maartje_volder's Reviews (578)

I forgot how annoying lockheart was.

Still big plot holes that bug me, did anybody clear up how the maurauders map didn't note 2 of a same person?

The further the story progesses, the more questions I have. How do you add a fourth house to a cup? How does an eye see through a invisibility cloak that can fool death himself? Why was the question asked if an older student had put Harry's name in, that would have been a very easy way to bypass the age line... Somebody should put reeta skeeter on the case.

Tying up the first loose ends of this big tangeled mess. 2 more to go!

I had high hopes for this book, even more so when I read the prologue and learned that this was the scariest book he has written according to King himself. But I seem to lack the right ingredients in my life to fully appreciate the horribleness of this story. And I actually grew up in a house next to a busy high speed road with a small pet cemetery in the back (all family owned pets from all of the family). Maybe it is because I do not have children, maybe I lack the desires that Lewis has. Who knows. Good book, well written, the part between halfway until the last quarter is a bit of a drag of indecisiveness.

If there is ever an author that is easy to make abridged versions for, it is Victor Hugo. Just when the whole story is going to a point of climax and fast pace, he can pause all that to give you insight into the accountancy of the kingdom of France and the opinion of the King. I like a good lengthy book, but it has to have a reason to be lengthy, I want story telling, not detailed accounts of unimportant side events. Those things have to be woven into the plot and have a reason to be told.

That said, the book was nothing like I expected. I (like many) have been tainted with the Disney version before knowing there is a book. Let's be clear: the only thing the book and characters have in common is their names and to some extend their appearances. The characters are different from what I expected. The book also does not give the black and white differences as the movie does. I had pity with Claude Frollo, disgust for Phoebus and wanted to give Esmeralda a talking to regarding standing up for one self. All of these did not happen with the movie. I liked it, it had more dept. It has some classic fairytale twists.

I stepped into a new world and was full of questions that didn't seem to get answers but instead gave more questions! The story made some really great turns that you could see coming while not making the whole road ahead clear. Great fantasy novel.