REVIEW // harry potter and the chamber of secrets

Publisher: Scholastic

Genre: Fantasy

Released: 1998

Harry's second year at Hogwarts is rife with fresh torments and horrors, 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 these seem minor 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 revealed? Or could it be the one everyone at Hogwarts most suspects... Harry Potter himself!

T H E   G O O D

Just like Harry Potter and the Socerer's Stone, this was another thrilling read. I keep reminding myself that this is a children's book because I honestly keep forgetting because I get that into it (although, I hear it's written for children to grow up with, and I do notice the tone and writing style beginning to shift towards a more mature audience as I continue the series). I thought this book was beautifully written.

One of the things I admire about J. K. Rowling is her ability to create worlds. I wish my world building with my novel I'm working on currently could be half as good as hers. I loved getting to explore more parts of Hogwarts with Harry, Ron, and Hermione, and I loved getting to see Ron's house (affectionately called The Burrow). Overall, the story captured my attention  from the first page.

I loathed Gilderoy Lockhart with a passion almost as red as the Weasley's hair. Rowling does such a good job at making you truly hate a character, and I found myself moaning and sighing along with Harry every single time Lockhart came into view.

T H E   B A D

Again, just like I said in my review of the previous novel, this quite frankly put is a story about children learning witchcraft and wizardry. Now, the story does not revolve around that solely, but it does play a huge part. I am able to realize what is reality and what is fiction, so this doesn't bother me as much. If you have a hard time, I wouldn't recommend reading it at all.

I think the only thing I really found boring or cliched was when Tom Riddle proceeded to tell Harry all about his plan and his whole backstory in the Chamber of Secrets. I know it was probably a stalling thing on Riddle's part because he wanted to be able to be a full person and fight Harry himself, but I always hate villains who tell the hero exactly what the hero needs to know and all the villains secrets before killing the hero (but they always end up escaping with their newfound knowledge).

O V E R A L L   S T A R   R A T I N G
5/5 stars

J. K. Rowling is the author of the beloved, bestselling, record-breaking Harry Potter series. She started writing the series during a delayed Manchester to London King's Cross train journey, and during the next five years, outlined the plots for each book and began writing the first novel. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone was published in the United States by Arthur A. Levine Books in 1998, and series concluded nearly ten years later with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, published in 2007. 

J. K. Rowling is the recipient of numerous awards and honorary degrees, including OBE for services to children's literature, France's Légion d'honneur, and the Hans Christian Andersen Literature Award. She supports a wide number of causes through her charitable trust, Volant, and is the founder of Lumos, a charity working to transform the lives of disadvantaged children. 

J. K. Rowling lives in Edinburgh with her husband and three children.

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READ MY REVIEW ON HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE HERE