JKs clues led to a lot of fun speculation. but I won't give them to you because you asked me not to trying to guess them was a lot of fun.
It was, but like I said, he gets to read the book a lot sooner after finishing 6 than we did. That's something we all wished we could have done instead.
God the time between 6 and 7 was so brutal. Almost as bad as the time between ASOIAF books except Rowling actually fucking wrote
Probably some recency bias but Half Blood Price was so good. If I had to rank right now 1. Half Blood Prince 2. Azkaban 3 Chamber of Secrets 4. Philosophers Stone 5. Goblet of Fire 6. Order of the Phoenix Ask me in the morning it will probably change. 1 and 6 would stay the same however. I think.
OotP has really grown on me. Still love Sorcerer's Stone but it really pales in comparison to the rest of the series.
It's hard to compare the first 2 books to the rest. I love the weight and stakes of 3 and on, but those first two were so damn fun and hilarious.
The first two are really fun because they really immerse you into the world/the quirks of Hagowarts. Talking portraits, moving staircases and that kind of stuff is so cool in the first book and then kind of becomes taken for granted.
Kinda disagree with lumping CoS with SS but I know what you mean. CoS is pretty damn dark when you think about it.
Every time I see the HP thread on the main forum bumped i think you guys are laughing at all my horrible takes/guesses. Takes a lot of will power not to click. I think that will be a funny read for me when Im done.
I think the tone switch was Book 1 and 2 JK was still writing characters that were clearly children. Then shifted the characterization to describing teenagers and gradually shifted to young adults. For a lot of us, we grew up basically at the same time as Harry, Ron, Hermione; we were kids reading about kids in Book 1 and 2, teenagers reading about teenagers in Book 3-5 and young adults reading about young adults in the last few books. Its why these books stay with us the way it does.
Have to separate 1, 2 and 3 almost entirely based on volume. Hard to judge a 200/300 page book compared to one that is triple the size.
Watched Order of the Phoenix movie. I actually thought it was decent. At least compared to the GoF movie. Perhaps because I had such low expectations. Welp - the last book in the series, although I still plan to read the play Cursed Child and the short stories. Lets GOOOOOOOO Deathly Hallows Chapter 1 - Yaxley Snape??? - Source we discussed? Who the fuck is the mole? Kreacher? - Fuckity fuck Voldemorts crew has moles in the Ministry and everywhere. Plannign on ambushing Harry - Who is hanging from the ceiling - Voldemort saying he has to be the one to kill Harry. Did he finally hear the prophecy, or is he just taking matter into his own hands? - Lucious is out of Azkaban. I wonder why he's not eager to give up his wand to Voldemort - Sounds like the Malfoys have fallen out of favor w Voldemort - Tonks married Lupin. Good for them. - Professor Burbage is the prisoner. I dont recall hearing her name before - Damn he just murked her like nothing Chapter 2 - Harry going to take off searching for the Horcruxes before the Order can come move him? - Dumbledore's daddy hated and killed muggles. Hmmm - I enjoyed that Obit about him. Lots of back history there. - Of course Rita Skeeter publishes a hit piece after he passed. Ugh she sucks so damn much Chapter 3 - Vernon being a twat as usual. - LOL at his dumb ass thinking this is a plot to steal their home - Ohhh I like that Vernon has at least somewhat realized they're in peril and needs help. Makes his skin crawl to admit that. - still cracks me up how some wizards cant drive and are perplexed by muggle things - Harry finally getting say goodbye to the Dursleys foreva. - Is Dudley attached to Harry?? - He's actually being kind and thankful to Harry. This is weird. I dont know what to do w this. - Petunia basically icing Harry on the way out. What a cunt. She knows better than anyone about her sister and everything that went down, and still treated Harry like dirt. Even her dumber than a rock, son finally acknowledged Harry in a pleasant way. Ohhh Im triggered. Fuck the Dursleys.
He legit sent me a text to tell me you started DH and we text about you reading it and how we think you'll react to things. I'm not sure if I'm proud or embarrassed of that. I'm leaning proud
Chapter 4 - Harry having the Dursley's house to himself and reminiscing was cool - Dang the whole crew has arrived to pick up Harry - Bill super scarred up but seems ok :) - Moody floated false info to the Ministry. Smart dude that Mad Eye - Oh man this is risky for the group. All take the spell that makes them look like Harry and spread out. Harry doesn't like it. Can't blame him - Moody "Voldemort cant split up 7 ways" . Well Mad Eye... he sort of can - LOL at Ginny telling Ron Harry had a tattoo. - Forgot Hagrid's bike was once Sirius' - Oh fuck, the Death Eaters are on them ASAP - Hedwig???? - This is all fucked. Hope the others are ok. Harry and Hagrid are getting fucked up - Death Eaters are falling back for some reason. - OH SHIT Voldemort is here. Why does he keep asking for other people's wands? Did his break/explode when he attacked baby harry? Cant remember - Oh fuck, Hagrid.... Pls be ok. That would be hard to take. Chapter 5 - Oh we're @ Tonks P's house. The enchantment turned Voldemort away - Phew Hagrid is ok. TBH it would have been pretty weak for a fall out of the sky to end him after he has survived getting beat up by giants, absorbed stunning spells ect - Who the fuck is the mole???? Only think I can think of is if Bill's bites made him fucked up or something - Fuuuuuuck George's ear, Ron, Bill, Tonks, Fleur still out there. Fuck just goddammit. This is bad. - Ok Fred just got back. - George making jokes lol. he's ok. - Tonks and Ron back. Nice Ron blasting fools. - Bellatrix coming hard after Tonks. Not good. - Wtf is Neville btw. - Bill and Fleur back. Moody is dead He's the baddest ass of them all. shit shit shit - Fleur bings up a good point about someone possibly letting somegthing slip instead of beign an outright mole. How else would they know the date, but not the plan - This is one hell of a guilt trip to keep Harry at the Tonks'. Theyre right too. - His wand doing it's own independent magic... Connected to Voldemort taking others' wand? - A new vision following his scar flaring up... - Some old dude got murked. - Oh wait Olivander... that;s the wand shop dude, right? Godddam this book just jumps right into it. Intense as hell. Our team just got the living shit beat ot of them. I started sweating a bit reading these last two chapters.
Speaking of Moody - I think the movies botched his appearance bigly. Looks more cartoonish than the badass he is was . Especially the eye.
Remember in book 4 they had that wand struggle? Its because their wands were made from the same core, a feather from Fawkes the Phoenix.
Ah yeah. Duh. Although I thought it was a feather of a Phoenix. Didnt realize it was one of Fawkes'. Good to know
Remember reading the first chapter in the car on the way home after getting the book at midnight. A couple pages in and shit was already so good. Then the seven Potters chapter and you knew this book would be unreal.
Yep, remember way back in Book 1 when that wand chose Harry, Olivander made a comment like "hmm, curious"
Yes. Dumbledore told him it came from Fawkes though later on but I feel like not in the 2nd book. Maybe 4th or 5th
Maybe I've just been misreading it each time I've read the book, but I never thought she sacrificed herself- I just thought it was an errant curse meant for Hagrid that just happened to hit Hedwig in her cage.
Olivander told Harry that his wand had a Phoenix feather core and that the Phoenix had given only one other feather and it was the core of Voldemort's wand. He just didn't know it was from Fawkes