Happy New Year

[heavenly_pearl]

Here's hoping it's better than last year.

So, what to talk about? I know I haven't posted for a few days, but I was hoping more people would reply to the meme in the last entry. :( Oh, well.

I finished reading Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire a couple of nights ago, and I must say it was the best of the books I've read so far. The plotting was definitely much improved from the first three books. There was a main story, and it actually was the focus of the book, not like SS and PoA where it seemed like the supposed main story was more of one of several subplots. The only true subplot in GoF was Rita Skeeter and her tabloid articles, but at least that was pretty amusing.

Now, I assume I don't really need to put these spoilers under a cut since most fans have already read it, but if by chance you haven't and want to remain unspoiled (Kate, possibly), you might want to quit reading.

Likes
- Only a short appearance of the Dursleys. I can't stand them, so I was glad when Harry spent the rest of the holiday with the Weasleys.
- Bill and Charlie finally made an actual appearance. I've rather taken a liking to Bill. ^_^ He's supposed to hook up with Fleur in future books, right? I'll be very interested in seeing that. (Charlie's cool, too.)
- Speaking of Fleur, I loved the idea of meeting wizards and witches from other countries. I only wish we got to know at least a couple of the others besides Krum and Fleur.
- The Ron/Hermione exchanges. They so have the hots for each other.
- The surprise of who Mad-Eye Moody really is. If I hadn't done what I usually do and flipped to the end, I would have been really shocked to find out he was the bad guy. I actually liked him. He had a gruff exterior, but seemed really kind.
- Getting to know a little bit more about Sirius' personality, even if it was mostly through letters. I can see why so many people like him.

Dislikes
- No Quidditch, except for the World Cup at the beginning. Now, I'm not neccessarily disappointed in the absence of Quidditch itself, but of Lee Jordan's hilarious commentary of the game. I missed it. He should have have done the commentary for the Triwizard Tournament instead of Bagman.
- Draco didn't really do much besides taunting Harry over Rita Skeeter's articles and being a big supporter of the "Support Cedric Diggory, Harry Potter Stinks" campaign.
- Maybe it was because I knew that Cedric died beforehand, but his death was really anticlimatic. I mean, he and Harry are transported to the graveyard, and almost immediately, he's killed without even having a real chance to defend himself. He should have been given the chance to do something and die a hero.

Comments

[sea_thoughts]

Happy New Year to you, too! :)

Actually Prisoner of Azkaban is my favourite book, mainly because it's so full of plot. I like bits and pieces of Goblet: mainly Sirius's letters, the Ron/Hermione spats and the revelations at the end. Otherwise it was rather anticlimactic for me after Prisoner, I don't exactly know why. And I really liked Order of the Phoenix... so you might not like that one. A lot of people didn't. Draco gets a lot to do in Half-Blood Prince so be patient. Cedric isn't meant to have a hero's death, because he's not a hero. He's a victim, a nice boy whose only crime, as Dumbledore put it, was getting in Voldemort's way. The point is that Harry knows him, he likes him, and he's seen him die. Try to remember that before you start OotP, it will help with understand Harry's behaviour.

:D

[heavenly-pearl.livejournal.com]

I actually just bought Order of the Phoenix today when we went to Wal-mart, so we'll see. ^_^

Maybe saying he should have had "a hero's death" was the wrong way to explain my disappointment with Cedric's death. I know he's supposed to be an innocent victim, but still, I thought he should have gotten the chance to defend himself a little, even if it was hopeless. Or at least Harry should have had a minscule chance to save him. That would have been more interesting -- and probably more emotional -- than having Cedric being killed outright. (Nevertheless, I did end up crying a little. Not at his death, but at the reactions to his death.)

Personally, I found Prisoner of Azkaban rather anticlimatic because the person they feared for most of the book turned out to be a good guy. I did like learning about the Mauraders, though.

[sea_thoughts]

Yes, the reactions to Cedric's death are what moved me, too. Especially Amos Diggory. That was just heart-rending. It depends on the reader, really. Some people would say the fact he didn't even get a chance to defend himself makes the death even more tragic.

[dark-branwen.livejournal.com]

Some people would say the fact he didn't even get a chance to defend himself makes the death even more tragic.

That's exactly what I think. It's probably why the one line I can remember out of all of the books is one that's probably going to stay with me for years to come: kill the spare.

Yes, it was instadeath, but I think that makes it all the more real and rather sensible on Voldemort's part. If he'd given them one moment to think or react, it would have put off Voldemort's... ascension for lack of a better word.

Not to mention, one thing I like about how Rowling handles death is that it isn't typically cinematic. People don't always get valiant death scenes or famous last words. It's quick and dirty and sudden, sort of leaving you numbed and in shock for awhile. Or at least that's what happened to me. Cedric bought it, I was all, "...the hell?" and then I cried for a good long time because I'm just a huge sap like that.

And I think I had some actual thoughts in there, but no. It's 9:15 pm and I'm eating breakfast for heaven's sake.

[dejana.livejournal.com]

It's quick and dirty and sudden, sort of leaving you numbed and in shock for awhile.

Indeed, yes. More like real-life tragic deaths, even. When it comes to death by magic, it's perfectly logical that they wouldn't mess about with drawn-out elaborate deaths. When you've got the power and you want someone dead, bam, they're dead. It just goes to show how powerful Voldemort really is, that if he wants you dead, there's nothing you can do about it, no hope of defending yourself. It makes him more scary, I think.

[heavenly-pearl.livejournal.com]

Hmm, you know, after reading everybody's comments, I have to wonder if the fact that I knew he was going to die beforehand affected my reaction to his death, because I didn't get the chance to be shocked or numbed by it. Instead, I was just bored and disappointed because I thought it would be more exciting. (Ugh, that sounds kind of bad, but you know what I mean.)

Actually, I was more shocked when Krum used the Cruciatus (I probably misspelled that) Curse during the Third Task. I was like, "Uh...wha...did he...no...but he did...WHAT?!"

[dejana.livejournal.com]

Instead, I was just bored and disappointed because I thought it would be more exciting.

Sounds like my reaction to the death in book five.

[sea_thoughts]

It sounds like you suffered from "negative build up". All the discussion of the death probably made you think it was something big and important, and it is... not the actual death itself, but its psychological impact on Harry, and on the series as an event. It's such a big thing that I almost forgot four people die in Goblet: Frank Bryce, Bertha Jorkins, Mr. Crouch and then Cedric. I think it's that we're told about the first three deaths, but Cedric's death happens right there. I agree with Dezzie: it shows that Voldemort is someone to be feared. He's utterly ruthless. It made me realise how lucky Harry is to have survived three encounters with him, let alone without his wand. The encounter in the graveyard is actually the first time Harry faces Voldemort with a wand!

Dezzie, were you really bored and disappointed? I was shocked. And devastated, too.

[demandingvoice.livejournal.com]

I agree. I think that Cedric's death portrays Voldermorth's personality. You're in my way, *poof* I will remove you.

GoF was one of my favorites...though I really liked Order of the Phoenix too.