Title: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Author: J.K. Rowling
Format: Paperback
Rating: 4 Stars
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Harry Potter is midway
through his training as a wizard and his coming of age. Harry wants to
get away from the pernicious Dursleys and go to the International
Quidditch Cup. He wants to find out about the mysterious event that's
supposed to take place at Hogwarts this year, an event involving two
other rival schools of magic, and a competition that hasn't happened for
a hundred years. He wants to be a normal, fourteen-year-old wizard. But
unfortunately for Harry Potter, he's not normal - even by wizarding
standards. And in his case, different can be deadly.
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Hey there reader friends - y'all know I've been re-reading my way through the Harry Potter series. I am through book 4 - The Goblet of Fire. Disclaimer: This is the 11th time that I've re-read this book (I've read the first three just as many times!) That being said, I couldn't believe how much I forgot was different compared to the movie. I feel like a terrible potterhead!
Anyway, let's get down to brass tacks.
Things I Love About This Book:
1. Hermione being such a hardcore advocate for elf-rights! You stand up for those house-elves, Hermione. I get the feeling that Hermione would be the type to stand up for all sorts of oppressed people - she's just awesome like that. (Although I admit SPEW is a goofy name for her group, but I get it!)2. The actual Tri-Wizard Tournament!!! I mean how crazy and wild, amiright?! I mean, they do make a bunch of teenagers fight dragons and dive underwater into the black sea, but the tournament was groovy because it was a chance for wizards from different countries to get to know each other and learn more about how other wizards do things. (Also, how funny was it watching Fred and George try to find a way to enter the tournament.)
3. The Quidditch world cup! There were some awesome scenes and some really crappy scenes (not poorly written, just sucky) throughout the event of the Quidditch world cup. We go from them sitting in the top box, seeing veela for the first time, watching Krum do his awesome flying stuff, meeting Winky and hanging out in those huge tents; then to them seeing the dark mark in the sky and running from death eaters - and I loved it all!
4. J.K. Rowling really ramps up the tension and drama in this book. Cedric dies, Voldemort returns - officially, Mad Eye Moody gets taken over by Barty Crouch JR. Things start to tie together a bit more, and the story really starts to come together. This book is also just as well written as the first three, and Rowling makes everything work so well, even with this book being a lot longer than the first three books.
5. The characters are just as spot on in this book as they are in the first three. Rowling introduces a lot of new characters in this book - Madame Maxime and her students, Igor Karkaroff and his students, Mad Eye Moody, and more! She does her usual great job at giving each new character their own distinct personalities and quirks, and keeps her old characters true to who they are. Each character develops well throughout the story and keeps growing and maturing as teens should.
6. I hate Rita Skeeter, but I also love her! I think she adds some stuff to the story, and gives people a good laugh. I know there are a lot of people who take what Rita Skeeter says so seriously, but did anyone else find her so ridiculous when she did things like dragging Harry into the broom closet at the weighing of the wands.
7. The Yule Ball - watching everyone try to get dates was great!
8. That awkward moment when Ron asked Fleur Delacour to go to the Yule Ball with him! Oops!
9. Harry trying to figure out the egg!
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Things I Didn't Really Like:
1. Mad Eye as a Hogwarts Professor. Look: maybe Moody was a great Auror. In fact, he was! But that doesn't mean someone who is basically bat crap crazy should be a professor. Just because you caught a lot of dark wizards doesn't mean you are fit to be a teacher!
2. Snape. I hate him in every book. He's abusive and a class A douche. I don't care the he always loved Lily. I don't. He is a jerk who treats Harry like absolute crap just because Harry is James's son.
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As with the three previous books, the world building continues its excellency in this book. J.K. Rowling adds new characters and plot lines so well. She develops new characters as well as the old characters, and continues to add more depth to the characters that have been around a while.
The story is well written, just like it's predecessors, and everything that happens fits so well within this book and the three that come before it. If you've read the series, you also know that each book sets up the next book so well - this book is no exception.
I appreciate that this book, as the book with the most story to it (this book is over 400 pages, to it's previous three being a bit over 300), this book adds so much more to the world and the story of Harry Potter and Voldemort. You learn so much about Voldemort's return, about his back story, about his history with Harry, and that's awesome!
So, reader friends, tell me what your favorite (or least favorite) things are about The Goblet of Fire. - And if you've never read it, what on earth are you waiting for?!
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Reviews of the Rest of the Series:
(Click the Picture to read the review)
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