The Dark Lord Rises! We are no longer in doubt; there is no room for speculation. Lord Voldemort is back; he is reborn.
The Goblet of Fire is, by far, the darkest installment of the series. It also marks a turning point in the series where it drops its young adult style and moves on to a more mature and adult audience. There is more plot and character development here. The story gets fiercer, adventurous, and nerve-wracking with nonstop action. The characters are mature. Harry, Hermione, and Ron are already facing adolescent issues. Harry’s infatuated with Cho, Ron is jealous over Hermione’s date for the Yule Ball, and Hermione is conscious of her appearance. These growing-up issues, the everyday normal school life, and Harry’s nightmarish adventure together knot a powerful chord that binds readers to the book.
There is a whole new magical world created here. One can see lots of new introductions of magical creatures, spells, and many peculiar wizarding items. I found this new magical realm created by Rowling to be very charming. Even the dark and mysterious ambiance had its allure.
It’s funny that I didn’t like it much the first time. I can’t recall why. Perhaps I didn’t want Diggory to die and thought it could have been avoided. 16 years ago, I’m sure to have been more sentimental :). But if it was my reason (I’m not certain), I have surely failed to appreciate the flow of the story. The death of Cedric Diggory was necessary to establish the gravity of the situation, to show the kind of dangers they are about to face with the rise of the Dark Lord.
Goblet of Fire serves as sort of a preamble for the books to come, and I’m very much looking forward to reading of Harry’s adventures and battles he and his friends fight to vanquish dark powers.
Rating: 4/5
