Harry Potter No. 3
by Josh Staiger
Before heading to Pittsburgh for New Years, I made a quick stop at the local library to pick up an audio CD of the third Harry Potter, The Prisoner of Azkaban, so I could listen to it on the road.
I finished the book yesterday, and all I have to say is that J.K. Rowling kicks some serious ass.
This book is by far my favorite of the three in the series that I've read so far. The other two were good, but with this one I think that Rowling really starts to show her talent as a writer. Her foreshadowing is excellent, introducing seemingly trivial things early on as the story progresses that slowly build up and later end up playing key roles to the plot. She takes one situation, introduces it one way, and then by the end of the book she manages to paint it in a completely different light. And she does so very convincingly, without any plot holes!
The overarching story sees a lot of development here, tying a lot of things together. By the end of the book, she ties up all the important loose ends while still managing to leave some tempting crumbs to lead into the next story.
Overall, I was very impressed. Highly recommended if you haven't gotten around to reading this already.