Customer Reviews
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
 wow..., Apr 28, 2023
The idea that anyone reading this doesn't know the endings of all the books so far is ridiculous. Who would read the Harry Potter books for the first time while stopping every other paragraph to read what "Galadriel Waters" has to say about it? That's right, no one. People who buy this book are fans suffering from withdrawl and looking for something to read while waiting for the next book. Well I should have saved my money and stuck with fan fiction.
Speaking of which, how on earth did this book get published while volumes of infinitely more intelligent speculation/fanfic can be found by simply looking on the web? (Not that I can talk, since I bought this. HP withdrawl makes you do the crazy.) Speculation, I might add, that they produce for their own and other fans' enjoyment, not to make money off Jo Rowling's creativity.
To get into the actual content of the book, I have the same complaints as pretty much everyone who gave this a negetive review. Half of it is taken up with plot regurgitation, which for reasons I stated before is completely unnecessary. The smilies, stupid comments, and repetitiveness of phrases like "the HP sleuthoscope is..." are obnoxious. She analyzes the most irrelevent details while completely missing everything important. And she's "fairly sure" of about everything she says. No, "we" are fairly sure, whoever "we" is. Was this written by more than one person, or could she actually be implying that by the time we read this, we'll have no choice but to agree with her brilliant theories?
Whatever the case, this is pretty darn big headed of her. Theorizing is good fun, but everyone I've read online who've come up with their own ideas knows that it's all to be taken with a grain of salt. No one is "fairly sure" of what's going to happen except JK Rowling.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
 Kinda Sorta Iffy., Apr 7, 2023
Honestly, I'm not really sure how to rate this book. It has undoubtedly enlightened me to a few of the secrets and hidden meanings in J.K. Rowling's brilliant and cleverly weaved tale, but the author(s) analyze nearly every paragraph in the books!
According to this book, every word has a hidden meaning. I do not deny that MOST words have hidden meanings or alternate meanings, but to say that so many of them is slightly ridiculous. Though J.K. Rowling is a very brilliant woman, indeed, no one is clever enough to find hidden meanings in everything.
Though I enjoy the lighter tone the author(s) use throughout the book, it seems very unprofessional at times, and the excessive use of "smileys" is a little annoying. The "running bits" aren't always running bits, in my opinion. For example, in the analysis of "Chamber of Secrets," it is presented that every time a character's eyes are described, it is a "running bit" because of the Basilisk's eyes being fatal. This *could* be a clue to the plot, but in all reality, is she supposed to sacrifice her description of characters in order to NOT make it a plotline clue? Maybe the "eyes" in the book were merely there for descriptive purposes.
The Ultimate Unofficial Guide is, of course, a very entertaining read if you can get past the basic plot summaries and the use of smiley faces, but I certainly wouldn't call it essential or true to the series. A lot of the statements made are merely opinions that can be found just as easily on a Web site. For hardcore "Harry" fans, I would suggest reading this, but only if you're looking for a filler while you wait for J.K. Rowling's next masterpiece.
2 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
 Interesting book, Mar 28, 2023
That guide is interesting that helps to remind me of those books I read. I went like, "Oh, yeah." "I remember that." "Ha, ha, ha, ha...." etc... That is really nice book.
One small problem is... that the kind they published them with ink (for texts) that can be blur by water... when I was reading and then water running in kitchen sink... very few little drops from water got on my book and then I noticed ink (text) start to run. I was like, "Oh, my god!" I need to tell the publication that they need to solve that one. Made me feel scare if I accident drop the book in water and then lose it. That is bad choice of ink for this.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
 For Harry Potter fans who appreciate J.K.R. writing skills, Jan 10, 2023
I'm not a Harry Potter fanatic; I just like the books and the movies (and the actors and the author and the characters and the plot...)This book was a great guide for hidden clues, plot predictions (Divination for books?) and "I-didn't-think-of-that"s. If that's what you're looking for, then this is perfect for you. But if you want the absolute facts, you might want to wait for J.K.R.'s own guide.
Sometimes what you infer from this book can sound outrageous (Lily Potter a Slytherin? Lily's related to Dumbledore?)and sometimes the author goes of on tangents about a tiny insignificant clue (or so we think), but the rest are based on evidence carefuly gathered from the books and J.K.R.'s interviews.
A note: This book covers books 1-4 only. The "New Clues" book is for book 5 and is a hints only guide (it doesn't tell you exactly what the clues mean). I bought both and think it was well worth the money, but this is something to keep in mind.
All in all, this book and its companion are a must for every semi-serious to serious HP fan.
3 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
Brilliant, Jan 1, 2023
I think this is an excellant book. It's really really interesting and gets you thinking about what might be coming in the books to come. Thought-provoking and detailed, this is a book for the total Harry Potter obsessive. Definitely worth the money!
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