Author: unicornfantasybookreviews

Ten Unicorns- Amazing book series!

This review is about my favorite series, Harry Potter, written by J. K. Rowling. The first book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, was first published in the U.K. in June, 1997. The book was re-published a year later in the United States, under the title of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. The seven book series continues to be a big hit with readers all over the world. Eight movies were made to go with the books. (The Deathly Hallows was so long, that it had to be cut into two parts.) The writing style is in the third person. The books follow Harry Potter and his adventures in the wizarding world

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone:

Harry Potter is an orphaned boy, who lives with the Dursleys: His Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon, and his cousin Dudley. They are horrible to him and want nothing to do with him. Harry lives in a tiny cupboard under the stairs, and is kept locked up whenever something strange happens. It turns out that strange things happen to Harry all the time. One occasion on Dudley’s birthday, Harry somehow releases a giant python from it’s cage at the zoo. He was astonished to find out that he could understand the snake. Other incidents have happened to Harry over the years, for reasons he can never explain. One day, a letter arrives. It is addressed to Harry. The Dursleys freak out at the sight of it and leave -with Harry- to a shack out at sea. Harry spends a miserable eleventh birthday there, feeling alone. Alone until a giant man named Hagrid pounds the door open, and tells Harry he is a wizard.

Harry and Hagrid leave to Diagon Alley, a wizarding shopping place, hidden from Muggles. (Non wizards and witches.) Harry discovers a family fortune, buys a wand, and discovers that his parents were murdered by a dark wizard, Voldemort. Oops. I wasn’t supposed to say his name! That’s right. Most wizards and witches call him He-who-must-not-be-named, or You-know-who. You-know-who is supposedly gone, but some wizards and witches don’t think so.

Harry leaves for wizarding school, Hogwarts, and on the train, he meets his new best friend, Ronald Weasley. The two are sorted into the Gryffindor house. (There are four houses at Hogwarts. Gryffindor is said to be the best. Go go Gryffindor! The other houses are Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin.) Ron and Harry have many classes. There are classes on potions, transfiguration, herbology, and defense against the dark arts. There are more too.

In addition to all his classes and fellow students, Harry meets enemy from Slytherin house, Draco Malfoy. Malfoy and Harry instantly loathe each other. Draco challenges Harry to a duel at midnight. Harry accepts. However, he and Ron, (Along with annoying and bossy classmate Hermione Granger. Also friend Neville Longbottom, in the books.) discover that this was a trap. (Harry and Ron should’ve listened to Hermione, but who takes her seriously in the first book?) The three/four discover a monster, (I won’t tell you what it is, because I don’t want to spoil everything.) guarding a trapdoor. They run screaming back to their dormitory and try to figure out what the monster is guarding. Harry and Ron pester Hagrid until he tells them that the monster was indeed guarding something. Later, Harry and Ron befriend Hermione. (I won’t tell you why, either!) She becomes slightly less annoying. (She’s still a miss-know-it-all, though.) They go through the trapdoor and… I’m not going to spoil the ending. All I will say is the book title is a big giveaway. Sorry, but I really don’t want to spoil anything. Anyway, this book is so well written and amazingly thought out. Shall we move on to book two?

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets:

Harry is back at the Dursley’s house for the summer. He hasn’t gotten letters from his friends. It turns out, as Harry discovers one evening, that someone has been stealing his letters. This house-elf doesn’t want Harry to return to Hogwarts. Bad things are going to happen. Harry goes anyway. Except the access the train platform is not working. Ron and Harry fly a flying car and almost crash into the Hogwarts express. They make it -somehow- to Hogwarts. It turns out a secret chamber has opened and all Muggle-borns are in danger. A giant monster has been released and is seeking to kill. Ron’s younger sister Ginny is taken into the chamber, her soul being sucked out of her by Tom Riddle, A.K.A. Voldemort, I mean You-know-who. Harry and Ron find the entrance to the chamber and jump down. (Hermione is currently petrified.) I won’t spoil the rest!

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban:

You know how I said the plot was amazing? It is, except for in this book. Prepare to be confused. Harry goes to Hogwarts. A mass-murderer Sirius Black broke out from Azkaban. Harry investigates and discovers Sirius is his godfather. (What?) Remus Lupin, the Defense against the Dark arts teacher, turns out to be friends with Sirius. Ron’s rat is actually an animagus. (Wizard who can turn into an animal. If it were me, I wouldn’t choose a rat.) The rat, Peter Pettigrew actually was the murderer and betrayed Harry’s parents Lily and James to Voldemort. Sirius was innocent. Lupin is a werewolf. He turns into one because he forgot to take his potion. (Bad Lupin.) He tries to attack Harry, Ron, and Hermione, but Sirius turns into a dog and fights him. (Oh, yeah. By the way, Sirius is an animagus too. So was Harry’s dad, James. The four friends, Lupin, Sirius, Peter, and James were all best friends until James died.) Then, dementors, (Creatures that suck the happiness from your soul.) attack Sirius, Harry, and Hermione. (Ron’s leg was injured from where Sirius bit him. Long story.)

Sirius and Hermione collapse. Harry attempts to get rid of the dementors using the Patronus charm, but they are to strong. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he sees someone casting the patronus charm. Harry thinks it’s his dad. Wrong! It was himself. (What?!) Yeah, that’s right. Time-travel. Turns out Hermione has a necklace/time-turner that allows her to be in multiple places. This is so she can go to all of her classes, three of witch, (Get it? Witch?) are at the same time. She and Harry go back in time three hours. (Ron is in the hospital wing.) Hermione and Harry free Buckbeak, Hagrid’s Hippogriff. They ride Buckbeak, (Beaky, as Hagrid calls him.) to the tower in which Sirius is locked up. He escapes via Hippogriff, promising to write to Harry over the summer. Are you as confused as I am?

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire:

Hmmm. What could the Goblet of Fire be? We know that in the wizarding world there is firewhiskey. What does this mean? No, the students of Hogwarts do not drink the stuff. They must be seventeen. So what does this mean? A tournament! Three schools must compete. Hogwarts, Durmstrang, (Bulgarian wizarding school.) and Beauxbatons. (French wizarding school.) The tasks are deadly. And guess what, Harry will not be competing!

You must be seventeen or older. Harry, the age of fourteen, is looking forward to watching with the other students. But the Goblet of Fire, (The magical goblet in which names are picked from.) does not only choose Viktor Krum, Fleur Delacour, and Cedric Diggory, but Harry Potter as well. The Triwizard tournament is only for three wizards. As is tradition and the rules. (And the name.) But Harry can not back out. But the rules also state that whoever is chosen, must compete. Harry and the other champions must face three tasks. Each could end in deaths. The first, dragons. Classy. Heroes have always fought dragons. They all make it through, each with giant scrapes and cuts, might I add. Before second task, they must solve the clue inside the golden egg they were given. Harry doesn’t think about this. He is focussed on asking Cho Chang to the Yule Ball. Finally, after a tip from Cedric, he figures out that he must retrieve something from the Black Lake. A treasure of sorts, and Dobby the house-elf says it’s a Weezy… The third task is a maze, full of dangerous creatures and enchantments. Cedric and Harry reach the center at the same time. They agree to take the Triwizard cup together. But something happens. The cup is a portkey. (An object that has been enchanted to teleport the holder to a different location.) Where is the portkey taking them? To You-Know-Who…

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix:  

Okay, so Harry faced Voldemort once again. The wizarding world doesn’t believe him. The Ministry of Magic writes in the Daily Prophet that Harry is lying. They Ministry sends Dolores Umbridge to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts. She tells the students that Harry is lying about Voldemort returning to power. She basically tortures anyone who says otherwise. However, there is a small group of witches and wizards who believe Harry. They are called the Order of the Phoenix. They are led by the greatest headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore. They try to convince others to believe Harry and Dumbledore. Meanwhile, Harry starts a group of his own called Dumbledore’s Army. He and his friends rebel against Umbridge. Then, Harry gets a vision that his godfather Sirius is at the ministry, being tortured by Voldemort. Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Neville, and new friend from Ravenclaw, Luna, get into the Ministry of Magic and look for Sirius. Harry discovers a prophecy saying that he might be able to defeat Voldemort. Voldemort’s followers are after the prophecy. Voldemort himself turns up. They battle and… Ha ha ha! I’m still not going to spoil some major parts of the plot!

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince:

The Half-Blood Prince. The plot gets darker in this book. Many wizards, witches, and muggles go missing, and are murdered by Voldemort and the Death Eaters. Dumbledore and Harry recrute Dumbledore’s old college Horus Slughorn, who resumes his old post as potions master. Harry finds an old textbook with writing all over it. The book is the property of the Half-Blood Prince. The instructions in the book are incredibly useful. Harry easily wins Slughorn’s bottle of Felix Felicis. (Liquid Luck.) Dumbledore tells Harry that Harry must become Slughorn’s favorite and get a memory from him. The memory has something required to defeat Voldemort himself. Harry gets the memory, of course. (I won’t tell you how, though.) Harry and Dumbledore learn that Voldemort has split his soul in six parts. Horcruxes. Dumbledore and Harry have already destroyed two, and must find the ones that remain. The two of them go to a cave and attempt to retrieve the Horcrux. Dumbledore gets severely weakened. When they get back to Hogwarts, the Death Eaters are there, and Draco Malfoy disarms Dumbledore and… I really don’t want to spoil the rest. But just so you know, the locket, (The Horcrux they were after.) is a fake.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows:

Harry, Ron, and Hermione leave Hogwarts to find the rest of the Horcruxes and destroy them. They sneak into the Ministry in disguise. Their ex-Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher Umbridge has the locket. They get it, but are unable to destroy it. Ron, (Partially under the influence of the Horcrux.) leaves. Harry and Hermione, meanwhile, discover something new. A symbol. A line, inside a circle, inside a triangle. They investigate and go to Godric’s Hollow. They think that the famous Sword of Gryffindor is there. They want to use it to destroy the Horcruxes. This is a trap. Voldemort knew they would come, and sent his giant snake Nigini to injure them until he gets there. Hermione and Harry escape. They camp out in a forest. One night, Harry sees a doe patronus. He follows it to a lake, sees the sword, dives in, gets strangled by the locket, and gets pulled out by Ron. Ron had come back. Neither of them had cast the doe. Ron destroys the Horcrux.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione go to Xenophilius Lovegood to see what the strange symbol means. He tells them it is the sign of the Deathly Hallows. The Elder Wand, the Resurrection Stone, and the Cloak of Invisibility. The one who possesses these three becomes the master of death. Death Eaters arrive, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione escape.

They get captured by Voldemort’s followers shortly after. They are taken to Malfoy Manor. They escape with Dobby the house-elf. Then, they break into Gringotts wizarding bank with a goblin named Griphook. They find another Horcrux, but cannot destroy it. They lost the sword. Next, they return to Hogwarts. A battle begins between the students and teachers of Hogwarts, (Along with the Order of the Phoenix.) and the Death Eaters. Voldemort says that if Harry comes to him, he will not harm anyone. Harry doesn’t, for the first couple of hours. Several more Horcruxes are destroyed. Harry makes a decision. He realizes, (Someone told him. This part is very emotional. I won’t spoil it.) That he is a Horcrux. (What?!) Harry faces Voldemort. Voldemort kills him. The End.

 

Just kidding. Harry has a chat with Dumbledore inside his head. He comes back to life. I’ll explain how, along with other spoilers and stuff in a minute. Harry kills Voldemort. The wizarding world is saved.

Plot explanation, contains spoilers:

Okay. I know I left a lot out of my summaries. Here’s what I’ve got:

First, how did Harry survive the killing curse? So we know there are Hallows. Harry has the cloak throughout the whole series. He doesn’t know that it is the cloak. The Elder Wand has weaved in and out throughout history. It was in possession of Gellert Grindelwald. Dumbledore overpowered Grindelwald so the wand was now his. But Draco Malfoy overpowered Dumbledore on the astronomy tower in the sixth book. And Harry overpowered Draco at Malfoy Manor in the seventh book. The wand was Harry’s. Voldemort thought that the wand was Severus Snape’s, because Snape killed Dumbledore. But Draco disarmed Dumbledore. Voldemort used the wand, but it was really Harry’s. So what about the stone? Harry discovered the stone in the old Quidditch Snitch that Dumbledore left him in his will. Harry possessed all three Hallows at the time. He was the master of death.

Second, Snape. I shouldn’t have left him out of my summary. He was a good guy, pretending to be a bad guy, pretending to be a good guy, Pretending to be a bad guy. He was in love with Lily, Harry’s mother. Lily fell in love with James. Snape wanted to protect Lily when he found out Voldemort wanted to kill her and her family. Snape went to Dumbledore for help. Lily died, but Harry survived. Snape grew to care for the boy. He pretended to hate Harry, though. Dumbledore knew that Snape must be the one to kill him, giving Voldemort the false impression that Snape possessed the Elder Wand. Snape did this. When Snape became headmaster of Hogwarts, he sent his doe patronus to guide Harry to the Sword of Gryffindor. Snape died when Voldemort killed him. But Snape was a hero.

Characters:

Harry Potter has many fascinating characters. Our protagonist is clearly Harry. I don’t want to dwell on him for to long. Let’s focus on some others. Here are some interesting facts about some of the characters.

Voldemort with a T:

J. K. Rowling waited until all films were made, to reveal that the T in Voldemort is actually silent. Vol-de-mor is the actual pronunciation. Readers also know that Voldemort’s name is actually Tom Marvolo Riddle. Play around with the letters, (As shown in Chamber of Secrets.) and you get: I am lord Voldemort. If you are a Harry Potter fan, you probably knew that already.

Ronald Weasley, How Dare You Steal That Car:

Ron is honestly one of my favorite characters in the Harry Potter series. It’s got to be tough when your friend is the Boy Who Lived, and the Chosen One. Ron has lived in the wizarding world his entire life.

I would love to have his house! The Burrow is such a happy low-key place, filled with magic and not to mention all the Weasleys. Ron has five older brothers who all did very well at Hogwarts. He just wants to be as good as them. He is so comical and hilarious. I wish I could have soared through the country on a broomstick during my childhood!

Hagrid:

I feel like he needs a better title. Seriously, introducing Harry to the wizarding world, raising baby dragons and monstrous blast-ended skrewts, thinking that Fluffy was a harmless little dog, that’s pretty cool. Not to mention raising his half-brother/giant Grawp. (And trying to teach him English!) Hagrid even housed a Harry Potter party during the Deathly Hallows. (Not a good idea, but it shows how loyal Hagrid can be.) Hagrid wouldn’t hurt a fly, or even a disgusting Flobberworm!

The only think not cool about Hagrid is his cooking. Harry and Ron ate his Rock Cakes to be polite, but nearly broke their teeth!

 

You Gotta try His French Onion Soup:

I left him out of my summary, but that doesn’t make him a lame character. I was disappointed in the movie when Kreacher didn’t cook at Grimmauld place, or charge to battle with the other house-elves during the battle of Hogwarts. Kreacher was such a good and well written character in the last book of the series. I was sad that Dobby replaced him in most of his important parts of the role. Don’t get me wrong, Dobby is an awesome character too, but Kreacher was just cool! I’ve made Kreacher’s French Onion Soup, with the recipe from the Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook. Slightly less onions, and it’s amazing!

 

Nymphadora…I Mean Tonks:

Tonks was a great character in the books. Her Metamorphmagus powers are amazing! Turning into an old lady, growing a pig’s snout, changing her hair color, not to mention being a very funny, (And clumsy.) auror. Aurors are Dark-wizard catchers. The other aurors we get to meet are not nearly as fun as Tonks. She’s always trying to lighten the mood, and always has a bit of fun. She was okay in the movies, but not the cool character I expected.

Ginny:

Ginevra Weasley is the youngest of the Weasleys. She has six older brothers. She is fierce and is not afraid to speak her mind. Like Tonks, she was really awesome in the books. In the movies, she sucked. No I mean really. She was just lame. In the books she is an incredible flyer and plays chaser for the Gryffindor Quidditch team in books five and six. She had been breaking into her brothers’ broom shed ever since she was little. Ginny is very smart and active, and casts an amazing Bat-Bogey Hex. In the movies, she just stands around doing pretty much nothing. But in the books, Ginny is resourceful and a good character. She broke into the Ministry with Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Luna, and she doesn’t cry when bad things happen. (Not in front of others, at least.) I think she is a very brave character in the books.

Hermione Granger:

Who memorized all of her books by heart? Who is the brightest witch in her year? Who traveled with Harry and Ron to save the wizarding world? Hermione Granger of course! I absolutely love books. She loves them even more. Well, maybe. When Umbridge asks her what Slinkhard says about counterjinxes in chapter fifteen of Defensive Magical Theory, She knows. Hermione continues to be a strong female character throughout the series.

My Thoughts:

Harry Potter was the book that introduced me to the fantasy genre. I loved every minute of it. The thrill of accompanying Harry on his journey through the wizarding world was exhilarating. I had to read the next chapter. I had to read the next book. I’ve re-read the series so many times I can’t count. I stared hungrily at the Sorcerer’s Stone the moment I read the first few pages. I knew I would love that book. I did. I still do! I recommend it to anyone anywhere. Ten unicorns!

Hello! If you clicked on this blog, you’re most likely a fantasy reader like me. You probably have read some famous books like Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, or just some classic Grimm’s fairy tales. But maybe you want to know what others think about the fantasy genre. That’s what I’m here for. In this blog, you will find pages on book reviews. These are some of my all time favorite fantasy books, and I will give an explanation of the plot, characters, and why I like them. You will also see pages on things like: Top Ten Worst Wizards of All Time, Best Female Fantasy Characters, Worst Characters That I’ve Ever Read, and others. These provide a good explanation on why I chose to put these characters in these categories.

When rating a book, the system I will use is unicorns. Unicorns? You ask out loud, thinking you have not read correctly. Yes, unicorns. Who doesn’t love them? Not me. I will use them like stars. One to ten unicorns ten being the best. I tend to give a fair rating on most books. (I’ve read so many fantasy books!) If I give one unicorn, I will explain why. Oh, I like that book. It’s wonderful! You might say. That’s fine. We all have different tastes. But if you are considering which books you might like, the one unicorns might waste your time. Still wondering why unicorns and not dragons, or mermaids, or poop emojis? Unicorns are perfect for fantasy books. They’re not taken from a specific book or myth. They’re sparkly and rainbow and awesome!       

See? Awesome, right?

Anyway, maybe you haven’t read many books or stories. What is fantasy? You may be wondering. Well, here is my definition:

My Definition of Fantasy: 

Fantasy is a genre in literature. In fantasy books, characters may be involved with another world, supernatural powers, animals that can talk, and an epic journey. The hero in a fantasy book usually is on a quest to fit in or discover something new. In the end, the character ends up discovering him/herself. Heroes and main characters in fantasy books are not necessarily human.

The Hero’s Journey (Simplified):

The Hero’s Journey is a plot that exists in many books and movies. For example, Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, and  Luke Skywalker all travel this path.

Stage one: The Hero/Heroine lives in a world of abuse and sadness. They are often deprived of something the want. There is an urge for adventure and to explore the world around them.

Stage two: There are many trials the hero faces. He or she becomes over confident. A friendship might end. (Example: Harry Potter briefly stops speaking to Ron Weasley, his best friend.) A great mentor might “die.”

Stage three: Hero is now ready to face the great evil. They have suffered loss and experienced the world. Usually there is an epic battle. (Examples: Battle of Hogwarts-Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Battle in Narnia at the end of the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, Battle against the titans-Percy Jackson and the Olympians book five.)

Joseph Campbell, an American mythologist, writer, and lecturer, had seventeen stages of the hero’s journey. I have tried my best to simplify these.

So, back to fantasy. How do we create amazing worlds such as Narnia, Middle Earth, Mt. Olympus, and so many others? This is called Worldbuilding. The setting is very important. The year the story takes place, the town or country or even a different world that it is set in. Other elements to think about are: Clothing, (Like the long wizarding robes worn in Harry Potter.) Food, (Like Nectar and Ambrosia in the Greek myths and the Percy Jackson series.) Geography, (In Tolkien’s Middle Earth, the geography changes over the four ages of Middle Earth. There are maps in some books, which are great if the story is set in a different world. This helps the reader to visualize where the characters in the story are.) and Culture. (What do these characters believe in? Do they worship gods/goddesses? Do they use different technology? Are there different peoples and animals? Do they get along? What are their meetings like? In the Percy Jackson and Heroes of Olympus series, meetings are held around a ping-pong table.)

These elements are very important when inventing a new world.

But maybe you don’t want all these definitions. Okay. I hope you enjoy my blog and understand why I like these books and characters!

I will start by reviewing my favorite book ever, the one that introduced me to the fantasy genre. Harry Potter.