What's your favorite Harry Potter book?

[Kool Keith]

On a whim, I picked up Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone a few weeks ago. One thing lead to another and I wound up reading the entire series inside of a month. Great series.

I really liked the Prisoner of Azkaban, but I will go with Order of the Phoenix as my favorite. The story felt much more tense, interesting throughout, and I liked how the characters really began to evolve in a believable manner.

In general, I liked the books later in the series more. Goblet of Fire was my least favorite. For whatever reason, there was just a lot of stuff in that book that I didn't care about.

 

[Red Door]

Prisoner of Azkaban

 

[puglover]

Never jumped on the Harry Potter bandwagon. A lot of my friends like it, but I didn't catch it the time it was really popular, so I don't have the time to read a 7 book long series.

 

[VX250]

I've only read one.

 

[emzie]

PoA or DH.

 

[jafink]

I voted for Prisoner of Azkaban, but I haven't read them all. I just started reading the series for the first time about a week ago. I'm halfway through Goblet of Fire. I probably won't check this thread anymore because I'm too scared of someone posting a spoiler about what happens in the later books.

 

[MadScotsMan]

I like em all, but you want me to choose?! Gah your'e a bastard.
Prisoner of Azkaban

 

[Cheezy the Wiz]

My favorite is the one made of ashes. /jk I kinda liked the second book, but that's as far as I've read.

 

[rkade8583]

My mom got me into these damned books. Thank god it's over. I liked Azkaban and Hallows.

Spoiler :

I wish either harry, ron, hermoine, or any of the lesser main characters had died.

But otherwise I liked DH the best.

 

[North King]

Phoenix was the one that really marked the turning point of the series, had the most subplots, and probably the most depth to it. I liked it best.

 

[Lone Wolf]

The best one is certainly Philosopher's Stone for sheer inventiveness and for starting that wonderful world. Prisoner of Azkaban comes close second.

Anyway, just now here is my rating:

1. PS
2. PoA
3. GoF
4. tie between DH and OotP
5. HBP
6. CoS

 

[Cuivienen]

From a literary standpoint, PoA is the best. I enjoyed OotP the most, however.

Literary achievement:

1. PoA
2. DH
3. PS
4. GoF
5. OotP
6. HBP
7. CoS

Enjoyable:

1. OotP
2. PoA
3. DH
4. GoF
5. CoS
6. PS
7. HBP

 

[Bast]

Half-Blood Prince was the best for me. It was the turning point in the series because it made it go from a boarding school novel type to a true fantasy novel with historical depth and contemporary relevance. I love historical sides of any story and reading about Voldemort's background was terrific.

 

[Mango]

I think you can classify the novels into two groups. The first four tell a story per book. The last three tell one story together. In a lot of ways the first four stand alone a lot better because you get closure in each one aside from Goblet of Fire, and the storylines are self-contained in each novel. Order of the Phoenix and Half-Blood Prince are about Voldemort rising to power again while the Ministry falls. Half-Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows are about Dumbledore and Harry's quest to destroy the Horcruxes. There are so many overlapping themes as well as side-stories that it becomes a bit more jumbled and unorganized.

So from a literary standpoint I'd say either Goblet of Fire or Prisoner of Azkaban.

 

[Eran of Arcadia]

I actually pretty much like them in ascending order; each one more than the one before it, but especially the last 3.

I don't know about literary standpoint, if I want great literature I'd read something else. All I care about is the story.

 

[Eukaryote]

I'm reading the Deathly Hallows now, and have just finished chapter thirty-two. I think it's the best of the series. The first three are a little juvinile so I don't like them as much.

 

[Kool Keith]

You will like chapter 33.

 

[Fugitive Sisyphus]

The last one because it is the LAST one.