J. K. Rowling: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Hi everyone

This is my review for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling. It’s the seventh book in the Harry Potter series and this is obviously not my first time reading the series.
My copy has 620 pages and I got it as a gift from my husband.
You can find my Harry Potter reviews here.

                                *   SPOILERS   *

This book is great.
It was with a sigh of sadness that I finished the book.

Rowling manages to tie all threads together into one coherent story. Most questions are answered, most characters are fully worked out and we can truly understand their motivations.

The pacing is a bit off from time to time. The beginning especially is slow and it takes some time to get the action going.

The book is full of sadness but it’s also full of hope. It’s an uplifting, moving and very emotional journey. There were many teary-eyed moments spread throughout the book.
But it's also uplifting to read about everyone working together towards a common goal: defeating Voldemort.

Happy reading!
Helena

J. K. Rowling: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Hi

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is the sixth book in the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling.
My gorgeous copy has 542 pages and I got it as a gift from my husband.
You can find every Harry Potter review here.

                                *   SPOILERS   *

We get more information on Voldemort and I could almost understand why he became a sociopath. Though it doesn’t redeem him in any way, it only means I could see where he comes from. I really loved those parts. The story gets more nuance this way.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is a much darker novel. It’s still witty and there are quite a few laugh-out-loud scenes but it’s definitely more grownup than the previous ones. It’s not as action-packed either. The story is quieter and it’s only in the last few chapters where we get an amazing and chilling climax, but the threatening, ominous feeling is there throughout the book.

Dumbledore is not telling Harry a thing (as usual) and I got really angry at him for that. He decides Harry is big enough go find a horcrux but not big enough to get in on all the secrets? I don’t get it.
His death crushed me though. Every time. It’s so hard to read those last few chapters because I feel so sorry for those left behind. And Fawkes’ reaction is heartbreaking.

I honestly felt sorry for Draco. He had no choice but to do what Voldemort wanted him to. He wouldn’t have killed Dumbledore, we know because he lowered his wand. I’m sure he wouldn’t. I don’t like him but no-one deserves to be in his place. As a teenager I loved to hate him, but now I just find it very sad. What choice did he ever have with parents like his?

I loved the parallels Rowling draws between our political situation and the situation The Ministry of magic finds themselves in. Their policies and actions are clearly ineffective and superfluous but they want to keep up a façade. Thought-provoking.

One thing that has bothered me in every book though is the magical folks’ inability to understand muggles and act like them. How can they not know where to wear a bathing suit? They have to go to the same stores as muggles for some things? Those parts really make me cringe they’re so ridiculous. And refilling a drink? How is that even possible? Why are people going hungry if this is an option?

I wish Harry had noticed Ginny in the previous book too instead of Cho. It would make their romance much more convincing. Plus I never liked the Cho-storyline.

I loved it. Now I have to badger my husband into giving me the last one for our wedding anniversary this month.

Happy reading!
Helena

J. K. Rowling: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Hi everyone

I think this was my fourth time (I think) reading J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
You can find my Harry Potter reviews here.
My stunning copy has 800 pages and I got it as a gift from my husband.

                * SPOILERS *

Here are some observations.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is the book were the characters grow into real teenagers. Including the hormones, the bickering and the cranky moodswings.
And Harry can be very mean to his friends! He can be so moody! I can understand him and it’s realistic in the situation, but man he should really be more rational from time to time. It’s not really fun to read about the endless complaining, him being mean and hurtful to his friends and his attitude.
This book has a lot of depth and a wide range of emotions and characteristics.
I love the fact that Ron is a prefect. Finally something he can be really proud of.
I don’t like the Cho Chang lovestoryline. I never did and I don’t think I ever will.
Had Harry thought it all through and used the mirror Sirius gave him, it would have gone very, very differently. But I do feel so very, very sorry for him.
The premise of keeping Harry in the dark is understandable but they should have seen sooner that he has to know something.
Ginny is awesome!
Fred and George are superb daredevils and I love them.
Neville shows real strength and courage, McGonagall is amazing and strong and Flitwick made me smile.
The scenes where they defy Umbridge in small or big ways are especially enjoyable.
Rowling mentions so many things and people that will be important later on. It’s amazing how far ahead she was thinking while writing the series.
But Rowling’s bad characters are very one sided. They have absolutely no background. Why is Umbridge such an ‘evil’ woman? I would love to understand her. We see a glimpse of Snape’s reasons for hating Harry and that’s great (though it does not excuse him in any way and I will never like him). The last chapters were so thrilling! It’s amazing how suspenseful it remains even after several rereads and many hours of watching the movie.
The ending is perfect. It could have been very different had they thought it through. Had Harry used his mirror. Had they understood that Kreacher can leave the house. Or many other possibilities. But they’re teenagers so they didn’t.
Sirius didn’t die a hero. He died making fun while fighting, he died taunting the wrong people, he died a stupid death. His ego got in the way.
I love the way Rowling wrote about Harry dealing with it. My heart hurts for him. His grief feels very realistic and true.
And Neville! Oh I felt so, so sad for him in this book.

What this book teaches us most is the fact that people aren’t pure evil or a perfectly good person. Good people can come out of terrible households. Dumbledore makes mistakes. Sirius can be mean and scornful. Mrs. Weasley can be harsh too. Most of all; we learn that Harry’s parents and godfather weren’t infallible.

Happy, happy reading!
Helena

The PERFECT Couple.

J. K. Rowling: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Hi everyone

This review is about Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire; the fourth book in The Harry Potter Series by J. K. Rowling.
The novel won The Hugo Award in 2001.
My gorgeous copy was a gift from my husband and it has 617 pages.

                * SPOILERS *

I really loved this book.

Hermione is amazing. She’s confident, smart and she gets it right every time. She knows she’ll get Rita Skeeter. She is above the teasing and gossiping. She cares for Ron and Harry and she can’t stand them not talking to each-other. She is a great character.

Sirius, Mr. Weasley and Mrs. Weasley really care for Harry and I’m so glad he gets to experience that. Sirius has to leave him at the end and Harry can’t stand it. Molly hugging him. Molly being there as his family. So sweet and so sad at the same time. It almost made me cry.

It’s wonderful how Rowling mentions something at the beginning of the book only to make it an important part of the story later on. And when you reread the books you notice how often she does that. It’s all over the place. Characters, spells and objects, everything becomes important one way or another.

Snape bothered me though. Someone like him simply can’t be a teacher. He bullies Hermione into changing her teeth so he can’t make fun of her? He reads the interview out loud in class so everyone can make fun of Harry and Hermione? It’s too much and I can’t believe it. In reality, someone like him wouldn’t be a teacher and shouldn’t be around children in general.

And the house-elfs? That’s just wrong. They are slaves! How can Hermione be the only one who sees that? The house-elfs being happy slaves doesn’t make it acceptable in any way.

Another thing that aggravated me a lot was how Rowling treated Ron. It’s only normal for him to be jealous of Harry and the attention he gets from everyone. Ron is always the overlooked one. Rowling made him ‘the bad guy’ and I don’t think he deserved it. It hurt.
What hurts even more and what gets worse in the next book is the disbelief Harry is met with by others. They don’t believe him when he says he didn’t put his name in the Goblet of Fire or when he says Voldemort is back. I honestly can’t stand that sort of injustice.

These points made me more aware of some problems in the books I never noticed before. It might be me growing up and noticing them more or thinking about them more instead of accepting these problems like I used to.

I honestly love the series, I really do, but some things are just wrong.

Happy reading!
Helena

Life is good.

J. K. Rowling: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Hi everyone

This is my review of the third Harry Potter book by J. K. Rowling.
My gorgeous edition has 462 pages.

                * SPOILERS *

I absolutely loved this book. It was such an intense read.
There were moments I could cry. But it also still makes me laugh out loud. It’s so funny, smart, witty and truly hilarious.
The book is full of surprises and twists and turns if you’re reading it for the first time. Even now, after reading it so many times I still think this is a very original story.
Ultimately, it is an amazing, heartwarming book.

This is where the series gets a bit darker and grows from children’s books to YA. Harry and his friends learn some cruel lessons about justice, revenge, letting go and true loss.
They grow up and get much more fully characterized. Every character is different from the others and they feel realistic.

I adore Remus Lupin and Rubeus Hagrid, I love Sirius Black and Minerva McGonagall, Sybill Trelawney and sir Cadogan are hilarious. Loving them makes me hate Snape even more. That man is bitter and he has serious issues with all the students and shouldn’t be allowed to teach them if he hates them so much.
Then again, this is a children's/YA book and those books need some kind of villain.

I did think some elements were a bit too convenient or not completely logical but it didn’t bother me all that much.

Honestly, I want to reread it now.

Happy reading!
Helena

Wonderful evening!

J. K. Rowling: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Hi everyone

I got the first three books in the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling as birthday gifts from my husband and I absolutely adore this beautiful edition.
This copy has 360 pages.

                * SPOILERS *

Harry’s heroic deeds in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone have made no change in his circumstances at home. The novel starts with Harry completely alone, sad and surrounded by people who nearly hate him. It’s a heartbreaking start.

I absolutely love the moment Harry sees The Burrow for the first time. He adores it because it is truly a home filled with love, while Ron is a bit ashamed by how small and messy it is.

The characters develop realistically, friendships grow and we get to know a few new characters. Rowling’s characterization in general is great.
Gilderoy Lockhart is a stupid, crazy narcissist and he is hilarious. Everyone else’s reactions to him are especially funny. Unfortunately he is too stereotypical to be truly loved by me.

I do not think this book predictable like some other reviewers seem to think. As a grownup I would have seen the plot twist coming (or so I like to think because I cannot be sure) but I remember that as a child I was very surprised by the developments at the end.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is a hilarious book, it’s suspenseful, magical, thrilling, funny, unique and a parody on celebrities. It is also much darker then the first book.

There’s a lot of foreshadowing in this novel. A few things are introduced in this novel that will become important plot elements in future books. It’s subtle, but on rereading the books they are definitely there.

Happy reading!
Helena

J. K. Rowling: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

Hi

When I first started reading the Harry Potter series as a child I was too young to be able to read them in English so I read them in my native language; Dutch.
For quite a few years now I wanted to read and own them in English but I always thought it too expensive and a bit posh and redundant to own them twice.
Luckily, I have a wonderful husband who got me the series and I will receive the whole series spread throughout the year. Isn’t he a darling?
My absolutely gorgeous, GORGEOUS copy has 332 pages.

I wanted to read this in one sitting on my birthday (last Sunday) but I had the flu so it took me quite a bit longer then just one day to finish it.

“When a letter arrives for unhappy but ordinary Harry Potter, a decade-old secret is revealed to him that apparently he's the last to know. His parents were wizards, killed by a Dark Lord's curse when Harry was just a baby, and which he somehow survived. Leaving his unsympathetic aunt and uncle for Hogwarts, a wizarding school brimming with ghosts and enchantments, Harry stumbles upon a sinister mystery when he finds a three-headed dog guarding a room on the third floor. Then he hears of a missing stone with astonishing powers which could be valuable, dangerous - or both. An incredible adventure is about to begin!”

                * SPOILERS *

I absolutely loved this book.
This must have been about my 6th time reading the story and I still adore it.
The characters are amazing, Hogwarts is awesome and the story is fast, witty, complex, fun, emotional, intense, heartbreaking, clever, suspenseful, humorous and full of honest wisdom.
The whole world comes alive right before your eyes.

Some things struck me more this time, like how incredible poor Harry is treated by the Dursleys and how lonely he actually is, how unused to friendship or receiving a gift. He has never seen a picture of his parents. How sad is that?

Rowling always believes in her audience, in these children’s capacities to follow a story that’s more than 100 pages and has more than 8 characters. She made children read again and I will always love her for that.

The only thing about the story that bothered me a bit is the decision to go into the woods with four first year students. That might be the grownup in me.

Other than that; this book is pure perfection.
It was a pleasure as always and I can’t wait to get on with rereading the series.

Happy, happy reading!
Helena