Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

Title: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Author: J.K. Rowling
Series: Harry Potter #2
Genre: YA/Fantasy
Release Date: July 1, 1999
Format: Paperback copy from personal library

Review's in Series: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Rating: Break the Bank!

Synopsis:

J. K. Rowling continues her phenomenally popular Harry Potter series with yet another tale of magic, mirth, and mayhem. Like its predecessor, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is chock-full of fascinating characters, frightful events, and fun wizardry.p

The Dursleys were so mean and hideous that summer that all Harry Potter wanted was to get back to the Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and WIzardry. But just as he's packing his bags, Harry receives a warning from a strange, impish creature named Dobby who says that if Harry Potter returns to Hogwarts, disaster will strike.

And strike it does. For in Harry's second year at Hogwarts, fresh torments and horrors arise, including an outrageously stuck-up new professor, Gilderoy Lockhart, a spirit named Moaning Myrtle who haunts the girl's bathroom, and the unwanted attentions of Ron Weasley's younger sister, Ginny.

But each of these seem minor annoyances when the real trouble begins, and someone - or something - starts turning Hogwarts students to stone. Could it be Draco Malfoy, a more poisonous rival than ever? Could it possibly be Hagrid, whose mysterious past is finally told? Or could it be the one everyone at Hogwarts most suspects... Harry Potter himself?

Rowling packs this tale with plenty of adventure and action, keeping the pace fast and furious. There's plenty of humor, too - both subtle and bold - as well as a few moral lessons. With overlapping themes that range from the simple to the sophisticated, Rowling's Potter tales should appeal to readers of all ages - the young as well as the young at heart.

Review:

For the longest time I felt like I was one of the only people in the world who hadn't read the Harry Potter series.  I'd heard great things about the series and then there are the movies (which I haven't seen yet) too.  So I remedied the situation.  I read the first book in the series and enjoyed it very much.  I thought it was a great beginning to the series and built up nicely to the next book.

While on summer break from Hogwarts Harry is warned not to go back to school.  That bad things will happen to him.  Naturally, Harry decides to go back to school because it's school or life with the Dursley's, which isn't a great time at all.  It isn't long after Harry and crew get back to school that Harry learns that danger is lurking in almost every corner.

The introduction of Professor Lockhart was interesting.  He definitely isn't my favorite character at all.  I thought that he was a bit of a pompous ass looking for attention.  Then there was the introduction of Ron's little sister Ginny, who is enamored with Harry.  Overall, I really enjoyed the host of new character's introduced in this second book of the series.

What I really liked about this book was that it was full of action and mystery.  Being new to the series I found these things to be very much of my liking.  Another thing that I really enjoyed was reading more of the history of Hogwart's in addition to all of the clues information that is inserted that will help build up the series as it progresses. 

Then there is the Chamber of Secrets itself.  I loved how when the student's are starting to be threatened all sorts of new and exciting questions are asked.  Does it really exist? Is it really opened?  Has it been opened before now?  Who's next? and my personal favorite...Is anyone going to die?

I've read several reviews for this book that say that this isn't the reviewers favorite book in the series. Being as I have only read 2 of the 7 books so far, I am going to say that this book is my favorite of what I have read.