Reviews

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

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lenirichardson's review against another edition

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4.0

⭐️⭐️⭐️.75

writer6's review against another edition

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4.0

While I do love this book, I have to admit that Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets has always stood out as being my least favorite book in the Harry Potter series for reasons that I've never been able to truly put my finger on. That being said, after reading this book again for the first time in I don't even remember how many years, the one complaint of mine that stands out to me the most is that I found the whole confrontation between Harry and Tom Riddle; as well as the aftermath of their confrontation, to all be very rushed in terms of the overall pacing of the book's resolution. Despite the fact that Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is my least favorite book in the Harry Potter series, I still had a ton of fun reading it again! :)

My Rating / Score: 4 out of 5 Stars on Goodreads' rating system. 8 out of 10 on my own personal scoring system.

penguin_emperor_of_the_north's review against another edition

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4.0

I like re-reading books. Gives you a chance to catch all the foreshadowing and the little hints that were dropped on the way. And Rowling is definitely good at the foreshadowing.

This might be my favorite Harry Potter book. I just love that climactic battle and I never really noticed this when I was younger but that battle really echoes some mythological motifs like

Spoiler

the knight or hero slaying the dragon but the dragon getting in a killing blow at the same time. Lucky that Fawkes was there actually.

cleo2019's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? Yes

3.0

kathrynjean97's review against another edition

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5.0

Less whimsical than Philosopher's Stone but a much stronger story! Loved that this was a full blown mystery novel and, once again, could not put it down.

A few thoughts, coming off a rewatch of the films...
- Ginny is an actual character! It's hard to care about her in the film beyond feeling sympathy for Ron, but she really feels like a little sister here.
- I finally understand why Lucius Malfoy chose Ginny; not sure if the film skimmed over or just completely omitted it, but Lucius was trying to disgrace the Weasley name, and by extension, the Muggle Protection Act!
- Lockhart felt shoehorned into the film but in the book his character feels much more intentional. He got a few genuine laughs from me whenever he thought Harry was trying to make himself famous.
- The Tom Riddle reveal didn't happen straight away and the payoff is so much better for it!
- We're a whole 2 books into the series and Ron and Hermione have more chemistry than they did in all 8 films. Look at Ron, standing up to Draco and Snape! He's so protective!
- Maybe controversial but I actually think the scene of Dobby being freed was better in the film! Putting the sock in the diary and having Lucius unaware that it was there makes so much more sense, I don't think he would've knowingly handed the sock over like he does in the book.