered – it seemed important to explain this. “He wanted me to bring him back to his parents...”
“That’s right, Harry... just let go, now...”

This moment always makes me cry! Cedric Diggory’s death is one of the most heart-wrenching scenes in this series and it will always break my heart. No matter how often I read it, it’s still devastating. And Harry’s reaction to it, knowing that he could have been alive if he would have touched that portkey without him... It’s the first time that he has to live with the death of someone he knew and liked and it’s even worse because he feels guilty. What if he would have done the egoistic thing and won the tournament? What if he wouldn’t have offered Cedric to win together? For the first time ever his sense of fairness and his honour brought death to someone and his feelings are so complex I could cry. He did the right thing but it ended badly and left him devastated. If that’s not the symbolical embodiment of growing up then I don’t know.

16.)  Professor McGonagall went straight to Harry.
“Come along, Potter,” she whispered. The thin line of her mouth was twitching as though she was about to cry. “Come along... hospital wing...”

To see McGonagall show so much emotion about broke me. This woman is always so composed and knows exactly what she’s doing but for the first time ever she can’t seem to be able to ignore her own feelings. She cares about Harry deeply and it never showed as much as after Cedric’s death. Such a great and beautiful scene!

17.)  ”Fail to act – and history will remember you as the man who stepped aside, and allowed Voldemort a second chance to destroy the world we have tried to rebuild!”

Well, and that’s about exactly what happens. Fudge didn’t take Harry’s story seriously and the wizarding world had to pay the price for his ignorance. It’s kind of eerie how Rowling captured politics and how the fact that they work so slowly is standing in their own way. At first Fudge didn’t react and once he did, it was too slow to make a difference. He kind of dug his own grave with his actions at the end of GoF and history will indeed remember him as the man who stepped aside and allowed Voldemort to take a second shot at power.  

“The Order of the Phoenix” is up next and it’s the last book I have to borrow from the library because I actually have book 6 and 7 in English at home. =) So let’s hope I’ll be able to borrow book 5 soon.

____________________________________

I always forget how serious those books become.
“The Prisoner of Azkaban” was already very dark but I think “The Goblet of Fire” stepped it up a notch. The ending will always get me, no matter how old I am. >_<

Full RTC soon! Stay tuned!

P.S: I borrowed this twice from my library. *lol* That’s how I was able to continue. Thankfully they have a lot of copies of HP! XD
____________________________________

I just borrowed this from my library but of course someone else already preordered it again. >_<
So I guess that means I’ll have to be fast and start now!

617 pages with a super tiny font.
I CAN DO THIS!!!
Or well, at least I hope I can. *lol*

Regardless of everything I just said “The Goblet of Fire” has always been one of my favourite HP books. I’m curious if I’ll feel the same way after rereading it now.
Which HP book is your favourite and why? =)

4.5 stars

I really don't think I need to tell y'all that I loved this because I've been raving about this series since the moment I started it back in January but for the sake of clarity - I love this.

I believe everyone (even people that have no attachment to it at all) has a Harry Potter story under their belt. Whether it be the story of their first time reading it or the time they convinced everyone in their family to dress up as the Weasley's or when their Potterhead teacher made them play Quidditch in gym class, everyone has some kind of HP story they whip out at dinner parties - this is mine.

Back in my early teens, after a childhood of ignoring the wizarding craze under the guise of my idiot-self being too sophisticated for magic (yes, 8-year-old Grace was an asshole - that isn't the story) I was a camp counsellor. But I wasn't a counsellor at any ordinary camp, oh no, I was a counsellor at a theatre camp. Each year we would put on a different musical and the year I was 15 it was decided we would do a child-friendly, dumbed down version of the Goblet of Fire, complete with all your favourite musical numbers stolen straight from A Very Potter Musical.

I played James Potter, helped countless kids memorize their lines, choreography and ten musical numbers and yet the only plot points I picked up of the entire musical was the Yule Ball and Cedric Diggory's death.

The whole time I was reading this book - 5 years later - all I could think about was that musical and what I knew was coming because of it. I was worried the entire novel and utterly heartbroken once it actually happened - 5 years of build up to finally understanding what was happening in this book and I'd say It was 100% satisfying.

This book is masterful; it is the book where everything changes and you feel it with every flip of the page. It maintained the classic spirit of books 1-3 while perfectly balancing the added stakes and darkness. Also, like every other installment the way everything that is revealed at the end answers all your questions and puts all the more new ones straight back into your head was just as satisfying as it was the first three books and it was perfection. I want to curse 8-year-old Grace for being an idiot and 15-year-old Grace for not paying attention at work because, boy oh boy, do I wish I read this series sooner.

“Decent people are so easy to manipulate, Potter.”



JK Rowling's Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is another great installment in the series. The book introduces readers to Mad Eye Moody (a fantastic character even when he is not really himself). Goblet of Fire also features the Tri-Wizard Tournament, and its many interesting challenges. Some people like the dragon challenge best, but for me its the one with the merpeople. The stakes are higher in this one and it is consequently darker than the previous three books. Great fun! 4.5 stars

A little slow in the start but second half just kept me on the edge with its dark revelations. I am glad that I am reading it now, am sure I wouldn't have survived the end of this book.

Relectura.
4,5 ⭐

"Cuando tenga ochenta años y esté sentado en mi sillón, estaré leyendo a Harry Potter. Mi familia preguntará ¿después de todo este tiempo? Y yo diré: siempre". (Alan Rickman)

Cuarta entrega de la saga. Le tengo un cariño especial. Yo empecé a leer los libros de Harry Potter justo cuando acababan de publicar este. Tardé nada y menos en ponerme al día. La magia de esta me serie me conquistó sin remedio. Da igual cuantas veces los relea, esa magia sigue ahí.

¿Qué destaco del libro?

La progresión de la trama. Me maravilla la forma en que Rowling consigue que la historia evolucione. Mantiene lo que sabe que funciona de las entregas anteriores e introduce nuevas líneas y personajes que añaden complejidad e interés. Vamos a conocer algo más de ese mundo mágico paralelo al de los muggles. Los mundiales de quidditch, los otros colegios de magia, la familia de Voldemort, la vida de los elfos domésticos, etc. Por supuesto, vamos a volver a Hogwarts, las clases, los profesores, las visitas a Hagrid y a Hogsmeade, todo ello enmarcado en una nueva y trepidante trama.

Este cuarto libro, podríamos decir que representa el punto de inflexión entre los tres anteriores y los tres que vienen después. La figura de Voldemort adquiere una entidad mucho más definida. A partir de aquí la lucha entre sus partidarios y sus opositores será el eje central de lo que queda de serie.

Los personajes a su vez, también evolucionan. Harry y sus amigos tienen ya catorce años. Han dejado de ser aquellos chiquillos de once para entrar de lleno en la adolescencia con todo lo que ella conlleva. Percy Wesley comienza a trabajar para el Ministerio de Magia y los gemelos tienen planes para su inmediato futuro. En esta entrega conoceremos, además, a Bill y Charlie, los hermanos mayores de Ron.
Como suele ser habitual, además de los personajes "fijos", Rowling introduce otros nuevos. Ojo loco Moody, Amos Diggory, Viktor Krum, Fleur Delacour, Ludo Bagman y Bartie Crouch son los más destacables, junto con Sirius Black, al que ya conocimos en la entrega anterior.

Los diálogos, en su línea, ágiles, vivos y chispeantes. De lo mejor que tienen estos libros. Sin olvidarnos de las reflexiones, que así, como el que no quiere la cosa, nos deja caer la autora. Destaco el "no todo vale" sobre los métodos de Crouch para combatir a Voldemort y sus mortífagos y un par de frases.

"Si quieres saber en verdad como es una persona, échale una mirada a cómo trata a sus inferiores, no a sus iguales".

"Recordad, si llegara el momento, de tener que elegir entre hacer lo correcto y lo que es cómodo, recordad lo que pasó con un chico que era bueno, amable y valiente, porque se cruzó en el camino de Lord Voldemort. Recordad a Cedric Diggory".

En conclusión. Cuarta entrega de una serie que me enganchó la primera vez que la leí y no ha dejado de hacerlo desde entonces. Muy recomendable ya seas adulto o joven lector.

Am I going to be killed for saying that I actually kind of prefer the movie?

Still a good book though lol

Don't mind me, just crying my eyes out.

This was WAY better than I remember it being, and I remember it being pretty darn good. J.K. Rowling is a writing goddess and I can't believe how much foresight and planning went into this series. She already hints at the horcruxes and many other things in this book that don't show up until much later. Definitely one of my favorites in the series (but I say that about all of them)!

n  “We are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided.”n

The summer is dragging and Harry can't wait to join the Weasleys and Hermione at The Burrow and go with them to the International Quidditch Cup final.

It's Harry's fourth year at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. This year will be different to the previous ones, for Hogwarts will be hosting the Triwizard Tournament, a competition which hasn't been hosted for a century. A contest involving two other international magical schools and three dangerous tasks, only students of age are allowed to compete in.



Harry is looking forward to watching the games and supporting whoever the Hogwarts champion is. What Harry doesn't expect is finding himself entangled in these dangerous events.





For me this is where the story really picks up. The games, as well as the dark atmosphere make this book so compelling. You can't help but want to know what happens next and how Harry decides to face all the challenges that come at him.

“If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.”

The introduction of foreign wizards/witches in this book sets this one apart from the others. I absolutely loved seeing how different they are to the usual British magical community. And the rivalry that is usually present at Hogwarts between the Houses is amped-up.



I really felt for Harry. He faces hate from the other students for something he had no control over as well as being shunned by one of his best friends. I don't know how he deals with everything honestly.

“It matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be.”

Our trio are growing up. I loved those scenes with Harry and Ron struggling to communicate with girls

Welcome back to my re-read of the classic series “Harry Potter”.

Like I have already mentioned in my review of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, it is definitely noticeable that Rowling's writing style has improved massively compared to the first two books in the series. The amount of suspense and foreshadowing was incorporated very well and made the reading experience so much fun. I found myself constantly holding my breath towards the end, there were so many twists and turns! I have actually seen the movie version before, but I forgot much of it, so I was extremely surprised at some of the reveals. The build up towards those situations was just perfect!

I loved that we got to see a bit more interaction between muggles and wizards in the beginning, as well as more scenes outside of Hogwarts. It was a nice change and helped bring a bit more realism to the story (it was nice to see that wizards and witches get excited over such a normal thing as a sport event, too!).

One of my favorite things in the book was the portrayal of friendship. Harry, Ron and Hermione were depicted as normal teenagers, who sometimes just happen to fight over the stupidest little things. I feel like that really brought their friendship forward, in a way.
I, in general, feel like there was a lot of progress and development in the book. I haven't read the following books yet, so I obviously can't say how much of what happened in this one will play a part later, but I still feel like I learned so many new things about the world this story takes place in and about the characters in it. And oh man, how much I just love those characters...