Title: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Author: J.K. Rowling
Rating: ★★★☆☆

The Dursleys were so mean and hideous that summer that all Harry Potter wanted was to get back to the Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. But just as he’s packing his bags, Harry receives a warning from a strange, impish creature named Dobby who says that if Harry Potter returns to Hogwarts, disaster will strike

And strike it does. For in Harry’s second year at Hogwarts, fresh torments and horrors arise, including an outrageously stuck-up new professor, Gilderoy Lockhart, a spirit named Moaning Myrtle who haunts the girls’ bathroom, and the unwanted attentions of Ron Weasley’s younger sister, Ginny.

But each of these seem minor annoyances when the real trouble begins, and someone — or something — starts turning Hogwarts students to stone. Could it be Draco Malfoy, a more poisonous rival than ever? Could it possibly be Hagrid, whose mysterious past is finally told? Or could it be the one everyone at Hogwarts most suspects . . . Harry Potter himself?

Hello my dear Potternerds. TO be completely honest with you, I will not worship Harry Potter like a lot of people do/will.

I have grown to understand the reason people worship it so much, and I will admit my dislike of the series has shrunk over the past few months, but I will not sit here and blow smoke up the Harry Potterverse ass.

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Harry’s Luck

Harry is generally pretty lucky. He generally has things thrown in his lap that help him save the day. He does very little on his own to solve any issues, but I will say CoS is one of the books where he does manage to get a bit done on his own.

He still needs some help, but he sort of figures out parts of the mystery on his own, and he does manage to kill the giant basilisk.

Sure, a magical healing bird flew in to save the day with a magic sword, but I’ll give it to Harry because he managed to still kill a giant snake which would be absolutely terrifying.

If Harry is good at one thing, it’s not cowering from a fight. He doesn’t seek them out per se, but when they are thrown at him, he won’t back down.

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The Overall Story

What’s great about this book is that it sets up the premise for book six and seven, but we don’t know it yet.

I don’t know if Rowling intended it that way, or if she was smart enough to do a little bit of word smithing, but the fact that book 2 was the set-up of the Horcruxes is really amazing.

Once you read future books, book two makes even more sense, but alone, it works perfectly fine. You just assume Voldemort has come back in another form, this time in one of his old notebooks.

I’ll give it to Rowling, other than Voldemort’s respect for Harry’s summer vacations (he only causes issues during the school year), she definitely knows how to set up a premise for a story. Each of the books follows a great idea, that may have some issues, but generally is really interesting.

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Voldemort

Voldemort is obviously an important part of the Potterverse. He is the main enemy, directly or indirectly, in each book, and is the ultimate villain of the entire series.

He doesn’t have a strong presence in this book, but he is there, or rather his memory is.

Though his ultimate goal in this book is a bit off from what he normally wants, it makes sense for who he is.

Voldemort is a well-written villain, and I think CoS is a great example of his character.

What’s Next?

None of the Harry Potter books “set-up” the future books that much. Sure they have ideas or plot lines that continue through the books, but they generally end when the book is over.

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This would definitely be one of my favourite Harry Potter novels. Without thinking about it much, I’d probably put it in at number three.

Where would you put Chamber of Secrets in the overall Harry Potter ranking? Let’s talk about it in the comments.
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