Review ~ Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

It’s Harry Potter errr week here at Sara Is Reading What and since we’ve reviewed Deathly Hallows Part 1 I thought I would catch you up on my review of book 4 and 5


TITLE: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
AUTHOR: J. K. Rowlings
COPYRIGHT: September 1, 2002
TYPE: YA Fantasy
PAGES: 734
SERIES: yes
1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
2. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
6. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

REASON FOR READ: I wanted to re-read the books before movie 7 and then I got sucked in.

SUMMARY (from Goodreads):
First, imagine if you will, the sleepy but mysterious village of Little Hangleton, and what happened at the Riddle House. No, the Riddle House is not a place for riddles, but a home where the family died of fright. The man accused of murdering them was eventually released, but when he returns to the Riddle House, he overhears a curious conversation between someone named Wormtail and a terrible, dark presence by the name of Lord Voldemort -- oh, so sorry He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Volde... (oops, almost said it again) He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is one of the most powerful Dark wizards -- and he wants Harry Potter.

When Harry wakes from a particularly vivid dream, the scar on his forehead throbs, and he knows something is up. Harry's been living in a dreadful house on Privet Drive with his Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon, and greedy cousin, Dudley. They won't even let him do any wizardry -- you know Muggles, how they can't really handle that kind of stuff.

Harry's uncle and aunt like to let the neighbors think that Harry goes to St. Brutus's Secure Center for Incurably Criminal Boys rather than to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He has to hide his magic -- and even broomsticks aren't a suitable topic of conversation in the Dursley household. But everything is about to change for Harry, beginning with this particular summer vacation.

It starts with a letter from Mrs. Weasley, Harry's friend Ron's mother. She invites him to come spend the rest of the summer with the Weasleys and to go see the Quidditch World Cup. Quidditch is Harry's favorite sport in the world, and it isn't often that the Quidditch World Cup is in Britain. Faster than you can say "Hogwarts," Harry travels by fire to the Burrow, and the dark and threatening adventure begins.

On the way, Harry discovers that his interest in girls is becoming more nerve-wracking -- how is a young wizard to ask a girl to the Yule Ball? And what of the Goblet of Fire itself? And the Triwizard Tournament? And then, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named might be seeking Harry out even now!

THOUGHTS/OPINION:
The first time I read through this series this book was my favorite. I loved it so much that I was in pins and needles wondering how bad the movie would be. The movie didn’t turn out so bad I was pleasantly surprised by it. Anyway as far as the book is concerned I liked being introduced to Mad Eye Moody and learning more about the Tri-Wizard Tournament what it is and how it works. I loved the scene where we are introduced to the other magical schools. This author has a fantastic imagination to think of all the different schools and the way they learn and teach magic.

THINGS I LIKED:
I absolutely loved learning about the different schools out there that were just like Hogwarts. I enjoyed learning the culture and methods of teaching. The new personalities were very strong and made a lasting impression.

The Tournament itself was quite interesting how she came up with the 3 separate games and rules for them are fascinating. I loved watching Harry try to figure out how to win them without the help of Ron in the first match. However, Hermione stuck by Harry’s side throughout the whole Tournament. I loved that she never once questioned if Harry did and stood by his side throughout the whole Tournament. She even was the first to believe that Voldemort was back besides Dumbledore.

The twist at the end involving Mad Eye was very Oh Crap didn’t see that coming the first time however, this time it was just a nice ending and I could see how she brought it together throughout the book.

THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE:
I hated that Ron acted the way he did when it came the tournament. I mean I get the whole I’m jealous thing but really? He’s your best friend why wouldn’t you believe him when he told you that he didn’t put his name in it.

Are you keeping it or passing it on? This is a keeper for me
Would you recommend this book? Yes I would recommend the whole series.

Challenges:
100+ book challenge
Re-Read Challenge

Reviewing Next:
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Re-read Review ~ Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

TITLE: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
AUTHOR: J K Rowlings
COPYRIGHT: 2001
TYPE: Fantasy/Young Adult Fantasy
PAGES: 435
SERIES: yes

1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

2. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
6. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

REASON FOR RE-READ: No idea other than I felt the need to dive back into this amazing world.

SUMMARY: {From Goodreads}
For most children, summer vacation is something to look forward to. But not for our 13-year-old hero, who's forced to spend his summers with an aunt, uncle, and cousin who detest him. The third book in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series catapults into action when the young wizard "accidentally" causes the Dursleys' dreadful visitor Aunt Marge to inflate like a monstrous balloon and drift up to the ceiling. Fearing punishment from Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon (and from officials at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry who strictly forbid students to cast spells in the nonmagic world of Muggles), Harry lunges out into the darkness with his heavy trunk and his owl Hedwig.
As it turns out, Harry isn't punished at all for his errant wizardry. Instead he is mysteriously rescued from his Muggle neighborhood and whisked off in a triple-decker, violently purple bus to spend the remaining weeks of summer in a friendly inn called the Leaky Cauldron. What Harry has to face as he begins his third year at Hogwarts explains why the officials let him off easily. It seems that Sirius Black--an escaped convict from the prison of Azkaban--is on the loose. Not only that, but he's after Harry Potter. But why? And why do the Dementors, the guards hired to protect him, chill Harry's very heart when others are unaffected?

THOUGHTS/OPINION:During my re-read I realized that I devoured these books way to quickly the first time around. I absolute love this series but once I discovered it I torn through the pages like a mad man looking for a fix. Now I am able to sit back and savor each and every page. I am reminded how much the movies (while the first couple still to the basic) are completely different from the books. And honestly the movies just can not give you the fullness or richness of this world. However, that being said without the movies I wouldn't have an idea on how to picture some of the characters.

Things I enjoyed:
Okay so I have to say this is one of my favorites, finally we see the pitfalls of Harry. He is arrogent, pigheaded, and completely irrational when it comes to his parents, he's also has a bit of a temper on him! And that excites me he's no longer poor Harry and I have to honestly say at times I rolled my eyes or yelled at him. I do like that we discover why the Minstery is taking it so easy on him all things considered. I also like that we didn't know where Sirius stood until the end and I have to admit I was happy for Harry's situation. Although I know he would've preferred that Sirius got off. I did enjoy that he didn't get his way completely. I am glad the Dursley's finally got their comeupins as my mom would say. And I have to say while not my favorite it is definately high up there!

Things I didn’t care for:There wasn't much in this one I didn't care for I managed to read it pretty quickly other than a few minor repeats I think this one is spot on.

Are you keeping it or passing it on? I will continue to keep this series who knows in a few years I may go back and re-read them again!

Challenges:

100+ Book

Re-Read

Re-read review ~ Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

TITLE: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
AUTHOR: J K Rowlings
COPYRIGHT: 1999
TYPE: Fantasy/Young Adult Fantasy
PAGES: 341
SERIES: yes

1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
2. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
6. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

REASON FOR RE-READ: No idea other than I felt the need to dive back into this amazing world.
SUMMARY: {From Goodreads}
Ever since Harry Potter had come home for the summer, the Dursleys were so mean and hideous that all Harry 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 and a spirit who haunts the girls' bathroom. But then the real trouble begins--someone is 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!

THOUGHTS/OPINION:During my re-read I realized that I devoured these books way to quickly the first time around. I absolute love this series but once I discovered it I torn through the pages like a mad man looking for a fix. Now I am able to sit back and savor each and every page. I am reminded how much the movies (while the first couple stuck to the basic) are completely different from the books. And honestly the movies just can not give you the fullness or richness of this world. However, that being said without the movies I wouldn't have an idea on how to picture some of the characters.

Things I enjoyed:
I have to admit that this book was my least favorite and I blame the movie for it. I did like the book better than the movie but I hated the movie. Until I realized how important this book was in order to set up the Tom Riddle tie in with Harry's enemy He Who Must Not be Named. Now that I've read the whole series I have to admit I like it better. I did enjoy Dobby's character and how Harry helps him. I enjoyed watching the team getting back together and I seriously still love that Harry is still modest and hasn't let the fame get to him. Of course the way he is treated with the Dursley's helps. I did like that we got to see more of the Wizard world and of course the Weasley's whom I happen to really love.

Things I didn’t care for:
I'm a firm believer that if you are going to tell us what has happened in the first book do it quickly and move on. JK Rowlings however, is not a firm believer in this and while I dislike it I'm sure others don't care. So that's about it.

Are you keeping it or passing it on? I will continue to keep this series who knows in a few years I may go back and re-read them again!

Challenges:

100+ Book

Re-Read

Re-read Review ~ Queen of Darkness by Anne Bishop

**New thoughts in Purple**
TITLE: Queen of the Darkness
AUTHOR: Anne Bishop
COPYRIGHT: 2000
TYPE: Fantasy
PAGES; 448
SERIES: yes

1. Daughter of the Blood
2. Heir to the Shadow

REASON FOR READING: Read the first 2 had to know how it ends

SUMMARY: {From http://www.sfsite.com/04b/qd79.htm }
The series is set in a world of interlinked Realms ruled by the Blood, a race of witches and warlocks whose power is channelled through magical Jewels (the darker the Jewel, the greater the power). Over time, much of the Blood has become corrupt, and the delicate mesh of tradition and loyalty meant to maintain stability among these powerful and often violent people has become fatally distorted. Into this period of decline is born a Blood female, Jaenelle. Jaenelle is not simply a witch, but Witch: the embodiment of all the Realms' dreams of power, the Queen of the Darkness who will lead the Blood back to the purity of the old ways.
But there are those who fear the coming of Witch, and Jaenelle has many enemies, at whose hands she has suffered rape and worse, in an attempt to rob her of her birthright. Despite these terrible trials, she has survived to come fully into her power. She now rules as Queen of Ebon Askavi, protector of the Shadow Realm of Khaleer, protected in turn by her loyal Court of human and non-human Blood and by her loving adopted family, to whose devotion she owes both her life and her sanity. Her world can't be complete, though, until she's joined by her promised Consort: Daemon, the great love of her life, who for eight years has been lost to madness in the mistaken belief that it was he who raped her.
Now Daemon, understanding the truth at last, has broken free of the insanity that claimed him. He and Jaenelle are reunited, and slowly, hesitantly, their love is fulfilled. But one of Jaenelle's enemies still hunts her: Dorothea, a powerful and sadistic Queen determined to rule all the Realms. Reluctantly, Jaenelle realizes she must fight -- not just against Dorothea, but against the corruption that has infected so much of the Blood, and threatens the stability of all the Realms. There is only one way to do it: she must unleash the full power of Witch. She knows that in the storm that follows, all the Blood in the world will die -- unless she makes a much greater sacrifice.
THOUGHTS/OPINION:
Wow just wow. This book was fantastic I actually learned something from a fantasy book. The most important thing I think a lot of us forget. It takes time to heal. And wow oh wow does this book take that to far extreme. This is a powerful ending to a fantastic trilogy and I am so happy that I finally got to it. I really, really enjoyed this series. And I’ll be the first to admit when I read this book I started crying. It was so upsetting towards the end and yet I felt uplifted. This is going to be a very hard review for me to write. This book is the final chapter in a beautiful story that has been woven from page one of Daughter of the Blood. I love how this series ended on a high note and yet it was a sad ending. We learned, laughed, cried and fought for the characters in this story wanting only their happiness and we were faithfully rewarded.

Things I enjoyed:Where to begin I enjoyed pretty much everything about this book. I enjoyed watching all the characters struggle to come into their own. I enjoyed watching the growth of the characters and I have to admit I was shocked at what each character had to go through in order to achieve their growth. *Anne Bishop is great at putting her characters and the reader through the wringer. There were times I thought she was going to let me down. There were times I was certain that I was going to have to walk away but in the end she managed to pull me through and made me believe there is such a thing as a HEA. Sadly though it does come at a high cost. There were parts in here that made me cringe and parts that made me cry. There were only a few parts in this book that made me snigger or laugh but there were enough to break up the darkness of the book. You have to keep in mind this is a dark series and it has a lot of things going on that are hard to read. This book is about action and how every action has a consequence. Sometimes the action has to be taken no matter what the consequence is going to be and this book proves that. It went above and beyond my expectations for an ending. While there were some romantic elements it didn’t feel as if the book suffered to make the readers happy in fact it kept its darkness all the way through the end. Each character in this book had to suffer in order to grow. That thought brought home a lot of things. In order to become a great person one much suffer and learn from our mistakes. Each character had to scarifice something of themselves in order to give back as a whole. The greatest sacarifice was Janelle and Deamon. But in the end they got their greatest reward.

Things I didn’t care for:
The only thing I didn’t care for where certain parts that were skipped over. Like L getting a wife and a child where was that story and how did it happen? What I didn't know at the time of reading this is Anne has put out a bunch of short stories that help us to see the questions and get some answers. And I would have loved to see more of D and J hooking up. I think if she would have focused more on them hooking up we would've missed the important part of their love. They had it even without the physical aspect. They were able to love each other without any restrictions so when the physical part came it didn't need detail b/c it was beautiful. I did find out that Ms. Bishop put out other book that supposedly has these stories in it so you know I will be checking that out.

Are you keeping it or passing it on? Keeping

Review ~ Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh

TITLE: Slave to Sensation
AUTHOR: Nalini Singh
COPYRIGHT: 2006
TYPE: paranormal romance
PAGES; 334
SERIES: yes
1. . Slave to Sensation (this is my re-read for the month)
2. Vision of Heat
3. Caressed by Ice

REASON FOR READING: I am getting ready to move and wanted to see if I still wanted to keep this on the shelf.

SUMMARY: {From goodreads}
In a world that denies emotions, where the ruling Psy punish any sign of desire, Sascha Duncan must conceal the feelings that brand her as flawed. To reveal them would be to sentence herself to the horror of "rehabil' ' n"—the complete psychic erasure of everything she ever was...

Both human and animal, Lucas Hunter is a changeling hungry for the very sensations the Psy disdain. After centuries of uneasy coexistence, these two races are now on the verge of war over the brutal murders of several changeling women. Lucas is determined to find the Psy killer who butchered his packmate, and Sascha is his ticket into their closely guarded society. But he soon discovers that this ice- cold Psy is very capable of passion—and that the animal in him is fascinated by her. Caught between their conflicting worlds, Lucas and Sascha must remain bound to their identities—or sacrifice everything for a taste of darkest temptation...

THOUGHTS/OPINION:
Wow what a way to kick off a fantastic series. This has 2 storylines going on first the storyline of Sascha Duncan and her abilities (I won’t give it away b/c it is an important part of the story) the second storyline being the killer that is kidnapping young changeling women and torturing them as well as raping them. The fact that both stories are weaved together so well is amazing in it but to add in the fact of suspense and love and you get a powerful storyline.

Things I enjoyed:I enjoyed re-discovering this world and how it all began. I loved learning about the leopards and their worlds and when you throw in the wolves I was hooked. The psy have a very interesting world, it is very complex and difficult to follow but Ms. Singh has a fantastic writing ability that enables you to live in their world and understand what is happening.
I also enjoyed Sascha and her constant struggle to be a normal psy who is fighting against her inner nature b/c she has been told her whole life she is broken. Not wanting to be rehabilitated she works at and struggles at being more psy, more cold, more unattached.
Lucas is just the opposite he is full of love, touch and emotions. And he happens to just be the right man to help Sascha with her problems. Very nice…

Things I didn’t care for:
It was hard to find one thing about this story that I didn’t like and I have to admit I liked that we didn’t have to see what the council was doing without it directly relating to Sascha (in other words her ease dropping) This time the Council doesn’t talk on their own.

Are you keeping it or passing it on? Yeah after my re-read I’m still keeping it *drops head on desk*

SCORE: 9 out of 10 (Huh same score I gave it last time)

Anything Else: This is definitely a book you should read before starting the series. This book sets up the rest of the series and dips your toes in just enough to hook you into the series.

King of the Unblessed by Michelle Pillow

TITLE: King of the Unblessed
AUTHOR: Michelle Pillow
COPYRIGHT: 2006
TYPE: Fantasy/Romance
PAGES; 268
SERIES: Yes

REASON FOR READING: This was my re-read for the month!

Summary : {From Goodreads}
Immortality has a way of changing fate. Merrick, dark elfin King of Valdis, had once been heir to all that was good-happiness and pleasure his domain. Now, trapped as the ruler of mischief, king of necessary evil, he stands on a precipice of choice. On one side, his estranged brother, now ruler of what should have been Merrick's and, on the other, King Lucien of the Damned. Both would sway him. Damnation is winning. Lady Juliana of Bellemare is from a human family, protected by the blessed, coveted by the damned. Betrothed to an old friend of her father's, Juliana is resigned to living out her days close to her childhood home, longing for an adventure, never dreaming she'd get what she wished for. When her fiancée is murdered and the children of Bellemare are stolen, Juliana is sent on a quest in a strange realm where appearances are deceiving. Merrick brings more adventure and passion than any woman could want. Can she withstand the temptations of the unblessed king? The spell she weaves over him is more than he can resist and, desperate to be the one to rule her, Merrick offers her a choice; either come with him until he tires of her.or die.

THOUGHTS/OPINION: in 2008
I liked this book a lot the reason it doesn't get five stars is simply the price I can't afford to buy it and the series it is creating. That being said I loved the story line. Merrick is the King of the Unblessed and becomes interested in a mortal woman. So interested he brings her into the Otherworld on an adventure that she craves. However Lucian King of the Damned is playing his own game with Merrick and Ean the King of the Blessed. Throw in some faries hot mortal men. Sexy Unblessed Men some graphic sex and a not too shabby story and well you get Chapter 1 in the Realm of the Immortals Series. The next is about Hugh one of the brothers of Julianna (The girl the Unblessed King wants) and his story of the Tania the Queen of the Faries. Can't wait to see how that one goes. I also want to see who she pairs the other two brothers with as well as the ever evolving story of Mia and Lucian. (Such a good side story too!) I gave it 4 out of 5 stars in 2008

THOUGHTS/OPINION: in 2009
Okay I really, really like this book. This is definitely a keeper!! I enjoyed reading it so much I re-read it in a day. Now granted there aren't a lot of pages but still! And this time I really enjoyed learning more about the characters. I saw more of the game playing and how it was working in Merrick's favor. I really enjoyed watching Juilianna come to the realization that Merrick wasn't all that evil and that he did care for her. I wanted to shake them both off and on for being so dense but then I wanted to cry when they realized their mistakes. Very GOOD!!!

Are you keeping it or passing it on? Keeping it!!! Still

SCORE: 8 out of 10


RE -READ Challenge