Book Review: The Escape Game by Marissa Meyer and Tamara Moss

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The Escape Game  by Marissa Meyer and Tamara Moss  opens on the set of a reality television show called "The Escape Room" where one of the season four contestants, Alicia Angelos, is found in a coffin on set ... dead. Fast forward to season five where Sierra Angelos, the murder victim's younger sister and suspected killer, has been brought back to the show and paired up with Beck, Adi, and Carter. Sierra wants to find justice for her sister, but when Sierra and her teammates start uncovering clues about the true killer, they must figure out how to survive the game. A huge thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers Group for approving my request and providing me with a digital copy of The Escape Game  for free in exchange for my honest review. I was immediately drawn to the title and cover of the young adult novel. Throw in the plot being about an escape room, and I was completely sold on the story before even reading it. The story is told from the perspective of fou...
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Book Review: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter, #2) by J.K. Rowling

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Children's Book Review of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter, #2) by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter, #2) by J.K. Rowling opens with Harry Potter stuck at the Dursleys’ house for the summer, where he is once again treated terribly and made to feel unwanted. Things take a strange turn when Harry receives an unexpected visitor: Dobby, a house-elf who dramatically warns him not to return to Hogwarts because terrible things will happen if he does. Of course, Harry ignores the warning and heads back to school, where everything quickly begins to unravel. Mishap after mishap follows, and before long students at Hogwarts start mysteriously being turned to stone, sending fear and suspicion through the school.

Although Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was published in 1998, just after my nineteenth birthday, I don’t remember hearing much about it, or even the first book Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, at the time. I vaguely recall kids and teens talking about how good the books were, but that was about it. 

It wasn’t until years later that I started hearing adults rave about the Harry Potter series, and honestly, that made me skeptical. I resisted reading the books for several years because I couldn’t wrap my head around grown adults being so enchanted by a children’s book series. Eventually, after joining a book club, I finally picked up the series and binge-read all of the books back to back. By the time I finished, I was completely burnt out, which probably wouldn’t have happened if I had read them as they were released.

Children's Book Review of Book Review: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter, #2) by J.K. Rowling
This installment wasn’t one of my favorites in the series. One of the biggest reasons for that was Gilderoy Lockhart, a character I absolutely despised. I found him incredibly self-absorbed, idiotic, and deeply unlikable. That said, I’m not entirely sure whether J.K. Rowling intended him to come across that way or not. 

Another issue I had with the story was the constant speculation and gossip among students about who the “Heir of Slytherin” might be. While that aspect annoyed me, I do think Rowling did an excellent job of portraying how kids actually behave in a school environment, complete with rumors and whispering, which added a sense of realism to the story. Overall, the book still felt a bit too young for me, but it was engaging enough to keep me turning the pages until the end.

What I enjoyed most about Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was learning more about the backstories of Hagrid and Voldemort, which added depth to the overall series. While I didn’t particularly care for Dobby for most of the book, I understood that his intentions were ultimately good. I especially loved how Harry helped Dobby at the end of the story and held no resentment toward him. That moment ended up being one of my favorite parts of the book.

All in all, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was an enjoyable read that allowed me to escape reality for a little while. While it wasn’t my favorite book in the Harry Potter series, it still had memorable moments and meaningful character development. I ultimately gave it three out of five stars.

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