Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban BOOK REVIEW (early access)

I think one of the most interesting parts of J.K Rowling's writing. Is that she's very good at getting her readers to feel as she needs them to. It works, up until one thinks on the actual text for longer than 5 minutes… (I am aware that you're listening to the audio books which is great but there is a certain finality in having the paper copy to review in front of you) The Shrieking Shack scene is great. And you're right, Snape comes off as vindictive and borderline unhinged in this book. Refusing to listen to anyone about Lupin and Black. It is a credit to Rowling that she can elicit an immediate emotional response in her readers immediately, but it's a detriment too, the implications in the text go far deeper than I think she intended. Consider that in the Prisoner of Azkaban text; this is what is given "He had his reasons...you see, Sirius here played a trick on him which nearly killed him, a trick that involved me--" pg 356 POA. Lupin acknowledges that Sirius's actions way back when they were in school almost Killed Snape. Dumbledore's involvement at the time is to keep Snape who could have died/been turned, silent about the incident. Sirius' immediate reaction is to say, "served him right." Problem, nearly getting bitten by a werewolf is reduced by all those involved to a "trick", a "joke." The potential murder weapon, Lupin dismisses the severity by saying its a trick. And Sirius doesn't express regret at all. And Snape is overhearing this entire convo. The incident is mentioned again of 391, "Sirius Black showed he was capable of murder at the age of sixteen," he breathed. "You haven't forgotten that, Headmaster? You Haven't forgotten that he once tried to kill me?" "My memory is as good as it ever was, Severus," said Dumbledore. Once again No one actually denies that what Black did was an intentional attempt at murder but it is rather blatantly ignored( for i wanna say, the second time in over 16 years?) I know snape is a polarizing character and there is a lot of justified dislike of him. But in this particular case, I think the character was right to be spitting mad. I've seen a lot of fans give Snape flack for refusing to listen to Sirius and Lupin. The way it plays out does make him seem vindictive, petty, over an incident that happened when they were students, he should just get over it, "just because they made a fool of [him] at school [he] won't listen. But with the context above given, the question becomes why should he?

Yeah, but it doesn't mean he's a bad character. In fact the opposite.

GREAT REVIEW!!!! just don’t forget that the books came before the movies, when you say that the characters are exagerate in the books, I feel like the books came after lol. and also, sometimes movies are made to make us feel things that we can’t very feel by reading ( the time travelling for example )

You don’t have to be evil to be a complete asshole (Snape). He is also a bully and not all bullies are evil either. I think Snape is abusive to the students and he should have some disciplinary action against him but that’s just my opinion. Love your book reviews so far!

Melanie P

Well I don’t think he’s a good person, but it doesn’t mean you can’t like his character. Lol cause he does act heroically in the end

Awww thanks

This is combining my love for y’all with my favorite podcast (Potterless).

I think y’all hit on the crux of the matter about whether or not you end up liking Snape or not (as a person, b/c I think there’s no argument about him as a character—he’s fantastically written, is super important to the plot, is fully three-dimensional and each time you read the series you pick up on something else): If you end up seeing him on the lighter grey side, you tend to value his sacrifices in the war to stop Voldemort more than his bullying of students like Harry and Neville. If you see him as darker grey, you say the emotional well-being of his students is paramount, and that Snape’s contributions to the fate of the wizarding world cannot outweigh his abuse. It’s all a matter of personal values, and the only time you are wrong is if you see him as all white or all black. I tend to view him as more on the lighter grey side, but I understand that’s because I have a somewhat Dumbledorian sense of morality- the greater good and all that. Snape and Dumbledore, to me, are super similar characters- both enchanted by the power/renown/security the dark side can give them, turning from it only when it threatens those they love, working tirelessly for the light since then, and eventually sacrificing everything for it (Dumbledore—his dreams of power and his life, Snape—acceptance/recognition/friendship and his life). And so I understand why Snape eventually wins Dumbledore’s respect and trust, and also mine. But that’s not to say people can’t feel differently for perfectly valid reasons. Because how you view Snape comes down to your own very personal moral code, it can make for a very lively discussion. Just one in which you are unlikely to change anyone’s mind, unless they are also down for changing their sense of morality. :)

Honestly, I'm so glad you guys are reading these. Dumbledore in the books is one of my all-time favorite characters. While the movie version is a big disappointment for me. Book Dumbledore is hilarious and slightly insane and I love it.

Sean Silence

I agree with everything you said! I feel like snape often gets a pass on some of the more terrible things he did like telling the entire world that lupin was a werewolf. He knew that by saying that he has going to destroy lupins life but he did it anyway. Snape has done awful things and childhood bullying shouldn’t excuse that and especially when it was coming from both sides. I think the prank was awful for snape and lupin so obviously there would be trauma there. However, he should never be taking his anger out on children. He treatment and Harry and Neville is awful and regardless of the good things he’s done he shouldn’t be a teacher. Dumbledore shouldn’t be letting him teach even if he trusts him. He does good things at great personal risk but he is also basically abusive to children because of their parents which is just awful!!

Katie Brannum

When I was younger I didn't think Snape was that bad of a guy and yeah he did some good things but as an adult I don't like Snape that much, like I don't hate him but yeah. I think people give Snape too much credit for the "good" things that he does, because he does them because he has to, not because he wants to. People always excuse his behavior because James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter bullied him but Snape was equally as much of a bully as they were, sometimes he might have been worse (especially to Muggleborns) and lets not forget that he was already on his way to becoming a Death Eater even before starting Hogwarts and he would have 100% stayed a Death Eater if Lily didn't die, he didn't give a shit if just Harry and James got killed (even tho James did save his life from Remus on the full moon). When they were in school, the war was starting and Slytherins were the ones siding with Voldemort so of course naturally there will be tension and fights between Slytherins and Gryffindors, and Snape was just as much apart of it as James was or anyone else, they were in an equal rivalry. I agree that Snape is not evil nor is he good, I just don't like him that much as an adult and people tend to give him too much credit, which I think might be a little bit to do with the fact that Alan Rickman played him (also I dont think Dumbledore trusts Snape because hes good or because hes loyal, but he trusts that Snapes guilt over Lily getting killed is stronger than his loyalty for Voldemort was)

Suzanne Austen

I also feel like something not a lot of people realize/touch on, is how that confrontation in the shack looks from Snape's perspective, when you consider what we later learn about his relationship with Lily. Snape loved Lily. His murderous rage in the shack isn't just him coming face to face with his old bullies — it’s him coming face to face with the man believed to have betrayed the Potters and caused Lily's death.

Heather Hollenbeck

Severus is quite a fascinating character. I mean, knowing the endgame and what we know from his memories (as far as the movies show you), it paints a good picture overall about the type of person he is. Always remember the quote in Deathly Hallows (book/film): “No one can know!” “That I shall not reveal the best of you?” In face value, he is rude, harsh, and cruel. But he has a reputation and role to maintain. Behind the scenes, he does good things which are not minor by any means. E.g. He hated Sirius and wanted him punished, and yet conjured stretches for everyone as Harry/Hermione witnessed during the time travel after the dementor attack. Each book will give you more of an insight to his history, and to me, his reaction to Sirius and Remus in this book makes sense when you understand that he was bullied by them constantly in school, and as they already touched up in this book, Sirius played a ‘prank’ to weaponize Remus in werewolf form. Severus is heavily traumatized, especially when he goes after the trio in the shack at the end. The same place he almost lost his life under similar circumstances. Severus is a very complex character, and I like that.

Michelle Linardis

Since you watched the movies I can feel I can talk about this: both Harry and Sirius use each other as a replacement for James. With books 4/5 and even some more in books 6-7 after Sirius’s death, you will notice a lot of this. It’s incredible writing I feel on the part of J.K for them to see James in each other you slightly see it in this book, however in the next books on you will see it.

Zach Winters

Yeah it is an awesome scene

the shrieking shack scene is sooo underwhelming in the movies, it’s one of my faves in the books 😍 & I love what you said about hermione’s character being more rounded in the books, it definitely makes her more realistic. I’m excited for the next one :))

I'm glad you guys enjoyed it so much! Not sure if anyones said yet, but unfortunately the first director of HP1 had his favourite of the trio be Hermione, and it led to her being portrayed more as a perfect person, rather than a nuanced character. In the movies she's stubborn, but every time it is she's given proof that her stubborness was the correct way to go. In the books, she can be stubborn when she perceives people thinking that she's wrong, and she will back herself enough that she nearly loses friendships, and then realise later that oh maybe she was wrong. She also has a lot less social maturity in the books, often not understanding about people's love for pets, and looks at things a lot more practically, which causes problems between her and other people. I think it's also sad that a lot of the good Ron moments are also given to her in the movies - in POA movie she stands up and says "if you want to kill Harry, you'll have to kill us first", completely taking the scene from Ron, when it would have been SO much more powerful if Ron did it, considering he had a broken leg. I think it also downplays exactly HOW MUCH Ron feels like a brother to Harry, as Ron feels more reluctant in the movies, whereas in the books you really see why he's a Gryffindor, as well as why he does react badly in certain ways, due to his own personal issues regarding his insecurities with his family re: money and being the 6th child and often overlooked. Even in the first book when they're travelling on the train to Hogwarts it hints at it, Ron has hand-me-down robes, his brother's pet rat, his brother's old wand, and then to top it off, his mum made him lunch but didn't even remember that he doesn't like what she put in it. She also makes his Christmas jumper each year in a colour he doesn't like, by accident. I think this also makes the moment when Sirius gives Ron the owl at the end very special, as this is one of his first non hand-me-downs. It's something that was bought and given only to him. Obviously as time goes on you'll see more nuance between book vs movie characters, you've already started to. Looking forward to more videos and discussion!

Heidi Liedtke

Awesome review guys! And hey, now you know why Lupin kept giving Harry chocolate! Also, get ready for the next book.... This is the book where there were serious discussions of making a two part movie. They decided against it obviously. Which is why you will find that three quarters of the story didn't make it onto the screen. THREE QUARTERS!!!

Trav Gorin

Oh boy if you were irritated by what was left out of the movie from this book, buckle up guys. You will have a lot to look forward to going forward:)

Josh Z

Snapes story and Dumbledores reasons to trust in him will come… the movies barely touched upon it. Love him or hate him, he is complicated. Can’t wait to see what you think of the rest of the series!

The books keep getting better each time the next one is insane compared to this one and I love this one

Zach Winters

Yay! Yeah Sirius is so much more of a complex character in the book. He feels more like a real person and I connect with him more. I can understand the vengeance he would demand. As for Snape, I will wait for you to listen to all the books but I will say this. James you are right. I have never been a member of the I hate Snape train nor have I been a fan of his. He has good moments and bad. I do think he has gone down a path that some people do go down where they take the things done to them or they victimize themselves so much that they become the thing they most hate.

Midgey_M

To me thats pretty much the point of Snape. He is in a gray area. He is not really a good person, but by being like that, he is a phenomenal character! So I don't like Snape but I love that there is the character of Snape in the story.

Philipp Schäfer

You're absolutely right that Snape is not straight evil or straight good. What I love about the Harry Potter books is that all the characters are flawed. They're perfectly imperfect. There are moments with all the characters where they're acting like douches, but they have redeeming qualities (most lol) - ALSO, the books are beloved for their character development, and you're only on book 3! SO you got a long way to go haha. I think the halfway point in the series is like CH. 18 of book 5.

Anne

YAY!!

Anne