that's what i was thinking, lol. plus, it's such a twelve year old thing to do. "oh no, we're in terrible trouble now! let's try to solve it by hastily doing something incredibly stupid and convoluted that will just end up causing us a hundred times more trouble!" ...yeah, sounds about right.
the idea of some ancient monster that nobody can see roaming around a gigantic castle and randomly attacking people would definitely keep me up at night.
The progression from fun and whimsical to dark and serious in the HP series is done so well. I always liked how you watch the kids grow up. Rowling does a good job aging them/showing how their thoughts and actions change
And I disagree! *THUN THUN THUUUUN* !!!!!!DON'T READ IT LILY, IT'S SPOILERS!!!!!! I LOVED the writing "for a child" in the first 2 books. They were presenting the magical world as happy and colorful. It does not mean that I disliked the dark parts of it! Actually I really liked them too, but our dear author had clear problems with finding the middle in these two, since she "wanted the series to grow with the reader". So it ended up that first 2-3 books are happy and the other 4 dark as fuck. And even the happy ending didn't helped the bitterness I felt. I adored cowardly but lovely Ron, smart but scared Hermione and The-Boy-Who-Lived-But-Prefers-To-Be-Just-Harry. Ron later becomes bitter and grumpy, Hermione does fucking everything and Harry is just angst,angst,angst, FUCK DRACO THAT LITTLE TRASH, angst. I also didn't liked the way Slytherin was presented. It was not a bad House. If it were a Bad House, it would be "closed". JK kinda realised that and made a few villains that busted the "all bad guys are Slytherins" myth, but it didn't helped much. For instance Draco was still a little, trashy bitch, and not even "he doesn't want to kill dumbledore" helped it. It was a quick save she did so people wouldn't realise that his character is in 2D and has a development status of a toilet water. I also HATED the fact that it was NEVER explained HOW THE FUCK did Lily ended up with James. "She fell in love" with him. Great. When? What did he do that he gained her affection after YEARS of bullying weaker kids and being the biggest douchebag on the planet. I hate that everybody, whether in the books or real life, see him as a hero while he was a bully. Coming back to the writing thing : her idea was kinda cool, but she fucked it up in the end. When you read it how it was supposed to - by growing with the series, you don't realise the mistakes, the changes in writing, the changes in the mood of this world. Then you pick up the 1st book again, as an adult, and you see a very merry story, and since you probably have all 7, you read it and you're just like.... what happened? And the errors, OH THE ERRORS. There is A LOT. Nonetheless I still love the books (except the goddamn Cursed Child, i hate that piece of garbage) and i would love Rowling to write something brand new in this Universe. Like why the hell not some new series about Ilvermorny? Or Durmstrang? There's a lot of possibilities! (Also : if you're still with me, reading this essay, I really really recommend "Septimus Heap" series by Angie Sage. First book is quite similar to "Harry Potter" it was inspired by HP) but the author quickly found her own path and created an amazing 7book series adventure. It does not "grow" with the reader in style like HP, but had a middle settled writing from the beginning, so you can enjoy happiness and darkness at once! The series is finished and the next is being made, called "Todhunter Moon". Trust me. You won't regret) And that's the end of this chapter of "I can't write short opinions" Goodnight!
I just googled it and apparently hedwig would go to the Dursleys at Christmas and pester them until they gave her something which is why it was always something really shitty like a tissue or a toothpick
Oh really?? If they mentioned that in the book, then i completely missed it. Unless its properly addressed in a later book or something. But yes that would make sense :)
Idk why but I think you're gonna love Dolores Umbridge for some reason 😂 guess we'll have to wait and see .. The 5th book's video is gonna be hilarious you guys ❤
On the topic of the Malfoys, I think the pureblood/mudblood aspect of the books alludes to racism, and if you look at history I think you’ll find that prejudice has led to similar behaviour (despising even those who associate with the race and trying to sabotage them). It’s hard to imagine anyone being that irrational today (unless you go to the South of the US) but if the intent was to allude to racism, it’s not an unrealistic idea, some people really are/were that crazy
tbh the majority of the south isnt even racist. the south’s pretty racially diverse too. the racists are select groups of people, just like anywhere else in america.
I'm glad that we can have someone have an honest look from an adult mindset at Harry Potter. I feel like a lot of people can't look at it from a critical standpoint because they have a nostalgic bias. It's a good series don't get me wrong but it still isn't perfect and I think a lot of people forget that.
FIRST REPLY TO THIS COMMENT CONTAINS SPOILERS I think the reason why nobody could find the Chamber is that you have to be able to speak parseltongue to actually find it, and none of the professors could do that; plus Harry and Ron had a clue thanks to Myrtle, so they knew where to look for it, which wasn't the case with Riddle. But really the points you make about these books make me question every thought I've ever had on this series. Never seen anyone read Harry Potter so critically and I love it
I think Harry and crew had a heads up over everyone else looking for the Chamber of Secrets because Harry was hearing the Basilisk in the pipes the whole year and was able to deduct a lot from it's movement. Then adding the events going on around him, the diary, and Harry really was pointed into the right direction. Everyone else didn't have that, even Voldemort, as the Basilisk wasn't active or on a kill-Muggle quest. Maybe it is crazy that Harry, Ron, and Hermione figured a lot of this out on their own, BUT they did have clues that no one else had.
Hedwis is really smart. You see it in her behavior in later books. (Also Hedwig is named after the saint that looks after orphans, so Hedwig in a way looks after Harry. She would want him to get a letter from his family, so she flew home and probably bothered Petunia until she gave her a letter.) Also Petunia did have a sister at Hogwarts for seven years. She probably sent her a few letters during that time
There could a reason why the Dursley’s know how to send an owl, but it’s revealed in the later books. So I’m not saying anything. The other reason could be that Hogwarts sends owls to muggle parents or guardians to send students the presents. Oh and it’s hilarious every-time you come up with your theories, hope you keep coming up with these for the later books as well XD.
It´s pretty obvious from the beginning why they know how to send an owl. We already know Petunia is Lillys sister and with Lilly being a witch that gets her Hogwarts letters by owl, Petunia should know about it :)
It's not as if there's much know how in sending an owl either. Harry always just says "Here Hedwig, take this to [whoever]". The addresses on formal letters I think are more just for the people telling the owls where to take them.
She did, however based Lockhart off someone she knew - someone who she claims would think that Harry had been inspired by HIM, because he's that egocentric.
Omg how I LOVE seeing her talk about certain things of the series without knowing how everything will turn out to be in later books 😂😂 I can't wait to see how she reacts to the most important plot twists..
These are honestly the best videos. Also you say so many true things, I keep going "right!?" I feel like it's hard to not accidentally spoil you though, so I don't want to say specific things and end up using info from later books if that makes sense but I think I might have a lot to say on the last of these.
I met the man who plays Lucius Malfoy at a hotel I used to work at, but because I didn't recognise him without the blonde hair it wasn't until after he left that I realised who he was 😂😂😂
flayuhat he was really nice and polite! I think he could tell when we were speaking that I recognised him but didn't know where from, but he was such a genuinely nice man!
I'm sooo hoping that some arsehole doesn't come and spoil the books for you in the comments because I just love the fact that you get to read the books without knowing anything!! I can't wait to see what you think of the 3rd book.
Soo excited for you to read Prisoner of Azkaban! It really is a sort of turning point in the HP series. To me the first two books are really just to set up the wizarding world and establish the main characters, and Prisoner of Azkaban is where Rowling really dives in headfirst with the story. Not going to spoil it for you but if you liked 1&2 you’ll love 3!
Yeah, Wizards are often really stupid... The wizarding World as a whole has kind of a superiority complex... they always think Magic can solve any problem and that they are so much better than Muggles because of it... so many Wizards are not good at thinking logically. Wizards’ complete disregard for everything non-magic is probably their biggest flaw. Because of the letter thing: This is not canon, but I imagine the post sent by Muggles via normal post ends up at Hogsmeade or some other village and the owls pick it up from there. (It’s not just the Dursleys after all, many other children also receive letters from their Muggle parents.)
ooohh boy youre in for a fuckin treat !!! i commented this on your last video, but as the kids grow up and mature, the story becomes more complex and intense. really hope no one spoils anything for you. i decided to reread the series along with you. happy reading !!
It is super refreshing to see someone closer to my age read harry potter for the first time and their genuine reactions! I love harry potter and the fandom but its nice to see a new prospective (aka someone who hasnt read them a million time etc)
You should just avoid the comment section until you're done with the series. Some people don't get that however elusive they are, you still can understand what they're talking about and still can get spoiled. Not cool.
16:40 never confirmed, but makes sense, especially because (spoiler) the powers associated with Slytherin, like being a parselmouth dissapear after Voldemort dies.
I absolutely LOVE this series that you're doing! As somebody that loves harry potter and grew up with the books it's so much fun to see somebody their reactions to reading it for the first time!
*Explanation for Malfoy and Weasley Hatred Explained with No Spoilers* I know you probably won't see this but the reason The Malfoy's hate The Weasley's is because they are a part of the sacred 28 families that are completely purebloods. The Malfoy's themselves are apart of the sacred 28 as well but they believe it makes them better than most wizarding families, muggleborns and muggles. The Weasley's don't see it that way though. They hate that they are on the list and have tried to get taken off many times by showing "proof" of muggle ancestors. The Malfoy's want to destroy the Weasley's for not caring about people's wizarding pedigree and "shaming" their sacred title with their kindness towards all kinds of people. It isn't explained in the books so it isn't spoiled but it makes the hatred understandable.
You kind of touched on one of the things I despise about how good versus evil books are set up. So this phenomenal wizard, that's talented and happens to be the heir of Slytherin (as portrayed in the book) somehow takes longer to come across the information he needed compared to these kids (or kid I should say, because Hermione does pretty much all the work). This is some bs, and even though I know it's set up this way for the convenience of the "good guys" and the plot without much further thought, it still grinds all my gears. Love how you actually think a bit more in depth about what you are reading. Keep up the great work.
The fact that Harry&Co figured out everything about the Chamber in such a short time isn’t as surprising when you consider all the extra information they had. Harry’s parselmouth abilities not only gave him access to the Chamber at the end but also gave Hermione a huge lead on finding out about the Basilisk (since she knew Harry could hear it talking). Harry and Ron only figured out the location of the Chamber because a GIANT FRICKIN SPIDER gave them a huge hint about Myrtle being the last victim. And sure it took Riddle a few years to uncover the Chamber originally, but he already knew how to open it this time while he was possessing Ginny. It’s quite possible that Dumbledore knew some of this stuff, but didn’t say anything because of a combination of diplomacy, extra caution, Lockhart being a jerk, and oh yeah, Lucius getting him temporarily fired.
Tbh the wizarding world is a complete mess and no one knows what they're doing lmaoo Prisoner of Azkaban is rly good and has a lot of twists etc i think you'll like it Also when you've finished the books, could you watch the movies and film your reactions etc? I would be interesting to see your opinions on characters and scenes etc from the movies :))
Dumbledore running of the school is really questionable in hindsight and as an adult. With the polyjuice they can question Malfoy, otherwise they could only spy. Snape’s character is Snape so I don’t know if he was really meant to be the suspect now. He was just being his nasty self.
I’m also reading Harry Potter for the first time and I just read the chamber of secrets, my god I thought it was so fucking boring but you made it sound so much more fun than I found it and I love you for that
If you like mysteries/thrillers, you might also want to check out JKR's detective series, written under the pen name Robert Galbraith. BTW I have heard that Lockhart is partly inspired by her first husband, which if true is hilarious.
Since lily potter's parents weren't wizards they must have sent her mail back and forth through owls all the time. Petunia probably knew how from them.
Yeah, plus in the fourth book (I think) Harry's owl visits his friends around his birthday, just so they can send something to him. ... Or smth like that.
Awesome job!! I've re-read the books a bit since I was 8 in 2001. Glad you're enjoying them. Can't wait to see what you have to say for Prisoner of Azkaban. I'm going to try to post my first video soon. - Quinn
11:50 great questions I never thought about! My fan theory: Hedwig goes back to Number four, Privet Drive from time to time when she is bored of Hogwarts or wants somewhere to fly around and she hooted and pecked on Christmas day until the Vernon throws a toothpick at her for Harry's present.
Oh my god, it's so hard not to comment and explain everything you're questioning ahahah. These videos are so entertaining! Thank you for sharing your experience with us, Lily!
This is so entertaining, I live listening to people's thoughts aboutthe books if they are reading them for the first time. I like the way you are making these videos btw. Awesome job.
I would give everything to be able to read Harry Potter for the first time once again. I miss discovering the story a book at a time, waiting eagerly for the next, going to the movies, wasting my life on HP forums, reading and writing fan fiction... So many memories. 😭😭😭
I m glad you pointed out the fact that it is a bit daker. One thing I ve always loved about the series is how each book gets more and more serious. You can literally see how Harry matures by how his thoughts are narrated and I adore that
To the thing with the Dursleys sending a toothpick via Hedwig: It's mentioned in one of the books that wizards work in muggle post offices to catch these things, there's also a passage where a muggle kid wrote a letter to Hogwarts because its brother was accepted into Hogwarts and the kid asked Dumbledore if it could also attend :) so the wizards at the post office find those letters and send them on by owl
I really love what you've done so far with these reviews. its really nice seeing a new perspective. I know the books get longer but I love all your opinions so don't leave anything out
ITS HONESTLY SO COOL WATCHING U LIKE. GUESS PLOT TWISTS AND COME UP W THEORIES !! it’s like i’m reading them for the first time again w u and i’m like... getting that magic vicariously through u omg
It's actually so interesting hearing someone talk about reading the series for the first time, but like you hadn't seen the film's either because when I read them I had watched the movies so I couldn't think about the mysteries and different plot because I know what would happen
I can't wait for you to reach the end of the third book and start the fourth!!! The first two and the beginning of the third is a lot of laying down as much new information as possible to give you an idea of the world but the end of the fourth expands on the pasts of some of the characters so that you really start to understand why some of them are the way they are and how it affects Harry. The fourth book might as well be the start of a new series because so much happens and there's so many things you wouldn't have expected. It's so fun to dive deeper into this world. It's great to watch you experience this for the first time. I've read so many books, and although I did grow up with the Harry Potter series and the nostalgia is one of the reasons I love it so much, it's also truly just written so well. The setup and the world building and the backstory is almost flawless once it all comes together in the end. Even reading it as an adult for the first time, once you get into the later more mature books you'll definitely fall in love with them as much as you've seen other people do. Enjoy! And please keep us updated often!!
Your theory about voldemort having transferred dark magic to harry and being “in harry” is... very close to the culmination of the series. I can’t believe you got this just from the chamber of secrets props to you
I'm sorry this has nothing to do with the video: can you drop your skincare routine? wow btw I loved the way you're putting the video the overall view + the little vlogs as you get through the book, that's really cool.
I'm so happy that you haven't read Harry Potter before because I really enjoy this. Also, I'm so excited to see what you think of the prisoner of Azkaban. It's my favorite Harry Potter movie and probably my second favorite book.
This really takes me back to when I first started reading these in 3rd grade. Reading them for the first time and seeing someone else read them for the first time is a really special feeling.
About Hedwig, in the saga it shows later that owls are very affetionate and intelligent. I don't remember if it is said later in the books (I think she does something very similar with someone else, I don't want to spoiler anything), but Hedwig probably went to the Dursley on her own volition and forced them to give her presents for Harry! That explains why there are presents in the first place.
3:20 they didn't just want to sneak into the slytherin common room though... they had to transform into crabbe and Goyle cause they wanted to ask malfoy whether he was the heir of slytherin or not.. it wouldn't work if they simply wore the invisibility cloak
Prisoner of azkaban is one of my favourites! Jaj. Also it's really fun to like seeing someone experience their first HP read. I had my like years ago and honestly don't remember what it's like not knowing exactly what happens next. So it's really nice watching these.
I think this is a brilliant way to do reviews, I haven't seen anyone else doing it this way (maybe I don't watch enough reviewers) but this is something that I think should catch on. I have seen some movie reviewers spouting about some app that I could see you being able to do a live version of this on, but the recorded/edit version is great for seeing it in long form.
I absolutely LOVE how you're filming the mini vlogs. It's so fun to see someone read Harry Potter for the first time. I do have to say that I've seen big spoilers in the comments...please be careful!
Yes! I love that you're finally reading these and I like the way you've put together these videos. Your overall review is what we subscribed for and It's also so cool to see real time reactions to these books A LOT of us know so well. I can't wait for you to get to Goblet of Fire and really get awed and confused by the ever expanding world.
I think Harry and Ron were able to open the chamber faster than Ryddle because It had already been opened before. Like Ryddle had to figure everything out starting from zero and just because of his own ambition, Harry and Ron - and Hermione- had people to ask to, had the "last time opening" reference and just like indirect things that matched and helped them solve the mystery that could even be considered as clues. Even Ryddle set it all up kidnapping Ginny because he knew that he would go for it and open it: Ryddle was counting on that, he knew they would be able. I think that's the main reason why twelve year old Harry could get over fifth grade Voldemort, one had events going on in real life, the other only a legend that he wanted to bring life to-
I can't wait for the rest of the videos...Almost want to teleport myself to the time where you've read all the books, grab some popcorn and enjoy! Please don't forget to do a Patronus test! Each HP book is a mystery novel of sorts, so no doubt you will be enjoying all the clues, Easter Eggs and stuff... It's very rewarding in that regard and just goes to show that even if you end up not liking all the sides to the story, HP makes for a truly unique reading experience.
yes but if you think about it, harry was able to open the chamber whilst speaking parsletounge but he always has a horcrux with him, so maybe you need to have a part of the heir with you to open it. In the last book, Ron and Hermione also opened it miming parsletounge and having a horcrux with him.
Stealling the car and not waiting for help is just what house Gryffindor is all about
Yes, that is so true xD They don´t really think, they just do it
And they are just kids.
I'm in Gryffindor and I completely agree.
+TheMissileHappy like every kid/teen 😂
that's what i was thinking, lol. plus, it's such a twelve year old thing to do. "oh no, we're in terrible trouble now! let's try to solve it by hastily doing something incredibly stupid and convoluted that will just end up causing us a hundred times more trouble!" ...yeah, sounds about right.
"This book felt more serious"
Oh boi, the next one will be even More sirius
Estefânia Magalhães nice
Oh you went there, and I liked it.
My exact thought when she said that
I love you
Ayyy
'the overall tone of this book felt a lot darker'
honey, you got a big storm coming :)
Eleanor Buckley Haha Yeah, I can’t wait until she reads the last 3 books. That’s when it gets pretty dark
lol!!!!
The most accurate comment ever
the idea of some ancient monster that nobody can see roaming around a gigantic castle and randomly attacking people would definitely keep me up at night.
The progression from fun and whimsical to dark and serious in the HP series is done so well. I always liked how you watch the kids grow up. Rowling does a good job aging them/showing how their thoughts and actions change
"hes not a fucking legend at all he's just a flog" the most Aussie sentence every uttered in the booktube community
just wanted to give you a 666
Everytime you came up with genius theories tbh, I was like: "And that's why she's a Ravenclaw"
Manoek van Vlimmeren she literally have a booktube channel and she couldn't believe she is a ravenclaw 😂😂
We are a smart bunch
Spoiler allert
They all get more mysterious and dark each book 👌🏻 so you’ll love it even more as it goes on!
I feel like the writing grows as the characters do that's why it's so good as a series
100% agree!
And I disagree!
*THUN THUN THUUUUN*
!!!!!!DON'T READ IT LILY, IT'S SPOILERS!!!!!!
I LOVED the writing "for a child" in the first 2 books. They were presenting the magical world as happy and colorful.
It does not mean that I disliked the dark parts of it! Actually I really liked them too, but our dear author had clear problems with finding the middle in these two, since she "wanted the series to grow with the reader". So it ended up that first 2-3 books are happy and the other 4 dark as fuck. And even the happy ending didn't helped the bitterness I felt. I adored cowardly but lovely Ron, smart but scared Hermione and The-Boy-Who-Lived-But-Prefers-To-Be-Just-Harry. Ron later becomes bitter and grumpy, Hermione does fucking everything and Harry is just angst,angst,angst, FUCK DRACO THAT LITTLE TRASH, angst.
I also didn't liked the way Slytherin was presented. It was not a bad House. If it were a Bad House, it would be "closed". JK kinda realised that and made a few villains that busted the "all bad guys are Slytherins" myth, but it didn't helped much. For instance Draco was still a little, trashy bitch, and not even "he doesn't want to kill dumbledore" helped it. It was a quick save she did so people wouldn't realise that his character is in 2D and has a development status of a toilet water. I also HATED the fact that it was NEVER explained HOW THE FUCK did Lily ended up with James. "She fell in love" with him. Great. When? What did he do that he gained her affection after YEARS of bullying weaker kids and being the biggest douchebag on the planet. I hate that everybody, whether in the books or real life, see him as a hero while he was a bully.
Coming back to the writing thing : her idea was kinda cool, but she fucked it up in the end. When you read it how it was supposed to - by growing with the series, you don't realise the mistakes, the changes in writing, the changes in the mood of this world. Then you pick up the 1st book again, as an adult, and you see a very merry story, and since you probably have all 7, you read it and you're just like.... what happened?
And the errors, OH THE ERRORS. There is A LOT.
Nonetheless I still love the books (except the goddamn Cursed Child, i hate that piece of garbage) and i would love Rowling to write something brand new in this Universe. Like why the hell not some new series about Ilvermorny? Or Durmstrang? There's a lot of possibilities!
(Also : if you're still with me, reading this essay, I really really recommend "Septimus Heap" series by Angie Sage. First book is quite similar to "Harry Potter" it was inspired by HP) but the author quickly found her own path and created an amazing 7book series adventure. It does not "grow" with the reader in style like HP, but had a middle settled writing from the beginning, so you can enjoy happiness and darkness at once! The series is finished and the next is being made, called "Todhunter Moon". Trust me. You won't regret)
And that's the end of this chapter of "I can't write short opinions"
Goodnight!
I can see Lily is seriously engaged to the story, and the best part is that, as the characters grow, the whole thing gets more serious
I just googled it and apparently hedwig would go to the Dursleys at Christmas and pester them until they gave her something which is why it was always something really shitty like a tissue or a toothpick
Oh really?? If they mentioned that in the book, then i completely missed it.
Unless its properly addressed in a later book or something. But yes that would make sense :)
Maddie Hedwig takes care of her boy
Wow, I always wondered about that! Hedwig
¨getting rid of Dumbledore is so dumb...ledore¨ xDDD
The theory about voldy in Harry is a good one.
Also Petunia probably knew how the whole letter thing because of her sister lily
Charlotte Smith and i believe ron mentions that there are wizards that deal with muggle mail in the muggle postal system
Average citizen I think you're right. Because that's how Hermione's parents must be writing her letters too.
Idk why but I think you're gonna love Dolores Umbridge for some reason 😂 guess we'll have to wait and see .. The 5th book's video is gonna be hilarious you guys ❤
Sahar Hamrouni YES AHAHAHHHAHAAHA DOLORES IS SUCH AN ICON
OMG Doleres yesssss
I was just about to mention Umbridge. Can't wait to see Lily's reaction to her! 😂
Oh my god Lily will be so pissed off when Umbridge comes in😂
Aroob Crystal oh yeah 😂
Can we talk about how good you look in every vlog clip... like damn girl how do you look good everyday?! I look like a thumb at least 4 days a week
This is true!
holy crap i'm so excited for you to get through the end and see how smart jo was for planning it all from the beginning
Oh, yeah, you are so right. I'm happy to see Lily so engaged, even when her point of view isn't like those who grew up with it (like me)
You should put Spoiler allert before this
@wendywhoisit1819 what was a spoiler? (just curious, not being a smart-a$$)
it's so funny/ frustrating watching lily getting confused about the plot but I've read the whole series and I know how all the plot holes tie up
This series of yours has awaken my fandom damn you. I've had to reread and then re-watch Harry Potter.
"The least intelligent decision you could make" sums up the entirety of Cornelius Fudge's ministry.
😂
On the topic of the Malfoys, I think the pureblood/mudblood aspect of the books alludes to racism, and if you look at history I think you’ll find that prejudice has led to similar behaviour (despising even those who associate with the race and trying to sabotage them). It’s hard to imagine anyone being that irrational today (unless you go to the South of the US) but if the intent was to allude to racism, it’s not an unrealistic idea, some people really are/were that crazy
You know i did get that sort of vibe while reading those scenes,
it's really quite unsettling :/
tbh the majority of the south isnt even racist. the south’s pretty racially diverse too. the racists are select groups of people, just like anywhere else in america.
I'm glad that we can have someone have an honest look from an adult mindset at Harry Potter. I feel like a lot of people can't look at it from a critical standpoint because they have a nostalgic bias. It's a good series don't get me wrong but it still isn't perfect and I think a lot of people forget that.
FIRST REPLY TO THIS COMMENT CONTAINS SPOILERS
I think the reason why nobody could find the Chamber is that you have to be able to speak parseltongue to actually find it, and none of the professors could do that; plus Harry and Ron had a clue thanks to Myrtle, so they knew where to look for it, which wasn't the case with Riddle.
But really the points you make about these books make me question every thought I've ever had on this series. Never seen anyone read Harry Potter so critically and I love it
NinaM SPOILERS
NinaM deleteee
You're spoiling her. Please don't do that. She'll get fuckiin crazy!
spoiler pls delete....
oh I’m so sorry, I didn’t think about spoilers, I was just intrigued by the observation. I really hope I didn’t ruin it for anyone.
I think Harry and crew had a heads up over everyone else looking for the Chamber of Secrets because Harry was hearing the Basilisk in the pipes the whole year and was able to deduct a lot from it's movement. Then adding the events going on around him, the diary, and Harry really was pointed into the right direction. Everyone else didn't have that, even Voldemort, as the Basilisk wasn't active or on a kill-Muggle quest. Maybe it is crazy that Harry, Ron, and Hermione figured a lot of this out on their own, BUT they did have clues that no one else had.
This is very true
Hedwis is really smart. You see it in her behavior in later books. (Also Hedwig is named after the saint that looks after orphans, so Hedwig in a way looks after Harry. She would want him to get a letter from his family, so she flew home and probably bothered Petunia until she gave her a letter.) Also Petunia did have a sister at Hogwarts for seven years. She probably sent her a few letters during that time
Hearing her theories when you've already read the books is hilarious
There could a reason why the Dursley’s know how to send an owl, but it’s revealed in the later books. So I’m not saying anything. The other reason could be that Hogwarts sends owls to muggle parents or guardians to send students the presents. Oh and it’s hilarious every-time you come up with your theories, hope you keep coming up with these for the later books as well XD.
It´s pretty obvious from the beginning why they know how to send an owl. We already know Petunia is Lillys sister and with Lilly being a witch that gets her Hogwarts letters by owl, Petunia should know about it :)
It's not as if there's much know how in sending an owl either. Harry always just says "Here Hedwig, take this to [whoever]". The addresses on formal letters I think are more just for the people telling the owls where to take them.
Am I the only one sad because Lily didn't mention dobby ?
Shit I didn't realise I don't even mention him...
Basically my opinion is: he needs a holiday, desperately
Poor Dobby :(
Mathilde H he's the worst character lmao
Fun Fact: J.K. Rowling based Gilderoy Lockhart's character on her first husband.
I think she based Vernon Dursley on that husband, actually, which is perhaps why even in his own family Vernon's pretty much utterly loathsome.
She did, however based Lockhart off someone she knew - someone who she claims would think that Harry had been inspired by HIM, because he's that egocentric.
Snape was based on Rowling's chemistry teacher John Lawrence Nettleship. You can find pictures of him online :)
Didn't know that! Poor guy
He was based off Kenneth Branaugh, who was more than delighted to play himself X 10
Two things I'm learning about these Harry Potter vlogs.
1. Lily is getting REALLY into a fandom!
2. Lily has a lot of style!
watching this i really wish i could just forget the whole plot and read Harry Potter for the first time again haha
Omg how I LOVE seeing her talk about certain things of the series without knowing how everything will turn out to be in later books 😂😂 I can't wait to see how she reacts to the most important plot twists..
These are honestly the best videos. Also you say so many true things, I keep going "right!?" I feel like it's hard to not accidentally spoil you though, so I don't want to say specific things and end up using info from later books if that makes sense but I think I might have a lot to say on the last of these.
ok but why do you look so stunning in every single clip
I met the man who plays Lucius Malfoy at a hotel I used to work at, but because I didn't recognise him without the blonde hair it wasn't until after he left that I realised who he was 😂😂😂
Becky Walford Was he nice? What was he like?
flayuhat he was really nice and polite! I think he could tell when we were speaking that I recognised him but didn't know where from, but he was such a genuinely nice man!
Polite as any British gentleman :)
Girl, you are on point with your theories. No wonder you're a Ravenclaw.
I'm sooo hoping that some arsehole doesn't come and spoil the books for you in the comments because I just love the fact that you get to read the books without knowing anything!! I can't wait to see what you think of the 3rd book.
Soo excited for you to read Prisoner of Azkaban! It really is a sort of turning point in the HP series. To me the first two books are really just to set up the wizarding world and establish the main characters, and Prisoner of Azkaban is where Rowling really dives in headfirst with the story. Not going to spoil it for you but if you liked 1&2 you’ll love 3!
Prisoner of Azkaban is my favorite of the seven...I’m excited to see your thoughts!
And wow...your theories man...
It is my favorite too
It will get darker and darker. You are in for a ride.
Yeah, Wizards are often really stupid... The wizarding World as a whole has kind of a superiority complex... they always think Magic can solve any problem and that they are so much better than Muggles because of it... so many Wizards are not good at thinking logically. Wizards’ complete disregard for everything non-magic is probably their biggest flaw.
Because of the letter thing: This is not canon, but I imagine the post sent by Muggles via normal post ends up at Hogsmeade or some other village and the owls pick it up from there. (It’s not just the Dursleys after all, many other children also receive letters from their Muggle parents.)
I'm loving watching your thoughts as you go through this series, it totally makes me want to reread the books lol
ooohh boy youre in for a fuckin treat !!! i commented this on your last video, but as the kids grow up and mature, the story becomes more complex and intense. really hope no one spoils anything for you. i decided to reread the series along with you. happy reading !!
It is super refreshing to see someone closer to my age read harry potter for the first time and their genuine reactions! I love harry potter and the fandom but its nice to see a new prospective (aka someone who hasnt read them a million time etc)
really, really enjoying the way you are doing these videos. its so fun to see your thoughts and theories, also just so relatable lmao
You should just avoid the comment section until you're done with the series. Some people don't get that however elusive they are, you still can understand what they're talking about and still can get spoiled. Not cool.
You should be careful with the youtube comments, some people like to spoil things.
I know, i'm considering not reading them until i finish all the books.. also that way i can laugh at myself along with you guys
16:40 never confirmed, but makes sense, especially because (spoiler) the powers associated with Slytherin, like being a parselmouth dissapear after Voldemort dies.
I absolutely LOVE this series that you're doing! As somebody that loves harry potter and grew up with the books it's so much fun to see somebody their reactions to reading it for the first time!
I am looking forward to the rest of your Harry Potter views, it's going to be brilliant :D
I am loving this series! Its so fascinating to watch someone read the books for the first time
I just keep checking her channel everyday to see if she's finished the third yet. Literally love this.
*Explanation for Malfoy and Weasley Hatred Explained with No Spoilers*
I know you probably won't see this but the reason The Malfoy's hate The Weasley's is because they are a part of the sacred 28 families that are completely purebloods. The Malfoy's themselves are apart of the sacred 28 as well but they believe it makes them better than most wizarding families, muggleborns and muggles. The Weasley's don't see it that way though. They hate that they are on the list and have tried to get taken off many times by showing "proof" of muggle ancestors. The Malfoy's want to destroy the Weasley's for not caring about people's wizarding pedigree and "shaming" their sacred title with their kindness towards all kinds of people. It isn't explained in the books so it isn't spoiled but it makes the hatred understandable.
Omg the prisoner of Azkaban is my favorite book in the series (all though duh, theyre all amazing)
You kind of touched on one of the things I despise about how good versus evil books are set up. So this phenomenal wizard, that's talented and happens to be the heir of Slytherin (as portrayed in the book) somehow takes longer to come across the information he needed compared to these kids (or kid I should say, because Hermione does pretty much all the work). This is some bs, and even though I know it's set up this way for the convenience of the "good guys" and the plot without much further thought, it still grinds all my gears. Love how you actually think a bit more in depth about what you are reading. Keep up the great work.
Its such a delight to see you discover this series and come up with theories and stuff!
The books get more darker as they go on. Since the fans are getting older, JK also made the books grow up with them
The fact that Harry&Co figured out everything about the Chamber in such a short time isn’t as surprising when you consider all the extra information they had. Harry’s parselmouth abilities not only gave him access to the Chamber at the end but also gave Hermione a huge lead on finding out about the Basilisk (since she knew Harry could hear it talking). Harry and Ron only figured out the location of the Chamber because a GIANT FRICKIN SPIDER gave them a huge hint about Myrtle being the last victim. And sure it took Riddle a few years to uncover the Chamber originally, but he already knew how to open it this time while he was possessing Ginny. It’s quite possible that Dumbledore knew some of this stuff, but didn’t say anything because of a combination of diplomacy, extra caution, Lockhart being a jerk, and oh yeah, Lucius getting him temporarily fired.
Tbh the wizarding world is a complete mess and no one knows what they're doing lmaoo
Prisoner of Azkaban is rly good and has a lot of twists etc i think you'll like it
Also when you've finished the books, could you watch the movies and film your reactions etc? I would be interesting to see your opinions on characters and scenes etc from the movies :))
Am I the only one who's super excited to hear Lily's thoughts about Order of the Phoenix bc Umbridge???
Dumbledore running of the school is really questionable in hindsight and as an adult.
With the polyjuice they can question Malfoy, otherwise they could only spy.
Snape’s character is Snape so I don’t know if he was really meant to be the suspect now. He was just being his nasty self.
It’s bringing back such good memories to watch you experience these books for the first time. Thank you for documenting this!
I’m also reading Harry Potter for the first time and I just read the chamber of secrets, my god I thought it was so fucking boring but you made it sound so much more fun than I found it and I love you for that
If you like mysteries/thrillers, you might also want to check out JKR's detective series, written under the pen name Robert Galbraith.
BTW I have heard that Lockhart is partly inspired by her first husband, which if true is hilarious.
It's so fun to watch you make up theories haha I get excited for you
Since lily potter's parents weren't wizards they must have sent her mail back and forth through owls all the time. Petunia probably knew how from them.
Yeah, plus in the fourth book (I think) Harry's owl visits his friends around his birthday, just so they can send something to him. ... Or smth like that.
Awesome job!! I've re-read the books a bit since I was 8 in 2001. Glad you're enjoying them. Can't wait to see what you have to say for Prisoner of Azkaban. I'm going to try to post my first video soon. - Quinn
I love this type of review and I think more reviews should do this
11:50 great questions I never thought about! My fan theory: Hedwig goes back to Number four, Privet Drive from time to time when she is bored of Hogwarts or wants somewhere to fly around and she hooted and pecked on Christmas day until the Vernon throws a toothpick at her for Harry's present.
Oh my god, it's so hard not to comment and explain everything you're questioning ahahah. These videos are so entertaining! Thank you for sharing your experience with us, Lily!
This is so entertaining, I live listening to people's thoughts aboutthe books if they are reading them for the first time. I like the way you are making these videos btw. Awesome job.
I would give everything to be able to read Harry Potter for the first time once again. I miss discovering the story a book at a time, waiting eagerly for the next, going to the movies, wasting my life on HP forums, reading and writing fan fiction... So many memories. 😭😭😭
10:17 I can’t believe she got the ending of the last book pretty spot on 😂
I m glad you pointed out the fact that it is a bit daker. One thing I ve always loved about the series is how each book gets more and more serious. You can literally see how Harry matures by how his thoughts are narrated and I adore that
Never clicked on a book review faster in my life (except your Anna and the French Kiss one whoops). Love you Lily! 💕
To the thing with the Dursleys sending a toothpick via Hedwig: It's mentioned in one of the books that wizards work in muggle post offices to catch these things, there's also a passage where a muggle kid wrote a letter to Hogwarts because its brother was accepted into Hogwarts and the kid asked Dumbledore if it could also attend :) so the wizards at the post office find those letters and send them on by owl
I love reliving the story through your eyes. Plus, the format is perfect 👌
I really love what you've done so far with these reviews. its really nice seeing a new perspective. I know the books get longer but I love all your opinions so don't leave anything out
ITS HONESTLY SO COOL WATCHING U LIKE. GUESS PLOT TWISTS AND COME UP W THEORIES !! it’s like i’m reading them for the first time again w u and i’m like... getting that magic vicariously through u omg
It's actually so interesting hearing someone talk about reading the series for the first time, but like you hadn't seen the film's either because when I read them I had watched the movies so I couldn't think about the mysteries and different plot because I know what would happen
I can't wait for you to reach the end of the third book and start the fourth!!! The first two and the beginning of the third is a lot of laying down as much new information as possible to give you an idea of the world but the end of the fourth expands on the pasts of some of the characters so that you really start to understand why some of them are the way they are and how it affects Harry. The fourth book might as well be the start of a new series because so much happens and there's so many things you wouldn't have expected. It's so fun to dive deeper into this world. It's great to watch you experience this for the first time. I've read so many books, and although I did grow up with the Harry Potter series and the nostalgia is one of the reasons I love it so much, it's also truly just written so well. The setup and the world building and the backstory is almost flawless once it all comes together in the end. Even reading it as an adult for the first time, once you get into the later more mature books you'll definitely fall in love with them as much as you've seen other people do. Enjoy! And please keep us updated often!!
Your theory about voldemort having transferred dark magic to harry and being “in harry” is... very close to the culmination of the series. I can’t believe you got this just from the chamber of secrets props to you
I'm sorry this has nothing to do with the video: can you drop your skincare routine? wow
btw I loved the way you're putting the video the overall view + the little vlogs as you get through the book, that's really cool.
I'm so happy that you haven't read Harry Potter before because I really enjoy this. Also, I'm so excited to see what you think of the prisoner of Azkaban. It's my favorite Harry Potter movie and probably my second favorite book.
This really takes me back to when I first started reading these in 3rd grade. Reading them for the first time and seeing someone else read them for the first time is a really special feeling.
i absolutely love all of your back and forth on the heir it's amazing
About Hedwig, in the saga it shows later that owls are very affetionate and intelligent. I don't remember if it is said later in the books (I think she does something very similar with someone else, I don't want to spoiler anything), but Hedwig probably went to the Dursley on her own volition and forced them to give her presents for Harry! That explains why there are presents in the first place.
3:20 they didn't just want to sneak into the slytherin common room though... they had to transform into crabbe and Goyle cause they wanted to ask malfoy whether he was the heir of slytherin or not.. it wouldn't work if they simply wore the invisibility cloak
Prisoner of azkaban is one of my favourites! Jaj. Also it's really fun to like seeing someone experience their first HP read. I had my like years ago and honestly don't remember what it's like not knowing exactly what happens next. So it's really nice watching these.
"it felt more SIRIUS" she says, just before reading prisoner of Azkaban
I think this is a brilliant way to do reviews, I haven't seen anyone else doing it this way (maybe I don't watch enough reviewers) but this is something that I think should catch on. I have seen some movie reviewers spouting about some app that I could see you being able to do a live version of this on, but the recorded/edit version is great for seeing it in long form.
its 2 am and i have an exam tomorrow. am i going to stay up and watch this?...yes. yes i am.
Ana Roberts literally same I walked into the exam hall today, pretty sure I failed maths... totally worth it
13:10 nailed it! Coming up with puns and jokes I’ve never heard in 10 years of knowing HP
I absolutely LOVE how you're filming the mini vlogs. It's so fun to see someone read Harry Potter for the first time. I do have to say that I've seen big spoilers in the comments...please be careful!
These harry potter book reviews are quite good!
Yes! I love that you're finally reading these and I like the way you've put together these videos. Your overall review is what we subscribed for and It's also so cool to see real time reactions to these books A LOT of us know so well. I can't wait for you to get to Goblet of Fire and really get awed and confused by the ever expanding world.
The books get darker and more intense as they go along!! its so exciting
I think Harry and Ron were able to open the chamber faster than Ryddle because It had already been opened before. Like Ryddle had to figure everything out starting from zero and just because of his own ambition, Harry and Ron - and Hermione- had people to ask to, had the "last time opening" reference and just like indirect things that matched and helped them solve the mystery that could even be considered as clues. Even Ryddle set it all up kidnapping Ginny because he knew that he would go for it and open it: Ryddle was counting on that, he knew they would be able. I think that's the main reason why twelve year old Harry could get over fifth grade Voldemort, one had events going on in real life, the other only a legend that he wanted to bring life to-
I cannot wait for you to get to the fifth book, so much salt will be spilled
stops everything to watch ur review i love this series of yours UR JOURNEY OF HARRY POTTER IS SO EXCITING!! :))))))
I can't wait for the rest of the videos...Almost want to teleport myself to the time where you've read all the books, grab some popcorn and enjoy! Please don't forget to do a Patronus test!
Each HP book is a mystery novel of sorts, so no doubt you will be enjoying all the clues, Easter Eggs and stuff... It's very rewarding in that regard and just goes to show that even if you end up not liking all the sides to the story, HP makes for a truly unique reading experience.
2:53 Prepare for Prisoner of Azkaban, that one is extremely sirius
If that's how you felt about Lockhart, just wait until you get to Umbridge!
your theories had me fucked up
lol I'm so glad that the books make her have her own theories! That's one of the great things about Harry Potter imo
yes but if you think about it, harry was able to open the chamber whilst speaking parsletounge but he always has a horcrux with him, so maybe you need to have a part of the heir with you to open it. In the last book, Ron and Hermione also opened it miming parsletounge and having a horcrux with him.
NinaM oiiii, no spoilers, Lucy doesn't know yet!
NinaM delete that in case she sees the spoiler!!
NinaM ^^^ please delete your spoiler!