Last night I went to bed quite late, and for good reason…as I finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the final of the seven books in the Harry Potter series. I’ve never read them before, and oh my goodness I’m an absolute Potter-head now! Absolutely, hook line and sinker, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I thoroughly enjoyed them. I had already seen all the movies recently and I did really enjoy them (I absolutely sobbed in the final movie, more than I’ve ever cried in a movie before), but I enjoyed the books more. I thought for this post I’d rank the books from least to most enjoyed and discuss my reasoning behind it. I did really enjoy reading them all and the fantastical journey I’ve been on over the past 9 weeks, so this list has been hard to compile, but let’s do it for some fun. (Note: Spoilers below).

7. Chamber of Secrets (Book Number 2): This one was hilarious at times and who doesn’t wish their friend would come and pick them up in a flying car when they’re having a bad day. The introductions to adorable Dobby, the sword of Gryffindor, Tom Riddle’s diary, and and the Chamber of Secrets are important to the story, but this one just didn’t have the overall spark like the others had for me. So sorry Chamber of Secrets, you’re number 7.

6. Order of the Phoenix (Book Number 5): There was so much good in this book, and the party tricks of Fred and George Weasley were my highlight for sure. But oh I nearly through the book hoping to hit little miss “hem hem” Umbridge in the face along with her cat plates…she’s the WORST! I mean brilliantly written, but horrid. And also, poor Harry! I felt so bad for him in this one and just wanted to give him a break or a decent sleep, and then (spoiler) Sirius dying at the end was so emotional.

5. The Deathly Hallows (Book Number 7): The next three I find really hard to rank as I keep switching the order around, but I’ll stick with this for now. Such a great final book, and I enjoyed the final duel between Harry and Voldemort waaaaaaay better in the book than the movie. My heart soared high when Ron and Hermione finally got together, when Harry stupefied Umbridge, and the final victory of good over bad. I also cried the most in this book for sure – Snape…need I say more…always, Dobby the lovely sweet free elf who has no master, Percy’s return and his final moments with Fred, and Ron’s return to Harry and Hermione.

4. Half-Blood Prince (Book Number 6): I did really really enjoy this one, but reflecting now a lot of this book was quite dark. The tone of this one feels different to the others, with almost two juxtaposing storyline’s – one where there’s a soppy teenage love triangle between Lavender and Ron and Hermione (poor Hermione), and then there’s the dark and misty past of Tom Riddle’s downfall as Harry attempts to retrieve memories that lead to understanding the darkest part of the series, the horcruxes. I thought this one was brilliantly written and sets us up for the epic finale to the series really well. Side note, I am very grateful to be reading the books now when they’re all released, and not agonisingly waiting for the next one to come out in a year or so.

3. Philosopher’s Stone (Book Number 1): Also known as The Sorcerer’s Stone, the first book really is just so nice and cosy to waltz yourself into the land of Hogwarts. I read this one in three days, just absolutely engrossed into the series straight away, excited to embark on the adventure. Reading about Harry, Ron and Hermione and their first adventures and how their friendship formed was so sweet. I can definitely see myself re-reading this one quite a few times.

2. Goblet of Fire (Book Number 4): I so nearly put this one as number one, however, the tense chapters at the end did scare me a bit (when Voldemort comes back) which brought it to number two. Besides that, I really, really enjoyed this one! I laughed the hardest and most frequently in Goblet of Fire, especially at the incredibly relatable high school antics, the dragon quest in the Triwizard Tournament (the way each character is described in that sequence was brilliant), and the character of Mad-Eye Moody and his plot twist was entertaining.

1. Prisoner of Azkaban (Book Number 3): Finally we reach the number one spot, and Prisoner of Azkaban was entertaining, suspenseful, full of plot twists and turns, and introduced us to some of the best characters of the series, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Buckbeack. The characters are really growing up in this book and I’d say the adventure you go on as a reader sets this one apart, I just adore books that take you on a great adventure so hence this is my number one.

So that’s my summary of the Harry Potter books. Do you agree with this list? What are your thoughts on each of the books?

Psalm 139:12 – Even the darkness will not be dark to You; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to You.

Love, Gracie.