I am back with another review! Sorry for my hiatus. I am coming back with book four of my Harry Potter reread. If you have read the Harry Potter series, you know that Goblet of Fire is when the story really gets going. The previous books are great! However, Goblet of Fire brings a seriousness to the series that was not there before.
Throughout this book, the story begins to widen its scope. For the first three books, the wizard-school Hogwarts has been the main setting for the story. It seems to be the place where magic happens. From the beginning of Goblet, we get a rare non-Harry point-of-view scene, where we get a fuller picture of the quiet fury of Voldemort, as the reader begins to understand that more than the lives of Harry and the students are at stake. This is made even clearer with the international Quidditch World Cup and the Tri-Wizard tournament where two other wizarding schools from two different countries show up at Hogwarts for a year-long competition!
As we gain a larger lens, we also see greater peril. Lives begin to be lost and the real danger that Harry is in becomes clearer. This most clearly scene in the final Tri-Wizard tournament trial. As Harry and Cedric are transported to Lord Voldemort, it becomes clear that Harry isn’t dealing with hapless Quirrel or flighty Peter Pettigrew. He has met more than his match. Death seemed to be certain.
What I enjoyed most about the story is what I saw to be a theme of the love and need for others. The story begins with Harry going to the Quidditch World Cup with his almost-adopted family, a family where he feels like he belongs. He is only able to manage through the stages of the Tri-Wizard tournament because others help him through. He is only alive at the end of the story, because someone loved him enough to give her life for him.
I loved Goblet of Fire and it is probably my favorite so far. I know I say that every time, but it’s true. 5 out of 5, for sure.