"Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J. K. Rowling || A Book Review & Book to Movie Comparison

I'm late for this train for more than a decade, but I finally jumped on it and I'm on it for the whole ride. I started the series and intend to end it -hopefully- within 2021. The "Sorcerer's Stone" is actually the only Harry Potter book I've read before, so it was actually a re-read. I read it for the first time back when I was a teen, more than 10 years ago (God, I'm old), and I enjoyed it quite a lot back then. I never continued with the series though, because back then it was kind of a big deal and I hated the hype around it, I didn't understand the hype so I stubbornly refused to read the rest of the series. As the years passed, I got this scary realization that even though I was a geek and an avid reader in general, there was one story I had no idea about, I could not participate in conversations about, I could not know or talk about it and therefore could not form an opinion and that annoyed me so much! I was already late the first time I read it but imagine after years passed and I actually got the desire to read it, and yet, I couldn't bring myself to the task. But this year was the year I finally got to it and here's my very late review! 

***RATING***

I remember enjoying it so much more the first time around, back then I'd have probably given it a higher rating, but now 3* seems enough and I can't rate it higher. This time around I didn't love it as much and I don't know if it is because it was a re-read, so I was bored because of that (which I don't think is the case, because I almost didn't remember any of it) or if I have outgrown it. I did feel at many points that I may be too old for this book but kept going anyway.

***REVIEW***POSSIBLE SPOILERS***

Rowling's writing is exceptional there is no doubt about that! Not only is it technically flawless, but artistically as well. She very successfully creates a unique atmosphere, which is characterized by a very familiar, warm, and cozy feeling which most readers can recognize and a lot of fans adore and keep coming back for. She sets a beautiful tone and manages to establish very distinct characters and character voices. The characters are memorable and distinct with very clear intentions, goals, and motives. They also feel very close, almost as if you know them and they're your friends already, Rowling has done that by giving them very familiar and real qualities and she hasn't made them merely likable, but actually interesting and layered. The worldbuilding is perfect, Rowling manages to make you immediately emerge into the world she's writing - whether that is the plain, boring muggle world of the Dursleys or the unbelievable magical one of Harry - the imagery is vivid, the magic feels real and each creature is unique. This book is a beautiful introduction to this world without failing to be a continuous adventure that escalates smoothly to the ultimate final adventure with great pacing and rhythm.

Though I did love the last 1/3 of the book and it really sucked me in, I had a little bit of a hard time with the first 2/3. During the first 2/3 of the book I slugged through it and it couldn't really keep my interest constantly throughout, but it rather made me feel like the interest was kind of "on and off". Like one moment I was super invested and the next I was a bit meh, then invested again, then not again and this was pretty much how I felt for the first 2/3 of the book. I can say that the last part of the book was definitely the most interesting, it had the best flow and was eventually what won me over about the book. The ending was beautiful and satisfying.

***BOOK TO MOVIE COMPARISON***SPOILERS***

It is widely considered that the first movie is the best adaptation of the book out of all the Harry Potter books/movies. I cannot yet form an opinion about the rest of the books and their adaptations as I've not read them yet, but I can surely say that it a very good adaptation. It is as faithful to the book as it could possibly be, transfers the story and message successfully, and depicts very well the overall atmosphere as well as the plot and characters. There are very few things that have been cut out, but it doesn't feel like anything significant is missing. That being said, the first movie is not my favorite, not even close, but as an adaptation it's good.

The characters in the movie are very close to the ones in the book, they feel like they are the same characters and they are well-made, so a successful interpretation of them nonetheless, but still, I liked the characters in the book way more than in the movies. In the book, Harry is very witty, smart, active, and kind of sassy, while in the movie he's not nearly as interesting and feels like a weaker version of the character and protagonist. Hermione is actually an annoying know-it-all in the book and you understand why others may dislike her while in the movie it feels like Ron is mean to her while she is not all that bad. And Ron is not only funny and likable but also resourceful and creative. They all feel like weaker versions of their own character in the movie. Their friendship feels very real, sweet, and heartwarming both in the book and the movie! 

One part of the book that I loved that wasn't in the movie (I wish it was though) was the Centaurs, their whole existence, how they were described it seemed so interesting to me and the whole meeting with Harry in the forest was one of my favorite parts of the whole book! I'd love to learn more about them in the other books and see them in more scenes.

One thing that I disliked in the book that was not in the movie (and I was glad it was removed) was Peeves. I have no idea if he becomes important later in the series, but up until now he's served no real purpose to the story and I didn't care for him, if anything I found him really annoying and wished he wasn't there.

One of my favorite scenes was towards the ending where Dumbledore talks with Harry. Their discussion not only reveals a lot about the story and characters but also helps develop plenty of characters. Also, Dumbledore's words are just pure wisdom and so quotable. So many beautiful and meaningful quotes I had to stop to take notes and I believe those are about to be even more in the next books as the story proceeds.

I also found the Quidditch scenes quite entertaining which I didn't expect at all. I always thought that the written descriptions were going to be boring, but they were funny and didn't feel like a flat description of a game. 

***END OF SPOILERS***

I'm surely going to be reading the rest of the series very soon and hopefully will get through it in 2021 (one of my bookish goals for the next year). I also have a very strong feeling that I am going to like the next ones more than the first so I'm very curious to get to them.

Thanks for reading!

"The Last Airbender: Prequel - Zuko's Story" || Book Review

This is the second book in the ATLA universe that I've read and I was really eager to read it. If you'd like to see what I thought of the first comic book in the series ("The Lost Adventures") you can check it out here.

Zuko is definitely my favorite character of the ATLA universe! I love him and his story to bits so when I discovered this book exists I had to read it as soon as possible! I could not leave it, I really wanted to learn more about his character and backstory!

It is a fun quick read but nothing exceptional. Maybe I feel that way because I expected more getting into it, then I saw that it was good but not as great as I hoped and got disappointed. There were parts of it that I loved and felt really believable and they really belonged with the actual story  (like the appearance of Guru Pathik which I thought was a very nice touch and a connection between Aang and Zuko before they even met). There were also a couple of scenes that I found really emotional like this masked guy Zuko met and what Iroh told Zuko near the end of the book. Then there were some parts that were not so great, that felt wrong, felt like they didn't belong or make sense or that they didn't agree with the main plot and the characters. For example, I always thought that even though Iroh failed at Ba Sing Se he was still an esteemed general, so I always thought that he went with Zuko by choice and despite the arguments of others, not that he was dispatched like this. This did not make sense for either Zuko's arc or Iroh's. There are moments that you feel that the characters wouldn't act this way, or that things would have happened differently.

However, the book manages to create a variety of feelings from pain and empathy for Zuko to anger and despair for all the problems he has to face. At moments it even makes you feel happiness and hope for the characters and for their future. So that was a strong point for the book.

My main problem was the art. I wasn't a fan of the black and white art and I also wasn't a fan of the designs. Obviously, I am not an expert in those things and this is only the second comic book I've read so I have no experience whatsoever, so excuse me if I'm wrong or if I'm missing some kind of artistic point, but I'm only expressing my opinion based on my taste and nothing more. So, back to what I was saying... One of my big complaints was that the characters (the designs) didn't resemble the actual characters (at least as we've known them in the show and other comic books) at all. I tried to look past this and read on, all the while imagining the characters in my head looking like they did in the show, but this still was something that I didn't like.

It does feel like fanfiction at times but not too much and overall it's an okay read. So, while there were things I disliked, I mostly enjoyed it so I decided to give it 3*. It goes by really fast, I read it in two sittings and - even with its advantages and disadvantages - it still holds your interest and attention throughout and it is quite enjoyable.