Book Review: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

First, a quick recap: Unlike most series I read, where I review every book together, I’m writing a review for each individual Harry Potter. I think they are widely-read enough for this to work. Warning: there might be plot spoilers. So if you haven’t read Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, maybe don’t read on.

I liked this book more than the first one. The voice was more mature and the plot was more dynamic. Harry, Ron, and Hermione are still young, but they’ve aged since the last book, and the events of this book help them mature further. J.K. Rowling did an amazing job of aging her characters, making their transformations subtle but believable, gracefully lifting her series out of the middle grade niche and foreshadowing that the series will be YA before its end.

The plot of the second book was by far more interesting than the first one. Much of the first book’s plot was sacrificed to exposition, (thought Rowling did do a great job setting up her world and her characters), but the second book had the time for a more drawn out, twisted plot arc. The secrets behind Tom Riddle and the Heir of Slytherin were skilfully hinted at and J.K. Rowling revealed them at the right moments, driving the plot forward without losing the mystery too early on. I loved how Ginny’s character developed, and how the dynamic between Harry, Ron, and Hermione shifted when the boys flew to Hogwarts instead of taking the train. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is a well-developed novel with a complex plot and dynamic characters.

Time to go read the third…