Harry Potter And The Chamber of Secrets

Title: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Author: J.K. Rowling
Series: Harry Potter #2
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Format: Hard Cover
Pages: 341
Reason Read: Just Because
Rating:

Also in this series: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

My Thoughts

Like the previous book, this is my fourth time reading HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS. It is the book that I learned to love the characters the most in. Now that all the introductions are done, except for a few new characters, you start to see their true nature. The dynamic of these characters is such that without a single one of them, it’d throw off the story in some form or another.

There are the main three, of course. Hermione is a bossy know-it-all, but without her love for all things learning and her incredible logic and intellect, I don’t think Harry or Ron would’ve gotten nearly as far as they did in solving the mysteries of each novel. Nor would they have kept on top of their studies. Ron is the funny best friend. He keeps both Harry and Hermione grounded and can even put Hermione in her place when she’s being too bossy. Harry is the hero, but not just any hero. Although he’s very uncertain of himself, we find that he’s brave and has a good heart. He doesn’t want anything to happen to anyone. And, if there’s anything he can do about it, he’ll do it, even if he’s not the best wizard for the job.

Fred and George Weasley bring humor to the story and help us remember than even in the darkest of times, we can still enjoy ourselves and have fun. Neville, although accident-prone and the most unlikely to be a great wizard in the school, is fiercely loyal, friendly, and determined to prove that he’s just as good as everyone else.

Then there are the characters that we hate or don’t know what to think of yet. Draco Malfoy is annoying, pompous, and snobbish. He thinks he deserves everything and that everyone’s beneath him. But, without him, Harry, Ron, and Hermione’s Hogwarts life would be too easy. Even though Snape is harsh and unfriendly to most students, I think there’s more to him than meets the eye. And, Lockhart, I actually forgot how annoying he is until I started reading his character again. But, like Ron, I’m almost sad to see him go in the end.

Apart from the characters is the actual story in Chamber of Secrets. The complexity amazes me. Having read all the books, except HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS, I can see the foreshadowing Rowling does even from this point in the series. There are so many little clues here and there that tell you what’s going to happen. I especially love the subtle mention of the cursed opal necklace.

There are so many little things I love about this story. I love when Harry meets Fawkes, Professor Dumbledore’s phoenix, for the first time. I love reading about his uncertainty of whether Gryffindor is the right house for him. And, I love the interactions between him and Dobby.

The first time I read Chamber of Secrets in 2001, I figured out the mystery long before Harry, Ron, and Hermione did. But, I still remained on the edge of my seat, excited to see how and when they found out what everything meant and how to put a stop to it.

There’s so much more I can say about Chamber of Secrets, but I need to finish my review at some point. Simply put, it’s a wonderfully, complex, rich story and always makes me excited to continue on with the rest of the adventures.

Update: When I’ve reread this series, I’ve sometimes listened to the audiobooks narrated by Jim Dale. I love how much Dale brings the stories to life.

I’ve also been able to read a U.K. edition of each of the novels. The first four novels have the most differences, especially the first book. I loved getting to read Rowling’s original words, the words she wrote, not the words “translated” for U.S. readers.