Books 18 & 19: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban & Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Well, here I go again, two more books, bringing me even closer to the 20 book mark for the year. I count that as a bit of an achievement in itself, apparently, the average person in the USA only reads 12 books a year, so I've smashed that already!

The next two books are altogether familiar to me, part of my teenage years. As I said in a previous post, I'll dip into the Harry Potter series throughout the year, just as a chance to reread them, but also to lose myself once again in the magic of an all to familiar world. After my hardest book to date, I felt that I needed a nice easy read to get my mind ready for another challenge! What I didn't envisage was reading two of the series again, particularly the monolith that is Goblet of Fire. The problem is though, that I love the series so much that I had to force myself from carrying on and finishing the series far too quickly.

So first up, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. This is one of, if not my overall favourite book in the series. It's the turning point that takes the book into darker territory, introducing new characters and, in a way, setting things up for future events. It's the one book that doesn't include Voldemort, so a first time reader would be led to believe that for once, Harry's life isn't in peril, but throughout the book, you're led to believe that Harry is once again in mortal peril. The twist towards the end of course negates this belief, as characters loyalties turn, and the mortal peril that we thought Harry faced turns towards someone else.

This book really makes you realise that everything is not always what it seems at first glance. It starts to fill out some of Harry's backstory, with the introduction of Harry's parents best friends from school. It also introduces for me, one of the scariest creatures in the entire series, never mind dragons, giants or trolls, the dementors are awful, there's no way in hell I would want to go anywhere near them. They're written in such a way that they're terrifying, yet mysterious, leaving you wanting to know a bit more about them.

While Prisoner of Azkaban does take a darker turn compared to the first two books, there is still that air of innocence and humour that makes the Harry Potter so appealing. The movie isn't bad either!

So, book 19; Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. AKA the one where Harry has to grow the heck up very very quickly. His life is constantly in danger over the 636 pages of this book. It's not my favourite book of the series, but it definitely isn't my least favourite.

From the start, the book is packed full of action and adventure, with the rip-roaring spectacle of the Quidditch World Cup final. The book pays it a lot more justice than the film does, where it is a mere postage stamp. I'd forgotten how entertaining this part of the book is, fast paced and really setting a high tempo for the rest of the book.

If Prisoner of Azkaban takes a darker turn, Goblet of Fire switches the lights off for the rest of the series. The Triwizard tournament forces Harry into situations that he is not at all prepared for, culminating in a tragic final task which sees Harry and Cedric (the other Hogwarts Champion) whisked off to a graveyard, whereupon for the third time in four years, Harry finds himself face to face with his mortal enemy, Voldemort who has finally regained his body.

This book is a nice bridge between the relative lightness of the first three years, where Harry's life is not in constant mortal danger to the final 3 books which sees constant threat and darkness with the rise of Lord Voldemort once again.

I particularly like the introduction in this book of the idea of international wizardry, and the differences between the various schools. Of course it's obvious from the start of the series that there has to be some sort of international wizardry, that Hogwarts isn't the only wizarding school in the world. Therefore the introduction of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang as major wizarding schools, and the stark differences between the three schools is something that I welcomed incredibly, it makes the series seem even more real!

This is the first time in the series that the book starts to delve into the awkward world of teenage hormones and romance. Of course from Chamber of Secrets onwards we have Ginny's crush on Harry, but up to this point, it is little more than a sideshow, a bit of comic relief along the way. The Yule Ball in Goblet of Fire, and the need for Harry to have a date for it brings hormones and romance to the fore, with a large sprinkling of jealousy and resentment when Harry doesn't get the girl he wants.

Goblet of Fire is a good book, all of the Harry Potter books are, but this one becomes more and more complex, adding more and more themes and storylines to an already simmering pot. Unlike some books which are brimming with everything, J.K. Rowling does a very good job of keeping everything from becoming a complete and utter mess! One last thing about this book... it's massive, so that's a big chunk away from my goal!!!

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: 3cm

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: 6.5cm

Total read so far: 19 books, 57.5cm

Total to goal: 132.5cm