Nathan Nicholas

This was my favorite book of the series and I was always disappointed in the movie. The full cast edition version of this audiobook is so incredibly well done. I caught myself on multiple occasions with my eyes closed, lying in bed with a dumb, goofy grin on my face.

Good god. This audiobook was unbelievable. The Battle of Hogwarts, the ending chapters of this book...this HBO series is going to blow our minds. I cannot freaking wait.

---written above when finished audiobook; below is attempt at actual review the next morning---

This was the Harry Potter book I had read the least, since it hadn't released yet during some of my middle and high school re-reads. I actually didn't read it at all until my first full series re-read in college. Obviously the book is leaps and bounds better than the movie, but these audiobooks take that to the next level. This is probably the best audiobook listening experience I have had yet.

The Prince's Tale, chapter 33, is always cited as a standout piece of writing within the full series, and it really does stand out as some of J.K. Rowling's best work. Snape's memories, his upbringing, Lily and Petunia's interactions as children and their eventual falling out driven by Petunia's jealousy, Snape's childhood mannerisms, his desires to do well but being misunderstood, his aspiration to fit in, hurting Lily by calling her a mudblood, the way Snape moved through the story in the background as an extension of Dumbledore and his unique bravery, despite it all being solely tied to his love for Lily, "Always"...the voice actor for young Severus (Mylo Khan) freaking blew me away.

The Battle of Hogwarts, despite this being an audiobook, was some of the most immersive, chill-inducing action I have consumed in a long time.

The movie got so much wrong, and I am so hopeful that if we get all seven books in the upcoming HBO series and they align more closely with this audiobook series, we will get some of the greatest Harry Potter media ever made. Harry's paralysis approaching the Shrieking Shack, the dementors closing in and his struggle to summon any joy for a Patronus, feeling the hopelessness as Hermione and Ron cast their own, only for more of Dumbledore's Army to show up alongside him and sweet Luna's encouragement, "That's right, Harry...come on, think of something happy...We're all still here...we're still fighting. Come on, now..." got me as fired up as the "on your left" scene in Avengers: Endgame.

This series will be a repeated re-listen and I am stoked for the HBO series this December.

These versions of the audiobooks are just absolutely amazing. I'm so excited for the new HBO series.

Insightful.

Megan's mental health has been so strong since she completely quit social media back in...2019? I exited about a year ago, and it's been an incredible blessing; I don't want to return. This is a really interesting read, though it makes me feel discouraged for Gen Z and millennials, who often seem addicted to social media. However, we can be a generation that makes changes for ourselves, our kids, and the generations to follow!