A review by troystory
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling

adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

I haven't written reviews for the last two Harry Potter books I read, mostly because I didn't think there was much I could really say about them. They were fine, overwhelmingly mediocre, and the movies were close enough that I didn't notice any major changes. 

Let me preface this by saying that Goblet of Fire is my second favourite movie of the entire series. It's got everything: cool new concepts, challenges and obstacles, just the right amount of drama, a high-stakes climax, and the best plot twist in the whole franchise (in my opinion). It's the kind of thing where, every time you rewatch it, you're delighted to notice little details you hadn't noticed before. 

The book is, for the most part, just as good. I really enjoyed the story, the pacing, and the way it expanded the world in a very believable way. I think I would've given it four stars - but it's just so sexist that I can't bring myself to. The blatant sexism in this book permeates a lot of scenes and defines a lot of characters and their interactions, and it gets so bad sometimes that I had to put the book down. It's exhausting and, frankly, irritating. The good thing is, though, that it got a little better about two thirds of the way through, so the rest was more bearable. 

So far, it's my favourite of the series. I'd still recommend it.