Exploring The Chamber of Secrets – Once Again (Reread)

*All reviews I write are spoiler free*

It was about time I reread this series.

One book every month. Let’s do this!

Let’s revisit Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets!

Title: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Author: JK Rowling

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Series Status: The 2nd book in the Harry Potter series

Number of Pages: 251

(Found on Goodreads)

The Dursleys were so mean and hideous that summer that all Harry Potter wanted was to get back to the Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. But just as he’s packing his bags, Harry receives a warning from a strange, impish creature named Dobby who says that if Harry Potter returns to Hogwarts, disaster will strike.

And strike it does. For in Harry’s second year at Hogwarts, fresh torments and horrors arise, including an outrageously stuck-up new professor, Gilderoy Lockheart, a spirit named Moaning Myrtle who haunts the girls’ bathroom, and the unwanted attentions of Ron Weasley’s younger sister, Ginny.

But each of these seem minor annoyances 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 told? Or could it be the one everyone at Hogwarts most suspects…Harry Potter himself.

I JUST LOVE THIS SERIES SO MUCH, OKAYY?

SO MUCH.

Shouting over.

(probably not)

Oh how I got that comforting feeling when I dove back into this book. Every Harry Potter fan knows what I’m talking about. The nostalgia. The heart-warming feeling of returning to such magic. Nothing can beat it.

So in this book, we see Harry return to Hogwarts for his second school year, after a horrid summer with no idea what’s happening. And so the story begins.

Compared to the first book, there were so so so many more inconveniences for Harry to overcome in this book. Whether little or large, there was always something getting in the way. Without needing to set up the entire background and scenery, more of the actual life at Hogwarts could be built up, and I loved it. It just makes the experience so much more real.

And with the second year, we see new characters introduced. Some characters that we come to know and love – yes, I’m looking at you Ginny and Dobby . It’s about time those two got involved. Of course, there are other new characters introduced too. But I don’t have much to say about them. Apart from Lockhart. Because oh my days did I forget howFRUSTRATING that guy is!!! Every time he said something I wanted to tear the book apart (though of course I’d never do that because my books are my pride and joy).

Anyway.

It’s not just the new characters that change in this, but the old ones too. We very obviously see character development, as each student in Hogwarts has to deal with yet more problems because apparently magic can be a dangerous thing. But I can’t help but notice how much Hermione grows as a character. She becomes so much more confident and sassy and doesn’t-take-no-crap, yet remains the lovable bookworm we all adore. And that, to me, is why she’s always been my favourite character. She so relatable, and yet I manage to look up to her, and have done since the age of 7(the most magical number). I look up to a fictional character.

“When in doubt, go to the library.”

Since this is yet another reread, I loved being able to see the difference between book and movie. I’ve not reread the series in years, so these differences were so much more obvious this time around. Especially since I marathoned the movies not long ago. And I forgot how many entertaining scenes were in the book! Most weren’t included in the movies, so they’d sunk to the back of my mind, and rereading them actually made me laugh and smile a fair few times! Gahhhh I love it.

“If he doesn’t stop trying to save your life he’s going to kill you.”

Another thing I kept noticing this time round was the foreshadowing. Originally reading this, I wouldn’t have even known what foreshadowing meant, but now that I’m older and have read this story so many times…all the little hints seem so obvious! But I suppose it’s like those “light bulb moments”, where it all clicks after you know the answer.

As for plot twists, there’s plenty in this book. Not all of them have the shock-factor, but it might just seem that way to me because I’ve known the story for over 10 years. This is the book where the much more complicated story line of the later books is hinted at ever so slightly. You can see that much more is coming your way.

I just know that one of the main reasons I love this series so much is because of how JK Rowling wrote it. She has the sort of style where everything is mentioned so casually, as if it’s not out of the ordinary at all, and there’s no reason for you to question it. It makes you really feel like magic is real(which of course, it is).

As you’ve probably guessed by now, I’ve not got a single bad word to say about this series (unless you count my opinions on some of the characters).

But if you’re one of those people who hasn’t yet read these books…

please please PLEASE just read it and love it!

Rated 4.5/5 stars!

Order from Amazon!

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Share your Thoughts!

Have you read the Harry Potter series?

Who’s your favourite character?

If you haven’t read it, do you plan to?

Let me know in the comments!

Until next time…

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