“..Remember Cedric Diggory.”

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Harry Potter #4)

by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter is midway through his training as a wizard and his coming of age. Harry wants to get away from the pernicious Dursleys and go to the International Quidditch Cup. He wants to find out about the mysterious event that’s supposed to take place at Hogwarts this year, an event involving two other rival schools of magic, and a competition that hasn’t happened for a hundred years. He wants to be a normal, fourteen-year-old wizard. But unfortunately for Harry Potter, he’s not normal – even by wizarding standards. And in his case, different can be deadly .

I truly loved this book so much. It’s incredible to see how J.K. Rowling created one of the most fascinating fantasy worlds. I know I said this in my previous reviews of the Harry Potter books but what I read really made me want to be in the same reality, dimension, world, and universe they’re in. From the moment the Weasley men turned up at the Durselys to the moment Harry’s name came out of the Goblin Fire until the moment Dumbledore and the rest knew who “Alistair Moody” really was, I could not stop reading. Turning page after page after page.

To tell you the truth, I mainly read this book at school, during class and during breaks. I couldn’t help it. There were definitely times when I wouldn’t listen to our teachers’ discussions just to finish reading “this last page” or “this last chapter.” There was actually a moment when I was reading, you know, I was just sitting there, not giving a care about my surroundings, focusing on the story and on the characters and on the events when my classmate who was seated in front of me abruptly turns around to face me. And you know there’s nothing wrong with that. Except that our chairs were really close to each other. Because when I read, I prop up both of my knees on like a mounting under her chair and place my book on top. Like the picture below but on a chair, haha.

So I was reading and when I look up, her face was like inches from mine, of course I was startled. Then she smiled, like a smile me and my seatmate thought was a bit creepy and asked questions about lecture. I just stared at her like “wut? Can’t you see I’m reading? Cearly not listening to the discussion?” I just motioned to my book and she got the message, thankfully. My seatmate, who is an avid Potterhead and the one who introduced me to the world of Harry Potter, just laughed and shrugged her head. She gave me a look that says, “I understand.”

All in all, this book is masterful; it is the book where everything changes and you feel it with every flip of the page. It maintained the classic spirit of books 1-3 while perfectly balancing the added stakes and darkness. Also, like every other installment the way everything that is revealed at the end answers all your questions and puts all the more new ones straight back into your head was just as satisfying as it was the first three books and it was perfection. I want to curse my previous selves for not paying attention and not giving this series a chance because, boy oh boy, I wish I read this series sooner.

I just want to put in here some of my favorite parts in the book. At the beginning, Voldemort says to Wormtail, “I will allow you to perform an essential task for me, one that many of my followers would give their right hands to perform…” AND OMG J.K. ROWLING FORESHADOWS EVERYTHINGGGG. We got to meet Bill in this book and I.AM.LIVING.FOR.HIS.PONYTAIL. I like him and how chill he is.

Harry and Ron fighting made my heart hurt so much. I thought they would reconcile quickly but I didn’t expect their fight to be THAT long. My heart just aches whenever they would see each other, clearly wanting to approach each other but choose not to. AND ALSO, THE DRAMA AT THE YULE BALL GAHHH. It’s so obvious that Ron and Hermione like each other and they just don’t want to admit it THE FEELS!

another thing: WHEN HARRY WAS LISTENING TO HAGRID AND MADAME MAXIME AND HE SEES THE BEETLE? IMAGINE IF HE HAD JUST STEPPED ON IT? WOULDN’T THAT HAVE BEEN GREAT? AND LASTLY, CEDRIC! I cried when I was in that part. Cedric was such a kind, amazing, lovable person. Imagine if Cedric had only lived, he and Harry could have been good friends! UGH MY HEART!