Every few years or so, when I feel in need for a lift in my spirits, I turn to J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books. Because honestly, if the magical world can't cheer you up then what can? (Oh alright, travelling and shopping helps too!) But if you are looking for some cheer in the quiet solitude of your home, Harry Potter could be your answer as it has been mine for so long.
Reading the whole series puts my imagination and emotions on overdrive. I laugh with the characters and cry with them, I go on their adventures with them. I don't battle evil with them obviously but they will always find a steadfast supporter in me!
The world created by J.K. Rowling might not truly be real but it is a world that saw me through my growing years and some really difficult times. And for that my appreciation for this author will always be immense.
While I love each and every book in the series, there are some books that I absolutely love revisiting more than others. And in this post I will rank them according to my preference of how much I look forward to rereading them.
Do note that there will be LOTS OF SPOILERS because come on, how can I possibly rank the books without at least discussing some of the characters or plot points. Maybe in another post I might consider ranking them for someone newly venturing into this magical world. Because how could you not have read them yet?
So without further words, let's begin...
I wish to say here that it was tough to place any of the Harry Potter books in this not very desirable last spot. But since I am ranking them, I hardened against the protests of my heart and mercilessly set out to 'feel' the books. And OoP came out the last unfortunately.
Without a doubt, there is a lot going for it - the brief insight into the running of the Order of Phoenix, the introduction of a brilliant supporting character - Luna Lovegood, setting up of Dumbledore's Army right under the watchful eyes of the detestable Umbridge, Fred and George's splendid escape from Hogwarts ...
But then when I looked at the things I don't look forward to reading, the list becomes even longer! From the first chapter, we are introduced to Harry's darker moods, the dementors' attack, his being expelled. Then he goes on to unleash his bad mood onto his closest friends (that for me always makes for a very cringy read).
Then there is Umbridge. Perhaps the person I hated most in the whole series, even considering Voldemort or Bellatrix. She tottered into Hogwarts on her short, stumpy legs and ruined the whole of Harry's fifth year at school on top of making it a difficult read for me!
And coming to the part that never fails to make me cry - Sirius's death. That felt a bit like it came out of nowhere, really. I mean what was the significance of the veiled archway anyway? Besides that it killed Sirius and then was never revisited.
The last chapter was a near impossible read. Harry dealing with the death of his godfather, desperately seeking answers from a ghost - wanting to know of there was a chance Sirius could still be present among the living. Oh God, my fragile heart just can't take it anymore.
And so here lies The Order of The Phoenix, the most devastating read of the series and the one I least look forward to reread.
[So yes, I believe I got a little carried away in my writing. Promise that from now on the comments on the individual books will be much shorter!]
When I younger, CoS was always something I looked forward to. To me CoS always felt like a mystery book, kid's version. And who doesn't love a good mystery! Students getting mysteriously Petrified! No one knows who is responsible. Danger all around, who is next? And who stole that diary from Harry? J.K.Rowling provided readers with a compelling mystery that kept us guessing until the end and then resolved it beautifully for us.
The biggest issue with this book, I guess, might be its length. It is too short and the story ended as quickly as it began. Which is completely understandable considering it was initially published with children as the target audience. It just so happened that adults also fell in love with the book because really, how could they not?
The final installment of the Harry Potter saga had the tough job of tying up all the loose ends from the previous six books and just making sure the greatest, most powerful dark wizard of all time, Voldemort, is defeated beyond all doubt. A tough feat to be sure. But boy, did J.K. Rowling do a freaking amazing job!
From the get-go, there wasn't a moment's respite in terms of action. Whether it is getting Harry safely away from Privet Drive or running from the chaos of Bill's wedding and then escaping from the Death Eaters soon after or closely escaping Voldemort at Godric's Hollow and the Malfoy Manor or the breakout from Gringotts on a blind dragon and not to mention the final battle scenes. Phew. LOTS OF ACTION!
But when you reread a book, you already know how the story ends anyway so I wasn't wondering how things would play out the whole time. And guess what? I realize HBP is probably one of the best written books in the series. There is just something about it that felt balanced. Sure it was dark. But there was a fair bit of romance in it too. And a fair bit of intrigue - wondering who the half blood prince was.
This was the book that also made me empathize with Draco, something I never thought would ever happen considering what an ass he had always been. And at the end I always feel sad when I put myself in Snape's shoes, doing what was asked of him despite how difficult it's going to be (this of course, with knowing how Book 7 ends).
Reading the whole series puts my imagination and emotions on overdrive. I laugh with the characters and cry with them, I go on their adventures with them. I don't battle evil with them obviously but they will always find a steadfast supporter in me!
The world created by J.K. Rowling might not truly be real but it is a world that saw me through my growing years and some really difficult times. And for that my appreciation for this author will always be immense.
While I love each and every book in the series, there are some books that I absolutely love revisiting more than others. And in this post I will rank them according to my preference of how much I look forward to rereading them.
Do note that there will be LOTS OF SPOILERS because come on, how can I possibly rank the books without at least discussing some of the characters or plot points. Maybe in another post I might consider ranking them for someone newly venturing into this magical world. Because how could you not have read them yet?
So without further words, let's begin...
7. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Book 5)
Without a doubt, there is a lot going for it - the brief insight into the running of the Order of Phoenix, the introduction of a brilliant supporting character - Luna Lovegood, setting up of Dumbledore's Army right under the watchful eyes of the detestable Umbridge, Fred and George's splendid escape from Hogwarts ...
But then when I looked at the things I don't look forward to reading, the list becomes even longer! From the first chapter, we are introduced to Harry's darker moods, the dementors' attack, his being expelled. Then he goes on to unleash his bad mood onto his closest friends (that for me always makes for a very cringy read).
Then there is Umbridge. Perhaps the person I hated most in the whole series, even considering Voldemort or Bellatrix. She tottered into Hogwarts on her short, stumpy legs and ruined the whole of Harry's fifth year at school on top of making it a difficult read for me!
And coming to the part that never fails to make me cry - Sirius's death. That felt a bit like it came out of nowhere, really. I mean what was the significance of the veiled archway anyway? Besides that it killed Sirius and then was never revisited.
The last chapter was a near impossible read. Harry dealing with the death of his godfather, desperately seeking answers from a ghost - wanting to know of there was a chance Sirius could still be present among the living. Oh God, my fragile heart just can't take it anymore.
And so here lies The Order of The Phoenix, the most devastating read of the series and the one I least look forward to reread.
[So yes, I believe I got a little carried away in my writing. Promise that from now on the comments on the individual books will be much shorter!]
6. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Book 2)
When I younger, CoS was always something I looked forward to. To me CoS always felt like a mystery book, kid's version. And who doesn't love a good mystery! Students getting mysteriously Petrified! No one knows who is responsible. Danger all around, who is next? And who stole that diary from Harry? J.K.Rowling provided readers with a compelling mystery that kept us guessing until the end and then resolved it beautifully for us.
Over the years though, CoS began to feel like a slow read to me. I cannot quite put my fingers on why. Maybe it's just that once the mystery is resolved and we have figured it all out, CoS just isn't a very fun book. It is rather dark considering it is just the second book in the series.
5. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Book 1)
The book that marked the start of the series ranks at 5th position. From the moment I read the first chapter - 'The Boy Who Lived', I knew this book was something special. On completing the book, I knew I had to read more and hungrily sought the other books! Philosopher's Stone made me a fan for life!
I do wish I could place this higher up on the list but what happened was that J.K.Rowling and her stories just got much better from this high point. She weaved the magical web so tightly around us that we couldn't help but succumb to it. So here it stays third to last on the list but always holding a very special place in my heart.
The biggest issue with this book, I guess, might be its length. It is too short and the story ended as quickly as it began. Which is completely understandable considering it was initially published with children as the target audience. It just so happened that adults also fell in love with the book because really, how could they not?
Luckily there are six more follow-up books and so in my rereading whenever I reached the end of PS, it is usually with great eagerness to pounce on the next book.
4. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Book 3)
We now come to the fan favorite book that ranks 4th on my list. PoA is perhaps the most light-hearted of all the books and it's probably because of this that PoA is such a beloved book to many. And honestly, I have ranked it higher now than I would have a few years ago.
So why is PoA not ranked higher on this list? To be honest I can't point to the exact reason why. I just felt like I could have missed reading the book and still follow up with the subsequent book. Probably because it didn't feature Voldemort in it as much as the rest.
So why is PoA not ranked higher on this list? To be honest I can't point to the exact reason why. I just felt like I could have missed reading the book and still follow up with the subsequent book. Probably because it didn't feature Voldemort in it as much as the rest.
3. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Book 7)
From the get-go, there wasn't a moment's respite in terms of action. Whether it is getting Harry safely away from Privet Drive or running from the chaos of Bill's wedding and then escaping from the Death Eaters soon after or closely escaping Voldemort at Godric's Hollow and the Malfoy Manor or the breakout from Gringotts on a blind dragon and not to mention the final battle scenes. Phew. LOTS OF ACTION!
There are close saves and danger at regular intervals. Deaths at the snap of the finger it seems. A mysterious ally and that shocking twist involving Snape. It seems like J.K.Rowling did her best to pull out every trick in the hat and it worked on so many levels. DH is a fitting end to a series that gave us so much. And it is a book I look forward to reading even though I know I am close to the end. Boo.
To be honest, when I first read HBP I didn't like it all that much. The book is pretty dark plus I was kind of spoilt about a certain MAJOR character's death which sucked big time! During my first read, I just kept wondering how that character will die which of course kind of ruined the whole experience.
2. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (Book 6)
But when you reread a book, you already know how the story ends anyway so I wasn't wondering how things would play out the whole time. And guess what? I realize HBP is probably one of the best written books in the series. There is just something about it that felt balanced. Sure it was dark. But there was a fair bit of romance in it too. And a fair bit of intrigue - wondering who the half blood prince was.
This was the book that also made me empathize with Draco, something I never thought would ever happen considering what an ass he had always been. And at the end I always feel sad when I put myself in Snape's shoes, doing what was asked of him despite how difficult it's going to be (this of course, with knowing how Book 7 ends).
There are just many small moments that makes HBP special even if it does end rather sadly (though nothing beats Book 5 for gloomy endings). Just give this one another chance, it might rise in your own ranking.
Fun, FUN, FUNNN is what I associate with the GoF! Whenever I want to read a book that gets me all hyped up and excited, I run to this fourth book of the series! What with the excitement of the Quiddich World Cup and the Triwizard Tournament, J.K.Rowling just up-ed the adventure factor in this book!
Sure, it has really dark undertones to it that emerges at unexpected moments (the dark mark after the World Cup comes to mind), the rise of Voldemort (and the death of a supporting character). But that has been foreshadowed since the first book - we always knew Voldemort was going to come back so why not in this book. It just takes the book to a whole new higher level in my humble opinion with the right dose of light and dark moments.
And the most delicious aspect of the book - its first chapter! Sometimes I take out the book just to read that one chapter. Sends shivers down my body. In a good way. Truly a great introductory chapter, done very differently from the first three books.
1. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Book 4)
Sure, it has really dark undertones to it that emerges at unexpected moments (the dark mark after the World Cup comes to mind), the rise of Voldemort (and the death of a supporting character). But that has been foreshadowed since the first book - we always knew Voldemort was going to come back so why not in this book. It just takes the book to a whole new higher level in my humble opinion with the right dose of light and dark moments.
And the most delicious aspect of the book - its first chapter! Sometimes I take out the book just to read that one chapter. Sends shivers down my body. In a good way. Truly a great introductory chapter, done very differently from the first three books.
GoF didn't start with Harry. It didn't even start off positively. For the first time ever, we hear and then see the most feared wizard of all time and we witness him coldly make a kill. We are chilled. We are filled with a feeling of foreboding. But most of all, we are just too intrigued to even think about stopping our reading.
And now I have done it! I need to revisit the whole series again. And boy, do I look forward to it!
**SO there you have it. The Harry Potter books ranked according to my personal preferences! Are they similar to your own preference? I would love to hear your thoughts so do share your own ranks!
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