A review by lastingliterature
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

 Another audible re-read! 

 

It feels so good to be reading Prisoner of Azkaban again! Right away I noticed the difference between Book 2 and Book 3–the magic of the world is back with the time spent in Diagon Alley, The Leaky Cauldron, the Knight Bus, and Hogsmeade! If that wasn’t enough, we also have the presence of some of the best characters! Lupin will always be a favorite of mine, so it is always nice seeing Harry form a son/nephew-like relationship to him. We also have much more of Hagrid and Hermione than the last book, so that was a welcome change. 

 

Like the first book, there are many plot points in this book that are just a bit implausible, to say the least. I could maybe see giving a 5th or 6th year a time turner in special circumstances, again maybe, but a 13-year-old?! Of course, this time turner is what saves the day, so I get it, but I don’t think any headmaster or teacher would allow giving such a powerful device to someone so young, especially when Hermione has been getting into trouble the last two years, even if she is a star student! Which also makes it funny to read about everything Dumbledoor did to have Remus Lupin attend Hogwarts as a child. Sure, let’s just build extensive tunnels and plant a violent tree for a baby werewolf! It honestly makes me laugh a little bit… 

 

All in all, I still love this book. This was my favorite one for so many years, and it holds so much sentimentality and nostalgia for me. It definitely isn’t perfect, but I could never rank it below a 4. This may be my 2nd favorite of the series—we have 4 more books to re-read to find out for sure! 

 

I’ll give this a 4.25/5 ⭐