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

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

Publisher: Bloomsbury, July 1998

Genre: Fiction, Children

Pages: Hardcover, 384 pages

Rating: 3/5 stars

Summary (from chapters.indigo.ca):

Harry Potter's summer has included the worst birthday ever, doomy warnings from a house-elf called Dobby, and rescue from the Dursleys by his friend Ron Weasley in a magical flying car! Back at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for his second year, Harry hears strange whispers echo through empty corridors - and then the attacks start. Students are found as though turned to stone . Dobby's sinister predictions seem to be coming true.

Review:

As this is my first-time reading the Harry Potter series (I've seen the movies) I think I need to get into the later books before really enjoying them as much as others seem to. For some reason, Chamber of Secrets just seemed meh to me... a little to kiddie maybe.

At this point, I can't say that I will 100% continue with the series because it's just not hitting that high note for me and because I don't re-read books and generally try to read a book before watching the movie, I find the element of 'surprise' isn't there. I know this story... I know what's coming and I am finding it a little hard to get through.

I'm a sad panda.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J. K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J. K. Rowling

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing, June 1997

Genre: Fiction

Pages: Paperback, 223 pages

Rating: 4/5 stars

Summary (from chapters.indigo.ca):

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. Escaping his hideous Muggle guardians for Hogwarts, a wizarding school brimming with ghosts and enchantments, Harry stumbles upon a sinister adventure 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.

Review:

I know, I know... I must be the last person on earth who hasn't read the Harry Potter series, although I have seen the movies so I feel like I'm not 100% in the dark. My whole life, I have read the book before the movie but for some reason, I am working backwards and I believe that is why it has taken me so long to get started.

However, I am here and happy to say that I will be continuing with the journey of reading the series... I enjoyed re-learning about the characters from the very beginning and even though I have the movie characters in my mind, I thoroughly enjoyed the little bits and pieces that the book adds to the story. To me, The Philosopher's Stone was very similar to the movie and I don't feel like many of the details were vastly different from one to the other... however, I did maybe feel like the end sequence (the epic battle) was a little lacking and thus the 4-star review.