Category: R

5/5, AUTHOR, Author Debut, Book Review, Fiction, R, RATING, Read in 2015

2015.11 REVIEW – Divergent by Veronica Roth

Tara

Divergent
by Veronica Roth

Copyright:2011
Pages: 487
Rating: 5/5
Read: March 8 – March 13, 2015
Challenge: No challenge
Yearly count: 11
Format: Print
Source: Purchased new
Series: Divergent Trilogy #1

DivergentBlurb: In Beatrice Prior’s dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue–Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is–she can’t have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are–and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she’s chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she’s kept hidden from everyone because she’s been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, Tris also learns that her secret might help her save the ones she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

Review: You may remember me mentioning in my review of Attachments that I had signed up for some Goodreads challenges, one being where we were encouraged to read outside our comfort genres. This is another book that I chose for that challenge.

So what did I think? Honest to goodness, I LOVED this book. I surprised myself by how much I truly enjoyed it. I really took to Tris’s character. And Four. I think I may have had a little bit of a crush on Four by the end of the book.

I think my only complaint about this book is the lack of background. We just jump right in. What happened to put the City in its current state? Why the factions? Why the hatred between the factions? What caused all this discontent? I hope the other two books address this.

This book was about initiations. We got to see all the training that Tris had to go through to become Dauntless. It was unrealistic, to say the least. There’s no way anyone could have survived what they had to go through. Okay, maybe some people could have – I sure wouldn’t have, ha! It’s this training that sets up for whatever is going down. We get a little bit of a preview of what is to come in the last few chapters of the book. But now I’m anxious to know what will happen next!

I am still amazed that I liked this book as much as I did. I liked it so much that I’m going out to buy Insurgent.

Highly recommended.

3.5/5, AUTHOR, Author Debut, Book Review, Fiction, R, RATING, Read in 2015

2015.10 REVIEW – Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

Tara

Attachments
by Rainbow Rowell

Copyright:2011
Pages: 323
Rating: 3.5/5
Read: March 4 – March 6, 2015
Challenge: No challenge
Yearly count: 10
Format: Print
Source: Purchased online at powells.com
Series: N/A

AttachmentsBlurb: Beth Fremont and Jennifer Scribner-Snyder know that somebody is monitoring their work email. (Everybody in the newsroom knows. It’s company policy.) But they can’t quite bring themselves to take it seriously. They go on sending each other endless and endlessly hilarious emails, discussing every aspect of their personal lives.

Meanwhile, Lincoln O’Neill can’t believe this is his job now – reading other people’s email. When he applied to be “Internet security officer,” he pictured himself building firewalls and crushing hackers – not writing up a report eery time a sports reporter forwards a dirty joke.

When Lincoln comes across Beth’s and Jennifer’s messages, he knows he should turn them in. But he can’t help being entertained – and captivated – by their stories.

By the time Lincoln realizes he’s falling for Beth, it’s way too late to introduce himself.

What would he say…?

Review: So earlier this year I signed up for some Goodreads challenges, one of those was to read 14 books from the group’s moderators’ favorite genres. Talk about having to really expand my horizons. One of the genres is chick-lit. Not something I read. Ever. And something that made me a little nervous. But I went searching for a chick-lit book that I felt I would be able to handle (i.e. – not throw across the room in total and utter disgust). Somehow I stumbled upon Rainbow Rowell.

Now, I’d have to be in a complete hole to have never heard of Rainbow Rowell. She seems to have taken the book blogosphere by storm since her debut in 2011. And while I will admit that a couple of her books have sounded a little bit interesting to me, I never took the plunge and gave one a try. Until now.

And I can honestly say that I didn’t throw the book across the room in total and utter disgust. But don’t consider me a chick-lit convert just yet, either.

Overall, I enjoyed the first 98% of this book. I had a lot of fun with Beth and Jennifer’s emails. I loved the parts revolving around Lincoln. He was so screwed up it was ridiculous, but I found him to be endearing all the same. I wish I had a girlfriend relationship like Beth and Jennifer (sure, I have friends that I tell certain stuff to, but no one I can really pour my heart and soul out to). Lincoln’s mom is so dysfunctional it’s not even funny – and I could end up being the type of mother she was … not wanting her baby boy to ever leave her.

But then there’s that other 2% that just left me with a bad taste in my mouth. It was the ending. I. Hated. It. Pure and simple. It made me realize why I don’t read chick-lit. And it really felt at total odds with the rest of the book. It just didn’t work for me. Too cookie-cutter, everything works out for my taste. Just yuck.

So overall I’m glad that I expanded my horizons and read something outside of my comfort zone. And I might even give another Rainbow Rowell book a chance in the future.

I can’t say that I would have really missed anything if I had never read this book. But I can’t say that it was a waste of my time either. It was a decent book for a couple of snowed-in days. But that ending did it no justice in my opinion, and also majorly affected my overall rating of the book.

4/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, R, RATING, Read in 2014, Review Book

2014.17 REVIEW – Children of the Revolution by Peter Robinson

Tara

Children of the Revolution
by Peter Robinson

Copyright: 2014
Pages: 336
Rating: 4/5
Read: April 2 – 11, 2014
Challenge: No challenge
Yearly count: 17
Format:  Print
Source: Publicist for blog tour
Series: Inspector Alan Banks #21

Children of the RevolutionBlurb: The body of a disgraced college lecturer Gavin Miller is found on an abandoned railway line by a woman out walking her dog early one winter morning. In the four years since Miller’s dismissal for sexual misconduct, he’s been living like a hermit, listening to music from his college days and existing as frugally as possible on the outskirts of a small village. So where did he get the five thousand pounds found in his pocket?

Leading the investigation, Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks begins to suspect that the victim’s past may be connected to his death. Forty years earlier the dead man attended a university that was a hotbed of militant protest and divisive, bitter politics. And as the seasoned detective well knows, some grudges are never forgotten – or forgiven.

Just as Banks is about to break the case open, his superior warns him to back off or risk losing the promotion he has been promised. Yet Banks isn’t about to stop, even if it means risking his career altogether. He’s certain there’s more to the mystery than meets the eye, and more skeletons to uncover before the case can finally be closed.

CHILDREN OF THE REVOLUTION is available now at
Amazon | B&N  | IndieBound 

Review: I received a copy of this book for free for review purposes in conjunction with a blog tour, all opinions expressed below are my own.

I read and reviewed my very first Peter Robinson book just last month, Watching the Dark. I enjoyed it quite a bit. Enough so that it made me want to sign up for the blog tour for this most recent installment in the Inspector Banks series.

Overall I liked this one quite a bit. There were a few more revelations regarding the main characters that gave a little bit more insight into their backgrounds. Since I’m not likely to go back and read the entire backlist (hey, 19 books is a lot to commit to), I still have a lot of questions, but things are starting to make a bit more sense the more I read.

As I stated in my review of Watching the Dark, this book is not necessarily a page-turner, thrill-a-minute book. Instead it is meant to be savored. The writing sucked me in and I was entirely wrapped up in what was going on. As I felt with the previous book, I so enjoyed working the case with Banks.

I did have one issue, though. The ending. The way that it occurred (no spoilers), well it just didn’t sit well with my opinion of Inspector Banks’ character. I can’t imagine that he would let things end the way it did. Maybe it’s a sign of what’s to come in future books (that promotion?), but for whatever reason it didn’t feel right to me. Obviously, having only read two of these books, I’m no expert on Banks’ character, it just felt off to me.

All that aside, though, I would definitely recommend this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it and am definitely looking forward to the next Inspector Banks installment!

4/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, R, RATING, Read in 2014, Review Book

2014.10 REVIEW – Watching the Dark by Peter Robinson

Tara

Watching the Dark
by Peter Robinson

Copyright: 2013
Pages: 354
Rating: 4/5
Read: Feb. 21 – Mar. 1, 2014
Challenge: No challenge
Yearly count: 10
Format: Print
Source: Publicist for blog tour

WATCHING THE DARK is available now at Amazon | B&N  | IndieBound

Watching the DarkBlurb: A decorated policeman is murdered on the tranquil grounds of the St. Peter’s Police Treatment Centre, shot through the heart with a crossbow arrow, and compromising photographs are discovered in his room. Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks is well aware that he must handle the highly sensitive and dangerously explosive investigation with the utmost discretion. And as he digs deeper, he discovers that the murder may be linked to an unsolved missing case from six years earlier and the current crime may involve crooked cops. 

Review: I received a copy of this book for free from the publicist for review purposes in conjunction with a blog tour, all opinions expressed below are my own.

For whatever reason, I have never read a Peter Robinson book. Since there are (only) 20+books in the Inspector Banks series, it’s been a bit of an undertaking. I’m usually adamant that I have to read the entire backlist. For whatever reason, I chose to read this book knowing that it is the 20th book in the series. Going into it I didn’t really know what to expect. I had no idea if I would be completely lost by jumping into this series at this point or if it would be just fine. The truth is that it’s somewhere in the middle. I wasn’t completely lost reading this book, but there were some questions about relationships between certain characters that probably would have been helpful to have the background information. 

Now that I have that way, I have to tell you that I was pleasantly surprised by this book. The writing was very good, the storyline was interesting, the characters were extremely well-developed. It was an all-around good book. There’s not much for me to really complain about, to be honest. 

I really liked Inspector Banks’ character. There was something about him that worked. He was a nice guy, but he also knew how to read the situation and react as necessary. I felt it was very interesting to “work the case” with him and Joanna. At times I wondered if he was on a wild-goose chase in regards to the Rachel storyline, but I found it really enjoyable to see how everything came together in the end. Banks has one of those guts that was spot-on in this case. I also liked Joanna’s character. I’m not sure that she has ever been mentioned in previous books, and I’m not sure what kind of a presence she will have in any future books, but I found her to be an interesting character that I would want to know more about after what she reveals to Banks at dinner one night. 

Overall I would most definitely recommend this book. It’s not necessarily a book that will have you up all night turning the pages, but it’s definitely a book to be savored. I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to keeping Mr. Robinson on my watch list in the future. 

AUTHOR, Book Review, E-Book, Fiction, R, Read in 2013, Review Book

2013.18 REVIEW – Blood Money by Doug Richardson

Tara

Blood Money
by Doug Richardson

Copyright: 2013
Pages: 280
Read: April 4-11, 2013
Challenge: No Challenge
Yearly count: 18
Format: E-Book
Source: Author for review

Pageflex Persona [document: PRS0000032_00037]Blurb: The disillusioned Marine’s plan seems simple enough: steal a refrigerated tractor trailer loaded with frozen blood product; drive the pirated cargo from Reno, Nevada to the Port of Long Beach; collect a million dollars. Yet even the most deliberate plans can go sideways. On his campaign south, the Marine’s “inner idiot” takes charge, leaving a smattering of dead bodies in his wake.

In the dark before dawn, a telephone rings. Kern County Sheriff’s detective Lucas “Lucky” Dey, no stranger to being awakened with bad news, answers the call. But this time, the voice on the phone tells Lucky that his ill-fated younger brother has been gunned down on a blackened desolate highway.

As Lucky chases the former Marine and his black semi-rig into the bowels of Los Angeles, he’s thrust into a landscape of competing agendas. Conrad Ellis, the multi-millionaire entertainment mogul, demands justice for the murder of his starlet daughter. Ambitious federal attorney Lilly Zoller is determined to turn any opportunity into her personal spotlight. Rey Palomino, the morally challenged contractor, colludes with the former Marine hoping to crawl out from under a crushing debt. LAPD detective and dedicated single mom Lydia “Gonzo” Gonzales, reluctantly accepts her assignment to “babysit” the unrestrained Kern County detective hell-bent on avenging his brother’s death at any cost.

A knee-breaking private detective, some unwitting feds, and a coterie of gang-busting L.A. Sheriff’s deputies further complicate the scenario and round out the cast of characters in this explosive and unpredictable thrill ride.

Review: This is a book that starts out with a bang and never lets up until you’ve hit the final page. When I was originally pitched this book and first found out that Mr. Richardson had actually written some pretty famous movies, I was immediately intrigued and wanted to read his book. I’m very happy that I got this opportunity.

Overall the book is quite good. As I stated above, this is a fast-paced, roller-coaster ride of a read. The pages kept flying as I was anxious to get see how things ended up.

As most of my faithful readers know, I am huge on character development. Personally, I felt that Mr. Richardson did a great job in creating the characters, but I felt a little disconnected with them. I guess you could really say that I never really “liked” any of the characters. However, for some reason, it works for this book. I can’t really explain it, but it just felt right for the situation.

I felt as if the writing was very good, it never lagged, but most importantly it felt real. Nothing was forced, everything felt like you were right in the conversation with the characters.

I would definitely recommend this book. I have to say that there is quite a bit of violence in this book, but overall I thoroughly enjoyed it.

About the Author:

DougRichardsonHiResDoug  Richardson  was  born  in  Arcadia,  California.  The  son  of  a  career  politician,  Doug  grew  up  outside  Sacramento  and  inside  the  state  Capitol.  He  used  to  talk  his  way  into  then-‐Governor  Ronald  Reagan’s  office,  just  to  get  a  handful  of  jellybeans.    Doug  left  Northern  California  for  Los  Angeles  to  attend  the  University  of  Southern  California’s  School  of  Cinema.  For  as  long  as  he  could  remember,  Doug  had  wanted  to  be  a  movie  director.  But  in  pursuing  his  goal  he  discovered  how  movies  are  really  made:  in  the  writing.    After  finishing  college,  Doug  signed  a  two-‐year  contract  with  Warner  Brothers.  In  1989  he  garnered  national  attention  when  his  spec  screenplay  was  the  first  in  Hollywood  to  sell  for  a  million  dollars.  Doug’s  first  feature  film,  the  sequel  to  Die  Hard,  Die  Harder,  was  produced  in  1990.  He  has  since  written  and  produced  feature  films  including  the  box  office  smash  Bad  Boys  and,  most  recently,  Hostage.  To  date,  Doug’s  features  have  grossed  over  800  million  dollars  worldwide.    Blood  Money  is  Doug’s  fourth  novel,  preceded  by  Dark  Horse,  True  Believers,  and  The  Safety  Expert.      Doug  continues  to  write  and  develop  for  feature  films  and  television.  He  lives  in  Southern  California  with  his  wife,  two  children  and  four  mutts.

4/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, E-Book, Eve Dallas, Fiction, R, RATING, Read in 2012, READING CHALLENGES 2012, SERIES

2012.15 REVIEW – Immortal in Death by J.D. Robb

Tara

Immortal in Death
by J.D. Robb

Copyright: 1996
Pages: 320
Rating: 4/5
Read: June 8 – June 19, 2012
Challenge: Eclectic Reader Challenge; Mystery & Suspense 2012
Yearly Count: 15
Format: E-Book
Source: Library

Blurb: It is 2058, New York City. Lieutenant Eve Dallas uncovers a world where technology can create beauty and youth, but passion and greed can destroy them.

She was one of the most sought-after women in the world. A top model who would stop at nothing to get what she wanted -even another woman’s man. And now she’s dead, the victim of a brutal murder.

Police lieutenant Eve Dallas puts her life on the line to take the case when suspicion falls on her best friend, the other woman in the fatal love triangle. Beneath the facade of glamor, Eve finds that the world of high fashion thrives on an all-consuming obsession with youth and fame-one that leads her from the lights of the runway to the dark underworld of New York City, where drugs can fulfill any desire, for a price

Review: It has been forever since I read the first two books in this series. I recall being less than thrilled with the second one, which is probably why I never got around to the third one. Most of my problem stems from the fact that these books are set so far in the future (2058) that I have a hard time getting past all the futuristic parts involved. However, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

To be completely honest, because of that big gap in between reading book 2 and book 3, I was a little more than lost when it came to the characters and any previous development/interaction. But overall that doesn’t really take away too much from this book. While it is obviously a series, I wouldn’t necessarily say that it stands well as a stand-alone, but it definitely wasn’t too hard to follow in my opinion.

The storyline in this installment was very good. I was just as stumped as Eve was about who the killer was until it was revealed at the end. And honestly, it was a surprise for me – something that doesn’t necessarily happen every time, but something that I really like in a book.

To be completely honest, this book was a great distraction for me. It was an easy read. I read the majority of this book on my iPhone during Garrett’s middle of the night feedings. I’m going to have to fire up my Nook in the future, because the iPhone screen is not the easiest thing to read a book on! (Or I could just wait until I get my iPad next month for my birthday!!)

So what’s the bottom line here? It was a good book, provided me with some great distraction when I needed it most and I’m really looking forward to reading the next book in the series (I already put myself on the waiting list for the e-book through my library).

4/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, C, Fiction, R, RATING, Read in 2011, Review Book

2011.55 REVIEW – The Guardian by Robbie Cheuvront and Erik Reed

Tara

The Guardian
by Robbie Cheuvront and Erik Reed

Copyright: 2011
Pages: 443
Rating: 4/5
Read: Sept. 13– Sept. 15, 2011
Challenge: No Challenge
Yearly Count: 55
Format: E-Book
Source: NetGalley

Blurb: Plunge into the world of seen and unseen forces in The Guardian. Anna Riley has just come into possession of a two-thousand-year old scroll that God gave to John the Disciple. Her mission—to guard the scroll and unlock its secret. Jason Lang, her protector, has his work cut out for him as they begin their journey around the world, facing corruption and dodging bullets—all the while trying to keep his attraction to Anna at bay. Will he succeed in defending the woman he’s vowed to protect? Will Anna, forced to trust other people to stay alive, fulfill the challenge that she’s accepted?

Review: I requested this book from NetGalley having been immediately intrigued by the description. And I must say that I was not disappointed. While I am not a particularly religious person, that didn’t really affect my enjoyment of the book. Personally I felt as if the characters were well-developed and likable. And the action. Wow, was this a great thrill ride of a book! It was non-stop from the first page to the last page. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good thrilling read.

And an interesting sidenote: I was originally unaware that one of the authors (Cheuvront) was actually part of the country band LoneStar, who I personally think has some really good songs.

5/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, Harry Potter, Harry Potter, R, RATING, Read in 2011, Read-a-Long, SERIES

2011.53 REVIEW – Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

Tara

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
by J.K. Rowling

Copyright: 1999
Pages: 435
Rating: 5/5
Read: Sept. 8– Sept. 12, 2011
Challenge: No challenge
Yearly Count: 53
Format: Print
Source: Personal Copy

Blurb: For twelve long years, the dread fortress of Azkaban held an infamous prisoner named Sirius Black. Convicted of killing thirteen people with a single curse, he was said to be the heir apparent to the Dark Lord, Voldemort. Now he has escaped, leaving only two clues as to where he might be headed: Harry Potter’s defeat of You-Know-Who was Black’s downfall as well. And the Azkaban guards heard Black muttering in his sleep, “He’s at Hogwarts … he’s at Hogwarts.” Harry Potter isn’t safe, not even within the walls of his magical school, surrounded by his friends. Because on top of it all, there may well be a traitor in their midst.

Review: Harry Potter, oh how I love you! In my own opinion, the latter books are definitely better than the earlier ones. So I’m definitely excited that we’re getting to this point in the read-a-long! (Because we’re getting closer to my personal favorite in the serie: Book 5!!).

I don’t really feel as if I need to “review” these books. But if I must ……

I love them. Everyone should read them.

End of review. 🙂

5/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, Harry Potter, Harry Potter, R, RATING, Read in 2011, Read-a-Long, READING CHALLENGES 2011, SERIES

2011.48 REVIEW – Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Tara

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
by J.K. Rowling

Copyright: 1998
Pages: 341
Rating: 5/5
Read: Aug 22 – Aug. 27, 2011
Challenge: TwentyEleven Challenge
Yearly Count: 48
Format: Print
Source: Personal Copy

Blurb: The Dursleys were so mean and hideous that summer that all Harry Potter wanted was to get back to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizadry. But just as he’s packing his bags, Harry receives a warning from a strange, impish creature named Dobby who says that if Harry Potter returns to Hogwarts, disaster will strike. And strike it does. For in Harry’s second year at Hogwarts, fresh torments and horrors arise, including an outrageously stuck-up new professor, Gilderoy Lockhart; a spirit named Moaning Myrtle who haunts the girls’ bathroom; and the unwanted attention of Ron Weasley’s younger sister, Ginny. But each of these seem minor annoyances when the real trouble begins, and someone – or something – starts turning Hogwarts students to stone. Could it be Draco Malfoy, a more poisonous rival than ever? Could it possibly be Hagrid, whose mysterious past is finally told? Or could it be the one everyone at Hogwarts most suspects … Harry Potter himself!

Review: When can you go wrong with Harry Potter? And how can you critique these books? If anyone can answer those two questions, please let me know! Personally, I think this installment is better than the first one. But I think that I feel that way simply because the first one tends to read a little childish (my opinion only). We get to see inside Dumbledore in this book more than in the first one, and anyone who’s read this series, knows just how important Dumbledore is to Harry. Although I am re-reading this series, the books feel brand spanking new to me. Maybe it’s because it’s been so long since I’ve read the earlier books. Either way, it’s definitely got me read to move on to the third book!!

I just want to share a quick passage that made me laugh out loud. From page 341:

“Your aunt and uncle will be proud, though, won’t they?” said Hermoine as they got off the train and joined the crowd thronging toward the enchanted barrier. “When they hear what you did this year?”

“Proud?” said Harry. “Are you crazy? All those times I could’ve died, and I didn’t manage it? They’ll be furious…”

5/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, Harry Potter, Harry Potter, R, RATING, Read in 2011, Read-a-Long, SERIES

2011.44 REVIEW – Harry Potter & the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling

Tara

Harry Potter & the Sorcerer’s Stone
by J.K. Rowling

Copyright: 1997
Pages: 309
Rating: 5/5
Read: Aug 12 – Aug. 14, 2011
Challenge: TwentyEleven Challenge
Yearly Count: 44
Format: Print
Source: Personal copy

Blurb: Harry Potter has never been the star of a Quidditch team, scoring points while riding a broom far above the ground. He knows no spells, has never helped to hatch a dragon, and has never worn a cloak of invisibility. All he knows is a miserable life with the Dursleys, his horrible aunt and uncle, and their abominable son, Dudley – a great big swollen spoiled bully. Harry’s room is a tiny closet at the foot of the stairs, and he hasn’t had a birthday party in eleven years. But all that is about to change when a mysterious letter arrives by owl messenger: a letter with an invitation to an incredible place that Harry – and anyone who reads about him – will find unforgettable. For it’s there that he finds not only friends, aerial sports, and magic in everything from classes to meals, but a great destiny that’s been waiting for him … if Harry can survive the encounter.

Review: This is the third time that I have read this book, it never ceases to amaze me. I am re-reading the series all over again as part of the Harry Potter Read-a-Long hosted by Pretty Deadly Reviews. In this first installment Harry finds out he’s a wizard. He has always known that he’s a little bit different from everyone else, strange things tend to happen around him when he gets angry. His early years have not been easy on him. His home life is about one step above abuse/neglect. He lives in a closet. His cousin is horrible to him. His aunt and uncle treat him like he’s such a burden. He never gets anything except Dudley’s hand-me-downs. He doesn’t have any friends. But all of this changes when he gets that invitation to study at Hogwarts. Suddenly, he has friends and is having the time of his life. But trouble always seems to find Harry, no matter where he goes, and it will be up to him and his new best friends, Ron and Hermoine, to keep a very valuable thing out of the wrong hands. I love this series and I’m so glad to be starting all over again!