Book info

• Title
• Author J. K. Rowling
• Year
• Genres

Thoughts

I remembered this book as my least favourite, although not specifically. It was a vague recollection of “the book where Harry is stroppy.” Turns out that was this one. It’s completely understandable, given the horrors that he has already seen, the difficult summer he must have had, and the continuing frustrations around him. Plenty of people don’t believe him and those that do aren’t telling him anything. And above all that, he’s also now a stubborn teenager so you can’t blame him for that.

It’s all too much though. The first half of this book is just a slog of depressing thoughts and events. Any happy moment is enjoyed for just a few seconds before it’s back to the anger again. I understand why it is like that, and the progression it adds to the story, but I just found it hard.

It doesn’t help coming off the back of the Goblet of Fire which I couldn’t put down, but this one took so long to grab me that I was over halfway through before I started to settle in and enjoy it. The pace of the book was a little off for me, too, as I’m sure it was for Harry. We went all that time not knowing anything and then it was all explained by Dumbledore at the end in one go. I would have quite liked a little bit more understanding sprinkled through the story, that might have helped.

Nevertheless, it’s still good, it’s just my least favourite (so far) of the series.

Rating: Unrated