Every Harry Potter Book Ranked From Worst To Best

2. The Goblet Of Fire

Coming in the middle of the series, Goblet of Fire - as mentioned earlier - works as a brilliant bridge between the more wonder-filled earlier novels and the considerably darker later ones. It blends those two elements, crafting something that stands quite alone as far as the story goes (until the end, anyway).

After four years of Hogwarts being the bulk of the wizarding world as we knew it, the fourth instalment greatly expands things, via both the Quidditch World Cup and the Triwizard Tournament. The former is those is a particular joy, getting to see wizards in a totally different setting and the game on a different scale, while introducing the excellent Ludo Bagman.

The jubilation of the World Cup sharply pivots into the weightier drama that would encompass the series after this book, and there's a great balance between the humour and the more serious elements here.

It does a job job of developing its characters, in particular the central trio and their relationships, while the tournament offers up a slice of grand wizardry and spectacle, along with plenty of big surprises along the way.

It is still a little longer than perhaps necessary - the S.P.E.W. storyline stands out as one that's not as interesting as the others - and the (slight) downside to the tournament was it drawing so much attention away from Hogwarts.

They're small irritants when compared to how much great stuff is in this book though, which builds to its pulsating, heartbreaking finale.