So much quidditch. I felt like I was being tricked into watching sports. But Harry is considerably more likable compared to book two and the last few chapters were really interesting. This book definitely takes a turn for the darker compared to the first two.

Tragic and sobering. Not an easy read, but a necessary one. These words from the afterword say it all: “We must courageously embrace this history, because it is, as James Baldwin understood, ‘literally *present* in all that we do,’ and the power of this history, when we are unconscious of it, is tyrannical.”

I didn’t immediately get sucked into this book, but it had something quiet about it that kept my interest. I found I could really relate to the personality of the child protagonist and it soon became apparent that the whole book hinges on her experience of the plot. On one level, it’s about the story, but on another level it’s about trauma, and it’s effects. The latter is the part that really captured me. By the end I was completely enamored with what the author was able to do with parts of her own experience, how she was able to pull out themes and weave them into a whole that just shimmers with meaning by the end. Totally my type of book. 5 glorious stars.

4.5 This is definitely my favorite of the first four. Besides all the fat-shaming at the beginning 🙄, there is a lot to love. The complexities of Hermione and SPEW, Harry’s internal struggles/suffering, little hints at romance, lots of mystery, bits of Neville’s history, friendship development, and the beginnings of the larger story of the next three books. Also I’m realizing that Snape is not nearly as lovable in the books, at least at this point. But I found myself finally kind of liking Harry again in this one, flaws and all, and I got chills at the climax of his story.

Lots of angst and feelings. Harry needs counseling, Wizards. 🙄