Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Harry Potter, #4) in Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge

Aug 16, 2011 Kristin rated it it was amazing

The first of the 4 long books in the series, it held my interest throughout, building the suspense until the very last chapter. Rowling definitely knows how to write a good mystery, leaving clues throughout the book for each of the various subplots, clues that seem obvious once the secret is revealed but subtle enough to not be realized during the course of the book.
In Goblet of Fire, Hogwarts trades the usual competition among the 4 houses for the Triwizard Cup, a competition involving the top The first of the 4 long books in the series, it held my interest throughout, building the suspense until the very last chapter. Rowling definitely knows how to write a good mystery, leaving clues throughout the book for each of the various subplots, clues that seem obvious once the secret is revealed but subtle enough to not be realized during the course of the book.
In Goblet of Fire, Hogwarts trades the usual competition among the 4 houses for the Triwizard Cup, a competition involving the top student from each of 3 wizard schools, as determined by the Goblet of Fire, which is also part of the prize for the winner. The Goblet reminds me of the Sorting Hat at Hogwarts, clearly an ordinary object enchanted with some wizard magic. What should be an innocent battle among the schools to prove which provides its students with the best education ends up being more dangerous for the students than was intended by the planners of the event.
Early in the book, Harry goes on a camping trip with the Weasley family to see the Quidditch World Cup during summer vacation. There, readers are introduced to Death Eaters, followers of Voldemort's, who spoil the mood after the winner is crowned and bring that storyline to a rather abrupt end. However, it also ties into the Triwizard Cup storyline, as Ron's favorite player, Krum, is one of the students whose name goes into the Goblet as a representative from Durmstrang, one of the rival schools. Because each school brings a number of students hoping to be chosen to compete, the students are invited to stay and cheer on their school, so Ron spends much of the school year as an adoring fan, wanting to get to know Krum, but also not wanting to be seen as a traitor by associating with a rival student.
Rowling builds on characters and storylines introduced in earlier books. Sirius Black from 'Prisoner of Azkaban' makes a return appearance, as do the dementors from the same book. Readers also get to know Ron's brother's Charlie and Bill, who only briefly get mentioned in earlier books. The continuation of Harry's and the other 4th years' educations involves the next set of lessons with the usual group of teachers, including my favorite, Hagrid, and his latest favorite magical creature. As in the previous books, there's a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher who plays a role in the main storyline.
All in all, I'll definitely be finishing out the series because I feel it is getting better and more interesting with each book, yet it's hard to imagine how much more Harry can be put through. I suppose that's one benefit to writing about a 'fantasy world' as the possibilities are only limited by the author's imagination. ...more

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