Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter, … (2024)

“It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” CHILLS.

(REREAD)

Okay DUH 5/5 stars. I actually liked this book more than I remembered! This used to be my least favorite of the Harry Potter books and, while that still might be true, I was more entertained than I expected! I always forget how different Book Ginny is from Movie Ginny (way better all around) and how she has such a bigger role in the books than the films.

NOW ONTO HP AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN!

JK Rowling really knows how to write a great book, thats for sure! Although this wasn't my favorite book in the series, it definitely wasn't because it was bad. I loved the plot and conflict, even though it wasn't as intense as the others were. I was definitely shocked at the end...so epic and mind blowing!

(A-) 83% | Very Good
Notes: A bit bland at times, with less wonder and discovery than before, but finishes well with a more satisfying conclusion.

(A-) 83% | Very Good
Notes: A clever conjuration, it's a cozy castle mystery, a creature-fest, and Ripper-esque: lit by monsters, ghosts, and history.

*Check out progress updates for detailed commentary:

Progress updates:

01/25/2020 - Preamble

(1) Having finished "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone," I'm sticking with the Stephen Fry narration. Firstly, I'm awfully OCD about having everything match. Secondly, I can't abide by British characters speaking American English.
(2) Unrelated, but that glitch where we can't post reviews is back! As such, I'll be grouchy until it's fixed.

01/26/2020 - 7%

Notes:
(1) “Jiggery pokery!” said Harry in a fierce voice. “Hocus pocus — squiggly wiggly —”
“MUUUUUUM!” howled Dudley, “He’s doing you know what!”
- I like that Harry scares Dudley with nonsense reduplication. It's more humiliating.
(2) Harry gets his expulsion letter from the Ministry instantaneously. If only muggle bureaucracy worked so efficiently.

01/27/2020 - 12%

(1) Fred re lock-picking: "A lot of wizards think it's a waste of time, knowing this sort of Muggle trick."
- I wonder if "muggle tricks" are performed at parties?
(2) Ron: "[Dad] works in the most boring department... The Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office."
- Boring? Using memory charms on muggles who've seen magic... sounds like "Men in Black".

01/28/2020 - 25%

(1) "Percy walked in. He was already dressed, his Hogwarts prefect badge pinned to his knitted tank top."
- "Knitted tank top"? Are you hot or are you cold, Percy? Pick one.
- On second thought, I suppose that's just British for sweater vest.
(2) Arthur Weasley fist fights Lucius Malfoy, mirroring Ron's fist fight with Draco in the first book.

01/29/2020 - 29%

(1) "'Why,' demanded Ron, seizing [Hermione's] timetable, 'have you outlined all Lockhart’s lessons in little hearts?'"
- Either Ron doesn't understand girls at all, or he's jealous.
(2) Rowling says a lot with names. Justin Finch-Fletchley has a double-barreled surname, and as such is a mannered aristocrat. Others have emphatically ethnic names.

01/30/2020 - 35%

(1) Notably different from the film, Hermione doesn't know what "mudblood" means. Ron's actually the only one of the three who's offended by Malfoy’s slur.
(2) My theory on the Ron-Hermione relationship is that Hermione's feelings for him began when he slugged himself defending her honor against Malfoy. Before that, she was all about Lockhart.

01/31/2020 - 39%

(1) Ron: "Why would anyone want to celebrate the day they died ... Sounds dead depressing to me."
- Ron with the puns and the common sense.
(2) I think the "Deathday" chapter is intentionally depressing. It's all about people not getting what they want. Nick can't join the Headless Hunt, Filch can't do magic, HRH can't attend the Halloween feast.

02/01/2020 - 50%

(1) Hermione's blind to Lockhart's incompetence. Ron's known all along.
(2) Harry: "D’you think I should have told them about that voice I heard?"
Ron: "No ... Hearing voices no one else can hear isn’t a good sign, even in the wizarding world."
- Another prudent Ron line said by Hermione in the film. Film-Hermione's given book-Ron's common sense!

02/02/2020 - 53%

(1) "Dobby is used to death threats, sir. Dobby gets them five times a day at home."
- The empty death threats give him thicker skin, ironically.
(2) "Hidden from the teachers, a roaring trade in talismans, amulets and other protective devices was sweeping the school."
- Sort of like trading contraband in prison... wonder how they're smuggled in?

02/03/2020 - 58%

(1) Nearly all of Ron's explanation to Harry about parselmouths is once again given to Hermione in the film.
(2) Another fun name introduced here is "Millicent Bulstrode," who is described very much like the striding bull her name evokes.
(3) Harry's gone and become Hufflepuff enemy number one. Bad move ... badgers are deceptively vicious.

02/04/2020 - 65%

(1) Nice of Harry and Ron to return Crabbe and Goyle's shoes when they're done.
(2) Malfoy insults Hermione, Ron wants to punch Malfoy. It's a law of nature.
(3) Myrtle to Hermione: "Wait till everyone finds out you’ve got a tail!"
- This line was given to Ron in the film, but changed to, "Look at your tail!" Which, to me, sounds fairly risqué.

02/05/2020 - 69%

(1) Ron: "If I’d sprouted whiskers, I’d take a break from work."
- Future Ron should shave often.
(2) If Hagrid was expelled in third-year, and that was 50 years ago, then he'd be 63 years-old in the present, Tom Riddle would be 65, and Dumbledore around 150. I wonder if it's genetics or a side-effect of magic use that makes wizards live so long.

02/06/2020 - 74%

(1) Harry: "But why’s she got to go to the library?"
Ron: "Because that’s what Hermione does ... When in doubt, go to the library."
(2) "[Harry] chose the same new subjects as Ron, feeling that if he was rubbish at them, at least he’d have someone friendly to help him."
- And with Hermione taking everything, it guarantees they're always together.

02/07/2020 - 77%

(1) Fudge sort of treats Dumbledore like a nuclear weapon: better engaged at Hogwarts than loose in the world.
(2) Malfoy calls Hermione a mudblood: 'Let me at him,' Ron growled, as Harry and Dean hung onto his arms. 'I don’t care, I don’t need my wand, I’m going to kill him with my bare hands!'
- Fist fights seem an aptly muggle reflex response.

02/08/2020 - 81%

(1) "The creature that was lurking somewhere in the castle, [Harry] thought, sounded like a sort of monster Voldemort – even other monsters didn’t want to name it."
- Wonder if its name's just "basilisk," or if it has a personal name?
(2) The enchanted car reminds me of Nymeria from "A Song of Ice and Fire". A domestic, set free, and turned wild.

02/09/2020 - 85%

(1) Percy: "Ginny, er, walked in on me the other day when I was – well, never mind – the point is, she spotted me doing something and I, um, I asked her not to mention it to anybody."
- Percy should lock his door...
(2) I love how, despite personal differences, the teachers all encourage Lockhart to go monster hunting, to get him out of the way.

02/10/2020 - 90%

(1) Myrtle: "'I was floating away ...' She looked dreamily at Harry. 'And then I came back again. I was determined to haunt Olive Hornby, you see. Oh, she was sorry she’d ever laughed at my glasses.'"
- That's just short-term thinking.
(2) Hermione's incapacitated, Ron stays behind. It was the reversed in the last book. They mirror each other.

02/11/2020 - 97%

"The Chamber of Secrets," as a title, always felt like a misnomer. There's nothing really secret in there. Salazar Slytherin told everyone what it was built for, what he housed in there, how to open it, and what happens if it's opened. The only thing secret about it is its location, in which case it should be called "The Secret Chamber."

Continuing my reread with the illustrated editions! Gotta get through this one so that my daughter can start it next. <3

*********************

"It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities."

What can I say that hasn't been said before about this series? What words can do this book justice? I've felt at a loss on how to explain my feelings for these books as I've read them. I didn't experience them as a child and therefore my experience is clearly different than most others on here, but in some ways I think it's just as magical to read these for the first time as an adult as it was for everyone who devoured these as they were published in their childhood. I have kids, so I was constantly wondering how my 5 year old will accept these books when she's a bit older and tried to view the story through her eyes.

The holidays are always a busy, stressful time for us. All of our family is a hefty distance to travel to and, on top of that, we're moving into our new place this month. All I could think about was how desperately I wanted to escape all of my adult responsibilities for just a bit each day, and this was the perfect book to do so with. No matter your age, the magical world of Hogwarts is truly spectacular; the characters are such that they stay with you even after the final page is turned and the writing takes you back to a place you weren't sure existed for us old farts anymore. If you have been hiding under a rock for the past 20 years like I have, I highly encourage you pick these books up and get swept away like I did. Time is a precious commodity these days, and you couldn't spend it in a better way than with these precious kiddos.

I love this book, of course I do, but the fact remains that this book prominently featured two of my most hated Harry Potter characters. Ginny Weasley and Dobby. There, I said it. I hate them both. In my Harry Potter hate list, Ginny and Dobby probably rank somewhere below Umbridge and Peter Pettigrew. Yeah, you heard me. I hate them that much.

The reason I hate Ginny is---well, never mind. I don't want to start another shipping war here, the last one was terrible enough, so let the reason for my hatred be implicit and unsaid.

Dobby is freaking annoying, yo. All his eagerness and sh*t - and yeah, I know what happens in the end. Doesn't matter. I still hate Dobby. Dobby is the equivalent of fingernails on chalkboard for me. If he had been my elf, I'd have given him a sock already so he could his whimpering, sniveling ass out of my life. He means well, I know he does, it's just that he's such a frustratingly well-meaning bumbling idiot.

“You know what, Harry? If he doesn’t stop trying to save your life he’s going to kill you.”

“Ginny!” said Mr. Weasley, flabbergasted. “Haven’t I taught you anything. What have I always told you? Never trust anything that can think for itself if you can’t see where it keeps its brain?"

The Harry Potter Saga continues when The Chamber of Secrets is opened at Hogwarts, landing some of Harry’s classmates in danger. Will Harry Potter be able to save the day?

The reading of the Harry Potter series has been quite interesting because I really liked the first movie but didn’t really care for the rest. It becomes too dark, but what does that mean exactly? So it has been an exciting process to document exactly how my feelings for the Harry Potter series evolved since the first book.

In the beginning of the book, Harry is whining and doing nothing to improve his situation. He is complaining about not hearing from his friends, complaining about the Dursleys, complaining about no magic, complaining about no quidditch. Instead of cross training for quidditch, he just complains. If I wanted to hear complaints, I wouldn’t need to pick up a book. Also, I feel that some of the extraordinariness was missing from the second book. One of the scenes that I loved in the first book was when Harry was receiving all his letters to attend Hogwarts, but this book didn’t have that. There was some animal cruelty in this book involving a firecracker, and I thought that Harry was incredibly impatient with Colin Creevey, the little boy who was asking questions. Harry, wasn’t that you just last year?

There were some portions of the book that I did enjoy, and I am grateful that the author didn’t force us into another Hogwarts Express ride and another sorting ceremony. My favorite character (although a bit overused) was Professor Gilderoy Lockheart. I was laughing so much when I saw this note, “To Miss Granger, wishing you a speedy recovery, from your concerned teacher, Professor Gilderoy Lockheart, Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defense League, and five-time winner of Witch Weekly Most-Charming-Smile Award.” His various titles took up most of the note! It reminds of people who have PhD’s who try to get you to call them Doctor. Big eyeroll. Yeah. I’ll get right on that. I also loved when Gilderoy said thanks for the 46 Valentine’s Day cards, very similar to when people send themselves flowers for Valentine’s (Remember Clueless?).

The author also overly relied on fan favorites, heavily leveraging Hogwarts and the former cast of characters. I am more impressed with some other fantasy writers when they developed an entirely new set of characters and wove them into the storyline. This is a test for greatness from authors. Can they write a subsequent book without leaning so heavily on the fan favorites? In my opinion, JK Rowling didn’t meet that challenge.

Overall, it is a decent fantasy book with a system that isn’t too hard to understand. It isn’t embarrassing, but it isn’t great.

2024 Reading Schedule
JanMiddlemarch
FebThe Grapes of Wrath
MarOliver Twist
AprMadame Bovary
MayA Clockwork Orange
JunPossession
JulThe Folk of the Faraway Tree Collection
AugCrime and Punishment
SepHeart of Darkness
OctMoby-Dick
NovFar From the Madding Crowd
DecA Tale of Two Cities

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This was a cute middle grade book. Even though it was slow, I liked it a little more than the first book since at this point the world has already been established and now we get to see more of the characters and the setting. Ron and his family, especially the twins, are endearing. I also thought it was interesting seeing Harry’s internal struggle with whether he was truly Gryffindor or Slytherin, and the payoff later on about how it is our choices that show what we truly are. I didn’t like how the mystery was conveniently solved, the monologue of explanation from the villain at the end, and how Hermione was literally petrified throughout most of the book just so that she wouldn’t have figured everything out right away. But I’m glad to finally be done with this book so that, just like Dobby, I am free.

2022: 5/5
2021: To była kiedyś moja ukochana część… w sumie wciąż ją uwielbiam!

"My late lamented lords, ladies, and gentlemen,"
"The best of us must sometimes eat our words,"

Every time you loved the first book of a series, and then start reading the second - eagerly waiting for the story to continue - there's always the apprehension, that things might not be as great as the first. Well, Chamber of Secrets will convince you otherwise: everything keeps getting better.

"Have you ever heard of a plan where so many things could go wrong?"

I was glad to find everything I loved about the first book still applicable to the second. It'll be a bit redundant if all those plus points were to be repeated here, but still, I cannot refrain from mentioning how easy it is to read the story. In no way I'm implying that the narration is plain or just too simple - for it is definitely not the case - but it is just one smooth flow. The story itself is much more detailed than the first one, mainly because setting up of environment and characters were done in the original. Though I didn't feel so before, in retrospect, the first book now feels like an introduction to the series, and this as the first real adventure.

"It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities."

And again, it's impossible not to start reading the next one immediately.

"Regrowing bones is a nasty business."

Re-read audio 2017 ♥

Okay, I'm going to do a little *spoilery* in this review so those of you that haven't read the book then you might just want to look at the pictures. I have picked a ton of pictures from the book but believe me, there are plenty more beautiful ones in the book. Plus, if your a Harry Potter fan you will be getting the book anyway if you haven't already!

So poor Harry is stuck back with the Dursley's on Privet Drive. And even though Harry is a relative, they still treat him like poo because he's magical. Ewwwwww.

Harry is depressed because he has be cut off from talking to his friends or getting any kind of correspondence. Even poor Hedwig has been locked in her cage and hasn't been able to fly around. CRUEL! But Harry can't use magic inside the muggle world.

Then Harry meets Doby - the little house-elf that is waiting for him in his room.

It turns out that Doby has been intercepting his correspondence because he fears for Harry's life and doesn't want him to return to Hogwarts. So Doby causes some problems at the house that get Harry in trouble. I had to add this cute little picture of Doby running off, look at his little butt. lol ↓

Then one night, Ron, George and Fred pull up outside Harry's window in their dads flying car to save Harry. It's pretty funny how they get it all going but that is okay as long as Harry gets away from his evil relatives.

Of course, Mrs. Weasley is not pleased when they get back home. The sneaking out part didn't work very well, but she welcomed Harry with open arms and he stayed with them until it was time for them all to go back to school.

I love that picture of the Weasley house =)

Life at The Burrow was as different as possible from life in Privet Drive. The Dursleys liked everything neat and ordered; the Weasleys' house burst with the strange and unexpected. Harry got a shock the first time he looked in the mirror over the kitchen mantlepiece and it shouted, 'Tuck your shirt in, scruffy!' The ghoul in the attic howled and dropped pipes whenever he felt things were getting too quiet, and small explosions from Fred and George's bedroom were considered perfectly normal. What Harry found most unusual about life at Ron's, however, wasn't the talking mirror or the clanking ghoul: it was the fact that everybody there seemed to like him

Poor sweet Harry and I would love to live with the Weasleys' for a bit =)

Look at cute, fat little Scabbers ↓

The kids are going to meet Hermione to get some shopping done. But ole Harry takes a wrong turn down the chimney hole and ends up in some creepy shop. He hides and gets to hear some things Malfoy and his father are talking about.

Finally Harry makes it out of the store and Hagrid finds him and gets him to the right place with his friends.

Then Ron and Harry are blocked from getting on the train soooooo back to stealing the flying car.

AND of course they get into trouble when they get to Hogwarts but it wasn't anything too bad.

Snape looked as though Christmas had been cancelled. He cleared his throat and said. 'Professor Dumbledore, these boys have flouted the Decree for the Restriction of Underage Wizardry, caused serious damage to an old and valuable tree . . . surely acts of this nature . . .
'It will be for Professor McGonagall to decide on these boys' punishments, Severus,' said Dumbledore calmly. 'They are in her house and are therefore her responsibility.' He turned to Professor McGonagall. 'I must go back to the feast, Minerva, I've got to give out a few notices. Come, Severus, there's a delicious-looking custard tart I want to sample.'

There is a new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor named Gideroy Lockhart. He's a bit off but still . . .

Anyway things are not right at Hogwarts. (are they ever?) And Harry and the gang must figure out what's going on.

Poor ole Hagrid gets sent off to Azkaban for something he didn't do!

Malfoy is a jerk, as if we didn't know that. lol

Harry and Ron go out in the woods to meet Aragog the spider that is friends of Hagrid to find out some truth behind some stuff.

Comes to find out there is this diary of a person named Tom Riddle. I'm not telling you who this person really is but they are the one causing all kinds of trouble for a lot of people.

In the end Harry has to end up fighting a Basilisk to set things right. He has the help of the sorting hat for reasons, Dumbledore's Phoenix and a sword. Oh happy day!

There is loads more to the book then the things I have described but you can just read it and if you haven't, why haven't you? Harry Potter rocks and always will.

There is another happy ending for sweet Doby! ♥

Harry gives Dobby his stinky sock so this releases Doby. He now has his freedom from the evil Lucius Malfoy! Woot!

'Come, Dobby, I said, Come!'
But Dobby didn't move. He was holding up Harry's disgusting, slimy sock, and looking at it as though it were a priceless treasure.
'Master has given Dobby a sock,' said the elf in wonderment. 'Master gave it to Dobby.'
'What's that?' spat Mr. Malfoy. 'What did you say?'
'Dobby has got a sock,' said Dobby in disbelief. 'Master threw it, and Dobby caught it, and Dobby-Dobby is free.'
Lucius Malfoy stood frozen, staring at the elf. Then he lunged for Harry.
'You've lost me my servant, boy!'
But Dobby shouted, 'You shall not harm Harry Potter!'
There was a loud bang, and Mr. Malfoy was thrown backwards. He crashed down the stairs, three at a time, landing in a crumbled heap on the landing below. He got up, his face livid, and pulled out his wand, but Dobby raised a long threatening finger.
'You shall go now,' he said fiercely, pointing down at Mr. Malfoy. 'You shall not touch Harry Potter. You shall go now.'
Lucius Malfoy had no choice. With a last, incensed stare at the pair of them, he swung his cloak around him ad hurried out of sight.

This book is wonderful, it always has been and always will, and the graphics in this book make it even better. ♥

MY BLOG: Melissa Martin's Reading List

”It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”

And here I go with another one of my short “My thoughts about this book” reviews. I can’t believe that I forgot so many things. Like for instance the fact that Dumbledore actually was a Transfiguration teacher before he became headmaster. Kinda suitable that this is McGonagall’s role now. ;-)

1.) ”Harry Potter asks if he can help Dobby … Dobby has heard of your greatness, sir, but of your goodness, Dobby never knew…”

Aww Dobby! It was so good to see him again! He’s really one of the best HP characters ever and this even though he made it kind of tough to like him. *lol* Well, at least at the beginning. Poor Harry! XD

2.) ”Your sons flew that car to Harry’s house and back last night!” shouted Mrs Weasley. “What have you got to say about that, eh?”
“Did you really?” said Mr Weasley eagerly. “Did it go all right? I-I mean,” he faltered, as sparks flew from Mrs Weasley’s eyes, “that-that was very wrong, boys – very wrong indeed …”

I’ll always love how Mr Weasley is more interested in finding out if the car flew well than in his kids actually flying the car! *lol* Also Molly Weasley giving him hell for not reacting the way a responsible parent is supposed to is just epic! Haha! Those two. You can see they have a great marriage! ;-P

3.) ”Mr Weasley had a cut lip and Mr Malfoy had been hit in the eye by an Encyclopedia of Toadstools.”

How could I forget that Mr Weasley threw himself at Malfoy? One of the best things in this book ever! Not that I support violence (I’m a pacifist) but even I can’t help appreciating that Lucius Malfoy for once, actually had his ass handed to him. XD

4.) ”That vanishing cabinet was extremely valuable!” he was saying gleefully to Mrs Norris. “We’ll have Peeves out this time, my sweet.”

How come I never noticed this before?! The foreboding!!! OMG! Like damn, there are so many things that are mentioned only briefly and rather casually and then when you continue to read the series they reappear with a vengeance! O_o With every book I read I’m more and more awed by J.K Rowling’s genius!

5.) ”Homework: compose a poem about my defeat of the Wagga Wagga werewolf! Signed copies of Magical Me to the author of the best one!”

Gilderoy Lockhart is so full of himself! I swear he must have been the worst DADA teacher they ever had. And they had many over the years which even Dumbledore can’t deny. Loved that bit at the ending when he said he’d have to write an ad because they “seem to run through them”. *lol*

6.) ”You are Muggle-born?”
“Half-blood, sir,” said Riddle. “Muggle father, witch mother.”

There definitely was a history lesson hidden in there. It’s fascinating how Riddle of all people could be a half-blood and then go against Muggle born wizards! I’m sure J.K. Rowling thought about World War II when she wrote this, because all the pure-blood and half-blood etc. stuff reminds me of a very dark chapter in German history… >_<

7.) ”But why’s she got to go to the library?”
“Because that’s what Hermione does,” said Ron, shrugging. “When in doubt, go to the library.”

Did anyone notice how well Ron knows Hermione? And how often he defended her in this book? I mean he actually would have fought Malfoy with his bare hands if Harry and Dean would have allowed it! It’s so obvious that Ron cares about her deeply! To vomit snails without complaining about it should count as the ultimate indication of eternal love and affection! *LOL*

8.) ”Of course,” she said, and Harry, amazed, saw a tear glistening in her beady eye.

McGonagall losing it was another great moment in this book! When you least expect it she always shows some kindness and heart and to be honest this never ceases to amaze me! XD She’s a great teacher and I’m not surprised that she always takes over when Dumbledore isn’t around.

9.) ”You’re in luck,” said Harry, forcing Lockhart to his feet at wandpoint. “We think we know where it is. And what’s inside it. Let’s go.”

I just love Harry, okay?! *lol* For such a young kid he certainly has a lot of guts and courage! The way he dealt with Lockhart? I think not even an adult wizard could have done it any better. XD The sheer audacity to demand aid from him like that. YES! Haha! <3

10.) ”Voldemort put a bit of himself in me?” Harry said, thunderstruck.”

I CAN’T BELIEVE ROWLING ALREADY MENTIONED THIS IN BOOK TWO!!! I mean Harry quite literally said that Voldemort put a bit of himself in him!!! A part of his soul!!! It’s so obvious that Harry is a Horcrux!!! GAH!!! It’s all there and I never saw it!!! That’s just brilliant! Dumbledore must have known all along! I really need to reread the entire series because I can’t remember if he already knew it right from the beginning or if it was just a theory at first.

I can’t wait to read “The Prisoner of Azkaban”! I’m afraid it might have to wait until next year though! So many books, so little time! ;-)

______________________________

As always I loved this! <3
And boy there were so many hints! The foreboding is real in this one! *lol*
Also I kinda like that every book ends with the school year and that there’s no cliff-hanger! I never thought about this but HP is so successful and this even though there are never cliff-hangers. XD (Well, at least not in the strict sense...)
Must be magic! ;-P
______________________________

I’m already reading 6 books,

Plus 2 of my six books will be finished soon so this means that I’ll be down to 5 again which is my usual amount. XD

Look at me being all reasonable and responsible. Haha! ;-P

But honestly, do I even need a reason to read Harry Potter?
No, HP can be read anytime! =))

ENGLISH (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets) / ITALIANO

Bedtime reading for my daughter (and second reading for me). It is once again exciting to wander across the Hogwarts halls, observing the mysterious facts that involve the protagonists, just like we were there too. This is Rowling's rare gift: making sure that we see through the eyes of Harry, Ron and Hermione.

The summer holidays have passed, and the new school year is about to start at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry's power is still immature, but Dumbledore's teaching is adamant:

«It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities»

Far be it from me to spoiler something of this mystery-fantasy. J.K. Rowling gives us another masterpiece to live, rather than to read. Actually, I do not know if my daughter was more pleased than me to hear this novel, or if I was happier than her to read it and literally interpret it (I even modulated the voices of the different characters). Any excuse to read Harry Potter.

Vote: 9

Lettura serale per mia figlia (e seconda rilettura per me). E' ancora una volta emozionante vagare per le sale di Hogwarts e osservare i fatti misteriosi che coinvolgono i protagonisti, proprio come se fossimo lì anche noi. Questo è il raro dono della Rowling. Fare in modo che vediamo con gli occhi di Harry, Ron ed Hermione.

Trascorse le vacanze estive, alla scuola di magia e stregoneria di Hogwarts sta per iniziare il nuovo anno. Il potere di Harry è ancora immaturo, ma l'insegnamento di Silente è categorico:

«Sono le scelte che facciamo, Harry, che dimostrano quel che siamo veramente, molto più delle nostre capacità»

Lungi da me spoilerare qualcosa di questo fantasy del mistero. J.K. Rowling ci regala un'altro capolavoro da vivere, più che da leggere. A conti fatti, non so se sia stata più contenta mia figlia di sentirselo raccontare, o se sia stato più contento io di leggerlo e letteralmente interpretarlo (ho perfino modulato le voci dei diversi personaggi). La scusa è buona, in ogni caso.

Voto: 9

I sat down to "read a few pages" of this before bed two nights ago and had to force myself to stop at page 100...then picked it up and flew through the rest the next day.

I really enjoyed this one (as did millions of others, obviously) and, with this installment, I am definitely seeing why this is such a beloved series. The magical wizarding world of Harry, his friends, and the folks at Hogwart's is just FUN to read about.

I am in LOVE with Fawkes the phoenix and I adore Dumbledore...And now I am so worried something bad is going to happen to one of them over the course of the remaining books.

And, yes, I know it's probably made you gasp in shock that - in addition to never having read the books before now - I have also never seen any of the movies...and I truly have no idea what happens throughout the remainder of the series.

I guess it IS possible to blissfully ignore spoilers for over two decades...unless we are talking about Game of Thrones. Good luck making it a f*cking day with all the assholes posting every single scene on Twitter.

Not that I'm on Twitter...

But I digress.

So yeah, firstly, loved this book and looking forward to the next one.

And secondly, now more of the art on the HP mug I got from OwlCrate a few months ago makes more sense and I totally love it more now, so there's that.

Winning all around.

Stephen Fry was made for these audiobooks.

4th read (April - June 2019):
5 stars
Physical re-read3rd read (May - June 2018):
5 stars
Listened to the audiobook (Stephen Fry) and again it was amazing. amazing. amazing. Especially his narration of the howler from Molly Weasley. Priceless.

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

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, is a fantasy novel written by British author J.K. Rowling, and the second novel in the Harry Potter series.

The plot follows Harry's second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, during which a series of messages on the walls of the school's corridors warn that the "Chamber of Secrets" has been opened and that the "heir of Slytherin" would kill all pupils who do not come from all-magical families.

These threats are found after attacks which leave residents of the school "petrified" (frozen like stone). Throughout the year, Harry and his friends Ron and Hermione investigate the attacks.

The book was published in the United Kingdom on 2 July 1998 by Bloomsbury and later, in the United States on 2 June 1999 by Scholastic Inc.

عنوانهای چاپ شده در ایران: «هری پاتر و حفره اسرارآمیز»؛ «هری پاتر و تالار اسرار»؛ نویسنده: جوآن کتلین (جی.کی.) رولینگ؛ تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روزهای ماه نوامبر سال 2000میلادی؛ بار دیگر: در روزهای ماه آگوست سال 2001میلادی

عنوان: هری پاتر و حفره اسرارآمیز - کتاب دوم؛ نویسنده: جی.کی رولینگ؛ مترجم: ویدا اسلامیه؛ تهران، کتابسرای تندیس، 1379؛ در 381ص؛ شابک 9645757045؛ چاپ دوم آبان 1379؛ چاپ سوم 1379؛ چاپ چهارم تا چاپ هشتم 1380؛ چاپ نهم 1381؛ چاپ یازدهم 1382؛ چاپ دوازدهم 1383؛ چاپ پانزدهم 1384؛ چاپهای شانزدهم و هفدهم 1385؛ چاپ هجدهم 1386؛ چاپ بیستم 1387؛ چاپ بیست و یکم 1388؛ چاپ بیست و پنجم 1392؛ شابک 9789645757043؛ چاپ بیست و هتم 1394؛ موضوع: داستانهای نوجوانان از نویسندگان بریتانیا - سده 20م

عنوان: هری پاتر و تالار اسرار - کتاب دوم؛ نویسنده: جی.کی رولینگ؛ مترجم: طوبی یکتایی؛ تهران، انتشارات شیوه؛ 1379؛ در 345ص؛ شابک 9649177892؛ چاپ دیگر تهران، میعاد، 1381؛ در 352ص؛ شابک ایکس - 964693045؛ چاپ دیگر تهران، فرتاب، 1381؛ در 345ص؛ شابک 9647964080؛

هری پاتر پسر بچه‌ ای از نسل جادوگرهاست، که پدر و مادرش را که آنها نیز جادوگر بوده‌ اند، از دست داده؛ با اینهمه، از چگونگی مرگ آنها خبر ندارد؛ خانواده ی «دورسلی»، یعنی خاله، و شوهرخاله اش، او را از یکسالگی بزرگ کرده اند؛ رفتار خانواده «دورسلی»، با «هری» تحقیرآمیز است؛ هری در یازده سالگی، برای تحصیل به مدرسه جادوگری «هاگوارتز» میرود، و آنجا تجربیات خارق العاده‌ ای کسب می‌کند، و در پی آن، ماجراهایی عجیب، و باور نکردنی را، پشت سر می‌گذارد؛ «هری» در پایان سال نخست تحصیلی، برای تعطیلات تابستانی، به خانه «دورسلی»ها ب��ز می‌گردد؛ اما رفتار نفرت انگیز آنها، سبب می‌شود هری به یاری دوستش، از آن‌ خانه فرار کند، و بقیه ی تابستان را در خانه «ویزلی»ها، بگذراند؛ سپس با آغاز سال تحصیلی تازه، دوباره به مدرسه ی «هاگوارتز» بازمی‌گردد؛ آنگاه با ماجراهای شگفت‌انگیز دیگری رودررو می‌شود و ...؛

تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 19/06/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ 22/05/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی

Welcome to my re-read of the magical series “Harry Potter”. 🤓⚡️My journey this time around is a hybrid of reading the books, listening to a fun (adult) podcast and watching the movies. ❤️📚🎧🎬

⚠️Spoiler Warning: stop reading now, if you’re unfamiliar with the world of Hogwarts.⚠️
Personal Opinion Note: I’m terribly sad for you, if you’ve never read the books (or at least watched the movies). 😉📚🎧🎬

I’ll be updating this review as I progress through the series, so, be prepared for a long review. 🤗

📚Chapter 1: The Worst Birthdays
The Dursley’s have not changed. They’re still terrible muggles. Harry has not heard from anyone all summer. Uncle Vernon’s boss is coming to dinner and Harry’s been told to stay upstairs and not make a sound.

📚Chapter 2: Dobby’s Warning
Dobby the house elf really makes a bad first impression. Dobby had been taking all of Harry’s letters all summer, in hopes that Harry wouldn’t want to go back to school. Dobby does a spell and Harry gets the blame, soon after a letter arrives from the ministry of magic giving Harry a warning. Uncle Vernon puts bars on his window and says he can’t go back to Hogwarts.

📚Chapter 3: The Burrow
The Weasley’s really are the best! Them showing up in a flying car to rescue Harry is the best scene ever. Harry tells them about Dobby. Fred and George tell him house elves usually belong to rich wizard families. Harry believes Malfoy sent him. Ron is embarrassed by his home, but Harry thinks it’s brilliant.

📚Chapter 4: At Flourish and Blotts
I love that Hagrid breaks up a fight between two grown wizards! Harry and the Weasley’s head to Diagon Alley to gather school supplies. Gilderoy Lockhart is signing books and announces that he’ll be the new defense against the dark arts teacher. Mr. Weasley gets into a rumble with Mr. Malfoy.

📚Chapter 5: The Whomping Willow
That’s one mean tree!! Harry and Ron are unable to get through platform 9 3/4. So, they fly the car, along the train, to Hogwarts. But the crash the car into a very old and angry tree when they arrive. Ron breaks his wand.

🎧Podcast: Binge Mode: Chapters 1-5
***Warning: podcast has adult content***
Ummm… did you read that warning? If you’re easily offended by things like: swears, wanking jokes, milf’s, etc. etc. do not listen to this podcast. To all my fellow heathens out there, this is not only entertaining- but also very spot on!

📚Chapter 6: Gilderoy Lockhart
Oooooo…. Weasley got a Howler!! Needless to say, Mrs. Weasley was none-to-pleased with the car disappearing from the station. Lockhart takes his moment to brag more, but only proves he has no idea what he’s doing. Ron’s wand is malfunctioning. Harry’s got a fan in a first year named Colin.

📚Chapter 7: Mudbloods and Murmurs
Poor Ron can’t catch a break with that wand. He tried to curse Malfoy for calling Hermione “mudblood” and it backfired, resulting in him puking slugs. Speaking of Malfoy, his father bought his way onto the Slytherin Quidditch team. Harry hears a chilling voice.

📚Chapter 8: The Deathday Party
Harry is nice to everyone, even ghosts. Nearly Headless Nick invites Harry to his deathday party. He foregoes the Halloween feast, to attend. Rotten food, cold room, screeching music… not exactly a warm blooded good time. While leaving the party, Harry heard the voice again. This time he follows it to find a message scrolled on a wall, about the chamber of secrets.

📚Chapter 9: The Writing on the Wall
Filch’s cat got frozen, aka petrified. Professor Binn’s explains the history of the chamber of secrets, which supposedly contains a Slytherin monster that would wipe out all non-pure-blood wizards. The trio speculate that Malfoy may be the heir of Slytherin.

📚Chapter 10: The Rogue Bludger
Freaking Lockhart… such a dumb dumb!! First Quidditch game against Slytherin and a bludger is targeting Harry. He end up with a broken arm, which Lockhart tries to fish, resulting in the removal of Harry’s bones. As he sits in the hospital, Harry overhears the Colin was petrified as well.

🎧Podcast: Binge Mode: Chapters 6-10
***Warning: podcast has adult content***
I love the why? why? why? We all think it and none of us know. It’s all very intriguing! Like Tom’s trophy still being displayed at Hogwarts… why?? Given who he is and what he’s done, you’d think that thing would be hidden or destroyed.

📚Chapter 11: The Dueling Club
Polyjuice Potion in Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom. Hermione’s working on the potion. The whole school has heard about Colin. Lockhart starts dueling club, to keep everyone safe. Harry and Malfoy are matched up. Malfoy congers a snake and Harry speaks parseltongue in front of everyone. Another student and ghost are petrified.

📚Chapter 12: The Polyjuice Potion
Harry’s called to Dumbledore’s office, where he meets Fawkes the pheonix. The trio takes the polyjuice potion, Harry/Ron become Crabbe/Goyle, pointlessly, as they discovered nothing. Hermione became a cat.

📚Chapter 13: The Very Secret Diary
Harry and Ron find a diary with TM Riddle on it. Ron remembers the name from a trophy. Harry discovers the diary writes back and allows him inside memories. He sees why Hagrid was expelled.

📚Chapter 14: Cornelius Fudge
Harry’s room was broken into and the diary stolen. Quidditch is cancelled and everyone is told the school is on lockdown. The Minister of Magic shows up to take Hagrid to Azkaban (wizard jail) and calls for Dumbledore to step down as head master.

🎧Podcast: Binge Mode: Chapters 11-14
***Warning: podcast has adult content***
It’s really funny how they point out things, like Ginny being upset, so Fred and George scare her… Dumbledore asking Harry point blank if he has anything to tell him and he chooses not to. Truth. Hurts.

📚Chapter 15: Aragog
Per Hagrid’s request, Harry and Ron follow spiders into the forest. They find Hagrid’s friend spider, Aragog, who is the size of a horse. The spider tells his family to eat them, but the old flying car rescued them in time.

📚Chapter 16: The Chamber of Secrets
Ginny is still acting strange. The boys visit petrified Hermione, to find a note in her frozen hand, which identifies the monster as a type of snake. They run to tell, but overhear that Ginny was taken. They go into the pipes to find her.

📚Chapter 17: The Heir of Slytherin
Harry find Ginny in the chamber, with a ghostly Tom Riddle nearby. Tom shares about Ginny and his diary and his identity… Voldemort. Dumbledore’s bird Fawkes appears, carrying the sorting hat. Harry uses a sword from the hat, to kill the snake, gets bit, uses the snake fang to destroy the diary, causing Tom to disappear.

📚Chapter 18: Dobby’s Reward
Harry talks to Dumbledore about Voldemort. Mr. Malfoy shows up with Dobby on his heals. Harry confronts him about slipping Riddles diary to Ginny. He slips a sock into it and chucks it to Mr. Malfoy. He unknowingly freed Dobby. Lockhart and his wiped memory are no longer an issue. All the petrified get woken up. Gryffindor wins the house cup.

🎧Podcast: Binge Mode: Chapters 15-18
***Warning: podcast has adult content***
They covered so much- but these last chapters covered a ton too! Main points: Why doesn’t Harry replace Ron’s wand for him? He has the money! But treats from the cart will have to do… lol…. Why does the school take so long to wake the petrified? Like those are the only Mandrakes in the world…. Dumbledore assures Harry he’s a true Gryffindor, because of his CHOICE to be in Gryffindor.

🎬Movie #2
I wish they had depicted the fist fight between Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Weasley in the movie. But alas, it was left out. But there was a lot still there, that I loved seeing come to life. Travel by floo powder…. the Mandrakes…. Harry going into the diary. I also love how Ron’s voice cracks all the time. It’s really great.

🎧Podcast: Binge Mode: Movie
***Warning: podcast has adult content***
Hedwig!! Poor Hedwig. She does need a bigger cage and boy, oh boy, she had a rough time. Sadly the movie does skip quite a bit. Our choices define us, not our blood- what a great message overall. Hogwarts!! The safest place in the world, lol, where Voldemort has attacked Harry, twice now. I love that they manage to sum up all the thoughts with humor.

Checking Chamber of Secrets off my list. Thanks for following along on my journey. Now… onto book 3! ❤️📚

Overall, I loved this, and I can't wait to start Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban today.

Quick thoughts on the things that stood out to me:

Wow, the Dursleys were even more loathsome in this book than the first.
I love the Weasleys even more than I already did.
I am so glad my mother never sent me a Howler.
I thought Dobby was annoying in the movie (which I saw when it came out over a decade ago, not having read the book) but I thought he was awesome in the book. In fact, we rewatched the movie last night, and not only was it as unsatisfying as I remember it, it's just a sh*t adaptation of this book.
I thought it was delightful that the flying car went into the Forbidden Forest and went feral.
Tom Riddle's diary was really, really awesome. The entire idea and execution were fantastic.

I loved it when Dumbledore told Harry, "It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." I hope that, as the series goes on, we have more scenes with him, because I really love his wisdom.

My minor complaints seem a little nitpicky, and I suppose that if I'm going to suspend disbelief to accept that wizards are real, I should be able to accept that none of the adults at Hogwarts would look in Hermione's fist to see the paper that Harry and Ron found after she was Petrified and Fawkes somehow just found his way into the Chamber of Secrets, but I'm an adult and if I'd read this as a kid I wouldn't have cared for a single moment.

I read this all in one 8 hour sitting... I need a life

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter #2), J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets begins when Harry is spending a miserable summer with his only remaining family, the Dursleys. During a dinner party hosted by his uncle and aunt, Harry is visited by Dobby, a house-elf.

Dobby warns Harry not to return to Hogwarts, the magical school for wizards that Harry attended the previous year. Harry politely disregards the warning, and Dobby wreaks havoc in the kitchen, infuriating the Dursleys.

The Dursleys angrily imprison Harry in his room for the rest of the summer. Luckily, Harry's friend Ron Weasley steals Harry away in a flying car, and Harry happily spends the rest of the summer at the Weasley home. ...

Quidditch practices begin and Draco Malfoy is the new Slytherin seeker. On the field, he calls Hermione a "mudblood," insulting her Muggle heritage.

After taunting Hermione, Draco is the suspect when, on Halloween night, someone petrifies the school caretaker's cat and writes a threatening message. Before the cat is attacked, Harry twice hears an eerie voice.

He hears it first during his detention and second during a party, moments before the cat is attacked. Everybody in the school is alarmed.

By doing some research, Harry, Ron, and Hermione learn that fifty years ago a chamber at Hogwarts was opened and a student was killed. ...

عنوانهای چاپ شده در ایران: «هری پاتر و اتاق اسرار»؛ «هری پاتر و اتاق رازها»؛ «هری پاتر و تالار اسرار»؛ «هری پوتر و تالار اسرار»؛ «هری پاتر و حفره اسرار»؛ «هری پاتر و حفره اسرارآمیز»؛ «هری پاتر و دخمه اسرارآمیز»؛ نویسنده: جی.کی رولینگ؛ موضوع: داستانهای خیالی و جادویی برای کودکان و نوجوانان از نویسندگان بریتانیا - سده 20میلادی؛ تاریخ نخستین خوانش ماه نوامبر سال 2000میلادی؛ تاریخ دومین خوانش نسخه ای دیگر ماه آگوست سال 2001میلادی

عنوان: هری پاتر و حفره اسرارآمیز - کتاب دوم؛ نویسنده: جی.کی رولینگ؛ مترجم: ویدا اسلامیه؛ تهران، کتابسرای تندیس، 1379؛ در 381ص؛ شابک 9645757045؛ چاپ دوم آبان 1379؛ چاپ سوم 1379؛ چاپ چهارم تا چاپ هشتم 1380؛ چاپ نهم 1381؛ چاپ یازدهم 1382؛ چاپ دوازدهم 1383؛ چاپ پانزدهم 1384؛ چاپهای شانزدهم و هفدهم 1385؛ چاپ هجدهم 1386؛ چاپ بیستم 1387؛ چاپ بیست و یکم 1388؛ چاپ بیست و پنجم 1392؛ شابک 9789645757043؛ چاپ بیست و هفتم 1394؛ موضوع: داستانهای نوجوانان از نویسندگان بریتانیا - سده 20م

عنوان: هری پاتر و تالار اسرار - کتاب دوم؛ نویسنده: جی.کی رولینگ؛ مترجم: طوبی یکتایی؛ تهران، انتشارات شیوه؛ 1379؛ در 345ص؛ شابک9649177892؛ چاپ دیگر تهران، میعاد، 1381؛ در 352ص؛ شابک ایکس - 964693045؛ چاپ دیگر تهران، فرتاب، 1381؛ در345ص؛ شابک 9647964080؛

عنوان: هری پاتر و اتاق اسرار؛ نویسنده: جی.کی رولینگ؛ مترجم: محمد قصاع؛ تهران، آینده نگار، 1379؛ در 383ص؛ شابک ایکس-964927071؛ چاپ دوم 1382؛

عنوان: هری پاتر و اتاق رازها؛ نویسنده: جی.کی رولینگ؛ مترجم: نسیم عزیزی؛ تهران، ذکر، قاصدک، 1381؛ در 227ص؛ شابک 9643071979؛

عنوان: هری پاتر و اتاق رازها؛ نویسنده: جی.کی رولینگ؛ مترجم: فریدون قاضی نژاد؛ ویرایش: نسیم عزیزی؛ تهران، روزگار، جوف، 1381؛ در480ص؛ شابک ایکس-9649306170؛

عنوان: هری پاتر و اتاق رازها؛ نویسنده: جی.کی رولینگ؛ مترجم: فریدون قاضی نژاد؛ ویرایش نسیم عزیزی؛ تهران، روزگار، جوف، 1381؛ در480ص؛ شابک ایکس-9649306170؛

عنوان: هری پاتر و تالار اسرار؛ نویسنده: جی.کی رولینگ؛ مترجم: پرتو اشراق؛ تهران، عقیل، 1380؛ در 376ص؛ شابک9646205275؛

عنوان: هری پاتر و تالار اسرار؛ نویسنده: جی.کی رولینگ؛ مترجم: ایران علیپور؛ تهران، عقیل، 1383؛ در 353ص؛ شابک9647689233؛

عنوان: هری پاتر و تالار اسرار؛ نویسنده: جی.کی رولینگ؛ مترجم: مریم شعبانی؛ تهران، سنایی، 1383؛ در هفت و 360ص؛ شابک9646290388؛
...

این جلد را مترجم کتاب: سرکار خانم «طوبی یکتائی»، عنوانش را «هری پوتر و تالار اسرار» نامیده اند، اما نخستین عنوان این جلد را ناشرش تندیس، با ترجمه سرکار خانم «ویدا اسلامیه»، «هری پاتر و حفره ی اسرار » گذاشته است؛ عنوانهای دیگری که کتاب با آن عنوانها منتشر شده آن بالا نوشته ام؛

هری پاتر، پسر بچه‌ ای از نسل جادوگرهاست، که پدر و مادرش را، که آنها نیز جادوگر بوده‌ اند، از دست داده؛ با این همه، از چگونگی مرگ آنها خبر ندارد؛ خانواده ی «دورسلی»، یعنی خاله، و شوهرخاله اش، او را از یکسالگی بزرگ کرده اند؛ رفتار خانواده «دورسلی»، با «هری»، هماره تحقیرآمیز بوده است؛ «هری» در یازده سالگی، برای تحصیل به مدرسه جادوگری «هاگوارتز» میرود، و آنجا تجربیات شگرفی می‌اندوزد، و در پی آن، ماجراهایی عجیب و باور نکردنی را، پشت سر می‌گذارد؛ «هری» در پایان سال نخست تحصیلی خود، برای تعطیلات تابستانی به خانه ی «دورسلی»ها بازمی‌گردد؛ اما رفتار نفرت انگیز آنها سبب می‌شود، هری به یاری دوستش از آن‌جا فرارکند، و روزهای مانده از تابستان را، در خانه ی «ویزلی»ها بگذراند؛ سپس با آغاز سال تحصیلی تازه، دوباره به مدرسه «هاگوارتز» بازمی‌گردد؛ آنگاه با ماجراهای شگفت‌ انگیز دیگری رودررو می‌شود؛ در دومین سال تحصیلی «هری» در مدرسه جادوگری هاگوارتز، او با دوستان صمیمی‌ خویش، «رون ویزلی» پسری كنجكاو، و «هرمیون (هرماینی) گرنجر» باهوش‌ترین دختر مدرسه، سعی دارند، پرده از معمای حفره ی اسرارآمیز بردارند؛ حفره‌ ای كه هیولایی مخوف را در خود جای داده است، و رازی بزرگ در ژؤفای آن وجود دارد؛ و ...؛

تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 13/07/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ 25/06/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی

Re-read #?: November 27-28, 2014
Re-read #??: November 29-December 3, 2016

While this is probably one of my least favorites of the series, it's still a fantastic book. I can't say for sure why I don't love it as much as the others, but it's just never stood out to me.

However, upon rereading it, I am reminded again how great Rowling is at developing a story arc! There are so many hints to later parts of the series in this book! Especially with Tom Riddle showing up, the diary, hints of Ron's affection for Hermione, and overall just building up the characters and storyline. It's also really fun to see things of importance show up early in the story come into significance later on.

Here are some thoughts on things I noticed or didn't remember about this book while I was reading it:
-Like in one of the Harry Potter video games, Ron and Harry de-gnome the Burrow's garden at the beginning of the book.
-Hermione's parents actually go to Diagon Alley and exchange Muggle money at Gringott's!
-Why wasn't Nearly Headless Nick's deathday party in the movie? Also he died in 1492 which is when Columbus 'discovered' America. Significant?
-"And some old witch in Bath had a book that you could never stop reading! You just had to wander around with your nose in it, trying to do everything one-handed." (p.231) Sounds familiar.
-I really wish they had the Valentine's Day party in the movie, with all the dwarves walking around dressed as cupids and delivering love messages.
-Aragog is literally my biggest fear.
-Apparently Dumbledore, back in the day, was a Transfiguration professor at Hogwarts.
-And finally, I knew Voldemort was an heir of Slytherin, duh, but I didn't realize he was the last heir of Slytherin. Dun dun duuuun.

5/5 stars because even when it's my least favorite of the seven, it's still perfect.

5 Golden Stars Complete!
& thousands more

this one is Beyond AMAZING!
Delightful! Mysterious! & Cute!
My favourite book in the middle grade-ish side (1, 2, 3) of HP.
I enjoyed every moment of it, every time. every page has something new.
& I'm always wondering why this beautiful, cute, exciting, mysterious, full of backstories & plot-twist book is so many people's least favourite one in the series,
we have the history of Hogwarts (now, now, not "Hogwarts, a History", people)
we have some other important backstory, Voldemort & his past
we have Weasleys,
& we have Dobby!
it is the cutest & no one can tell me otherwise.

tbh all of them are magical & wonderful! my heart beats for them. <3
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Second book, starting with a blow. Can I appreciate the beginning of the book, the first chapter, the title, how it is started, how it summarized the events of the last book & let us swim in this world once again. craving for magic. every HP book started with a Recap of the last book(s), probably the only series I saw to mentioned previous events. very unique & fun. for example:

"... Harry Potter wasn't a normal boy. As a matter of fact, he was as not normal as it is possible to be."

& how suddenly everything goes wrong!
in this book, wizarding world expanded. more into this world. how a wizard family actually live; the amazing Weasleys.
we meet new great characters we didn't know in the first book like Mr. Weasley. also more Fred & George & Mrs. Weasley....
full of intriguing Backstories, Mysteries, Histories, Riddles & plot twists!
Mystery & Horror!
many fun moments thanks to Ron. don't forget young Harry being sassy.

how could everyone (characters I mean, idk about the fans, but I know I, myself, couldn't believe that) think of Harry like that!? being the one who attacked students? just because he is a parseltongue? he's not pureblood mania, like Malfoy. Dammit! his friend is a muggleborn. he is a good guy. tho I always enjoy to see my favourite characters under pressure, gives me the excitement. guilty pleasure.
& I think I'm the only one who likes Lockhart (not much, but still), I mean he was annoying & everything a liar & actually a fraud, sure, but hilarious & stupid, he made the scenes funny because of his nonsense megalomaniac & of course Harry & Ron's expression toward him.
oh one more thing, I love Tom too! I love villains in disguise & we didn't know until the end of the book that he was fooling us all!

brave young Harry, saved the day. I'm proud of him.
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World building: ★★★★★/5
Characters: ★★★★★/5
Written style: ★★★★★/5
/ Fun: ★★★★★/5
/ Feelz: ★★★★★/5 (Harry is so brave & caring for his friends & the others... *tears of Joy & pride*)
plot: ★★★★★/5
General idea: ★★★★★/5

Reading HP to ring in the new year may be a new tradition of mine, since I've done just that two years in a row.

I haven't read this book since the first time I read it in 5th grade, but I loved it! I never would have thought before that CoS was one of my favorites from the series but I stand corrected.

Second Read Review

This book was so much fun! And I honestly enjoyed it more than the first time I read it. I didn't know how much I forgot about this book until I reread it, so I probably enjoyed it very much because I mostly forgot many things in this book. So there are also some things that I want to talk about,

Gilderoy Lockhart

He was so annoying and irked me so much. Especially in the scene where he set loose of pixies in Defence Against the Dark Arts class and he couldn't even fix this mess! And told Harry, Ron and Hermione to put them back in the cage and he left them, I was like " what the hell? " he's so unbelievable. But I must admit that he made me laugh like in the Duelling Club, he was disarmed by Snape and that scene was so funny until I laughed out loud.

I disliked him very much for lying about those stories! He's such a liar. Ugh. Oh and he deserved what he got in the end that he lost his memory because Ron's wand backfired at him.

Hermione Granger

I was shocked when I realized that Hermione liked Lockhart. That guy was so annoying. Maybe he was charming BUT he didn't even know any useful spells, like when Harry broke his arm, he conjured a spell and that spell caused Harry to lose his bones in his arm! He just made it worse instead of helping him.

And even though I was shocked, I also laughed when I knew that Hermione put a Get Well card from lockhart under her pillow when she was in the hospital wing hahahahaha. I guess she really liked him. that scene was just so funny. 😂😂

Well, overall I really enjoyed re-reading this book and I'm going to read the third book now! Bye! ❤️

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Edit : Rounded it up into 5 stars

4.8 Stars

" It is our choice, Harry, That show what we truly are, Far more than our abilities "

Okay guys, before I started reviewing this book, I wanted to tell you something.
This saturday, I read this book until 04:30 am and I completely didn't realise that I was reading for 4 hours or so and on that same day I had an economy course with my teacher and I completely forgot about that too until my mom reminded me of it. the course started at 10:00 am o'clock and I woke up at 11:00 am and maybe I'll get into a little bit trouble when I'm coming to school on Monday because of this. But I really couldn't help it! THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD AND I COULD NOT STOP READING IT!!

okay now let's talking about this book!

My Opinion

omg! this book! I had a lot of feelings! Anger. Sadness. Happiness and many more and the chapter I most loved was The Duelling Club. it was so funny to see Professor Snape disarmed Lockhart until he was flying because of the impact of Professor Snape's spell hahaha. xD
I don't like calling Lockhart a Professor because he clearly didn't know any spells that were usefull for his students or anyone... Maybe just a Memory Charm. but it was only usefull for him to do his nasty business. ugh and he was a liar too. all those books he wrote were all faked.

If Hogwarts were real, I would be really happy to learn all about Defence Against The Dark Arts. this is the most interesting subject that have really caught my interest since I began reading the first book. what about you guys? tell me on the comment section below! ^^
and that Duelling Club was so amazing! learning how to fight with spells!

and what schocked me was that Voldemort was used to be a human! and Voldemort was not his real name. His real name was Tom Marvolo Riddle but he changed it.
I mean, not an ordinary human,of course. he was a half-blood. his father was a muggle and his mother was a witch. I knew he was a Slytherin and he studied at Hogwarts too but I never thought him as half-blood was or a child or a teenager. because he was so evil that I couldn't even imagine what he would look like in the past and he *coughs coughs * used to be handsome...

oh! I love Quidditch too! I don't really like sports but it's different with Quidditch. Quidditch is wonderful and amazing! I even always scream like " YOU CAN DO IT HARRY! YOU CAN CATCH IT!" and when Gryffindor wins I always scream like " YAY!! GRYFFINDOR! GRYFFINDOR! " Am I weird? hahaaha.
AHHH. I wish Hogwarts were real. I wish I were at least a muggle-born. I have only read two books in Harry Potter series but they already have changed my life.

thank you guys for reading and liking this review! I hope you guys have a great day and Happy Reading!! ❤❤

Before I say anything else, it's important you know that I LOVE HARRY POTTER. In my fingers and my toes. LOVE.

That being said, this is my least favorite of the early books (I'll let you know whether it's my least favorite overall after I reread HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX).

The reasons are LEGION:

1. Gilderoy Lockhart is a prat and I hate him.
2. Deathday party. It's creepy and gross.
3. Poor Ginny.
4. The trouble Harry and Ron get Mr. Weasley into stresses me out.
5. I don't like snakes.
6. I HATE spiders.
7. Dobby needs to calm the eff down:

BUT. This is Harry Potter we're talking about, so there's also plenty of awesomeness:

1. Dwarves dressed as cupids, delivering singing valentines.
2. MOLLY WEASLEY.
3. Ford Anglia in the wilds of the Forbidden Forest.
4. Polyjuice Potion
5. Gnomes shouting "geroff."
6. Lucius Malfoy getting taken down a peg.

SO. Even if this is my least favorite, it's still Harry Potter, and Harry Potter = AWESOME. If you haven't already, READ IT. If you have read it, read it AGAIN. That is all.

My other reviews for this series:

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter, #1)["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>

first read: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
second read: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 // buddy read with ines!

this book was absolutely brilliant!

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ / 5 stars
Lead Male Character: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★/ 5 stars (everyone)
Lead Female Character: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ / 5 stars (everyone)
Plotline: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ / 5 stars
Genre: fantasy, middle-grade, wizards
Will I recommend this book to others?: YES
Will I reread this book?: YES, I already did LOL
Overall story summed up in one word: BRILLIANT

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Last read of 2016!

Which house are you in? I would love to know! :D

2,000,000 Stars!

This was me at the beginning of the book:

This was me during the book:

This was me at the end of the book:

Why did I give this one 5 stars? Well, duh. It's Harry Potter. This book was just as good as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, if not better! This one definitely gave me the

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was perfection. Everything in this baby was so good and well-written, I just can't put into words how much I enjoyed reading this :)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Super excited for this one! :)

*Life lessons:

1. Don't trust too easily.

2. Unexpected grumpy people could mean everything in the end 😭

3. Have a life-saving nerdy friend like Hermione at all costs.

👀 I cannot get over Ron's mom's letter ... literally made my ears bleed. And that diary.... My life won't be the same again 😩

The character which made me laughed out loud many a times without them meaning to was Hermione! Surprising! Not because she's that chatty but the way some lines were written about her that made me squeal because of how nerdy she could be.

"....read every book in the library before Christmas."

"Hermione took nobody's advice but signed up for everything." I mean...😂

*Harry: "But why's she got to go to the library?"
Ron: "Because that's what Hermione does. When in doubt, go to the library."

Another bookish quote relived!

I cannot believe I had this much patience in me to give more than a year gap after reading the first book!

Damn!

2021, you are making me shine all over again!

Bless you, book 2!

Fantasy, mystery, adventure done right.

The way it has been written is so simple that it's just impossible not to enjoy. Everything is so damn vivid and entertaining! Things are well-balanced. There aren't anything underwhelming or overwhelming parts I have come across this series.

I watched the entire movie series adaptation years ago and thankfully, none of it made sense that time and I am so GLAD I cannot remember anything happening there except for the actors' faces in my head while reading the books.

I loved the first book. It was so much better than watching a good movie. I could feel the action, adventure and the dialogues more with the book.

And this sequel is amazing as heck too!

I feel the first half was a bit slow but it's the second half that got the legs of my imagination run it's winning race until the end!

Malfoy is annoying (bless him!), the spells are happening real, more strict rules to break and, of course, Hermione and Ron are becoming more endearing with Harry not smiling at all because he's Harry Potter! Dumbledore, you never fail to impress me. I wish there were more parts of the characters. But it's fine. I wasn't bored even for a moment there.

The entire read was a fun fest for me.

I woke up knowing it's Sunday. The reading gods cast a spell on me at 6.30 am and I started reading the book. And now I feel magical!

I am feeling so proud of the characters, including the jerks and the scoffing teachers at Hogwarts. I say nothing would have been this perfect without any of you.

There are more dramatic characters in this one. The ghosts, the side characters...and I don't think I will ever get to see a detailed story description of anyone belonging to my house, Hufflepuff. I know we are all Slytherin here but I need to know a Hufflepuff soon.

Are you there in 3, 4, 5, 6 or the dreaded 7th?

When everyone first read and loved Harry Potter I ignored it. Not for any particular reason but about 10 years ago I didn't think I would be into it. Fast forward a decade and I'm now working my way through what I can say already is a children's classic fantasy series that is up there with The Wizard of Oz and The Chronicles of Narnia.

Harry's existence with his Muggle uncle and auntie is as horrible as ever and he can't wait to get back to Hogwarts after speaking to a mini-elf masoch*st who essentially predicts his doom and travelling in an awesome magic-infused flying car. Upon returning to Hogwarts it's similar to before, Quidditch lessons, Malfoy being a bit of a tosser, Hermainie loving studying, and the wizarding threesome getting into all sorts of nonsensical antics. A new tutor is introduced this time, Professor Lockhart and I thought he was brilliant mainly due to how awful he was with his tall-tales and celebrity status! This narrative is brimming with ghosts, boys and girls who adore Harry, spiders, and Professor Sprout. The characters are pretty brilliant and I can easily understand why this is adored globally. I didn't need the continuous info-dumps that reminded me what happened in book one but apart from that there isn't really anything negative to say. The ending was surprising with a cool twist, a magic hat, a phoenix, a sword, a diary, and a giant snake. I hope you don't tell me off for these spoilers as I'm sure I'm the only fantasy book reviewer who hasn't read these yet. I'm loving the adventure so far. These books are what I go to for now when I want no-nonsense, uncomplex awesomeness. Love it.

"It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." - Albus Dumbledore

Such a wise wizard.

You know how sometimes when you read the first in a series and it turns out so much better than you originally anticipated, it makes you a little apprehensive when starting the sequel? Well, I felt that way before starting this, but I can definitely say that Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is another fabulous installment in the rightfully beloved Harry Potter series!
And while I will admit to not loving it quite as much as its predecessor, I still enjoyed it a great deal.
I think the reason for my not liking it as much can be mostly credited to the introduction of a new character, Professor Lockhart. Lockhart is an annoyingly pretentious wizard who is completely full of himself, and the majority of his teachings were based on his own life and his supposed brushes with death that he escaped only because of his "heroism" and great knowledge of the magic arts. Riiiiiiiiight.
In a summary, I didn't find the story involving Lockhart quite as interesting as Harry's realization of his true abilities and the escapades of his first year at Hogwarts.

But HP II undoubtedly still has plenty of hilarious moments and magical wonders - not to mention the lovely cast of characters - to more than compensate for this particular installment's slightly lacking plot. Hence the five stars. :)

Very clever Ms. Rowling, very clever indeed.

FAVORITE QUOTE: "I've heard you hate those Muggles you live with," said Ernie swiftly.
"It's not possible to live with the Dursleys and not hate them," said Harry. "I'd like to see you try it."

Next up is Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and I'm very much looking forward to it.

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My reviews of other titles in this series:

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>