Book Reviews: Harry Potter - Part 2

Continuing with my review of the books I read in 2016 (I promise I will try to wrap these up soon and do better with 2017's reads!!), here is part 2 of the Harry Potter series (read my Part 1 review here), covering the last 4 books. Be warned that there may be spoilers! (The images below are borrowed from Google Images, and these are the versions which I own and read. Someday I hope I'll be able to complete the series with the new covers!)

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Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire

In this book we experience the first death in the series. Not a beloved character we've known from the beginning (thankfully), but a shocking (and perhaps unnecessary?) death all the same. Now in their 4th year at Hogwarts, Harry, Ron, and Hermione learn that Hogwarts will be hosting the Tri-Wizard Tournament (this after attending a Quidditch championship game over the summer), which had not taken place in some 200+ years because there had been too many deaths. It is a contest between the 3 main European wizarding schools: Hogwarts, Durmstrang, and Beauxbatons (so we are introduced to these 2 other schools and their headmasters), and is composed of three tasks, each more dangerous than the one before. In an effort to keep it safer, Dumbledore ruled that only those aged 17+ could enter their name into the Goblet of Fire, which chooses one candidate from each school. Harry's name is mysteriously entered into the cup and he is chosen as a 4th candidate, despite being underage and there already being a Hogwarts contestant, Cedric Diggory. Unfortunately, once the Goblet chooses a name, the contestant must compete, so there is nothing that anyone can do about it. Harry is scorned by the whole school (even Ron) as they all assume he somehow managed to enter his own name into the Goblet. After succeeding in every task, while facing near-death, Harry becomes a hero among his peers once more. In the final task, a maze with the Triwizard Cup in the centre (the first contestant to touch it being the winner). Cedric and Harry both touch the cup at the same time, with unexpected and tragic results.

I was terribly disappointed with this movie. There was just so much missing or changed from the book. Perhaps I watched it too soon (literally a day or 2) after finishing the book, but I felt totally cheated.

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Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix

I found this book pretty long. I enjoyed the read, and it wasn't lacking in adventure or excitement. But I found Harry's attitude and mood-swings (while understandable and justifiable in the end) to be extremely annoying. Professor Umbridge is vile and I hated her! I especially hate that she gives fuzzy pink clothes, doilies, and kittens a bad reputation! This book also features an emotional death.

So in this 5th book of the series, Harry, Ron, and Hermione learn about The Order of the Phoenix which is an underground group of wizards who fought Voldemort's Death Eaters the first time, and who are now preparing for Voldemort's return, and protecting Harry. When the trio return to Hogwarts, they meet their new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher to be a Ministry employee called Dolores Umbridge. She's a very unimposing-looking woman, dressed in pink, but she is the Ministry's poster-woman, and the very essence of evil. By having a woman on the inside, the Ministry now has "control" of Hogwarts, and Defense Against the Dark Arts becomes "no defense" as the Ministry only wants the students to be taught theory, "No wands!" Professor Umbridge imposes hundreds of rules to try to keep the students under control, but Harry and his friends form their own underground group. They meet in the Room of Requirement, call themselves Dumbledore's Army, and Harry is their Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. A portion of Dumbledore's Army find themselves eventually find themselves sneaking in to the Ministry of Magic on a mission to save Sirius Black, and Harry finds a prophesy about him and Voldemort.

Again, this movie was missing so much from the book, it just felt like I was being cheated. I will have to watch it again someday, maybe when the books aren't so fresh in my mind, the movies will be better...

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Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince

I could barely even handle the major murder at the end of this book (Dumbledore by Snape). I was shocked and angry and could not for the life of me figure out why J.K. Rowling would do such a thing!

The biggest plot point in this book is that, now in their 6th year at Hogwarts, Harry comes into possession of an old copy of their Potions book, completely scribbled through with spells and potions, and inscribed as belonging to the "Half-Blood Prince." Harry also has private lessons with Dumbledore, during which Dumbledore shares with Harry about Voldemort's past: who his parents were, how Dumbledore met him, and how he became the vile creature he is at present. Harry also learns about Horcruxes (a thing which possesses a part of a person's soul), and that Dumbledore believes Voldemort has 7, and 2 have already been destroyed, but they don't know what the rest may be, nor where they may be located. Dumbledore promises Harry that when he learns of the location of another Horcrux, he will bring Harry with him to find and destroy it. They do find one, but at a terrible price, and in the end, it is a fake. Dumbledore leaves Harry, Ron, and Hermione with the mission of finding & destroying the remaining Horcruxes. At the end of the book, Harry resolves to not return to Hogwarts the next year as he has a mission to fulfill.

Strike three with the movies. I think this one was marginally better than the previous two, but there were just annoying little changes, and always with the missing parts, and I just... *sigh*

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Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows

Wow. That's pretty much all I can say to sum up this book, and the series as a whole. I'm so sad that it's over, and yet so much has happened, that I'm kind of happy to just let the characters be - they've been through so much! I thought my heart had broken at the end of The Half-Blood Prince, but as awful as that was, it was nothing in comparison to all the losses and deaths and revelations in this final book.

So, as we knew from the ending of The Half-Blood Prince, Harry, Ron, and Hermione do not return to Hogwarts for their 7th year, instead setting off to find and destroy Voldemort's remaining Horcruxes, which Dumbledore entrusted them with. The Order tries to help and protect them, but Harry and his friends insist that Dumbledore left them with the mission, and no-one else is to know about it. Right away in the first few chapters there are more deaths, one in particular that really made me mad, and injuries. It is at this point that Harry, Ron, and Hermione set off on their own on their secret mission. The wizarding world is in an uproar as Voldemort and his Death Eaters are in control of the Ministry and have infiltrated Hogwarts, so they have to take great measures to hide from everyone. They do find and destroy Horcruxes, and along the way also learn about the Hallows: 3 magical items that, when possessed by one person, make that person the strongest wizard and conqueror of death. Our friends get separated, caught, tortured, etc., escape again... The story climaxes when they return to Hogwarts to fight Voldemort and the Death Eaters in an epic battle of good vs. evil.

I haven't watched these movies yet. I thought I owned all of the movies, so I was really excited to have a little marathon last weekend after I finished the last book. But, come to find out, I only have The Deathly Hallows: Part 2. So, I am on the lookout for Part 1 for cheap, but if it takes too much longer I may have to break down and rent it and wait for someone to give it to me for birthday/Christmas. :)

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So... that's the end of it, then. As I said in Part 1 of my reviews, I wouldn't have appreciated or enjoyed them at all as a kid when these books first came out, so I'm really glad I finally got around the reading these books because I've really enjoyed the journey. And I would highly recommend them to older children or teenagers who like fantasy, magic, and bravery. I am so excited that my younger nephew also started reading the books this year. I'm hoping that once he gets a little older and a little further into the series he'll want to geek out with me. :)

READ ALL THE BOOKS!

Obviously, as you will have learned if you've spent any amount of time reading this blog, I love books; own loads of books; am constantly buying tons of books; have a TBR list that's really more of a bin system that would probably take up my whole room if I put them all together....

Just a little while ago, I shared a list of 14 books that I am hoping to read this year, which were mostly books from OwlCrate boxes and ones I started but didn't finish last year (or previously). And the more I think about - the more upcoming book releases I see, the more unfinished reads I find in my room, the more books I find in a corner that I forgot I owned, the more amazing reads I hear about on the OwlCrate Society... the more stressed out I get.

Allow me to explain... I love reading, so much, and the more I hear/read about amazing-sounding books (and see the covers, oh, the covers *swoon*) the more I want to READ ALL THE BOOKS! And then I'll finally get my hands on one of these amazing books, and I'll start to read it, and it's great, but unfortunately I can't read all day, nor can I read a whole book in a day if I could read all day. There are things that come up (like that recurring pesky "work" business), and other hobbies/interests that take my time, so that I really don't end up getting through books very quickly. Which either results in trying to read several books at once (because it's just not going fast enough!) or just feeling totally stressed out that I can't possibly READ ALL THE BOOKS!

Anyway, just felt like venting about that for a little bit. I realize that this is such a silly thing to stress about, so please don't lecture me, all you practical-thinking people out there. I just felt like sharing. And maybe I should refer to it as a frustration rather than a stress. Semantics...

So, am I alone in this? Does anybody else feel this way, or get stressed out frustrated by not being able to read as many books as they'd like to, or in the time frame they'd like to? Let me know in the comments!

Unboxing: December "Epic" OwlCrate

Hey again! Time for another OwlCrate unboxing! The theme for this month's box (December 2016) was EPIC. Thanks to OwlCrate's spoiler hints throughout the month, we knew that there would be items inspired by various "fandoms" (Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, Chronicles of Narnia, and Lord of the Rings), that the book was a new read featuring an LGBTQ+ character/theme, that one of the items in the box would be from Dark Horse Comics, and that one of the items was a Funko Mystery Mini.

I wasn't sure whether or not to get this box. The theme didn't particularly appeal to me, and the only fandom I'm into is Harry Potter, so I felt that there was a pretty big potential for there to be things I wouldn't like/relate to in the box. But in the end, my curiosity and (recent) love for all things Harry Potter won, so I got the box. I had hoped it would arrive before Christmas, but it didn't - only a few days later, though. :) And I nearly bought the book the day before it arrived, but then I thought I remembered seeing it in one of the spoiler photos I had seen on Instagram, so I left it there. Good thing!

So, what's in the box? I'll list each fandom's item, and then the book at the end (always save the best for last).

December 2016 OwlCrate "Epic": reveal postcard & collectible pin

Harry Potter

The Harry Potter item represented in the box was the Funko Mystery Mini. I didn't get the previous OwlCrate box that included a Mystery Mini, but I wasn't that disappointed because I don't really care for the Mystery Mini figures (at least as far as the Harry Potter collection goes). Anyway, after considering the options, I had hoped that my Mystery Mini would be one of the animals from the collection, preferable Hedwig or one of the cats. I ended up with Dobby. It's not the worst, but it's not the best. I had, however, just a day or two before been reading that part in The Deathly Hallows (you know the one I'm talking about!), and I was still reeling from that. So Dobby's definitely not the worst I could have gotten, at this time.

Game of Thrones

I really don't know anything about this series at all except that apparently everyone dies? Anyway, the Game of Thrones item was a set of 4 coasters from Dark Horse Comics representing the four houses in the series? I didn't open the package because I know for sure that I won't be keeping these. From the package and other photos I've seen, they are really nice, but the series just doesn't appeal to me.

Chronicles of Narnia

We read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe in school, but I've never had an interest in reading the books. Anyway, the item representing the Chronicles of Narnia in this box is a greeting card featuring a beautiful scene from the series, by @susanne_draws. It's definitely frame-worthy, but I haven't decided yet what I will be doing with it.

The Lord of the Rings

I am by no means a big fan, but I have read The Hobbit and have seen some of the movies, and I do like Lord of the Rings merch. This Lord of the Rings lapel pin by @jane_mount is pretty flippin' awesome.

A Darker Shade of Magic
I don't think this is such a well-known fandom, except among YA book-lovers (it's a book series by V.E. Schwab that hasn't got a movie/TV show to it's name yet), but since I've joined the OwlCrate Society, I have learned of and been intrigued by these books. It's definitely on my To Buy list. Anyway, the Darker Shade of Magic item in this box is a sticker by Miss Phi with the quote "I'd rather die on an adventure than live standing still." I appreciate the sentiment, but can't wholeheartedly agree right now - one of my brother's friends recently tragically passed away while adventuring abroad, so it's a little too soon. :/

The Book

The December "Epic" OwlCrate book is *drum roll* Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst. The cover is gorgeous, and the synopsis is intriguing. It's definitely being added to my TBR pile, and will probably be tackled pretty soon. Also included is a promotional bookmark, and (as always) a letter from the author.

Brief overview: it's about a magical princess who is betrothed to the prince of a neighouring kingdom that forbids magic, so she has to learn to keep her magic under wraps, and ends up working with (and falling for) her future sister-in-law.

So, there it is! I like the box overall. There are things that I won't be keeping, simply because I am not into those fandoms, and I may eventually sell/trade the Dobby, but that's another story!

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed this unboxing post. Someday I'd like to feel comfortable enough to actually film myself doing an unboxing, and share it publicly... but for now, photos and written descriptions will remain my platform.

Unboxing: Wizarding World LootCrate - November

Hey guys! If you read my last unboxing post (November "Wonderland" OwlCrate), you will remember that I received a free OwlCrate in November after winning one of the photo challenges on Instagram, and so because I was getting a free OwlCrate box, I decided to treat myself to the November Wizarding World by LootCrate. As you may or may not know, that first crate sold out very quickly, but then they did a second batch, which I managed to get in on, that wouldn't be shipped until December. I was fine with that, it would be like a Christmas gift from me to me. As it turns out, this box arrived on the 23rd, and I didn't get my December OwlCrate until the 29th, so I'm really glad that I went ahead and got this one. It's quite a bit more than OwlCrate, but it is bi-monthly, and there's no book included in these boxes, just loot. I considered only getting the one box (because of the cost), but after seeing the contents, I'm definitely going to keep going as long as funds will allow.

So, on the the unboxing! The theme (as I understood it) of this first ever J.K. Rowling's Wizarding World box by LootCrate was Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them, in honour of the movie's release that month (which, by the way, was amazing! I loved it, I'm so excited that there are 4 more to come, and I can't wait to see where the story goes!). The box is really cool, it's black with the logo on the top, and what looks like a suitcase lock on the side. Mine was a little damaged from it's long journey, as you can see, but everything inside was fine.

When you open the box, the inside cover graphic is awesome! It's dark teal and says "I want to be a wizard," and it makes me very happy.The first item at the top of the box was this sweet t-shirt! It's black, with the front page of a New York wizard newspaper "The New York Ghost" - it's really cool, I like it a lot.

The next item was this Pigwidgeon stuffed animal. He's kind of cute, but... not sure I have a use (or a desire) for a stuffed Pigwidgeon. :) It's also super soft.

Next item was a Harry Potter keychain. It's really big and bulky, so it's not something I think I would actually use as a keychain, but it's kind of neat. There is a black leather tassel, a metal Hedwig in flight, and a metal Hogwarts letter.

The next item I pulled out of the box was a Fantastic Beasts lapel pin. It is the Bowtruckle from the movie, in Newt's shirt pocket. Again, cute, but a bit bigger than I'd like. But it's a pin, so I think I'll be keeping that one for now.

There was also a Funko Pop! figure, which I was pretty excited about! There were a few possibilities (either characters from the new Fantastic Beasts movie, or Dumbledore). I got Dumbledore, which I was happy with because I didn't already have him, but then my brother ended up giving him to me for Christmas, so now I have a double which is up for trade (any takers??).

And last, but not least, there was this very cool "MACUSA" (Magical Congress of the United States of America, also from the Fantastic Beasts movie) embossed, gilded, leather-bound journal/notebook at the very bottom of the box. I really love the detail on the inside back cover; it shows a map of the USA with little blue dots here and there, and it's labeled "real-time hex indicator."

So, overall, awesome box. I think the items reflect the theme very well, it's a nice variety of items, and I feel like I got my money's worth. It's not necessarily all items that I love or will use, but that's completely my own personal preference. As far as the quality of the items and the overall box goes, I think they've done a great job, and I'm really happy with it!

The next Wizarding World box will be sent in January, and the theme is "A Matter of Time," which I am pretty excited about! Some people were speculating that there might be a Time Turner necklace included - I must admit that I would be very happy if that were the case! But I guess we shall have to wait to see...!

Did you get to see Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them? Were you able to get in on the Wizarding World LootCrate? What did you think of it?

Happy New Year 2017!

Image from Google image search

I always used to think of a new year as a new chapter in life, but it makes so much more sense that it be a new book in the series of life. Love it! How will your story go?

1 book.
12 chapters.
365 pages.
Make. It. Awesome.
Happy New Year!

TBR: Books I'm Hoping to Read/Finish in 2017

Hello dear readers. After reading a few posts and challenges floating around the blogosphere, I've decided to put in writing my own little To Be Read list of books I'd really like to read/finish in 2017, which should help to reduce my TBR pile *ahem* room a bit... So without further ado, and in no particular order, the books I would like to read in 2017 are as follows:

1. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery - I'm planning to do a read-with-me challenge through a website I stumbled across, which will go through the whole series, plus a biography if L.M. Montgomery, and watch movies/TV shows, over the course of the year. I am a pretty big fan of the Anne of Green Gables miniseries (starring Megan Follows), but recently realized that I've never actually read the books (*shock and awe*), so it is beyond time that I did! And it just so happens that I found the box set at the thrift store this fall for a whopping $1!
2. Flawed by Cecelia Ahern - There are so many OwlCrate books which will appear on this list after this, but this one is a definite must (April 2016)! I've been wanting to read it for a couple months, but my bestie and I were hoping to read it together and compare notes, but we haven't been at a point yet where we could both read it at the same time. Hopefully early January...
3. Da Vinci's Tiger by L.M. Elliott - the second OwlCrate book I received (December 2015). I liked the other items in the box, but this book held absolutely no appeal to me. I'm still not that into it, but I'd like to try to read it before getting rid of it.
4. The Love That Split The World by Emily Henry - another OwlCrate book (February 2016). I've seen a few good reviews about this one, so I'm hoping it will be good.
5. Everland by Wendy Spinale - this is another OwlCrate book (May 2016) that I didn't have much interest in. It came in the Steampunk themed box, and I was kind of overall disappointed with the box's contents. The synopsis of the book is intriguing, I'm just a bit concerned that it will miss the mark.
6. This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab - this one came in the July 2016 OwlCrate Good vs. Evil box. I've heard really good things about this book and Victoria Schwab in general, so I kind of have high expectations for this book...
7. P.S. I Like You by Kasie West - I'm such a terrible person, but I absolutely judge books by their covers, and this one did not appeal to me in the slightest. The title and cover make it seem like the epitome of teenage high school romance, which I am very much over. But I will do my best to get through it before getting rid of it.
8. Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake - from the September 2016 OwlCrate box. It sounds like a good read, I just haven't got around to reading it yet, so hopefully next year!
9. Heartless by Marissa Meyer - from the November 2016 OwlCrate. I enjoyed the Lunar Chronicles, so I'm hoping this one lives up to Marissa's reputation. It's also a great synopsis, so... *fingers crossed*
10. Winter by Marissa Meyer - speaking of the Lunar Chronicles, I started reading this one in January 2016 and could not force myself through it. I'd like to give it another shot. Depending how I feel at the end of it will determine whether or not I will look for Fairest and Stars Above.
11. The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George - I ordered this one through Indigo early in the summer because I'd seen it around a bit, the cover intrigued me, and let's be honest, the outline? A floating bookshop with a bookseller who "prescribes" books to his clients? Sounds perfect!! It is nothing as I imagined and I've been picking away at it for months. I'd like to finish it and be done with it. I could just DNF it (Did Not Finish) but my momma didn't raise no quitter! Unless I really can't force my way through it and just hate it, then I may give in and quit.
12. The Ingenious Edgar Jones by Elizabeth Garner - This is another book that I started early in the year but wasn't all that into so I never ended up finishing it. I'd like to finally get through and move on. :)
13. The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling - Yet another book which I started this past year but didn't make it through. I want to read it simply because it is by J.K. Rowling, but I didn't like the writing all that much. I'm willing to give it a second chance, though.
14. United As One by Pittacus Lore - I finally picked up this final book of the Lorien Legacies (thank you, Indigo's Boxing Week sale), so I'm hoping to get through it next year as well, and finally put the series to rest. I haven't read the numerous complementary Lost Files, and don't really have any desire to at this point.
  

So anyway, wish me luck! I am planning to set a Goodreads goal of 40. I've read 29 so far this year (still need to double-check that there aren't a couple more I forgot to add), hopefully I will finish my current read in the next couple days. So I think that 40 is a reasonable and achievable goal (especially because I have achieved 52 in previous years, so I know I can do it!). Hopefully I will get caught up with 2016's reviews, and continue to review the books I read in 2017.

Edit: I did finish my book and therefore had a total of 30 books read in 2016. In the end, I decided to set my Goodreads goal at 35 for 2017. I will still aim for 40, but this gives me more wiggle room for those weeks and months where I don't feel like (or have time for) reading.

Unboxing: November 2016 "Wonderland" OwlCrate

Whoops! I just came across this post and realized I never published it! I guess I was waiting to try to get some good pictures of the individual items. But seeing as I am now anticipating the December box and will be posting an unboxing of that soon enough, I thought I had better go ahead and publish this one! If you'd like to see photos of the individual items, just let me know!

Hey guys! I'm so excited to share this unboxing with you, it's one of my fave OwlCrate boxes so far! First off, the back story. I've been subscribed to OwlCrate for about a year now (have skipped a couple months). In September they started doing a Five Day Photo Challenge on Facebook and Instagram. A winner was chosen on each site, for each photo prompt, and the prizes were a free month's subscription, so that means ten free boxes! I participated in the September challenge and won (woot!), and decided to get my November box free since I wanted it anyway, and had already paid for the October box!

So, now that we know where the box came from, I have got to say that I love Alice in Wonderland, although, admittedly, I have never read the books (shame on me, I know!). The quirky characters, the dream-world, the magic, it all appeals to me, so I was very much anticipating this box, and I am pretty happy with it!

The hints we were given was that there was an exclusive tea blend from Riddle's Tea Shoppe, and an item from Authored Adornments, and everything is inspired by, obviously, Alice in Wonderland. Squeee! Now, let's see what's inside...

The first thing I saw upon opening the box, of course, was the reveal postcard, which I always set aside 'til later. Next I could see the tea tin. I obviously knew there would be tea in the box, and I don't like tea, so I knew I wasn't going to like that item. Last December there was tea from the same company and the smell was so strong and perfume-y I could hardly stand to have the unsealed tin in my room, and wouldn't dream of drinking the stuff, so I was pretty leery about this box for that reason... However, the tea actually smells quite pleasant and I may even be tempted to try it (but I know I won't like it, so why waste it? I'd like to sell it or give it away, but I really want to keep the tin...).

The next item was actually attached to the tea tin, which I didn't realize until I had finished unpacking the rest of the contents. It is a really cool Alice inspired magnet from Evie Bookish, which has the Cheshire cat's quote "Imagination is the only weapon in the war against reality." I love the art, and the quote, so I was really happy with that.

Next I found the clip bookmark from Authored Adornments, which has an Alice quote as well. I don't know if they're all the same or not, but mine quotes the part where Alice famously exclaims "Curiouser and curiouser!" :) It's beautiful, but I don't honestly use clip bookmarks. I find them a bit too bulky and top-heavy to be practical, but it really is beautiful. So I'm not sure what I'll do with it, other than perhaps use it as a photo prop...

Next I found the collectible pin which matches the reveal postcard, depicting Alice falling down the rabbit hole. I really love these collectible pins, but I still haven't found a use for them yet.

By now I had pulled the paper squiggles out to reveal the most beautiful and playful (exclusive) cover I've ever seen of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and matching bookmark, from Rock Paper Books. It's gorgeous! I'm fairly certain I have a copy of this book somewhere, but I don't know where so I can't say for certain. So I am super stoked to have a copy, and this one is just beautiful!

And, last but not least, the featured book was Heartless by Marissa Meyer, with another exclusive cover! I was pretty excited about this mostly because I have only recognized one other author that's been featured in the OwlCrate boxes, and so this is only the second book that I would have actually gone out and bought for myself. And I didn't realize that Heartless is a sort of retelling of Alice in Wonderland, in the sense that it's the story of how the Queen of Hearts became the person Alice met. (I wonder if it will be anything like the snippet of her story we got from last year's movie Alice Through the Looking Glass?)

I can't say which item is my favourite, I really love them all.