Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire Review: The Deadly Olympics for Kids

Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire
By J.K. Rowling
10
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is the 4th Harry Potter book and is easily one of the best. With darker themes being developed in this novel as well as being the most action-packed book in the series we see the development of this series and these characters as they enter their teenage years. A threat looms over this novel and a dangerous plot that will affect the Wizarding World forever.
Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire Review
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is the 4th Harry Potter book and it is my second favourite of the series. This book specifically marks a turning point in the series. That is why it is so high up on my list and it sometimes even squeaks into the top spot. For me, this book balances some of my favourite aspects of the first three novels, like the exploration of Hogwarts in Prisoner of Azkaban, and the last three novels in a way that is cohesive and engaging throughout. That’s kind of what makes this so engaging as the evolution of this series can be shown through this book almost entirely.
Well, I might as well explain the story. Harry Potter returns to Hogwarts for his 4th year when something unexpected happens ( big shocker there) once again this will not be an ordinary year for Harry as the Triwizard Tournament has arrived. A very old wizarding competition were three of Europe’s top Wizarding schools; Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang compete to win the Triwizard Cup.
After Harry is picked by the Goblet of Fire to compete in this tournament he must compete against fellow young witches and wizards, battle terrible beasts, navigate his love life and untangle a dark plot that threatens Hogwarts and the Wizarding World at large.
So that is the basic plot and if that intrigues you then you will definitely enjoy this book. One of the aspects that the Harry Potter series has always been praised for is how the characters grow up and change as actual kids do. They feel like real kids and there are many ways in which you can see their evolution as characters.
In this book in particular we see that the kids become more angsty and this causes some fighting between the trio. Now there has always been bickering between the three but in this case, it’s a bit more complex than that as we see some real frustration. The other major way we see how these characters have grown is through the introduction of romantic feelings and love interests. We see the first real introduction of love interests for our characters and how they react to having crushes and the way they attempt to interact with these people.
The action is really amped up in this book. Usually in the first 3 books, we see one battle or fight that usually takes place at the end of the book. Due to the nature of the Triwizard Tournament, we get way more opportunities for action and they are well placed throughout the book. I would say this book is bigger in every aspect and that includes the intensity and sense of danger in the action scenes and the narrow way in which Harry escapes them.
The mystery aspect of the novel is there as it is in every Harry Potter book and this mystery, in my opinion, is one of the most intriguing and hard-to-unravel mysteries in the entire series.
Another aspect that makes this a top-tier Harry Potter book is the expansion of the Wizarding World. With the introductions of the previously mentioned Durmstrang and Beauxbatons schools of witchcraft and wizardry, we get to hear about and learn about the Wizarding World outside of Britain and how there are in fact wizards worldwide. The Quidditch World Cup gives us the chance to see the interactions between international wizards which is really cool and just makes this world seem more real.
This book is a great entry for our characters as well and some great new additions were added in this novel. Mad-Eye Moody is a character whose importance is consistently expanded upon in the following entries. Ludo Bagman is a funny one-off character who adds levity in a lot of scenarios.
Victor Krum and Fleur Delacour are both supporting characters who do pop up in the following stories as well. Barty Crouch Sr. really is a different character who is definitely suspicious and has an interesting backstory.
To highlight one of our main characters I thought this was an important book for Harry’s development. He is on his own a lot in this book so we get to see his skills as a wizard, his determination, and how he has kind of developed a “saving people thing”. I know he’s not a lot of people’s favourite but this book really does show why he is an interesting protagonist.
The end of this book presents us with a shift in tone as we have our first big death in the series. This really recontextualizes these kids’ books and makes them much darker than before. The end of this book is my favourite ending of any of the books in the series. There is this fear and somberness, this anxiety for what is to come. The sad part is these are still kids and they have now all these reasons to worry yet they try to be optimistic as the year comes to a close.
All in all, this is my second favourite of the Harry Potter series and it is one I consistently enjoy re-reading. So whether it’s your 1st or 100th time, check out this important middle entry.