The Ninja Reader

I re-read this today and stand by my rating - this book is three star material all the way. But it's very, very rare that a second book of the series is better than the first. Really, I can only think of Behemoth and The Well of Ascension in that respect. Anyway, book two reintroduces us to our bespectacled and mature beyond his years boy wizard. In this installment, a legendary chamber in Hogwarts is re-opened and the terror inside is unleashed, and, of course, it's up to Harry to save himself again. Because, you know, you can't trust one of the most powerful wizards of all time. No, Dumbledore wouldn't find anything strange in this boy hearing voices, he'd just send him to the loony bin with the rest of crazy witches and wizards. Although, admittedly, after "The Philosopher's Stone", I can't help but question Dumbledore's education methods. Giving an invisibility cloak to a boy because it belonged to his father is... fine, even though the said boy is bound to get into trouble. But giving the invisibility cloak back after the boy has gotten into trouble, after knowing for sure that the boy is aware of a dangerous conspiracy brewing in the castle... that just takes these progressive teaching methods a step too far. It's like the tale of Bluebeard, where the ignorant, but deadly curious young bride is pointed at this room she should never open and then given the key. You know she'll open it, and pay for it! The only difference here is that Harry is not a woman, and thus can't be punished, while the young bride in Bluebeard almost dies because her husband was just looking for an excuse to chop her head off!*struggle*Ahem... sorry about that.Anyway, that little rant aside, this book is similar to the previous one both in style and in structure, although some plot holes are a lot more blatant than they were the first time I read it. Such as: Why do the Weasleys, who are established to be poor, buy five whole sets of the same books for their children? Why bother buying the youngest books, even used ones, when the older children studied the very same ones the previous year and then sent them gathering dust? Why do Harry and Ron take the car without permission, when surely Mr. Weasley would have driven them to Hogwarts himself, or sent an OWL, which would have been a lot more effective and a lot less conspicuous (in comparison)? Why is the school board full of sniveling idiots who first break under the threat of a curse, but then send for Dumbledore at the slightest problem, and why aren't there charges against Malfoy? These are hard questions, and most of them can be answered in the same way: Because if these things didn't happen, Harry wouldn't have his own adventures, and then this book would be much duller. So I can see why I used to like it so much.And since I have no ability to interpret this book in a more different angle, let me link you to this review who does the job much better than I ever could. Peace.