 Absolutely amazing; the best Harry Potter book yet! |
| Review Date: October 13, 1999 |
| Reviewer: , |
| What can I say about this book that hasn't already been said by someone here? It was absolutely amazing! I've loved the Harry Potter books since I read the first one last spring, but this is my favorite of them so far. The beauty of it, the layers of betrayal and friendship that are slowly peeled away chapter by chapter, are all simply breathtaking. I started Prisoner of Azkaban one night as I got into bed, planning to read only a few chapters and then sleep. 435 pages and many hours later, watching the sun start to come up, I finally put it down, having finished the entire book. In the process of those 435 pages, I laughed, I gasped in surprise, and believe it or not I cried. The emotions of the characters expressed in this book as, bit by bit, the story of what really happened that Halloween night that Voldemort killed Lily and James Potter, were absolutely perfect. One of the finest books I've ever read! |
Far more intense and sometimes dark than what’s come before
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| Review Date: February 8, 2003 |
| Reviewer: Alex Magpie, |
Rowling manages the rare trick in an author of making each of her books better than the last. Harry Potter’s history is slowly revealed throughout the books along with his day-to-day schooling at Hogwarts and the current danger imposed by Voldemort or one of his underlings. It is the sewing together of these three strands that makes Harry’s adventures so gripping and original along with the increased maturity each novel brings (the themes of love, death and evil are intensified in each new book). Whilst the Philosopher’s Stone was suitable for a wider audience each subsequent book grows alongside Harry meaning Prisoner Of Azkaban may not be suitable for children under 12 or as well appreciated.
With the inclusion of more wonderful characters to add to the storyline such as the sinister dementors, Lupin and Sirius Black POA excites with the unfamiliar but still retains those elements that make Harry Potter books what they are. Time travelling, flying griffins, a map that changes and a certain pet rat’s history adds to the Harry Potter series’ charm and for over three hundred pages Rowling transports you to a new world. |
A Third Year of Danger
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| Review Date: May 12, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Mark Baker, Santa Clarita, CA United States |
Thirteen-year-old Harry Potter knows he can't use magic during his summer vacation. But try as he might, he accidentally blows up horrid Aunt Marge like a giant balloon. Instead of being expelled from Hogwarts, he is met by the Ministry of Magic himself and allowed to stay at an inn for the rest of the summer holiday.
The reason becomes clear right before the fall term starts. Sirius Black has escaped from the wizard prison Azkaban. He is a dangerous wizard who once killed thirteen innocent people with one spell. Worse, he worked for Voldemort. And everyone thinks he is headed toward Hogwarts to attack Harry.
As if this weren't enough, Harry has his regular school work to do. There's a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, one who actually seems popular this year. Professor Snape is as mean and vindictive as ever. Harry's new class, Divination, starts with the dire prediction that one of the students will leave and never return. And Hermione has a schedule that is impossibly full.
But as the year wears on, it becomes alarmingly clear that Harry isn't safe within the walls of the school. Will Sirius Black be caught or will he get to Harry first?
This is now the third Harry Potter book, and each one gets a little stronger. I have finally accepted that the books are as much about his school life as the mystery, but the mystery is being set up earlier and earlier in the books. The characters have been well established by this point, so the jokes between them immediately resonate with the reader. Yet a new comer could jump in here and understand the majority of the story.
I can certainly see why these books are so popular. They are entertaining escapist fantasy. I'm looking forward to sinking into book four. |
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