Book Review #3: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Book Synopsis

During Harry's third year at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, he must face his greatest challenge yet: a confrontation with Sirius Black, an escaped convict and madman who is rumored to be in cahoots with Harry's archenemy, the Dark Wizard Lord Voldemort. This alone would be daunting enough, but Harry's task is made even more trying when he discovers that Sirius is suspected of being the one who killed Harry's parents.

Bec's Rating

Bec's Review

This was my least favourite Harry Potter book out of 7, but even then it is a book that I enjoy reading. Once again Harry has aged a year, and is set to face a new issue at Hogwarts. The writing has once again matured, and you begin to get a sense of J.K Rowling improving as a writer, making a smoother novel overall.

I believe the reason this book is the least favourite of mine of the series stems from the fact that Voldemort, the overarching villain of the series, the face of evil in the battle of good vs evil in each book, is not present in this book. There is not really this great evil over which Harry must conquer in this book.

However, despite this lack of the great evil, there is still evil in this book, of possibly a worse kind than Voldemort. For while Voldemort is evil in his hunt for power and ruling the world, the character in this book who has evil deeds to their name took part in a worse kind of evil to me, the evil of betraying his friends and selling them down the river. This is an evil that cuts far worse.

What some readers, and myself, do love about this book is that for the first time you get a glimpse of Harry’s family, in particular his parents and their friends. Before this you were left to wonder about the parents who sacrificed themselves to save Harry, having little mention of them despite their physical resemblance to Harry. And yet, in this book, you are indulged with much more info, meeting not one, not two, but three of Harry’s parents best friends, including the very friend who betrayed them to Lord Voldemort, the friend whose actions cost James and Lily Potter their lives.

Disclaimer: May not be appropriate for very young children due to violence.