Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter, #2) in Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge

May 31, 2011 Kristin rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I enjoyed the first Harry Potter book and was pleased to find a copy of the second earlier this month. Prior to purchasing this and a couple others in the series, I didn't realize each book framed one year of Harry's life, but it makes for a logical transition from one book to the next.
Rowling introduces a few new characters in the book including Ron's younger sister, who will be a first year at Hogwarts; a new professor for Defense Against the Dark Arts, who is also a famous author; Moaning Myr I enjoyed the first Harry Potter book and was pleased to find a copy of the second earlier this month. Prior to purchasing this and a couple others in the series, I didn't realize each book framed one year of Harry's life, but it makes for a logical transition from one book to the next.
Rowling introduces a few new characters in the book including Ron's younger sister, who will be a first year at Hogwarts; a new professor for Defense Against the Dark Arts, who is also a famous author; Moaning Myrtle, a ghost who lives in a girls' bathroom; and the Hogwarts student who was hailed as a hero 50 years ago when the Chamber of Secrets was first opened. All of these characters are referred to often, though there are a few other new characters who don't get as much mention but are important just the same.
I'm not sure what secrets were actually contained in this chamber, as the book focuses more on the monster who lived there that has now been let out and the search for the person who let the monster out. As mentioned above, the Chamber had been open before, and while Harry, Ron, and Hermione believe a Slytherin must be responsible for it being opened again, everyone else seems to suspect Harry.
The mystery of the chamber is not the sole focus of the book, as readers also get updates on the running themes of Harry's life with his Muggle relatives, what 2nd year Hogwarts students learn in class, and Harry's prowess on the Quiddich field. However, Rowling doesn't go into as much detail as in the first book, figuring readers have already completed it and know what's going on, though the arrival of the new class of first years gives Rowling an opportunity to cover the basics. She also doesn't give away the ending of the first book in this one, in case people read them out of order.
My preference between the first two books was for the first one merely because I found that this one focused a lot on the one main story and it didn't stimulate my imagination as much. Also, I found myself getting confused with character names, as there were many 'F' characters in this one, and I couldn't always keep track of which was a member of the Slytherin Quiddich team vs. which was the owner of the petrified cat. I also found myself referring back to the first book often as I had forgotten some small details.
While I have the 3rd book in the series, I do not have the 4th, so I think I shall wait until I have that, as this series seems to be one that is best read consecutively, and it will be easier to re-read 2 if needed than 3. ...more

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