Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Harry Potter #3)

Inge

Rating: really liked it
This is a Weasley appreciation post.

Cindy

Rating: really liked it
I am both pleasantly surprised and mad that I ended up enjoying this audiobook and getting invested in Sirius Black. The story really improved when we discovered more about the background story of events that happened before Harry's generation. I enjoyed learning more about the adult characters and being surprised at the plot developments.

Zoë

Rating: really liked it
“Don't let the muggles get you down.”
Yup yup yup I love this book.

Jayson

Rating: really liked it
(A) 85% | Extraordinary
Notes: Separating itself from its forebears, it's a story of greater complexity, darker tones, and a vastly expanded mythology.

Wil Wheaton

Rating: really liked it
I'm beginning to wonder if there will ever be a Defence Against The Dark Arts teacher who is just a teacher.

❀ Lily ❀

Rating: really liked it
This one is definitely my favourite of the 3 i've read so far.. :)

(Watch my review here): https://youtu.be/gFZ99uPXiIU

Khanh, first of her name, mother of bunnies

Rating: really liked it


I last read this book when I was 14 years old, given that I'm almost 32 now, I have a whole new perspective on it. Despite the fact that I gave this book 5 stars previously, I have to admit that it didn't grow on me until this, my second read.

Confession time: I didn't like Remus or Sirius.

*Khanh ducks as rotten fruit and eggs are thrown her way*

OK, OK, I'M SORRY! I've since changed my mind! Notice that I used the past tense.

Obviously, there will be spoilers for the book below, for the 1.5 of you who haven't read this yet.

I can't even recall why this book wasn't memorable to me. All I remembered was that Sirius - and what happened to him - was terrible, but he's like meh to me; I just never connected with him as a character. Remus was a werewolf and I've never liked werewolves. The Marauders in general were just a bunch of rowdy teenaged boys, and having been the target for teasing from rowdy, rude teenaged boys in my youth, I just didn't care for the way they were portrayed. And I was right, somewhat, James, et al weren't perfect. They bullied Snape, they were little shitheads.

Yes, eventually they became productive, admirable members of society, but I just didn't like them at first.

I guess this is one of those books that just takes time to grow on you.

This is the last Harry Potter book in which Harry is a child. Before his life - and this series - was visited by the spectre of death. I'm not talking about the long-ago deaths of James and Lily, of course Harry has experienced deaths before, but it was distant. I'm talking about the future deaths where Harry lost people he actually remembered, and respected, and loved. That's what I mean when I say that this is the last book in which Harry is a child, because as hard as his life was until now, he still had his innocence.

Children believe that their heroes are unerring. One of the rites of passage to adulthood is the realization that heroes fall, like everyone else.

Harry stared up into the grave face and felt as though the ground beneath him was falling sharply away. He had grown used to the idea that Dumbledore could solve anything. He had expected Dumbledore to pull some amazing solution out of the air. But no … their last hope was gone.

I know that everyone loves Sirius, but for some reason, he didn't click for me when I was 14. This time around, I could understand his character more. I could relate to his desperation, his frustration, and the hope that kept him alive all those excruciating years in Azkaban.

‘I don’t know how I did it,’ he said slowly. ‘I think the only reason I never lost my mind is that I knew I was innocent. That wasn’t a happy thought, so the Dementors couldn’t suck it out of me … but it kept me sane.

I think for me, it took maturity and the experience of loss and frustration, well, life itself, in order to appreciate the hardship that Harry and Sirius and Remus went through.

Previously, this was a magical Cinderella-like tale about a boy in a room under the stairs. With this book, the story became twisted, and it became something more.

Read this review and more @ The Book Eaters

Hannah Azerang

Rating: really liked it
I have so much more love for this one re-reading it as an adult.

Five stars of course.

Jayson

Rating: really liked it
(A) 85% | Extraordinary
Notes: A flavorful foreboding, it plies expanded bandwidth, like ripened fruit, and more acute: a sweet and spicy sandwich.

Kai Spellmeier

Rating: really liked it
“If you want to know what a man’s like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.”

See the irony there?

Trans lives matter. Donate now:

Mermaids UK

The Trevor Project

Black Visions Collective

Katerina

Rating: really liked it
It's a rainy Sunday. It's colder than it should be this time of the year, so I'm drinking a delicious cup of coffee and I'm browsing my Goodreads shelves only to realise that I haven't written a Harry Potter review. Not a single one. So, I decided to start with the first Harry Potter book I ever read, the one that took me to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and made me believe that magic is something tangible.

“I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.”

I was 16 years old, and I had just started my english classes in order to pass my Proficiency examinations. My teacher told me that the best way to delve into a foreign language and familiarize with it is to read books written in it, so she gave me the third instalment of Harry Potter. (Little did she know that she unleashed a beast who now reads almost exclusively in english). Before I tell you about my experience, I need to make a confession. It was my choice to stay away from J.K. Rowling's books until that moment. I wanted to swim against the current, and I thought that Harry Potter was too "mainstream" for my taste. And the foolish little me was proud of this decision. But when my teacher gave me this old, used copy, something inside me cracked. I knew the basics about the story, about the orphan kid who goes to a school for wizards and fights the ugly, evil dude who doesn't have a nose. But page by page, I came to understand with awe that the wizard who finds trouble even when he doesn't want to offers more than that; he opened a portal to a world where I longed to be fervently. I stayed up late at night, with a faint light just enough to make out the sentences, and I cheered for Gryffindor's Quidditch team, I flied with Firebolt and I kept wondering what my patronus would be (according to Pottermore it's a brown mastiff, which is oddly fitting). I casted spells (but never Avada Kedavra, you shouldn't play with this shit) and tasted butterbeer in Hogsmeade, and just like that, my life had changed irrevocably. I was a Potterhead. And I was proud of that. (my mum wasn't though, especially when I asked for a wand).

“Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.”

There is a reason why J.K. Rowling is the fairy god-mother to millions of children (and adults) worldwide. Friendship, love, hope, they're present in her books even in the most desperate times, when Evil seems undefeatable, when no escape is visible. She encourages and empowers, shows that everything is possible, that strength and courage can be found within, when you have someone to hold your hand. Harry was a kid who was deprived of love yet he was capable of loving, it took him years but he finally found a place to belong, to feel safe and cared. Ron, with his witty lines and his constant presence, Hermione, my personal favorite, with her intelligence and compassion, they managed to enchant my prejudiced heart, and even now, years later, I'm still under their spell. I think I will always be.

“Don't let the muggles get you down.”

I'm still waiting for my Hogwarts letter, and secretly hope that Dobby is the one to blame. I still caress with affection the spines of my Harry Potter books (meanwhile I bought them all and finished the entire series in a week and a half) and laugh at Harry Potter jokes. And I know, and it's imprinted in my soul, that I'll never be a muggle again.

Nilufer Ozmekik

Rating: really liked it
This home prison a.k.a voluntarily quarantine making cookies and throwing them into trash days( I never say I’m a good cook and each day I’m getting worse!) giving me nostalgic vibes. It’s like living never ending mercury retrograde! You don’t want to start a new thing, you have to go back to your past or you have to deal with your unfinished businesses.

Of course this is not a book from my TBR or DNF list. I’ve read it very same day it has been released: 16 freaking years ago when I was still hot, dump, in my silly 20’s . The year I finished it, I flipped my bird to my managers at the workplace and quitted for chasing my writing dreams. (It was not entertaining, sunshine and rainbow story, there is so much rebellion, pain, fight, humiliation but freedom never comes without dues to pay!) And after devouring this book in one day( because I locked myself at my childhood room. Yes, I was single! It was easier to isolate yourself!) and I decided that’s my all time favorite Harry Potter book (I know there were more to come but my life was changing and my three musketeers’ lives were also going different directions. They were finally growing up, just like me!)

Sirius Black has a special place in my heart and at the beginning he escaped from Azkaban and we think he was after Harry to kill him. This book faces Harry’s past trauma about his family, his guilt feelings, night terror, his self insecurities and sometimes we think his inner demons were more terrifying than the outside world’s vicious, dangerous avengers coming after him.
And at the end, Harry and Sirius’s special relationship always melts my heart and fills my eyes in tears. I always find this is one of the most meaningful and genuine relationships JKR formed between two characters.

And we also see the growing pains of two main characters: Ron always loyal, likable, witty and Hermione is passionate, intelligent but also kind-hearted.
Maybe this is the best part of their story because after this book, everything gets bleaker, darker and more violent! My dear three musketeers’ lives will never be the same.

I read this book 16 years by locking myself in my room and as a de je vu or reenactment of my younger and dumber self, I reread my favorite HP book. I smiled, entertained, cried, jumped, horrified again! And I felt good and gave my five gazillion stars over and over again!

In these days, the best thing you gotta do: sticking with the things that makes you happy and rekindle your past experiments by making a visit to your memory lane with a great book!
That’s what I did and it worked so well with me!

Virginia Ronan ♥ Herondale ♥

Rating: really liked it
“Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.”

As it seems my Harry Potter reviews don’t always start with a Dumbledore quote but always end up being “My thoughts about this book” reviews as well. For a series like HP that’s been read by so many people this might be the best solution though. And because the books get longer and longer and because I don’t share my friend Jayson’s amazing and remarkable ability to describe a book in one significant sentence, I’m afraid you’ll have to bear with quite a lot of my thoughts. *lol*

1.) ”It’s one of the basic rules of breeding,” she said. “You see it all the time with dogs. If there’s something wrong with the bitch, there’ll be something wrong with the pup-“

Aunt Marge is such a horrible person!!! If you ask me she’s really lucky that Harry is such a precious cinnamon roll and only made her a big bubble gum. *lol* The audacity to talk about his dead parents like that! No wonder Harry got so angry!! Aunt Marge can float to hell!

2.) ”I’ve already had some,” said Harry. “Professor Lupin gave me some. He gave it to all of us.”
“Did he, now?” said Madam Pomfrey approvingly. “So we’ve finally got a Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher who knows his remedies.”

Lupin is the best DADA teacher they ever had and I love him so much! <333 His character is just great and I wish we would have seen even more of him. Unfortunately we weren’t blessed with all too many Lupin scenes. >_<

3.) ”How extraordinarily like your father you are, Potter,” Snape said suddenly, his eyes glinting. “He, too, was exceedingly arrogant. A small amount of talent on the Quidditch pitch made him think he was a cut above the rest of us, too. Strutting around the place with his friends and admirers… the resemblance between you is uncanny.”

And speaking of the best teacher we come directly to the worst! Snape is such a horrible teacher I can’t even! I said it once and I’ll say it again: He's cruel, he's a bully, he takes delight in instilling fear in his students. And he verbally and emotionally abuses them. His personal vendetta against Harry who never ever did anything to him except of looking like his dead father is just crazy! Movie Snape is way nicer than the one in the books and I'm sorry but if you ask me #SnapeCan'tBeRedeemed"!!

4.) ”They’ve got a new captain and Seeker, Cedric Diggory-“
Angelina, Alicia and Katie suddenly giggled.
“What?” said Wood, frowning at this light-hearted behaviour.
“He’s that tall, good-looking one, isn’t he?” said Angelina.

It’s the third book and Cedric Diggory and Cho Chang are already mentioned! Also did anyone notice that they are both introduced as Seekers as well? ;-) So we have all the main players for book 4! Harry, Draco, Cho and Cedric! XD (On a side note: Considering the giggling girls Robert Pattinson truly is a good cast! *lol*)

5.) ”You asked us a question and she knows the answer! Why ask if you don’t want to be told?”

Ron never ceases to amaze me! He’s such a shy guy but boy does he become a lion when he defends the people he cares about! <3

6.) ”Dementors are among the foulest creatures that walk this earth. They infest the darkest, filthiest places, they glory in decay and despair, they drain peace, hope and happiness out of the air around them. Even Muggles feel their presence, though they can’t see them. Get too near a Dementor and every good feeling, every happy memory, will be sucked out of you.”

The Dementor’s Kiss reminded me of one of my rp characters that died through one. Ahh the good old roleplay times. *lol* Anyway, moving on! I was always intrigued by the idea of Dementors and even after so many years their existence and mystery still didn’t lose its appeal! They are really fascinating creatures and even though I never want to meet one I still can’t help but take an interest in them. =) Certainly one of the best things about this book!

7.) ”Mr Moony presents his compliments to Professor Snape, and begs him to keep his abnormally large nose out of other people’s business.”

The first mention of the Marauder’s Map! “The Prisoner of Azkaban” is certainly one of those main books that build the foundation for everything that’s yet to come. And it’s already way darker than its predecessors. Bless Fred and George for handing Harry the map! Heaven knows he’ll have good use for it in the years to come. ;-P

8.) ”They’re dead,” he told himself sternly. “They’re dead, and listening to echoes of them won’t bring them back.”

It always kills me to read about how Harry struggles with the knowledge - or rather the lack of knowledge - about his parents. My heart bleeds for him whenever they are mentioned. I mean jeez, he’d endure a Dementor just to hear their voices. T_T

9.) “She’s got her heart in the right place, Hermione has, an’ you two not talkin’ to her –“

Is it just me or is this actually a reoccurring theme? Since book one there always seem to be sections in which they don’t talk to each other because something gets in their way. And if my memory serves me right things are going to continue in this vein. XD

10.) ”She had slapped Malfoy around the face with all the strength she could muster. Malfoy staggered.”

Once again I want to point out that I’m a pacifist! The way Hermione dished out that slap was pretty spectacular though! *lol* Guess she took Mr. Weasley as an example. Haha! Sound advice for parents: You better don’t slap mean people in front of your kids! ;-P Also is it just me or did anyone else notice the irony of the situation? A person like Hermione, a person that values words, resorted to actions because she realized words won’t get her far with a Malfoy. *lol*

11.) ”THIRTY-ZERO! TAKE THAT, YOU DIRTY, CHEATING-“
“Jordan, if you can’t commentate in an unbiased way-!”
“I’m telling it like it is, Professor!”

Jordan’s Quidditch commentary is legit one of the best things about the series! Well and the matches themselves of course. XD Plus McGonagall swearing like a trooper because the Slytherin team was playing so foul is one of the best things ever! Haha! Especially because she obviously tried to keep everything objective and neutral at first. *lol*

11.) (view spoiler)[”I’m not doing this for you, I’m doing it because I don’t reckon my dad would’ve wanted his best friends to become killers – just for you.”

Harry is a far better person than many others would have been! Even after everything Wormtail did he still didn’t allow Sirius and Lupin to kill him. He would have had every reason to let them finish him off yet he thought of the consequences for his father’s best friends first. Aside from that I still believe that Harry would have never allowed them to kill him because he knows it’s not right. If he proved anything to us by now, then it’s that he’s a very righteous and compassionate person. (hide spoiler)]

12.) (view spoiler)[”I don’t want a bond with Pettigrew!” said Harry. “He betrayed my parents!”
“This is magic at its deepest, its most impenetrable, Harry. But trust me… the time may come when you will be very glad you saved Pettigrew’s life.”

Once again the foreshadowing!!! Rowling is a master at this discipline! XD (hide spoiler)]

I can’t wait to read “The Goblet of Fire”! Not just because it’s one of my favourite HP books but also because I want to find out which other details I missed the first time around! It will get dark now and I’m so ready for it!!! <3

_________________

I’m on a Harry Potter roll this year!
So now that Christmas is coming closer with every passing day it’s about time to dive into one of my favourites! =)

I always liked “The Prisoner of Azkaban”! Not only because the kids have grown so much but also because it marks the beginning of the series getting all “Sirius”. *lol* (Sorry, I couldn’t help it. XD)

But honestly, there are so many awesome things that happen in this book and there are so many new characters that are introduced, it’s just amazing! <3

Happy reading!
I’m sure I’ll have a good time!

Tharindu Dissanayake

Rating: really liked it
"Oy! Presents!"

I'm flabbergasted, again. This one deviates from what it had been for the first two books - by a mile!. Just when I thought the second one was more detailed compared to the first. Prisoner of Azkaban is much more complex, having a lengthier plot, more descriptive characters and environs, but still not lacking in any way. It makes the first two feel like short stories. I'm going to stop saying this is 'The Best' until I'm done with the series, for, right now it feels like it'll keep getting better till the series end. (So, it goes without saying, it's 'The Best So Far.')

"The consequences of our actions are always so complicated, so diverse, that predicting the future is a very difficult business"

Though the first two books were quite wonderful, the build-up for events seemed much better in this third book. The occurring of events seemed much less transparent, and manages to keep the reader well in suspense right till the end. The plot feels to be moving more in-line with the core of series - towards a bit darker side - as the first two had already laid a strong foundation. And the world of magic keeps expanding, with a lot of interesting elements being added to it! I hope I'm not getting ahead of myself when I say, this is becoming one of my favorite book series of all time.

"I know how to use a fellytone now"

Luca Ambrosino

Rating: really liked it
ENGLISH (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban) / ITALIANO

«Harry Potter was a highly unusual boy in many ways.For one thing, he hated the summer holidays more than any other time of year. For another, he really wanted to do his homework but was forced to do it in secret, in the dead of night. And he also happened to be a wizard»

Sirius Black's escape from Azkaban prison is on every wizard's lips. Not even the dreaded guards of the prison, the Dementors, managed to keep in a cage the wicked wizard, who probably want to meet again his master, Voldemort. But to do that, firstly he must kill Harry Potter, the only one capable to stand up to Voldemort... Meanwhile, the new school year is about to start at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and Harry, Ron and hermione will become acquainted with two new professors...

Compared to the previous, the third volume of the series is the one that is richer in twists and turns. I'm reading the saga of Harry Potter to my daughter, when in the evening she goes to bed, and in this "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" a little tragedy happened. When we got to "The kiss of the dementor" chapter, just hearing the title my daughter (6 years old) was so upset by what it might happen that she required that I read that chapter alone, and just then telling her what was going on by omitting the scary details. Apart from this hiccup, the reading was neat and clean. It is evident that the playful and carefree tones of the first two adventures give way to dark colors. After all harry is growing up, and its way of seeing things is supposed to change as well. Rowling takes us in the maturation process of the most famous little wizard of the world using the same plot device of the previous volumes: the teachings of Headmaster Dumbledore, the clashes with Malfoy, the bickering with Hermione, the conflicts with Professor Snape. I do not know if in the near future I will continue to read to my daughter the Harry Potter saga, or if I will wait she grows enough to read it alone to avoid upsetting her again. Never mind. I will go on because now it is not possible for me to stop reading, with the pleasant awareness that there is no healthier addiction of this one. "Get high" yourself too.

Vote: 10

«Harry Potter era un ragazzo insolito sotto molti punti di vista. Prima di tutto, odiava le vacanze estive più di qualunque altro periodo dell'anno. Poi voleva davvero fare i compiti, ma era costretto a studiare di nascosto, nel cuore della notte. E per giunta era un mago»

La fuga di Sirius Black dalla prigione di Azkaban è sulla bocca di tutti i maghi. Nemmeno i temuti guardiani del carcere, i Dissennatori, sono riusciti a tenere in gabbia il malvagio stregone, che si dice voglia riunirsi al suo padrone, Voldemort. Per farlo però dovrà prima eliminare Harry Potter, l'unico che fino ad ora è stato in grado di tenere testa a Voldemort... Nel frattempo, alla scuola di magia e stregoneria di Hogwarts sta per cominciare il nuovo anno scolastico, ed Harry, Ron ed Hermione faranno la conoscenza di due nuovi professori...

Rispetto ai due precedenti, il terzo volume della serie è quello più ricco di colpi di scena, e di conseguenza quello con il ritmo più serrato. Sto leggendo la saga di Harry Potter a mia figlia quando la sera va a letto, ed in questo "Harry Potter e il Prigioniero di Azkaban" è successa una piccola tragedia. Arrivati al capitolo "il bacio del dissennatore", al solo sentire il titolo mia figlia (6 anni) è rimasta così turbata da quello che sarebbe potuto accadere che ha preteso che lo leggessi io da solo, e che le raccontassi quello che succedeva omettendo i particolari spaventosi. A parte questo intoppo, la lettura è continuata liscia. E' evidente che i toni giocosi e spensierati delle prime due avventure lasciano il posto a sfumature a tratti cupe e goticheggianti. D'altronde Harry sta crescendo, e si suppone che cambi anche il suo modo di vedere le cose. La Rowling ci accompagna nel processo di maturazione del maghetto più famoso del mondo utilizzando gli stessi espedienti narrativi usati negli altri volumi: gli insegnamenti di Silente, gli scontri con Malfoy, i battibecchi con Hermione, i conflitti con Piton. Non so se nell'immediato futuro continuerò a leggere a mia figlia la saga di Harry Potter, o se aspetterò che cresca abbastanza da essere in grado di leggerseli da sola per evitare adesso di turbarla. Non importa. Io andrò avanti perchè per me non è più possibile fermarmi, con la piacevole consapevolezza che non esiste dipendenza più salutare di questa. "Drogatevi" anche voi.

Voto: 10