Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J. K. Rowling
MG Fantasy. 435 Pages. 4 Stars
Synopsis:
For twelve long years, the dread fortress of Azkaban held an infamous prisoner named Sirius Black. Convicted of killing thirteen people with a single curse, he was said to be the heir apparent to the Dark Lord, Voldemort.
Now he has escaped, leaving only two clues as to where he might be headed: Harry Potter’s defeat of You-Know-Who was Black’s downfall as well. And the Azkaban guards heard Black muttering in his sleep, “He’s at Hogwarts . . . he’s at Hogwarts.”
Harry Potter isn’t safe, not even within the walls of his magical school, surrounded by his friends. Because on top of it all, there may well be a traitor in their midst.
My Review:
Okay, I must admit that I enjoyed this one much more than the previous two. This is the first time I’ve read this one (as I’d read the previous two once before), and now I’m kind of excited for the rest of the series. I hear they get better as the series goes on, so hopefully, I’ll enjoy them more and more.
I think what I liked most about this book was that twist and then the cool bits at the end. I really liked the thread of mystery and suspense and trying to figure out what was going on. And I really liked the new teacher. I was so so sad when he didn’t stay. He was a fun character, and the kids really could have used a knowledgeable teacher for once! But Snape, man. I’ve spent the last two books kind of sort of rooting for him, sure he was just misunderstood. But in this book he was kind of aggressive! I was like, “Chill, Snape!” by the end! Hagrid’s role in the book was really fun, too! I know all too well how difficult it is to start teaching for the first time. I know how under-qualified you feel, how bad you feel when something goes wrong, and how tempting it is to just play it safe. So, I really felt for Hagrid here. But I really hope he comes into his own in later books. I think he could be an amazing teacher if he learns not to let the students bully him!
I’ve begun to notice a pattern with the structure of these. We open at the Dursleys, miserable, and then something goes horribly wrong. We go off to hogwarts–often on the struggle bus XD, have our adventure with lots of sneaking, some quidditch, a Halloween event, and so forth, and then return home for another miserable summer. I kind of get a little bored with the Dursley bits and the repetitive structure, but still, I was intrigued by the hogwarts bits in this book. I’ve liked it the best so far–and I hear this book is many people’s favorite.
The divination class kind of creeped me out a little, not going to lie. There were just a few parts made me a little uncomfortable, personally. But for the most part, the teacher seemed like a farce and the class was just kind of weird. I much preferred some of the other teachers and subjects. The quidditch match in this one was kind of neat and the creatures (I forget their name now! The ones who guard Azkaban) were interesting, too. Oh! I loved the new painting with the knight! I felt so sorry for him when everyone treated him so poorly!! I hope we see more of him in the future.
As I’ve said previously, I think Rowling really does her characters well. I love how unique and different each one is. They’re dynamic and what really make the story worthwhile for me. I’m not sure I’m a huge fan of Harry himself, but I do like a lot of the teachers and side characters quite a bit.
Content: the book is middle grade, so no romance and no foul language. There’s no graphic violence at all, but there are some school bullies and some dark creatures who can suck out your soul (this doesn’t actually ever happen; it’s just talked about). There’s magic and wizards and such (it’s Harry Potter) and, as mentioned above, there was a Divination class with some odd sorcery stuff, so if you aren’t a fan of that, this may not be the book for you. But otherwise, I think the book would be fine for teens.
More:
Book 1 in the Harry Potter series is Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (3 Stars)
Book 2 is Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (3 Stars)
Book 4 is Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (4 Stars)
Book 5 is Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Book 6 is Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Book 7 is Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
I’m currently reading the series, so they haven’t all been rated or reviewed on Goodreads yet. But I am updating as I read through the series, so stay tuned!
The series should be read in order.
On GraceBought
If you missed it, you can find my thoughts on the previous books in the series here! And stay tuned for my review of the next book!
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets