Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter, #2)

by J.K. Rowling

[cornerfolds]

Book two picks up just as Harry is preparing to return to Hogwarts. His summer has been miserable with the Dursleys and he hasn't heard from his friends in months! Miserable and lonely, Harry meets a new character who I'd honestly forgotten was such a nuisance early on - Dobby the house elf. Thus begins the delightful second chapter of Harry Potter.

I. Love. These. Books. Honestly, I could end my review there, but I won't. Harry Potter is such a rare exception to my usual reading preference! I don't usually care for humor in books. You might think that makes me cold hearted, but I just really prefer other aspects of books more than jokes and silly situations. But what J.K. Rowling does with this series blends humor along with mystery, action, and adventure so seamlessly that I found myself laughing out loud on multiple occasions throughout the Chamber of Secrets and being totally charmed by it! Her writing is so unique and amazing!

Hermione is much more likable in book two, thank goodness. She is still a little goody two-shoes for my taste, but her redeeming qualities far outweigh the annoying ones. At least she breaks a few rules this time! Harry continues to learn more about himself and his connection to Voldemort, which is really interesting to read the second time around, knowing what will happen later on and being able to piece it all together. Ron continues to be a hilarious character who I always feel a little sorry for (hopefully he gets a new wand soon)!

Ginny, though... I know that she grows a lot through the series, but good grief she's dumb in this book. I can't help feeling that she acts much more immature than Harry, Ron, and Hermione did in their first year at Hogwarts, but maybe being the baby in the family will do that to a person. Professor Lockhart is so repulsive! I was right there with Ron and Harry gagging every time the man opened his mouth! Rowling definitely has a gift for bringing characters to life! As always, Dumbledore makes me smile and Draco makes me cringe... I could go on and on about all the other characters, but I'll stop there.

Reading this book again makes me wish (again) that I had read them as a child - before seeing the movies. Even though I had forgotten a lot of the details, I can't imagine what it would have been like experiencing the story for the first time by reading the books with no clue about what the Chamber of Secrets was! If, like me, you missed out on this one as a child, I highly recommend you give it a try now! You'll regret waiting so long.