The Literary Puff

The Chamber of Secrets picks up where the  The Philosopher's Stone ends.   We find Harry on his summer holidays from Hogwarts and having, as we have come to expect, a horrible time back at No4. Much to Harry’s surprise, he’s rescued by the Weasley’s in the middle of the night and whisked away to stay at the Burrow for the remainder of the summer holidays. Can I please spend the summer at the Burrow, too!? Nothing in this book seems to go smoothly, Harry has a lot to deal with and the story progresses a little deeper and a little darker. We meet the young Lord Voldemort for the first time and learn a little more about Hagrid and why he was expelled from Hogwarts. This book includes some much loved characters—mainly Dobby—and has some funny and heartwarming moments. As with the first, the tapestry of Harry’s world is richly woven and you’re left wanting more and more. On to Prisoner of Azkaban we go!

As a ten year old girl in desperate need of escape, I first discovered the world of Harry Potter.   At the time, it was to my ten year old brain, exciting and very much a world I wanted to be a part of. It was packed full of everything I craved—friends, mischief and magic. As an adult, it’s remained   that but with a much more complex understanding of what all those things mean. When we meet Harry he doesn’t have a place. He’s bullied by his cousin, ignored by his aunt and uncle and desperate for someone to see him, to really see him and to listen. When strange letters begin to arrive his world gets turned upside down and finally, after a giant of a man named Hagrid, tells him he's a wizard, his life begins to fall into place. He heads off to Hogwarts and embarks on a journey of not only magical discovery, but a personal one too. There is layer upon layer of heartbreaking discovery for Harry. He learns not only about this new, exciting world but he also learns about himself an...

I’ve been blown away by this entire series. It has kept me completely captivated for the last couple of weeks and I am so sad it’s over. Very few stories have sucked me in like this world has and I have loved every second of it. I didn’t find the writing predictable, I adored all the characters and the depth of detail and I simply adored the complexity of the story. Hooray for a female character that is strong, brave and unafraid to do what she has to but most importantly is unapologetically herself. Bravo for a male character who has flaws, knows what they are and doesn’t pretend otherwise and who walks with his head high into the unknown and makes himself truly vulnerable. Praise has to be given to Harkness for creating a story so rich, detailed and believable that I feel I lived this story with them. All good things must come to an end, which I’ve had to remind myself over and over again as I reached the end of this marvellous series. It was a beautiful ending for most characters ye...

And the world of Matthew and Diana continues to grip my whole being firmly in its hands. Shadow of Night was equally as fantastic as A Discovery of Witches. In this incredible instalment of the All Souls series, history meets one of the best stories I have ever read—and I do not say that lightly. Deborah Harkness writes with such knowledge and intelligence and weaves a story so rich in detail with twists and turns you don’t expect. Her characters pull you in and wring every emotion known to man from you. She writes such a believable story that you can’t help but hang on every word. Diana and Matthew share some truly beautiful moments in this instalment and we meet characters I didn’t think we would ever get a chance to. and As the story unfolds you’ll find that there are many moments where you’ll feel every emotion they do—I know I did. By the end of the book, you’ll have a sense of foreboding in your stomach about what exactly is about to unfold in book three and I cannot wait to ge...

My first dive into Matthew and Diana’s world came through the TV show, but after watching the first episode, I decided I needed to read the book first. From the first chapter I was absolutely sucked in. Diana and Matthew are wonderfully real and relatable even though they’re a witch and a vampire. They’re both complex and both characters come with an abundance of issues they both have to navigate their way through together. Their love story is one of the most beautiful and profound I’ve ever read and it’s intensity is breathtaking. The story and the world Harkness has created is multi-layered, very real and incredibly believable. I devoured this book in mere days—quite a feat given it’s size—and in the rare moments I wasn’t thinking about it, I was sleeping. It was just one of those books that has you saying, “at the end of this chapter I’ll go to bed” only to realise you have read another four and it’s the early hours of the morning—not that I regret a thing! Now I’ve come to the en...