#22 - Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
By: J.K. Rowling
Narrated by: Jim Dale
672 pages (19 hours)
Published: 2005
ISBN: 0307283658
My Copy: Borrowed from library (I own the book)

REVIEW COMING SOON!

#20 - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

By: J.K. Rowling
Narrated by: Jim Dale
896 pages (27 hours)
Published: 2003
ISBN: 0807220299
My Copy: Borrowed from library (I own the book)

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was released on midnight on June 21, 2003 and I was there, standing in line at my local Borders, to get one of the first copies in line. I will always remember this book release because a) it was the first Potter-related midnight book release party I had been to and my best friend, Kristina, and I ended up waiting until after 1:30 AM to finally purchase our copies of the book, and b) it took place exactly one week before my wedding.

Committing yourself to reading an 896-page book the week you are getting married is a tall order, but I had absolutely decided that I would have finished by the time I walked down the aisle. I knew I wouldn't be able to concentrate on my "I do's" if I was secretly trying to work out what was really contained in the Department of Mysteries and wondering what would happen during the climatic Voldemort vs. Dumbledore duel at the end.

The book is long, the longest of the series, but I still thought I could polish it off in a single day. Sadly, I was wrong, and it took me two or three days to finally have the whole thing completed (that did leave me more than enough time to get to the rehearsal dinner though). The same is true of listening to the book. It is 27 hours long! 27 hours! That's an entire day of listening and then some, so yeah, one day was not going to be enough.

The one good thing about the book coming out that week was that I was able to get several other copies to give to members of our bridal party as thank you gifts. Since no one in our circle of friends and family was as obsessed as me, I knew no one had started it yet!

One of the mistakes I made on my first reading was rushing through the story a little. After that, I learned to never rush another Potter novel, but to read carefully, soaking in all the details. After all, you only get one chance to read a book for the first time. When I finished the book, I remember being underwhelmed, and given its placement in the series, I can understand why I felt this. The story doesn't put forth any grand details, except that we learn that Harry is destined to kill Voldemort, or else be killed by him. It really isn't until the sixth and seventh book that we start to get the whole picture and understand how and why Harry must destroy Voldemort. But, of course, those seeds are planted here in this fifth story.

But, the book is a gem in its own right. Sure, Harry is moody, maybe a little bit too moody, but, after all that's happened, doesn't he have a right to be? I think Rowling really adeptly captures teenage angst and the first stirrings of love subplots in this volume. And, of course, the author gives us two uniquely wonderful female villains - Dolores Umbridge and Bellatrix Lestrange. A passive-aggressive, power hungry, government official - is there anything worse? And hateful, evil, sadistic Bellatrix is a force to be reckoned with (though, for the life of me, I can't understand why Jim Dale gives her a foreign accent? Shouldn't she be British?)

And then there is the death of Sirius, who Harry was beginning to regard as kind of a surrogate father, all at the same time that he is discovering that his own father was not all he thought him to be. Rowling could have easily left James and Lily Potter and perfect beacons of goodness, who sacrificed themselves to save their only son, but she is brave enough to give them flaws. Even Sirius, who has suffered so horribly and unjustly, can be, at times, an unsuitable guardian and role model. We're left to wonder if maybe Harry isn't better off without his influence after all.

As far as the movies go, Order of the Phoenix is easily my favorite. I think the filmmakers managed to perfectly capture the spirit of the book, while also significantly compressing the action (Phoenix is the longest volume in the series, but the shortest movie to date). Does that mean Order of the Phoenix itself could've stood a little editing? Perhaps, but in the end, I'm glad it didn't get any. The more Harry the better, as far as I'm concerned.

Overall, an excellent book, a great step in the series, full of excellent details adding to the overall story.

Rating: A

#16 - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
By: J.K. Rowling
Narrated by: Jim Dale
734 pages (21 hours)
Published: 2000
ISBN: 0807282596
My Copy: Borrowed from library (I own the book)

When I first began the Harry Potter series, it was on the recommendation of my best friend, Kristina. She and I were hanging out at the library one day (we were doing some research for a college class we were both in), and she suggested I try reading Harry Potter, a series I'd heard of, but hadn't had much interest in exploring.

"Aren't those kids book?" I scoffed. "Yes," she said, "but you'll love them!" And, fellow readers, was she ever right.

I read straight through Philosopher's Stone, Chamber of Secrets, and Prisoner of Azkaban, before settling in to read what was the largest volume of the series at the time, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Of course, I adored the first three books in the series, but Goblet of Fire is what really got me hooked. I talked before about how desperately I love "hinge novels," and Goblet of Fire is one of my favorites. The world becomes so much bigger, the story so much more political, the evil so much more dangerous and present.

It's no accident that the story begins with Harry travelling to the Quidditch World Cup and learning about wizards and witches from around the world and then, later, the Triwizard Tournament brings those very same people to his door. Harry's world is expanding and, as everything gets bigger, we see that danger looms from everywhere. Rowling sets the stage for the rest of the series by resurrecting Voldemort at the of Goblet. Evil is no longer hiding in the shadows and scattered in the outskirts, it is alive and poses a clear and present danger to our hero and, indeed, the world at large. The actions of the entire series seem to hinge on that scene in the graveyard and now everything can be said to be either before Voldemort was back or after he came back. The series also gets serious, killing off a main character at the end. The first death for us in a long line to follow.

The political message of the story also becomes crystal clear in this volume. Hermione's new found interest in the plight of house elves. Prejudice in the magical world. Themes we have touched upon in other stories, but which are placed front and center here. As Harry learns about the intolerance in his world, we learn as well and become just as resolved as our hero to fight these injustices.

When I had the honor of meeting J.K. Rowling in 2007, I wore my S.P.E.W. shirt because, for me, S.P.E.W. embodies everything I love about the series. It conveys the author's fervent desire for us to see inequality in the world and to do something about it, with her acute sense of humor. House elves, after all, do not very much want to be free, but that doesn't stop Hermione from doing her best to convince them of it. It's fitting that Ron and Hermione's first kiss should take place in book seven when he finally expresses his support for her efforts to overturn the injustice of house elf enslavement.

Speaking of S.P.E.W, I do sorely miss having it in the movie version. In fact, though Goblet of Fire is one of my favorite of the series, the movie version is easily my least favorite of the adaptations. I think there was just too much to include and it just wasn't done well enough. That and Ron and Harry's hair is just too scruffy. Maybe they should have started breaking the movies into two at this point (no, I'm actually glad they didn't... too many movies to see!).

The first time I finished Goblet of Fire, I realized that I would have to wait until who-knew-when to read the next chapter in the series. At the time, J.K. Rowling was still hard at work on the not-yet-titled Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and she had simply left me and the rest of the world to wait with baited breath to see where her story would go from here.

After all is said and done, it was certainly worth the wait.

Rating: A+

#14 - City of Glass

City of Glass
By: Cassandra Clare
560 pages
Published: 2009
ISBN: 1416914307
My Copy: Bought it at Target

After finishing the first book in The Mortal Instruments series, I quickly put the other two on order from the library. When I finished City of Ashes and saw that I was still several deep in the waiting list for City of Glass, I broke down and bought the book from Target.

And I was not disappointed. I read feverishly through the first two-thirds of the books waiting for (spoiler alert!) the one thing I really, very badly wanted to happen -- for the author to finally un-brother-and-sister Jace and Clary. After the second book, you know it has to be coming soon. She simply can't leave their relationship as it is and give the reader any kind of satisfaction with the ending to the story. She didn't disappoint me! I thought it was well handled (and it explained why Jocelyn had to remain out of the picture for all of book two).

Overall, I thought it was a great series. Very well done. I'd certainly recommend it to lovers of fantasy or even fans of Harry Potter since Cassandra Clare started out writing Harry Potter fan fiction (very interesting!).

Rating: B
Series Rating: B+

#12 - City of Ashes

City of Ashes
By: Cassandra Clare
464 pages
Published: 2008
ISBN: 1416914293
My Copy: Borrowed from library

The middle book or film in any series is really important to me. In my mind, I call these works "hinges" because they should connect the previous works with those to come, but also include some new elements to entice us to move forward.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire has a warm place in my heart because of this. The story connects itself to the past, but also changes to move it into the future. The Empire Strikes Back is my favorite Star Wars movie. The Two Towers is my favorite Lord of the Rings film.

A bad hinge story can bore us. If the tale simply rehashes what we already knew and leaves to many plot points hanging, then it has wasted our time.

City of Ashes isn't a bad hinge... but it's not a great one. It elaborated on some of the mysteries of the first book, but you can tell it's left all the good stuff until the end. It was a bit more of an effort to finish it off than with the previous installment. The one big accomplishment of the book was Cassandra Clare's stunning ability to make me not creeped out by the fact that a brother and sister are looking to get it on for half the book. Hell, I even wanted them to just do it already and I know that's weird. So, kudos to her. A lot of careful writing and character development has lead us to a place where we identify with and understand the feelings of Jace and Clary.

Now that I'm done with this one, I'm looking forward to City of Glass. I even went and bought it while I was out this weekend instead of waiting to get it from the library. So, yes, City of Ashes made me want to keep reading, but not much else.

Rating: B

#11 - Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
By: J.K. Rowling
Narrated by: Jim Dale
352 pages (9 hours)
Published: 1999
ISBN: 0807281948
My copy: Borrowed from library (own the book, of course)

Of all the Harry Potter books, I'd have to say Chamber of Secrets is possibly my least favorite. The bit about the flying car is just not that exciting and it just drags in some places (even though those sections do add to the story). I was also rather annoyed by the fact that everyone seems to think they are about to get expelled at every turn. Harry and Ron are constantly ready to pack their bags and Ginny is terrified to tell what she knows about the Chamber of Secrets because she could be kicked out of school. Has anyone, except Hagrid, ever been kicked out of Hogwarts? And that was only because they thought Hagrid had killed someone. So it seems like the standard for expulsion is a little higher than the kids are making it out to be.

That said, the end is rather good and makes a lot more sense in light of the information we find out in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. J.K. Rowling said in an interview somewhere that she had originally intended to explain more about horcruxes in the second book, but, in the end, decided to save it all for the sixth book. I think I wish she had a put a little more into Chamber of Secrets, so everything revealed in Half-Blood Prince didn't seem like a big, too-late-to-introduce-this surprise.

But, I like that those two books parallel each other (just as, in my mind, the first and seventh book do). In Chamber, we meet the young Voldemort and in Half-Blood Prince, we learn more about his family background and his life among muggles. Harry also begins to wonder about the similarities between himself and Voldemort in CoS and then again in HBP. The second book also sets up the relationship between Harry and Ginny, which culminates in their kiss in the sixth book. Even the two new teachers from these books, Gilderoy Lockhart (who is a brilliant creation, by the way) and Horace Slughorn resemble each other in that both use the accomplishments of others to bolster their own importance.

All in all, a great book, though still my least favorite in an excellent series.

Rating: A-

#10 - City of Bones

City of Bones
By: Cassandra Clare
512 pages
Published: 2008
ISBN: 1416955070
My Copy: Borrowed from library

This book was recommended to me by my friend, Cassie, and I have already thanked her because I thoroughly enjoyed it. I also promptly ordered the next two books in the series because it was that good.

Part of it might be that, when it comes to fantasy, I find I like the work of female authors better. Does that sound strange? Well, it's true. For some reason The Lord of the Rings bored me. The one Xanth book I read was okay. But, I consistently enjoy fantasy series written by women. Harry Potter. Twilight (yeah, I know, sorry). Inkworld. And now I think I love The Mortal Instruments series. I will have to get myself some Ursula Le Guin and Octavia Butler when I'm done to fill the void.

City of Bones tells the story of Clary Fray as she delves into the world of Shawdowhunters and learns about her own mysterious family connections. Though the book is over 500 pages, it was a very quick read and I was intensely interested the entire time. Most of the characters are very well done. Jace and Clary were very cute together (though the witty banter between them seemed a little odd in the beginning, it grew on me by the end of the story). Alec and Isabelle could have used a little more back story to make us more invested in their fate (but maybe that is to come in future books). The actions scenes are well done and suspenseful and the twists and turns the book took were surprising and satisfying. I, for example, did not see the end coming at all. Other readers assure me there's more surprises to come, so I'm looking forward to it.

Rating: B+

#9 - I Kissed a Zombie, and I Liked It

I Kissed a Zombie, and I Liked It
By: Adam Selzer
192 pages
Published: 2010
ISBN: 0385735030
My copy: Borrowed from library

This book was more fun than it had an right to be. I started out a bit annoyed at the main character and her friends (they have that we-are-so-real vibe which can get kind of grating), but she grew on me throughout the book as she grows and changes in her relationship with Doug. The whole thing is kind of like a funny anti-Twilight piece. When Alley learns that Doug is a zombie she decides whether or not she wants to "convert." So she ventures down to her guidance councillor's office to pick up an informative pamphlet called Vampires, Zombies & You: Questions and Answers About Post-Humans for Teens. There are a lot of funny moments like that and I found the whole twist on the I-met-a-dead-guy-and-I-love-him-so-much story to be kind of adorable.

So, yeah, it's cheesy and kind of silly, but in a good way. Plus, I think the message is a little more healthy for teen girls obsessed with Twilight.

Rating: B

PS - Here's the book trailer (very cute):

#8 - Stargazer

Stargazer
By: Claudia Gray
352 pages
Published: 2010
ISBN: 0061284467
My Copy: Borrowed from library

This Evernight series really isn't that good. I only got it out from the library because I had read the first one and was looking for some YA books to read. The story is so-so, but at least it holds your attention (which is more than can be said for most books). It's got that Twilight vibe going on, but it just doesn't have the same sizzle. I pretty much think the main characters should not be together at all (and that's not a good sign, is it).

I believe this is the second in a four book series. I might move onto the other two (when they come out) if I'm bored enough. Otherwise, there must be better vampire fiction out there to read.

Rating: C-

#7 - Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
By: J.K. Rowling
Narrated by: Jim Dale
309 pages (9 hours)
Published: 1997
ISBN: 0807281956
My copy: Borrowed from library (own the book, of course)

What can I say about this book that hasn't already been said? I must have read the first volume in the Harry Potter series three or four times now, but it just keeps getting better every time I pick it up.

When I decided to re-read all the Harry Potter books this year as part of the Harry Potter Reading Challenge I thought it might be fun to hear all of them on audiobook. I was right. And I'd highly recommend it for anyone embarking on the books again. Jim Dale is perfect. I can't believe the number of voices he can keep straight in his head. I also tend to absorb a lot more detail when listening, whereas, when reading, I might be tempted to skip over a rather long descriptive passage. Audiobook is definitely a new and interesting way to experience the books.

Rowling is a masterful writer. Having read the entire series, I can't help but appreciate all the little details she throws in that come into play in later books, especially the last book in the series. Wandlore. The invisibility cloak. Gringott's. All tiny details that play a small part in forming not just an incredible first novel, but a truly magical series of stories.

If you haven't read these books yet, I feel sorry for you.

Rating: A+