It took me a little longer to get through this one; it is something of a paving slab, especially in comparison to the previous books in the series. I think that this is the third time I've read it. I can't quite remember, but what I do remember is that I bloody loved this one at the time.
What struck me immediately upon beginning my re-read is just how much more grown-up it is. Harry is noticing girls. Voldemort is murdering people. Ron is making jokes about Uranus. This is the pivotal book in the series. Before this it's a series aimed at 10-year-olds, and after this it's firmly YA, aimed at young teens. This is one of the smartest moves Rowling ever made, and it came right at the point where the series gained a lot of attention from adult readers. The focus moves away from classes, bullies and candy, and more towards romantic subplots and Voldemort's rise to power. No wonder this was my favourite book in the series.
That said, it's not as efficiently plotted as the first three books. The Tri-Wizard Tournament keeps things ticking along, but it's a good 200 pages before that even begins. I wouldn't say that the book was boring; it held my attention throughout. But there is a lot of meandering around at the start with the Quidditch World Cup that seems superfluous in hindsight. I get the feeling that this book was the point where Rowling gained the ability to do whatever the heck she wanted, without much interference from her editors.
As usual with Harry Potter, this book is a mystery story. This time around, I was caught completely blindsided. I've read the book before (probably twice!) and I still didn't see the twist with Moody coming. I remembered that Barty Crouch jr. was involved (mostly because of David Tennant's unfortunately manic performance in the film) but the finer details had escaped me. I was taken by surprise, and the mystery all made sense in the end; can't ask for much more than that.
Coming up next is Order of the Phoenix, which I remember as being greatly disappointing at the time. I think perhaps I had built up my expectations too much. Voldemort was back! Shit was getting real! I expected the next book to be all-out war against the Death-Eaters, which was really quite foolish of me given the format of the series. Of course Harry goes back to school. Of course his school year is mostly business as usual. This time around, free of expectations, I hope I can assess this book on its own merits.
ADDENDUM: What is up with the House Elf subplot? Hermione gets indignant about it, a bunch of people tell her that the House Elves are happy being slaves, really, and then it goes nowhere. In a few decades time, people will be cringing at this stuff the same way we look back on all the evil dark-skinned guys in Tolkien. It's really awkward, and I'm hoping Rowling redeems it before the series ends.
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