Fan-Lit: Review of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Review of “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” by J.K. Rowling

While there's always been a certain amount of darkness in the Harry Potter books, it's the third book that deals with darker themes and issues. The Prisoner of Azkaban introduces the dementors that literally suck out a person's soul and happiness. The book explains more about the Azkaban prison, and we finally learn what happened to Harry's parents. The story even deals with the execution of a mythical creature. We also get introduced to Remus Lupin, the first werewolf in the series, and the new defense against the dark arts teacher (and probably my favorite dark arts teacher). I love the student-mentor relationship between Harry and Lupin. Knowing that Lupin was a friend of Harry's parents makes sense why Harry would trust Lupin right away. It one of my favorite relationships in the series.

The darker tone works well with this fantasy series about teenagers growing up fighting the Dark lord. This shift in tone allows the main characters to grow up a bit, and we get more character development from the trio. The book does a great job of expanding the world with new locations, like the Leaky Cauldron, Azkaban, and Hogsmeade. Harry, Ron, and Hermione are now teenagers and are dealing with more responsibilities. Hermione takes too many classes. Harry uses the Marauder's Map and allows the group to visit Hogsmeade.

Having already seen the movies, the mystery about Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew was spoiled, but I did catch some foreshadowing about the true identity of Scabbers, the rat. I also loved the reveal that the creators of the Marauder's map, Mooney, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs, were named after the animals that Lupin, Sirius, Pettigrew, and James turned into and that they created the map. A detail the movies left out. This book explains what happened to Lily and James Potter when they died and that Sirius Black is innocent. It turns out he is Harry's Godfather, making him the only real family that connects Harry to his parents.

Unlike the first two books, the third doesn't deal with Voldemort (in any form) as the main antagonist, but his presence still looms over the book. Instead, the audience is led to believe that Black is the main antagonist along with the dementors. This lack of a clear antagonist creates a unique ending that involves Harry and Hermione using time travel. Unfortunately, Harry and Sirius can't live together, but they end up saving the life of Buckbeak, and the two go into hiding together. The reveal of Peter Pettigrew as Ron's rat Scabbers is good, and I like that it was foreshadowed using the Maurander's map.

While the first two books were a bit more lighthearted, this book deepens the wizarding world and sets up what is to come in future books. I've enjoyed reading these books and looking forward to "The Goblet of Fire" because it's my second favorite of the films. So far, after I finish each book I watch the movie versions before starting the next book. My memory is that I enjoy the first four movies but not the last four, so we'll see if that changes.

Thank you for reading, and be sure to check back every week as I dive into the wizarding world. I'll be reviewing all seven books and other stories from the PotterVerse, such as "Quidditch Through the Ages." Stay tuned to the blog for new posts every week until Christmas! Be sure to leave a comment or feedback to help improve the blog. Thanks for reading, and be sure to follow the blog on social media for all the updates.