2022 reread: I think a 4.5 rounded up rather than a 4, though my previous criticisms still hit. I think knowing them beforehand allowed me to enjoy it more this go around, two years later. It’s certainly the strongest writing in the series and has some of the coolest scenes. The romance subplot is bad, she just can’t pull it off. They just kiss and never talk again lol what. And the locket thing is pretty vapid and emotionally manipulative. Again, the movie fixed a bunch of stuff. I like the Ginny / Harry kiss there better, Slughorns lines are better, and my favourite moment, about the goldfish magic doesn’t even exist in the book. I wonder if the last book will be my favourite still. Neat seeing my confidence in this being my favourite, knowing I went on to love the last book more than this one, and by far and away more than the movie, for once.


2020: Much better than Order of the Phoenix but still has the same flaws as others in the series. It is the strongest entry though, imo, as the world building is interesting and pertinent and the characters are more nuanced - though there are no real arcs for anybody again and there’s dialogue that doesn’t need to be there.

Also, did anyone notice Ginny and Harry get together but literally have no conversation in dialogue whatever until the recap of the events and the ending of their little get together, which is completely undermined by the conversation right after with R and H.

It is infuriating how close some of these books come to being really and truly great, but fall short for the same reasons each time. It’s great Harry remembers something important is in his trunk for once in his goddamn life though (liquid luck) and not before like the sneakascope and the mirror (what the actual fuck) and again, the most important item, the locket, serves only to be emotionally manipulative because JK hasn’t got the chops to pull off anything else; with the exception being one sided dialogue for Dumbledore, of course.

However, credit where it’s due: the pacing I found to be much improved; every scene/chapter, for the most part, serves a purpose of some kind with few exceptions; Harry is a bit more believable, though the actions and dialogue of everyone are annoyingly couched in gender roles. Ginny and Luna save the day as extremely likeable new characters while the trio are essentially always static figures despite it being about growing the f up. And of course the horcrux and delve into memories to unravel the story of Voldemort I found to be both interesting and a great propellant for the fiction.

Again some of the world building is expanded for strange reasons. If side along apparition is possible, why did no one mention this before, especially when explaining people coming and going from the Quidditch World Cup?

Non verbal spells are hand wavey imo. Some wizards can some can’t etc. But really all the grown ups spoke their incantations in any situation but for a few specific times where you assume it’s possible, so it seems like a patch for instances where things don’t make sense in other books, rather than something always planned. Why would they internalize doing the easiest spells non verbally but then do spell work verbally when not teaching? If it’s true it’s mostly for duels, you’d think it would have been brought up in the DA last book, at least by H?

When the divination teacher made her prediction in the past Dumbledore claimed that only half was heard because the other person was removed from the premises. But, Sybil said after she made the prediction she saw Snape there in the doorway. So if he was removed afterward why then did he not hear the whole prophecy and recount it to Voldemort? Doesn’t make sense. He would have had to have been removed before she finished, no?

Overall, my favourite book. Don’t think that’ll change with the next one. I recall being slightly disappointed when I first read it and that was when I’d have given most of the books 5 stars, being much less critical and far more young.