J. K. Rowling

I put off reading this book for so long because 1) JK Rowling is problematic as hell and 2) it's ridiculously long. However once I started it I was COMPLETELY absorbed - it was an absolute treat to read 1,000+ pages with Robin and Strike (the slow burn continues!) investigating their trickiest case yet. The creator of a popular online cartoon, The Ink Black Heart, is found brutally stabbed and murdered in the park along with her partner (although he lives). The week prior Edie Ledwell (the show more creator) had reached to Robin to ask for help for because the online harassment that she had been receiving for years had really ramped up and she thought she was in danger. After she is found murdered, Robin is wracked with guilt about not taking the case when she was still alive, so when Edie's relatives reach out to see if they can discover who Anomie, the online troll is, (who also happens to be the number one suspect) they jump on the case. Anomie is a moderator of a game based off The Ink Black Heart and does nothing but spew vitriol about Edie, even after her death. Strike and Robin will have to go online and learn quickly all about this toxic fandom and pull the mask off Anomie before anyone else connected with the cartoon dies. Dense, but fantastic. I could not put it down - hell I would have read more. I didn't come close to correctly guessing Anomie. Give me more Strike and Robin!!! show less

**SPOILER ALERT** Well, the fifth Potter novel continues the tradition of focusing your attention upon the Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher--more on this in a moment. But this is a seriously long book with an arc running from the fallout over Voldemort's return at the end of the previous novel (Goblet of Fire) to the death of Sirius Black at the hands of an escaped deatheater.

This novel finally deals with reading Harry (and the readers) into the varied behind-the-scenes moves of Albus show more Dumbledore, some of which have catastrophic consequences. His leadership is certainly superior to that of Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge, but that isn't saying anything.

Once again, Voldemort doesn't necessarily appear to be all that competent or threatening. Time and again he is foiled by a bunch of kids--he's supposed to be so powerful and scary no one can even say his name without wincing. There is some attempt here to justify this oddity, but the impression has been established firmly at this point that while everyone is supremely afraid of this character, there seems little reason to be so (as yet).

However, this novel does unveil a character so repugnant, morally evil, abusive, and dangerous that it is the true stuff of nightmares. Dolores Umbridge begins, you guessed it, at the Dark Arts position, but quickly assumes the post of High Inquisitor at the School before eventually becoming Headmistress. This character's Torquemada-esque fanaticism in devotion to burying her own (and everyone else's) head in the sand as concerns the threat posed by the returned Voldemort is truly frightening. It is disturbing, to say the least, that this also plays out in very clear physical abuse of Harry--abuse no one accounts for, apologizes for, takes ownership of, etc., at least not in this novel. That Hermione brilliantly serves her up to centaurs on the warpath towards the end goes some way to a resolution for this heinous villain, but the fact that she brutalized children under Dumbledore's nose is hardly a sterling moment of his leadership--and, as yet, he hasn't been made to confront it, or its probable legacy and consequences.

Needless to say, this is the darkest of the Potter novels so far--and things promise to continue to get more serious moving forward to the conclusion of this tale. show less

I’ve read this book, now, 4-5 times since it came out. I’ve never written a review for it and i’ve never written a review for a book i’m re-reading. This one seems special to me though. The movie version is abhorrent and i just cannot resist making observations.

This is either my favorite HP book or second favorite. I’ve always liked the expansion of the HP world that happens in this book where we learn that other wizarding schools exist, we get to see wizards outside of Hogwarts at show more the Quidditch World Cup, the themes of racism and slavery emerge strongly, Rowling uses her awesome powers of misdirection again to teach us lessons, the plot to bring Voldemort back and kill Harry thickens, etc., etc. it also contains the most infuriating subplots in the series- Ron’s turning his back on Harry.

The book just feels more realized than its predecessors, like the characters and the world Rowling has created has finally taken on a certain depth. There’s so much happening on so many different levels it’s difficult to track. The fact that Harry’s name gets put into the Goblet by someone is really something to stop and ponder. He’s the one who stopped Voldemort. He’s had several dangerous adventures already, all revolving around Voldemort. He had enemies. Real world enemies that are no joke. They want him dead. Suddenly, a powerful magic item like the Goblet is made to malfunction and force Harry into another dangerous situation. It’s really messed up when you think about it. The menace that this provides for the backdrop of this story tends to get lost in the excitement felt surrounding the tournament itself, in the champions figuring out how to surmount each challenge, the blooming teenage hormonally motivated behaviors. It’s a complex story, more than Azkaban with it’s time-turner and Sirius twist. Woven like a tapestry.

We also get to see greatness. Harry squares off against Voldemort himself. He “meets” his parents, Cedric behaves like a hero, Snape steps forward and REVEALS himself as a former Death Eater to the whole gang and shoulders the burden Dumbledore lays on him without a twitch, Molly Weasley hugs Harry like a mother, Hermione PWNS Rita Skeeter… powerful emotions and characters are unleashed in this book. I recall now why i loved it.

Then there’s the movie. Completely destroys the richness of the book in a crude attempt to cater to a teenage audience and make it almost into a comedy. Several characters integral to the plot are dropped completely from the movie (eg Ludo Bagman, Winky), scenes are added that make no sense (eg the Hungarian horntail getting loose and NO ONE trying to stop it!!, the dance practice, extended Yule Ball). Those characters that remain are often portrayed extremely out of character (eg Dumbledore’s assaulting Harry after he’s named 4th champion, Hermione being the outraged one when she goes to the Yule Ball with Krum instead of Ron) or are given greater roles than they should (eg Moody and Crouch). It’s one of those times when i have to ask myself “why the f**k would they change that?” it’s really a completely different story. It’s like an alternate history of the Goblet of Fire. In the time they spent on the dance practice and the dragon chase hey could have included all of the aforementioned elements. However, there are SO MANY critiques of this movie out there on the web, i’ll refrain from adding more to it and let you search for yourself.

Unfortunately, the movie stands tall and salient in pop culture rather than the book. Maybe the strongest book of the series turned into the weakest movie. show less

⚡️✨ Accio childhood memories! ✨⚡️

So, I just revisited the wizarding world via "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" and nostalgia hit me harder than the Hogwarts Express at Platform 9¾. As a certified Potterhead (no shame here), I'll try to be unbiased... but who am I kidding? The biased glasses are on, and I'm rocking them like Harry rocks his lightning scar.

Firstly, if you haven't read this, you're basically living under a cupboard under the stairs. Hogwarts letters are show more clearly lost in the mail for you.

Pros: show less