Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Ratings3,315
Average rating4.2
I am continuing to find that the Harry Potter works are extremely well written and enjoyable stories, but I am not yet finding reason to be as utterly obsessed with them as much of the rest of the world seems to be. The lasting thought at the end of this book for me was, all of this could have been avoided if you had just told a trusted adult when strange things started happening. This was particularly true for me when Dumbledore directly asked Harry if he had anything to tell him, and Harry just said no. Tell Dumbledore! I realize this is the trope in a lot of children's and young adult books, and there wouldn't have been a book without it, but I personally find that frustrating. I also really found the unpleasantness in the book to be unpleasant, such as the overall existence of the Dursley family and Professor Lockhart. My favorite aspects are the friendship between Harry, Ron, and Hermione and particularly the humor that comes through Ron.
Fun Fact: I read this book before The Sorcerer's Stone because my 11 year old self was bare dumb and didn't know that this wasn't the first one lmao
This is a re-read for me. I first read it over 10 years ago.
Loved the plot and the execution. And the fact that the characters don't annoy me, despite the fact that they are young and always act rash, is a testament to the author's skill!
I'm gunna be honest and say I had no clue how they got out of half of the stuff they ran into. It was just really epic.
Hey look: second book is better. Characters have heart, nuances, and a little depth! And huh: I'm getting attached to quirky ghosts. And wow: I want to spend a year at Hogwarts, and partake in their lively celebrations. And say: I'm a little hooked. Maybe the writing's not stellar, maybe it's not the most imaginative modern fantasy, but I really, really want to keep reading.
Three points to... erm, three stars. Ahem.
You could also call this one Harry, There's Always Money in the Banana Stand because of the cryptic “help” Hagrid and Dumbledore provide as they abruptly leave Hogwarts while students are dropping like flies.
I didn't enjoy this as much as the first book. I did enjoy the comic relief from the twins, Lockhart, and the maturing Mandrakes. The main thing tripping me up is an emerging disconnect in the portrayal of good and evil.
Harry has imposter syndrome, but his friends and mentors provide reassurance: agency is what matters, not destiny. People can challenge what's assumed about them. People are dimensional; they defy expectations. People have the ability to surprise themselves and others, to change course. That's up to them. That's up to all of us. Nothing is set in stone. There is always reason to hope, because we all hold potential to make choices that make the world better.
Sold. But if that's the case...why does Harry need to be in Gryffindor to be good? Why couldn't he be in Slytherin? Why couldn't Hermione be in Ravenclaw? Why couldn't Harry, Ron and Hermione be best friends sorted into three different houses? Don't the people sorted into Slytherin also have agency? Why is this color-coded Myers-Briggs thing deeming a quarter of the school Just Bad™?
I haven't read Harry Potter in so long that I don't remember how this develops, so I might be putting my foot in my mouth. Onto book three!
It is HP. Just surrender. At some point in life, you will have to have read it, be it to say something mean or to confess you absolutely love it.
This one brings Dobby, easily lovable, Moaning Myrtle, a little less, but still a strike of a genius, Ginny in danger, Parseltongue, lots of adventure and love.
Honestly all my reviews for this reread are just gonna be like “fuck I love Harry Potter”
This is where we begin to get our hands dirty. Its still a children's book but getting darker. Tom Riddle is introduced and there is much to like about his background build up.
(Reread, obviously)
This was always my least favorite of the series, not to say it is a bad book by ANY means. It's just the one that gets forgotten about. As a child, if I was going to rank the book series in terms of favorites, this one would have been at the bottom. Now, as an adult revisiting it for the first time in years, I was loving it. There is so much richness of character and story here. My favorite scenes include, of course, the flying car, every scene with Lockhart bungling his way through teaching, and the exchange between Tom Riddle and Harry. I was laughing hysterically during the Valentine's Day scene. This book gets forgotten a lot, but it is absolutely the funniest in the series and rightfully earns its place among the other installments.
The story starts off with Harry stuck at the Dursley's house and for his birthday. They get so mad at the boy they lock him away in this room for the rest of the summer. I know, crazy right? But of course Ron comes to the rescue for Harry and they go back to the Wesley household. From there on out the Harry, Ron, and Hermione start another fabulous adventure, all the while learning about some of the past. The key to want will become information in how “thou shall not be named” makes his return!
I read this book over 10 years ago. I have yet to re-read it but that is one of my goals in the next six months; to re-read the entire first four books of the series and try to finish the 5th one as well. I never read the last two, but I heard they are amazing! One good reason for my to dive right back into the wonderful series.
Anyway, I was just a ‘tween' when I started the series back in 1999. I ate up the first one faster than I've ever read anything in my entire life! The 2nd book didn't stand a chance when my mother bought it for me. The way the story makes you feel, as though you are really there, immersed in this magical world. It's a priceless piece of imagination that no other series has done in the last 20+ years for children and everyone else of all ages.
I'd recommend this book, of course, to those that read the first book. But also to those that haven't read the first two. I'd give them both to someone who loves the read and take a truly amazing journey with books.
J.K. Rowling is simply a visionary in story telling. I wish she would maybe write a pre-quel to the books about maybe how things began or how Harry's parents were as teenagers at Hogwarts. I think that other fans of the series would love that too, mostly due to the fact that on ‘Pottermore' she explains some backstory information. Some of that included that his Aunt Petunia, she is Harry's mother's Sister, which meant she is a witch herself! She denied her magical side and well ended up marring Veron, a muggle, and had a very boring life. This means his cousin Dudley is half muggle and doesn't know about it. Things like that could make a very lovely story! But alas Rowling doesn't want to write anymore of the ‘Harry Potter' world.
So in conclusion, if you haven't read the series, you may want to or wait, because next year for the first time ever, the eBooks will be available. So no matter how you decide to read it, this series isn't one to miss, especially this one from the series!
DID NOT FINISH — I will not rate a book that I shelf as “did not finish.” I don't believe it's fair to put a rating on books I didn't read from beginning to end.
I am just such a big fan of the this series. I love harry potter and enjoy reading to book.
This is a fantastic book series, although, if I must choose, this would have to be the least good book in the entire series
I think this is my fourth re-read first time reading to my daughter. There's a reason this series is such a classic!
Chamber of Secrets isn't my favourite HP book, but it's still fantastic!
Rather good.
Clever, well put together, nicely written, an easy read.
Certain aspects are absolutely dated, and it doesn't help that J.K. Rowling is a known bigot now, but she's still, rather infuriatingly, a great author at this point.
Dig deep, and you can see the beginnings of her later politics (well, not later, just bolder), but it's hard not to love these books.
The magic isn't quite there like it is in the first one, and by that, I mean the wonder of it all - of course, magic is still present. But it doesn't hit quite as hard as the first.
I honestly think I might enjoy the film adaptation of this more, I could really lose Peeves without any qualms and almost every page of this ends up in the film some way or another, and much of what the film changes or adds I actually prefer.
I'm not sure if I'm gonna charge right ahead with the next book, but I'm eager to read more eventually.
The REAL mortifying ordeal is gonna be the brainrot I have after finishing this book