Maria7976 29/12/2023
Magic!
If you?re like me then you?re probably also asking yourself, how do you go about reviewing such an iconic book series? Your guess is as good as mine ? I?m just going to muddle through as best I can. I know I won?t do it justice, but I can only do my best!
The thing is I love the most about these books is that it doesn?t matter how old you are when you start reading them. I grew up with these books, and I probably read Harry Potter and the Philosopher?s Stone either as a preteen or an early teenager. I read this book again for the first time since then last year. At around twice the age I was when I first read the book, I loved it just as much!
Whilst I would say the intended genre is probably young adult, at the same time it doesn?t feel pigeonholed there. There is so much to this series that there?s something in it for everybody! This very first book is comparatively lighthearted to the rest of the series. It?s a wonderful introduction to a vast and detailed magical world, providing fantasy readers with escapism and a life they would have loved to have lived as a child; to be quantified as special and sent off to a magical school of witchcraft and wizardry.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher?s Stone is only a few hundred pages long. It?s an easy book to pick up and read because of the length, but also the way in which it?s written. The narrative style is very easily digestible. Personally, I think you could easily pick up and put down the book as you wish. It?s really easy to follow what?s going on and it?s honestly a pleasure to read.
I like the pacing of Harry Potter and the Philosopher?s Stone. Being the first book in the series, there is a lot to take in. We have a lot of the setting of the scene, character and world building thrown into the mix. I find it just right so that even a younger audience could follow what is going on, but equally it?s not slow for more mature readers either. As well as all this, there?s a lot of magical excitement to keep our attention. From a plethora of spells to learn to the wonder of the everyday? such as chocolate frogs (which really do behave like frogs!); there is always something going on and keeping the action flowing in a fun way!
In my opinion, this book is the perfect introduction to the now famous series. It?s fun and exciting whilst also setting the scene for a much wider story. The story unfolds in ways that I didn?t take initially expect when I first started the books. But, I really enjoy that! If you haven?t read these yet then I honestly recommend you do. They are absolutely fantastic and they really are for absolutely anyone!