Sunday, December 7, 2014

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

Title: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Author: J.K. Rowling
Pages: 366
Published: 2004 (first published 1998)
Challenges: Harry Potter Re-Read
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Edition: Mass-Market Paperback
Source: Personal

Description: Ever since Harry Potter had come home for the summer, the Dursleys were so mean and hideous that all Harry wanted was to get back to the Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. But just as he's packing his bags, Harry receives a warning from a strange, impish creature named Dobby who says that if Harry Potter returns to Hogwarts, disaster will strike. 

And strike it does. For in Harry's second year at Hogwarts, fresh torments and horrors arise, including an outrageously stuck-up new professor and a spirit who haunts the girls' bathroom. But then the real trouble begins--someone is turning Hogwarts students to stone. Could it be Draco Malfoy, a more poisonous rival than ever? Could it possibly be Hagrid, whose mysterious past is finally told? Or could it be the one everyone at Hogwarts most suspects...Harry Potter himself! (via Goodreads)

Thoughts: I quite enjoyed this reading of the book and emersion into the Harry Potter universe.  There were several things that I enjoyed about this reading of the book.  While did not glean any further insight to the book, I really liked how the universe was opened that more with further areas being explored and more characters introduced or used a bit more than the first book.

I also liked how the story arc of the series continues by continuing to use aspects of the first book in the second book (e.g. the use of Harry's Parseltongue) and how the book refers to certain aspects of the first book, but not everything mentioned within the first book.  As well, I liked how the the book was a little more coherent than the first book and how everything seemed to have some sort of purpose to it and that the book did not dwell too much on Harry's past and concentrated at the mystery.

Bottom line: A really good continuation of the Harry Potter series and really helps to move the story arc along.  Highly recommended.

Rating: 4.75/5

Pages for 2014: 26, 363

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