Harry Potter series [50/365 Challenge]

Not sure if I ever mentioned it here (most likely I did) but I decided to do the 50 books in 365 days challenge that was going around at the end of last year. I’m terribly behind because I choose to read books that are 600-900 pages long and then I get distracted by shiny things on the internet and…yeah, not as much reading that could get done actually gets done.

Anyway, thought I would do a little “review” of each book as I finished it. For this post, I’m reviewing all 7 Harry Potter books. With the last movie coming out in July, it’s all really coming to an end. No more books to look forward to. No more movies. It’s sad. I’m ridiculously attached to these characters, to this world J.K. Rowling created, even more so that I just reread all 7 books consecutively.

I know this “review” will be more of me flailing over the whole series than anything, but this series truly means a lot to me. I began reading the books when I was in middle school. Though I was always a couple years older than the character in the books, I really did grow up with them. The characters and the books. I think I’m very lucky to have been at that age that I could grow up with the characters. Very lucky. Older people can definitely appreciate the series. My mom read all of them and loved them and she began reading them when she was in her late 40’s.

Continuing with how readers could grow up with the characters, it’s quite obvious in how the books are written. The first book I feel has a very different tone from the rest of the series. Particularly the first few chapters. Childish, yes, but still brilliant. Going back and rereading them all, knowing how it ends, I was amazed at how things that happened at the beginning of the series, seemingly for very little purpose, have such a huge impact in later books. Everything is so intricately weaved together from the beginning and it’s wonderful. How the books get progressively darker is something I love as well.

First read through I was surprised when Ron and Hermionie ended up together but really, its almost glaringly obvious from the first book. Maybe I was too young (or maybe I just didn’t realize how snark and bickering usually equals true love until recently) but how was I not shipping them from the beginning? They are probably my favorite couple ever.

Then we have Snape. Severus Snape is a fascinating character. Seven books worth of hating a character and with one chapter, he became one of my favorites. (I don’t think I ever truly hated Snape. I found him intriguing, but I certainly didn’t feel the way I do now until I read The Prince’s Tale chapter.)

I know it’s been done many time before but I would love to get the stars that are in the corner of each page in the American version of the books tattooed somewhere. I’m 99% sure this will happen, if not be my next tattoo, whenever that will happen. Simple and cute. I love stars, even just little doodled ones like this.

So anyway, I could never properly put into words how much I love this series. It will always be important to me. It will always be magical.

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I will also throw in The Tales of Beedle the Bard as it is related to the world of Harry Potter. The book is short at 107 with large print and wide margins. There are 5 wizard fairy tales in the book, with commentary by Dumbledore and footnotes by Rowling.

I don't have much to say about the book. The stories are neat and I love how Rowling wrote it as if wizards and witches are real. Like McGonagall gave Rowling Dumbledore's notes and that Hermione really did translate each story. It's a neat touch.

The Tale of the Three Brothers plays and important part in the last book and I must gush over how the story was told in the movie. The artistic and dark animation was one of the things that really stood out to me in the movie.

And can I just say thanks to the people that cast the movies because they introduced the world to the awkward adorableness that is Daniel Radcliffe? Because he is just such a sweetheart.

Harry Potter series: