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Summary: Harry Potter Does It Again!
Review: Like most of you enthusiastic Potter fans out there in the Muggle world I had been waiting with a certain amount of fear and trepidation for the publication of Rowling's newest installment. Would she match the imaginative genius of her first three books or would the mounting expectation prove to be too much pressure for her delicate writer's muse?Fear no more, fellow Muggles. Harry Potter is back, and he is better than ever before. Rowling has managed yet again to excite us with wonderful new wizard inventions and ideas, with a host of new charms, curses and magical creatures. For the Quidditch fans among you there is a Quidditch specatular at the beginning of the book, and for those of you who love the mysterious plot twists and turns, prepare to be as baffled as ever before. As usual the clues are all there, but I think it would take the combined forces of Miss Marple, Hercule Poirot and Sherlock Holmes to discover this book's particular evil-doer before the appointed time. However, on a more serious note, "The Goblet of Fire" is darker than the previous books, not because of any scarier monsters (I still tremble when I think of the Basilisk and those Spider creatures in the last one) but because of the general tone of the book and the growth in understanding of our young heroes and heroines. The full horror of the past is revealed to our friends, and as maturing wizards and witches they begin to take on the sorrow and the responsibility of adulthood in a world where evil keeps us all on our guard. Truly this book is the "Empire Strikes Back" of the Potter series and as such it shows enormous bravery and depth. Rarely do we see such creative genius, especially in the world of children's literature where we mostly find questions answered and fear assuaged when really those fears and those questions are what push us all forward into thought, action and responsibilty. A challenging, thrilling, imaginative, thought-provoking book from one of the world's most exciting living writers.
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Summary: THE BEST HARRY POTTER BOOK YET!
Review: I received my copy of this book yesterday, and stayed up until 2 AM reading it. I literally could NOT put it down! The plot twists and turns like a roller coaster, there is never a dull moment in this story, and the characters are so real and the descriptions so vivid that you feel like you're standing there watching the book happen right in front of you. J.K. Rowling's writing gets stronger and more sure-handed with each book, and "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" is proof of this. It's the best one yet!
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Summary: The best Harry yet!
Review: J.K. Rowling, has woven another tail of pure joy, excitement, and suspence. The new installment in the 7 book series is 734 pages of nothing but pure delight. A must read for all ages. I recieved my copy not 5 hours ago and I have failed to put it down since. HARRY POTTER 4 is a must for all.
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Summary: Bravo, Ms. Rowling
Review: J. K Rowling has accomplished a task every bit as difficult as apparating or summoning a Patronus: she has written a book which exceeds the hype surrounding its release. I couldn't put it down, and read it in one sitting before turning it over to my eleven-year-old daughter. Rowling's careful plotting of her seven-tome series is nowhere more evident than in this fourth installment. She ties together events from the earlier books with tantalizing hints about what is to come. Her characters stay true to themselves, while continuing to grow and mature. Many authors struggle keeping this kind of consistency in a series, but Rowling succeeds beautifully. Fans of the series will particularly enjoy how Rowling starts to flesh out secondary characters, now that Harry and his friends are well established. A few warnings: although Rowling recaps some elements from previous books, a reader beginning the series in the middle will no doubt be confused. This is one series that really must be read sequentially. Also, the evil elements become even darker and scarier in this installment. Some events might be too gruesome for younger children to hear. Any child mature enough to read a 742 page book, though, should be able to handle the darker material. As the pivotal book of the series, The Goblet of Fire really leaves the reader in suspense at the end--much like the end of The Empire Strikes Back in the Star Wars Trilogy--meaning that there will be even more hype surrounding the release of volume five, which can't happen too soon to suit me!
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Summary: BRILLIANT!
Review: J.K.Rowling outdoes herself in this ingenious way of adding to the magical saga. I will refrain from saying any more about this book for fear of ruining it for others. A must-read for all. Rowling delivers an extremely good tale in 700 or so pages.
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Summary: Harry Potter - Not a Kid Anymore
Review: The newest Harry Potter installment, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, came out to an already adoring public that is now completely immersed in any and all "wizarding" hoopla ("Join our midnight unveiling," "Calling all Muggles," "Would you like the plastic glasses or the lightning bolt tatoo?"). But is Harry still a children's book hero? Each book in the now four installment series has increased in length from the last with the newest title weighing in at a spectacular 734 pages, over twice the size of the first. Few children are apt to gobble up a 700+ paged book, even if it is the famous Harry Potter. Also distancing this sequal from the others is its distinct vocabulary. "Askance," "bigotry," "amicable;" hardly words with which an eleven year old would be familiar. Also a bit surprising is the gruesome information Rowling provides about Voldemort-related subjects. The contents of Voldemort's revival potion are quite explictly described as are the details of the many deaths that pepper the novel. But don't get me wrong. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is a spectacular novel. Twists in the plot, a plethora of new characters, and all, if not more, of the previously noticed Harry Potter charm (Ron and Harry have a fight, Harry's parentless dilemma, Ron and Hermione's arguments) entangle the reader so thoroughly in the story line that the time spent reading it seems to be nothing. However, this Harry Potter installmemt is more of a novel than a children's book. With Rowling's growing renown, she is able to switch from catering to children to writing for a more mature audience, and she seems to be loving every moment of it. More adult subjects (elf slavery, government ineptitude, nosy gossip columnist's meddling) make this more than just a "Win the Quidditch Cup and make Gryffindor proud" book. Not only does the reader have the constant "who-done-it" problem to solve, he is now faced with real, if magical, issues which cannot be ignored. Rowling has made Hogwarts a cauldron of events, and excitement abounds but is it all obvious enough to attract even the youngest reader's attention? Perhaps not. Harry Potter has grown up fast and it is yet to be seen if his readers have grown with him or if he must now go and build a reputation in the world of legitimate novels.
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Summary: Brilliant!
Review: Yet again J.K. Rowling has written a clever, entertaining book! I'm glad to see that under what must've been enormous pressure and anticipation to produce this fourth book, the author has not failed. The book shows no evidence of being rushed, nor does it leave out the good character development I've come to expect from the first three books. Rather, it is as enjoyable as any of the other books, if not more. It is full of surprises, wit, suspense, mystery, and a long list of other traits that make it a reading experience that is exciting and wonderful. I couldn't put this book down (which is a rather over-used phrase, but it gets to the point)! I won't give anything away because that would be unfair, but I can say that this book is an excellently written, fantastic masterpiece that will keep the whole world craving for more! (If however, you cannot wait for another book without extreme suffering, I would definitely suggest reading books by such authors as Diana Wynne Jones, Sherwood Smith, Susan Cooper, and Patricia C. Wrede, who are all terrific fantasy authors.)
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Summary: You will be in a spell!
Review: I love all Harry Potter books and i read them all the time... over and over again... i was in a spell! I spent all my money for the new book, but it was worth it! Its a great book and has twists and turns like you cant emagine!
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Summary: The Best Potter Book Yet
Review: Before I started this book I was afraid that it would follow the trend of disappointment which usually accompanies sequels. However, all my fears were for naught as I can honestly say that I think this is the best Harry Potter book yet. I could not put it down. I don't know how J.K. Rowling can come up with these stories, but they continue to have a richer plot than any other book I have read. What makes THE GOBLET OF FIRE better than the first three? Well, I found that, not only is the plot deeper, but Rowling also has advanced in her ability to express the situations and emotions that accompany her characters. She nails the personality shifts of her characters perfectly, and they seem to float off the page and act out the story in front of you. It is as if she has experienced the story personally and is just describing what it was like. The ending of this book is incredible, I don't think I breathed during the last hundred and fifty pages. If any kids out there are intimidated by the size of this novel, don't be. It is well worth the effort.
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Summary: The kid's just keep lovin Harry
Review: The kids couldn't wait and it was worth it. They have been reading - and in the summer! They love the story and although only the oldest has finished it they all are enjoying every chapter. It's worth getting and giving to help inspire the excitement of a good book in kids, I get to read it next.
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