Review: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J. K. Rowling

From now on, almost every review I’m posting willl be a short, copy-paste review from my Goodreads. I might add a few notes and thoughts so that you can understand my thoughts a little bit better.

Book #3 in the Harry Potter series.

Goodreads summary:

Harry Potter’s third year at Hogwarts is full of new dangers. A convicted murderer, Sirius Black, has broken out of Azkaban prison, and it seems he’s after Harry. Now Hogwarts is being patrolled by the dementors, the Azkaban guards who are hunting Sirius. But Harry can’t imagine that Sirius or, for that matter, the evil Lord Voldemort could be more frightening than the dementors themselves, who have the terrible power to fill anyone they come across with aching loneliness and despair. Meanwhile, life continues as usual at Hogwarts. A top-of-the-line broom takes Harry’s success at Quidditch, the sport of the Wizarding world, to new heights. A cute fourth-year student catches his eye. And he becomes close with the new Defense of the Dark Arts teacher, who was a childhood friend of his father. Yet despite the relative safety of life at Hogwarts and the best efforts of the dementors, the threat of Sirius Black grows ever closer. But if Harry has learned anything from his education in wizardry, it is that things are often not what they seem. Tragic revelations, heartwarming surprises, and high-stakes magical adventures await the boy wizard in this funny and poignant third installment of the beloved series.

Goodreads review:

This is the first Harry Potter book that really made me go “wow, I can’t stop reading this.” Maybe it’s thanks to the fact that the movie didn’t entirely follow the book and certain details have been eluded but I thought it was the best book by far. I love that we’re getting out of that ‘book for children’ phase. By that I mean that we’re getting a lot more depth to the characters, there’s a lot more world building, background stories and the entire story isn’t shallow anymore. We’re getting into the real stuff where the threat of war and Voldemort on the rise is imminent. I’m getting excited to read it and really dive into the world.

I feel like we’re really getting to see Harry grow up and become more confident in himself and his abilities. It may also be that he has an incredible support system. However, he did receive a lot of special treatment and oftentimes he didn’t even know why. There were too many secrets in this book. Which can lead to it being a lot more enjoyable but when it comes to a friendship, secrets aren’t always good.

I have to note that Hermione’s character bugged me in this book. She was always a clear-cut, good character. And in this book, I got annoyed with her so many times. There were certain moments where I felt disappointed in her because she was such a teacher’s pet. She was a loyal friend and had good intentions. However, she had no right to go behind Harry’s back, even if it was for his safety.

And then we have Ron. Hermione’s opposite. He’s rash and reckless and doesn’t think things through. He doesn’t see the danger and would encourage Harry to not consider it either.

So my feelings are mixed. I enjoyed the overall story but it’s not enough for me to rate it 5 stars.

Rating: 4 STARS