• Review: 😻😻😻😻😻/5 Cats
• Recommended for: Everyone (but especially Fantasy Freaks and Magic Lovers)
• Reviewed by Cass

Warning: Spoilers EVERYWHERE (bound to happen when I fan out over HP)

This next post of Harry Potter is coming out at the best time of the year; yesterday was September 1st which would’ve been the start of term at Hogwarts. While some of our letters may have been misplaced in the mail (I refuse to give up the dream of being accepted into Hogwarts and admitting the possibility of being a mere muggle), hopefully this blog will allow you to enjoy and celebrate the magic of reading Harry Potter a little extra.

The classic story of Harry Potter and the magical wizarding world of Hogwarts continues in the 4th book of the series. In my opinion, this is when the story line of Harry Potter versus Voldemort (yeah we say his name on this blog) really gets ignited. Before this book, Voldemort has been the archenemy in the shadows and the past. He was working through his possessed counterparts (like Professor Quirrell in book 1) or his Horcrux younger self (Tom Riddle in book 2). I found it satisfying that the infamous and evil-incarnate Voldemort was finally living up to his name. Voldemort orchestrated Harry Potter’s entire entry into the Triwizard Tournament and his intense resurrection back to full power. Through Wormtail’s pathetic return to Voldemort and a ministry worker’s, Bertha Jorkins (R.I.P.), poor timing of running into that evil duo, Voldemort was able to discover that Barty Crouch Jr was alive (and semi-free); he was then able to concoct the perfect plan to get Harry Potter back in his clutches.

I can’t help but compare the novel to the movie for this book. While I love the movies, I love them separately from the books. I have many good things to say of the movies but I’ll always be #teambooks. One of the characters that was disregarded in the movies but pertinent to the story line is Winky, the house-elf. A house-elf in the service of Barty Crouch, she (mostly unknowingly) is a key piece to the success of Voldemort’s uprising. By helping Barty Crouch Jr. survive and thrive in the Crouch household (after he was convicted of aiding the Dark Lord during his 1st rising, and then smuggled out of Azkaban by his father), she inadvertently helped bring about the 2nd coming of Voldemort. While Winky should not blame herself for the actions of others, I still think Winky is an interesting character. I also think the movies don’t demonstrate how truly ingenious Barty Crouch Jr’s plan was and how cleverly he manipulated so many wizards (including the famous Dumbledore).

I also feel like the book better encompasses the personalities and character development very well, including some of the secondary characters. Ron has always felt overshadowed by the people closest to him (from all his older brothers to his famous best friend) but after a jealousy infused few months apart from Harry (after he’s elected the 4th champion for the Triwizard Tournament), Ron realizes none of that matters and he’s enough just by being himself. Hagrid has been self conscious of the fact that he’s half giant but after an unwilling reveal to the world by Rita Skeeter, he embraces who he is. Sirius has always felt a connection to his God son, Harry, but now that he is finally free (even if on the run from the law) he can finally take an active role in some parenting aspects (like having frequent letters exchanges, covert meetings in the caves outside of Hogsmeade for a chat face-to-face, and sneaking onto Hogwarts grounds to watch Harry’s final round of the Tournament). Fred and George have always been 2 of my favorite characters due to their love for laughter and their blatant disregard for rules and conventionality. It’s interesting to see them in this book taking their jokes to the next level by creating their own prank products and order forms for their future customers. It’s exciting to see the twins being ambitious with their dreams and encouraged by Harry and his Triwizard winnings to add more laughter to their world (by hopefully opening their own joke shop in the near future).

J.K. Rowling is a goddess among writers; she captivates her readers in the wizarding world and doesn’t let go of them until the very last sentence of the book. This 4th novel keeps the pace fast and the readers as entranced as the students watching the Goblet of Fire release the names of the Triwizard champions. From the Welsey family smashing through the Dursley’s fireplace, the Quiddith World Cup full of enhancing Veelas (to lure men to their demise) and gold galleon filled Leprechauns, to Mad-Eye Moody practicing Unforgivable Curses on the students in order for them to learn to resist it, to Harry zooming past a Hungarian Horntail on his Firebolt and fighting off Grindylows in the depths of the lake, to Rita Skeeter bugging around for her next dirty story (fake news thriving), to Cedric’s lasts moments grasping onto the Triwizard Cup with Harry, and finishing off with Dumbledore beginning to raise his forces versus the upcoming storm that will be Voldemort and the Dark Arts; this book will keep you speed reading for all 734 pages.

Below are some of my favorite quotable moments in HP4 that spoke to me:

• “Never be ashamed, ‘my ol’ dad used ter say, ‘there’s some who’ll hold it against you, but they’re not worth botherin’ with'” (Hagrid)
• “If you want to know what a man’s like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals” (Sirius)
• “You fail to recognize that it matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be!” (Dumbledore)
• “No good sittin’ worryin’ about it,” he said. “What’s comin’ will come, an’ we’ll meet it when it does” (Hagrid)