Skip to main content

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

By
Brief synopsis (no spoilers):
Harry continues his adventure by returning to Hogwarts as a 12 year-old Second Year student. A secret part of the school houses a killer beast, and it's controlled by an evil wizard known as the Heir of Slytherin. Harry, Ron, and Hermione feel a need to solve the mystery and stop the beast.

Category:
YA fiction

Why I chose this book:
I've read the series several times, but I've never reviewed them

My personal opinion:
The story is excellent, and the story telling is top notch- lots of humor, gripping plot, believable characters. I love the lessons it teaches of confidence, bravery, and good fighting against evil. This is the first book that I feel actively acts as a platform to set up for the major story line. It focuses a little less about what actually happens during the school year, and starts to bring in elements from outside the Hogwarts bubble.

Warnings
Language: None
Violence: Fighting, but nothing graphic
"Adult" situations: None
Death: Past deaths referenced

Movie rating equivalent:
PG

Protagonist description:
Harry feels at home at Hogwarts, and is distressed when his comfort zone is threatened

Point of view of story:
Third, focused on Harry

Book length:
Medium-long

Story flow:
Excellent

Grammar and spelling issues:
None

Character connection (no spoilers):
Love all of them! This is probably my favorite series of all time.

For series:
Independent or integral: 
Integral

Series review as a whole:
Outstanding. Aspects from the very first book carry through to the end, and become significant.

If you only have time for one, read:
Start at the beginning- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Game by Terry Schott

By
Brief synopsis (no spoilers) What if this life is just a simulation? What if our bodies are in another world, plugged into a virtual reality game, and our entire life is just one play in that game? What would our real life be like, if we could experience several full simulated lifespans, in our teen years, and then enter adulthood? That is the premise of this story. Category Sci-Fi Why I chose this book It was either free or discounted on Amazon, and sounded interesting My personal opinion (the review) Too many inconsistencies. For example: The real world is able to view the players in the game in "real time", but time in the game is sped up, so that a week in real life is worth a decade in the virtual world. How do real world people have enough time to experience the virtual world, in real time, while still being accelerated? Danielle enters the game 3 days behind Trew, but she only ends up being 1 year younger. If a week is a decade in the game, then 3 days should have be...
Post a Comment
Read more

Mark of Fire by Richard Phillips

By
Brief synopsis (no spoilers): Two main stories: Carol, the daughter of Lord Rafel, wants to be a magic wielder. As she learns magic and grows in strength, she is unaware that she is being hunted by the greatest wielder in the world. The second story is about a ward of Rafel's, named Blade, who becomes an infamous assassin and works for the king. The king sends Blade to kill Rafel and Carol, but he warns them to flee instead. Blade wanders, to escape the king's justice, but finds himself in his own adventure. Category : Fiction, fantasy, possibly YA Why I chose this book : Kindle First My personal opinion : I really enjoyed the story line, the world the author created, and the depth of the characters. It was easy to lose myself in the story. I also really appreciate that the story is "clean" - no bad language, no sexual situations, etc. I feel comfortable recommending this to my teenage children. Warnings Language: none Violence: fairly frequent fighting "Adult...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Keeper by Suzanne Woods Fisher

By
Brief synopsis (no spoilers) Story follows the Lapp family, an Amish family in new England, their challenges, growth, and relationships developed with the new housekeeper and beekeeper who have become part of their household, especially the relationship of Julia with Rome (the beekeeper), a traveling unattached "drifter" that resides in stony ridge part of each spring/summer. Category Christian fiction Why I chose this book It showed up on the suggestions page of my library digital borrow/lend site, and it looked like a love story. Other cultures (like Amish) interest me. I knew it would be a safe read love story. My personal opinion (the review) I really enjoyed the love story. It was also interesting to read about an Amish family. It had a lot of spiritual references in the thoughts of the characters and I liked that.  Warnings (language, violence, "adult" situations, death, etc.) No "bad" stuff, but yes death. (I was grateful for the ...
Post a Comment
Read more