Book Review: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling

The Triwizard Tournament is being held at Hogwarts this year, a competition that hasn't been held for a hundred years. Two other rival schools of magic will take part as Harry is forced to take part following the mysterious introduction of his name into the Goblet of Fire...

"What's comin' will come, an' we'll meet it when it does."

Oh Hagrid, you sweet cinnamon roll. He has a bit of a tough time in this one (when does he not, to be honest), but still manages to retain his dignity and come out stronger on the other side. I'm really feeling more appreciative of Hagrid on this re-read. I couldn't deal with how sad I felt when he was considering resigning from his post at Hogwarts following all the scandal after the Daily Prophet article. He got all sad and upset, and when Hagrid is upset, you bet your ass I am upset!!

Anyway, I went on a bit of a Hagrid detour there... back to the book itself. I thought my big reread of 2018 would help me finally decide upon which Harry Potter book is my favourite. Four books in and I'm already feeling conflicted between Prisoner of Azkaban and Goblet of Fire! I don't think I'll ever have a definitive answer to that question - and that ain't a bad thing.

One of my favourite things about Goblet of Fire is getting to learn more about the two other Wizarding schools. I am a sucker for learning and knowledge. And the whole Triwizard Tournament in general is just so much fun! Harry's preparation and studying before teach of the tasks remind me of being in school, and given that I was one of those strange beings who enjoyed school, this is a very pleasurable reading experience.

Goblet of Fire also has Molly Weasley being extra maternal towards Harry and these scenes always pull at my heart strings. The world needs more Molly Weasley's - she just reminds me of my own mum (how lucky am I!). And then we also have all the DRAMA of the Yule Ball! In particular, Harry and Ron being rude AF - their poor dates!! This one also hurts my heart in terms of the big fall out between Harry and Ron, it just doesn't feel right when those two aren't talking. It makes me sad. Trust Hermione to be the one to bang their heads together and sort shit out.

My only minor nitpick with this one is the Quidditch World Cup. I'm sorry, but I just could not care any less. Any time Quidditch comes up I'm just skimming through, skipping ahead to more important things. Sports scenes like this are much more exciting to watch than read. Don't care!

Harry Potter really brings out every emotion possible - from laughing your head off, to smiling broadly like an idiot at really poignant parts, to crying over THAT death, to getting so fucking angry at stupid Rita Shreever!! These books have it all - they're an emotional rollercoaster. But this is when the books start to get really dark - it's a tough ride from here, folks...

5 stars.

Johann
x

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

50 Horror Books You Must Read!

Image
Behold! A blog post I've been working on for a few weeks now. I often get asked which horror books I would recommend, so I thought I'd make my life a little easier and create a mammoth list. So as of this minute, here are 50 books that I've read and enjoyed. I have included some that I personally wasn't overly enamoured with, but reading is such a personal experience that I thought I'd give you the chance to make up your own mind! In a year or so I might post an update with great horror books that I've discovered since this list was made. In the list you'll find novels, some short stories and a few novellas thrown in too... Enjoy! 1. Pet Sematary - Stephen King It’s me. Of course this book is at the top of the pile! (Even though the rest are in no way ranked…). An incredible horror novel providing heartbreaking insight into death, loss and grief. The horror is not found in huge tense, scary moments, but in those quiet and soul-crushing moments ...
Read more

50 States 50 Horror Books

Image
One of my reading goals for 2021 is to start working through my 50 States, 50 Horror Books challenge (inspired by lists on NYT and Bustle). For those who haven't heard of these lists, essentially a horror book has been assigned to each state in America depending on where the book has been set. Throughout 2021 I am aiming to tick off 2 states per month. And if others want to take part, then great! You can either follow along with me, or work through the list at your own pace, picking whichever books appeal to you (or inserting some of your own!) I've combined both the NYT and Bustle lists, adding in some suggestions of my own to get started (and thank you to anyone who sent me their suggestions too!) Alabama The Elementals by Michael McDowell Kin by Kealan Patrick Burke   Alaska 30 Days of Night by Steve Niles         Polar Night by Julie Flanders   Arizona The Revelation by Bentley Little   Arkansas Southern Gods by John Hornor Jaco...
Read more

Book Review: Books of Blood Vol 1-3 by Clive Barker

Image
Comprised of insane and downright horrifying tales from Clive Barker, Books of Blood is a strong debut release which led to King referring to him as "the future of horror". This edition contains Volumes 1-3, a grand total of fifteen stories (sixteen if you include the intro) - a large number of which have been subsequently adapted into movies.  "Everybody is a book of blood; wherever we're opened, we're red." Having already been blown away by The Hellhound Heart, I was excited to get into more Clive Barker - and oh boy, this did not disappoint. The sheer range of stories within these first three volumes of Books of Blood is staggering. And the quality remains consistently high throughout. Barker's imagination is unparalleled - I mean, King has a pretty awesome imagination too, but his skills are slightly different to Barker's. One minute you're reading about a serial killer who quite literally skins his victims and hangs them up like ...
Read more