Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - or as I call it, "The One Where Everything Changed".
When I was first noticing circular patterns within the series, I thought that Goblet of Fire was going to completely sink my entire theory as it doesn't have a counterpart. But actually, it makes perfect sense why it doesn't have a counterpart - because it is the one where the entire story is amped up!
As I mentioned in my post reviewing the book as a whole, Goblet of Fire is much darker and sinister than the prior 3 books in the series. It is where the series plot shifts from some kids getting into crazy hijinks to there being actual life & death consequences and the true rebirth of Voldemort. We see darker depths to characters (the sad reality of Neville's parents & Snape's prior years as a Death Eater). We see more active stirrings within the Death Eater community (what happened at the World Cup and shifting of Dementor allegiances).
But we also see lighter moments too, such as Dobby's unending support of Harry Potter or Ron's dress robes; I mean really, is there anything better than his "traditional" lacy robes??
JKR said that the first 3 books were a big ramp up to the 4th, & the 4th would act as the start to a much more complex story line. The entire stage for the rest of the series is set, even down to the mental connection between Harry/Voldemort. Like the first book, Harry claims that Voldemort is back - but now with a body of his own. The first book also has a series of challenges, or tasks, before Harry meets Voldemort - and the same happens with the Goblet of Fire. In a way, I could almost see Goblet of Fire being a more mature version of Sorcerer's Stone.
What do you think about Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire? How else is this book tied to either the first or last book? Or perhaps how else could this book be considered the one that changed everything, & therefore why it does not have its own true pair in the circular story arc theory?
Welp! That's all I've got in terms of reviewing/analyzing the HP series. I've had a great time this month & I hope you enjoyed it too ✨ Tomorrow we will close out the month with 1 last HP themed Date Night to wish Harry a Happy Birthday! 🎂