Summary: J. K. Rowling continues to bewitch readers everywhere with the third book in her magical Potter series, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Harry's ongoing exploits, along with those of his contemporaries, teachers, and relatives, are as imaginative, entertaining, and mysterious as ever. For during Harry's third year at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, he must face his greatest challenge yet: a confrontation with Sirius Black, an escaped convict and madman who is rumored to be in cahoots with Harry's archenemy, the Dark Wizard Lord Voldemort. This alone would be daunting enough, but Harry's task is made even more trying when he discovers that Sirius is suspected of being the one who killed Harry's parents. For Harry, the Hogwarts campus has always been a sanctuary, but when Black escapes from the horrifying clutches of Azkaban Prison, all clues suggest the madman is headed for Hogwarts and Harry himself. As a result, the school starts to feel more like a prison than a sanctuary as Harry finds himself constantly watched and under guard. What's more, the terrifying Dementors - the horrifying creatures who guard Azkaban Prison - are lurking about the campus looking for Black. And their effect on Harry is a devastating one.
Still, life at school offers plenty of distractions. Harry really likes the new teacher for Defense Against the Dark Arts, Professor Lupin, who might be able to teach Harry how to defend himself against the Dementors. But Professor Snape's behavior toward Lupin has Harry wondering what secrets the two men are hiding. Harry's friend Hermione is also acting very strangely. And, of course, there is the tension caused by the ongoing Quidditch competition between the Gryffindors and the Slytherins and the never-ending bullying of the Slytherin leader, Draco Malfoy.
One of Rowling's greatest strengths is her ability to stack mystery upon mystery in a way that keeps the pages turning without frustrating the reader. Her clues are always fair and bountiful, but it's easy to lose track of them in the midst of all the high suspense, spell-casting action, and unexpected plot twists. That's okay, because Rowling ties it all neatly together at the end in a way that will leave readers snapping their fingers and muttering, "Oh yeah. Forgot about that one. How clever!"
Review: Words cannot describe how I feel about this book. Prisoner of Azkaban is by far my favorite HP novel, and I'm positive it will remain my favorite until the day I die. This is the book where you get introduced to a couple of my favorite characters. There is a good bit of character development as well. Especially in Hermione. I think she learned a lot about herself in PoA, and I think she is starting to realize that brains aren't everything. Harry also has to learn that the things you hear about a person are not always what is the truth. This becomes important again in later books. And you get introduced to friends of Harry's parents and you learn a bit more about their past which is always a fun little thing to do. You also meet various new creatures (of both the light and dark variety). The magical world gets expanded a good deal as the students get to experience their first trips to Hogsmede. I'll add that I have read this book countless times, but I've only just realized that there is a typo (at least one, but there could be more) in the book, and there are some bits that didn't match with previous books just right, but it did not take away from my love of it at all! I have no idea what to add to this. If you've read Harry Potter then you know exactly how incredible this series is. If you haven't, go read it!
5 howls
Comments