Thursday, April 11, 2013

Pottermore's PoA ch 8-15

Obligatory Spoiler Warning

For those who: a) have not read Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and do not wish to be spoiled and/or b) have not clicked through chapters 8-15 of Prisoner of Azkaban on Pottermore and do no wish to be spoiled.

Yes, I feel silly issuing spoilers about a book that's both widely read and has been out for years. But you never know so... you've been warned.

This is how this is going to work. First, will be my overall review of these chapters in regards to Pottermore. Next will be my thoughts on the individual chapters and moments. Then... Housekeeping, most likely.

Chapters 8-15 of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban on Pottermore Review

Overall, I'm slightly more impressed with this batch of chapters on Pottermore than I have been in the past. Prisoner of Azkaban is both my favorite Harry Potter book and movie. I am a gigantic fan of the Marauders and so I was pleased we got some more information about them. It was a small bit, but it was there. That said, I'm still incredibly disappointed with what I'm getting out of Pottermore. I am not one of those people who sits around waiting for potions to brew or clicking on letters to work on my "wand work." I am a casual fan of Pottermore who is much more into Harry Potter than I often let on. I'd rather have more to do in the "moments" than, essentially, nothing. That said, I'm glad we are getting what we're getting, I just wish there was more.

Chapter Thoughts

Chapter 8 - Flight of the Fat Lady

Not sure what I expected here, but what I got was boring as all get out. The first moment was boring for the most part. I got a small amount of childish enjoyment leading a swarm of bats around the screen with my mouse.

The second moment was only slightly more interesting because we got more information about magical portraits. The information basically clears up why some portraits, such as those of headmasters and headmistresses, have more personality than those of other portraits, such as Sir Cadogan and The Fat Lady. Also, that bit with Peeves making a farting noise when you mouse over him was not necessary, in my opinion.

Chapter 9 - Grim Defeat

I loved this moment. Loved it a lot. I don't think Rowling's writing fully impressed upon me how terrifying it would be to have a swarm of hundreds of Dementors beneath you. This moment pretty much solidified in my head just how terrifying it would be. You get to hear the storm and the sounds the Dementors make. They kind of sound like zombies, if I'm honest, but the visual of them is just... wow.

This moment also brought in an excerpt from the audiobook. I'm not sure if a) the narrator is dependent on your location or b) it's a good thing. I've seen people in the comments of Pottermore talking about Jim Dale and some talking about Stephen Fry so... I'm a bit confused on that. As for it being a good idea or not... I was surprised when I heard Jim Dale's voice start up and initially impressed. Now that I've gone back through though, I was slightly annoyed at it. I don't need the narration playing every time I open the moment.

Chapter 10 - The Marauder's Map

I'm not gonna lie, I was pretty excited for this bit of Pottermore. The entirety of moments in this chapter are boring as all get out, to say the least. The part that interested me the most was getting more information about The Marauder's Map and The Marauders themselves. We got a little bit about how the Map came into being and about how Filch ended up with it before the Weasley twins got a hold of it. The Marauder's fangirl in me was grinning as I read about The Marauders making the map always insult Snape. I also found it interesting that Rowling wasn't really pleased with the Map as a plot device. I guess she has a bit of a point, though I never really thought about it.

The rest of the moments in this chapter were better done in the movie. I sort of expected a moment titled "The Three Broomsticks" to actually let you poke around inside The Three Broomsticks, but no. Instead you get to attempt to click stuff out in the animated snow.

Chapter 11 - The Firebolt

Yeah... this moment was boring. It included another audiobook excerpt and some info on Gobstones. I never really thought twice about Gobstones and apparently, neither did most wizards and witches.


Chapter 12 - The Patronus sign0171 Free Sign Emoticon

The most disappointing chapter of them all. Not only did we not get to see a Patronus, but there wasn't a quiz or anything so we could find out what our Patronus would be. While I wasn't exactly expecting that last bit, I did at least expect something more than some very obvious remarks about chocolate helping you to feel better after a Dementor comes near you. I do think it would be neat at some point to find out what my Patronus would be, just like getting a wand and being sorted.

Chapter 13- Gryffindor Versus Ravenclaw

The only vaguely interesting thing about this chapter was the bit about goblins having a hand in the creation of the Firebolt. There was an attempt at humor at the bottom of that bit of info, but it didn't really work out.

Chapter 14- Snape's Grudge

Again, another mostly disappointing chapter. There's nothing to talk about really. I did chuckle, though, at getting to ransack Professor Snape's office for potion supplies I'll never use. I thought the bit of animation with the Floo Powder was kind of cool, though now Professor Lupin's stuck in the fireplace... was the thought that popped into my head this time around. sign0086 Free Sign Emoticon

Chapter 15 - The Quidditch Final

Nothing even vaguely interesting here, unless you like crowds yelling stuff. sign0095 Free Sign Emoticon

Housekeeping

Okay, that was more fun than I thought it would be. I don't really have anyone around to talk Potter with so... yeah. Oh, and feel free to friend me on Pottermore, though I probably won't be on until the next batch of chapters comes out. My username is GoldOak9.

Tomorrow... I have no idea what I'm going to blog about. Maybe I'll finally watch the most recent episode of Supernatural...

Love ya, Jessie. love0052 Free Emoticons   Love

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