Snapshot Book Review: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

So far, the series has not blown me away. It's cute, enjoyable, easy reading. It's creative. But it's not particularly mind-blowing, and I simply cannot condone all the hype it has received. In spite of the many plot twists and turns, I find much of what is written predictable and trite, and this is very disappointing. That Harry should feel as I expect him to feel is one thing, because if I empathized with him, then it would be a good thing he is feeling the way I expected--otherwise he would seem to be an inconstant character. However, I don't feel empathy for him at all and sometimes even wish he would fail just because he is so terribly predictable. Even his "bad" moments, his jealousies and moments of anger are predictable and boxy-seeming, and for this reason I cannot view him as anything more than a character. I am never swept away in the story, in the "other realm" of fiction. If anything, I treat these novels no better than I treat pulp fiction, the kind that has lots of blood and gore and detectives uttering expletives every other word in terribly trite dialogue: I read them as quickly as possible to find out whodunnit.

This being said, I will keep my promise to my fellow author/schoolmate/friend M___ and will finish the series and judge the thing as a whole when I have completed all seven books. Nevertheless, as I proceed, I do not find the characters (or the writing style, although I did not expect this to change) to be improving, and as this was my sorest point from the beginning, I remain disappointed.

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