Title: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Author: J.K. Rowling
Series: Harry Potter #5
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Urban fantasy, Witches
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Year: 2003
5th sentence, 74th page: The moth-eaten velvet curtains Harry had passed earlier had flown apart, but there was no door behind them.

Dumbledore lowered his hands and surveyed harry through his half-moon glasses. ‘It is time,’ he said, ‘for me to tell you what I should have told you five years ago, Harry. Please sit down. I am going to tell you everything.’

Harry Potter is due to start his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He is desperate to get back to school and find out why his friends Ron and Hermione have been so secretive all summer. However, what Harry is about to discover in his new year at Hogwarts will turn his world upside down…

I have to admit that this is my least favourite of the Harry Potter books. Not that that is saying much, because this series is one of the best in the history of man. Or at least written history. In my opinion. Still, while I can read any of the other HP books in one day, I don’t get so completely absorbed into The Order of the Phoenix.

The main reason that I don’t enjoy The Order of the Phoenix as much as the other books in the series is Dolores Umbridge. Probably a sentiment that most readers can understand. Voldermort is obviously a terrifying antagonist, but something about Umbridge is so much more chilling. Voldemort is obviously and outwardly evil. From the very first book he is the bad guy, and completely against the good guys. Umbridge on the other hand… I don’t think that there’s anything more terrifying than an amoral being in power. The scene where Harry is forced to cut himself repeatedly in detention is quite possibly the most cringe-worthy, harsh moment throughout the series. And considering the fact that Harry is an abused orphan amongst other things, that is saying something!

Throughout the series Voldemort personifies a life without love – something that is completely unimaginable in my world. But Dolores personifies those what happens when authority isn’t tempered by compassion and knowledge. Not many people come across someone so devoid of love and relationships like Voldemort, but we have all come across someone who is power-hungry and self-centred. When this is combined with a lack of respect for others and an inability to care, there is great potential for serious damage, and for me, Umbridge is the perfect example of this.

Image source: Mrss Library

Title: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Author: J.K. Rowling
Series: Harry Potter #4
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Urban fantasy, Witches
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Year: 2000
5th sentence, 74th page: ‘We’ll be a bit cramped,’ he called, ‘but I think we’ll all squeeze in.

It is the summer holidays and soon Harry Potter will be starting his fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry is counting the days: there are new spells to be learnt, more Quidditch to be played, and Hogwarts castle to continue exploring. But Harry needs to be careful – there are unexpected dangers lurking…

I always feel like this is the Harry Potter book that goes from a childish fantasy tale to a series that is complex and a little too serious. Partly it’s because of the content, but I it’s also because if you look in the book case, this book is a LOT thicker than the first three tales in this epic story. Since the first Harry Potter book, I have loved J.K. Rowling’s investigation of relationships. From Ron, Harry and Hermione’s rocky start to their friendship to Malfoy’s jealousy, the relationships follow a really realistic pattern and feel real. And the Goblet of Fire follows this progression.

Ron’s jealousy of his incredibly popular friend is something that I completely understand (after all, my girlfriends all seem to be stunningly beautiful, and I am always jealous of the attention that they get). Not only did this make them seem far more relatable, but it would be hard to believe a story where the best friend (and sidekick) didn’t get jealous. Yes, when you read about his pig-headedness and the ways he manages to ostracise not only Harry, but also Hermione, you kind of want to reach through the pages and slap the boy, but really, if you were in that position, wouldn’t you do the same? Haven’t you?

Then there is Ron’s refusal to see that he has feelings for Hermione. Their relationship is one of my favourite literary romances, not only is it totally natural, but it’s entertaining. There isn’t a moment of wow, we like each other, let’s get together, the end. It’s cat and mouse, people growing up in some really difficult times, and emotions just slowly reaching out to take hold. There’s not even a moment when you realise that they both accept their emotions – it just happens. And, at least in my limited experience. This is what happens in real life. There aren’t grand gestures and roses (at least not for me), but there are these beautiful little moments caught in time. The seconds that make you go “huh”. It’s a perfect contrast to Harry and Ginny’s relationship – Ginny is blatantly in love with him, and then Harry is blatantly in love with her and they take a little while to figure it out. Get together. Break up again.

As I previously said, The Goblet of Fire marked a real change of pace in the Harry Potter stories. And part of this was the return of Lord Voldemort. That moment still brings tears to my eyes and shivers up my spine. Not only is a young life tragically cut short, but the sinister nature of his return and the unashamed disregard for life is kind of terrifying.

Image source: Harry Potter Fanzone

Title: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Author: J.K. Rowling
Series: Harry Potter #3
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Urban fantasy, Witches
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Year: 1999
5th sentence, 74th page: ‘The new password’s Fortuna Major!’

Harry Potter, along with his best friends, Ron and Hermione, is about to start his third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry can’t wait to get back to school after the summer holidays. (Who wouldn’t if they lived with the horrible Dursleys?) But when Harry gets to Hogwarts, the atmosphere is tense. There’s an escaped mass murderer on the loose, and the sinister prison guards of Azkaban have been called in to guard the school…

Growing up, The Prisoner of Azkaban was my least favourite Harry Potter book. It just seemed slightly slower and a little off-topic. But as I’ve grown up, I’ve finally gotten a good appreciation of how wonderful this story actually is. I love the character of Sirius and finally getting to meet him and watch the story of James Potter’s childhood unfold is really interesting. After reading the whole series numerous times, the set up in this story makes the rest of the series make so much more sense. The small pieces that seemed so insignificant when I was a child are actually what make the series so potent.

My two favourite things about the Prisoner of Azkaban are the introduction of dementors and the twisting of perceptions. It is well publicised that dementors are the manifestations of depression and a reminder of mental illness within people’s lives. I really love the fact that such a potent reminder of people’s inner scars is a large aspect of our current culture and such an astonishingly popular book series. I think that the introduction of dementors into the Harry Potter series was a huge step towards the understanding of mental health in the general population and a great way to raise awareness for such a serious issue.

Everyone has a different take on what is happening around them. Just ask my sister and I, we both have seriously different recalls of the same moments in time, and I’m fairly certain that neither of us is 100% correct in our recall. So, investigating this through the unfolding story of the Potters’ and Wormtail’s death throughout the story, and contrasting it against Sirius’ version toward the end was a great way to highlight how perceptions can so drastically be altered.

The combination of perceptions and depression are probably what has endeared this to me in my adulthood. And will for everyone else out there.

Image source: Harry Potter Fanzone

Title: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Author: J.K. Rowling
Series: Harry Potter #2
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Urban fantasy, Witches
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Year: 1998
5th sentence, 74th page: They squirmed, kicked, flailed their sharp little fists and gnashed their teeth; Harry spent ten whole minutes trying to squash a particularly fat on into a pot.

Harry Potter is a wiard. He is in his second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Little does he know that this year will be just as eventful as the last…

The Chamber of Secrets is one of my all-time favourite Harry Potter books (if I must pick a favourite that is). If I’m in the mood for a Harry Potter book and don’t feel like reading the whole series (since that can take a few months), it’s the second book that I tend to pick up.

I think that it’s the introduction of Ginny and the pure innocence of the book that has made it so important to me. Even though all of the Harry Potter books have a level of darkness about them (which I love to bits), The Chamber of Secrets seems to highlight Ginny’s innocence and the boys’ tendency to find trouble. But, mostly it’s about the fact that a young girl with a crush and annoying older brothers is so vulnerable – well, any young girl can be vulnerable if approached in the right way. Although it’s incredibly dangerous, Ginny’s purity and the way that she is manipulated reminds me so much of my childhood innocence. Something that I think all of us adults sometimes miss.

As I’m writing about this, I am replaying every moment of the story in my head. A very enjoyable way to procrastinate, I assure you.

Image source: Hypable

Title: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
Author: J.K. Rowling
Series: Harry Potter #1
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Urban fantasy, Witches
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Year: 1997
5th sentence, 74th page: ‘Anyone sitting here?’ he asked, pointing at the seat opposite Harry.

Harry Potter thinks he is an ordinary boy – until he is rescued by an owl, taken to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, learns to play Quidditch and does battle in a deadly duel. The reason: HARRY POTTER IS A WIZARD!

I don’t think that you can say anything about a Harry Potter book these days that someone else hasn’t said. It is so ingrained into our culture and our minds, that I can’t even imagine a person who hasn’t read or at least heard of, the Harry Potter novels. It is certainly ingrained into my memory and childhood.

I can remember exactly where I was when I started reading the first Harry Potter book. I was ten. My mum had given it to me because it just happened to be something she picked up, skimmed and then gave to me. I was hooked from the first page. And I, like most of the children of my generation, spent the lead up to my eleventh birthday waiting on my letter from Hogwarts.

I think that the thing that makes the Harry Potter books so damn wonderful is J.K. Rowling’s brilliant writing. Yes, it’s the storyline and the world that she created. But this would be completely useless if it wasn’t for GREAT writing. The sense of humour, the way that her words invoke visions and feelings – that’s what makes me read these books again and again and again. I know the story off-by-heart, but it’s the one-liners, the language and the way the words just wash over me that makes me read these at least once a year.

Image source: Hypable