Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets Review: Our Choices Show What We Truly Are

What Happens in Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets?

Harry Potter is back with the Dursleys for the summer and is hating every minute of it, just wishing for some sign of the wizarding world. His wish is granted when a house-elf named Dobby shows up in his room warning Harry to not return to Hogwarts as there is a plot to make terrible things happen there.

After Dobby gets Harry in trouble, Harry is locked in his room until he is rescued by his friend Ron Weasley and brought back to the Weasley’s house, the Burrow. Harry remains with the Weasleys for the rest of the summer, which he loves, but he eagerly awaits his return to Hogwarts.

On the day they is supposed to leave for Hogwarts something stops Ron and Harry from getting on platform 9 3/4. Taking matters into their own hands Harry and Ron take Mr. Weasley’s flying car and fly their way to Hogwarts but crash into the Whomping Willow. With an already rough start to his school year, Harry hopes to have an easy year at Hogwarts, but when he starts to hear voices leading Harry to petrified people, he begins to think that there might just be a terrible plot afoot.

Who Are The Characters in Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets?

Our 3 main characters for the first book in the series are the same. Harry, Ron, and Hermione have not changed much since the end of book one. Harry Potter is a masterful quidditch player with a knack for foiling evil plans. He grows the most in this book, with a lot of self-discovery.

Ron Weasley’s woes continue and his luck has yet to improve. He is still the comic of the group, aided this time by his shattered wand. Hermione Granger is still top of their entire class, with mastery in nearly everything they learn. She does find herself distracted by one of her professors, a new side of Hermione we have yet to see. We also see a handful of new side characters, from Dobby to Lockhart, and a more substantial role for Ginny Weasley.

Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets Review

While I think that all the Harry Potter books are amazing, I think that each book has an element that makes that individual entry in the series memorable. In my opinion, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets has a fantastic mystery that makes it compelling. The mystery of what is the Chamber of Secrets and who opened it is interesting to try and solve as a reader and as each new piece of information is revealed the more, I want to keep reading.

All your favourite characters return and we get to see how they continue to develop with Harry gaining more confidence in his wizarding abilities and his continued bravery helps save the day. Hermione continues to know more than the boys academically and is key in solving the mystery. Ron’s loyalty and general knowledge of the way the wizarding world functions help them in their adventure.

Some great new secondary characters are introduced with Gilderoy Lockhart and Dobby bringing comedy, but with two very different styles with Lockhart being the idiot to laugh at and Dobby being a sympathetic character who just so happens to nearly kill Harry a few times.

The villain Lucius Malfoy is introduced as well, and he proves to another adversary for Harry to beat and he sheds insight into how Draco became the way he is. The world is fleshed out some more in this installment with the introduction of blood status superiority which is like racism and adds some darker themes to the wizarding world. This book also is darker than its predecessor with a higher risk of death and a lot of innocent students getting hurt in the mix. There are some big reveals that have implications for the rest of the series that all lead to a fun and exciting climax.

All in all, this is a fantastic book that is one of my favourites and fits well with the rest of the Harry Potter series. I would recommend to any fans who haven’t read it in a while, and to anyone yet to read it, go check it out!