Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Fair Warning: This post will probably contain spoilers. This being my favorite series, I don't wanna have to watch what I say. I want to review it fully & not skirt around any details. Also, most people have already seen the movies. But, If you know nothing about Harry Potter, I suggest you stop reading this review and start reading the series. :)

I can't tell you how many times I have done a re-read on this entire series. But each time I do, I learn something new or I read something that I don't remember reading. It's awesome!!


Synopsis:
Harry is an 11 year old boy who lives with his Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon & Cousin Dudley. (Also known as the Dursley's) They pretty much hate Harry & are quite abusive towards him. Even though they don't physically abuse him, they make him live in a small cupboard under the stairs, they don't give him enough food, they make him wear Dudley's old raggedy clothes, they never spend a dime on him, & mostly they are verbally abusive. The reason why? Harry is a wizard. His parents died at the hands of the most vile & evil dark lord of all time, Voldemort. Voldemort also tried to kill Harry the night he killed his parents, but did not succeed. The Dursley's want nothing to do with magic, they despise it. They feel like Harry is a burden to them, so they take their anger out on him. Luckily, since Harry is a Wizard, he is accepted into the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry. After a few minor setbacks, a half-giant named Hagrid comes to retrieve him from the Dursley's “care” so that he can attend school. Here, Harry is thrown into a magical world that he knows nothing about. Rather quickly, he makes a friend named Ron Weasley & just as quickly he makes an enemy, Draco Malfoy. Harry and Ron also meet a girl named Hermione Granger, who they think is really annoying at first, but they form a close friendship with her after Ron hurts her feelings & they save her from a troll attack. Throughout this book, these 3 get into trouble a lot, but along the way they form an unbreakable bond. In the End, Harry comes face to face with Voldemort and stops him from regaining his power.

Okay, review time.

I absolutely adore this whole series. JK Rowling is (IMO) the most talented author ever. How does one come up with an entire world as descriptive as the Harry Potter universe? I know, I know...many authors do this, especially in the fantasy & sci-fi world. But, seriously! I have trouble naming my Sims, yet here she is making up names for schools, people, animals, potions, spells, objects...the list goes on and on. I've always been amazed by her writing ability & that will NEVER change.

Characters:

Harry Potter

I know it's been said before, but book Harry is so feisty!! I love it! He made me giggle quite a few times with his little off-hand comments. Harry is a great MC, he's honest, brave, kind, he has integrity, but what makes Harry so great to me though, is his loyalty. He will do anything for his friends, his school, hell, even just for the greater good. Since I have already read HP numerous times, it's very hard for me to write a review based on 11 year old Harry. In my mind, I've watched him grow & he's different from the boy you first meet in this book. So, with that being said, I'll just leave it at that.

Ron Weasley

In the later books, Ron is my favorite. But, I have loved his character since the beginning. He has most of the same qualities of Harry, he's loyal, honest and he has good morals. But he grew up in a large, loving household, whereas Harry did not. Even though Harry & Ron share a lot of the same character traits, they definitely have different personalities. I feel that Ron is more loyal to his friends than anything. Yeah, he'll help save the school, but he does it because he doesn't want his friends to do it alone. Ron is the prime example of a best friend.

Hermione Granger

Smart & Sassy! Hands down one of my most favorite female characters ever. I won't lie, when I first read this book I remember Hermione getting on my nerves because she was such a prude. She would stick her nose in Harry and Ron's business and give them advice they didn't think they needed. But without Hermione they would've been totally screwed, especially at the end! She is also very loyal, but she isn't an idiot. Luckily, she's there to make sure that Harry and Ron doesn't get themselves killed. (Or worse, Expelled!)

The Dursley's

These 3 are complete and utter trash. But Petunia...she's the worst. Let me tell you why:
1. She disowned her sister for no reason other than she was a witch.
2. She couldn't have cared less when Lily died and left her nephew an orphan. If Dumbledore hadn't dropped him off on their doorstep, they would've carried on with their lives like nothing ever happened.
3. She has always hated Harry just because he is his mother's child. Just think of little baby Harry crying because he just wants to be held, and her completely ignoring him. Or, when he was hungry and she let him cry until she was finally done dealing with her own son. Or, Harry crying in pain because they buy the cheapest diapers & wait to change him until he “fills it up” so they save more money?
4. They all just abuse the hell out of him & no one bats an eye.
I have just never understood how she could have no love whatsoever towards Harry. She is the most vile & cruel woman, and dare I say that she's worse than Voldemort?

The Weasley's

You will find no better family in this entire series. Mr. & Mrs. Weasley are the best. They are dirt poor, but they do everything that they can to provide a good life for their kids. Mrs. Weasley might be really strict, but she is the most loving and caring Mother that I have ever had the pleasure to read about. Mr. Weasley is very laid back and he works really hard to support his family. I love how they treat Harry as one of their own, they are exactly what he needed after living with the Dursley's for so long.

I literally could review 10+ more characters, but writing this review alone has gotten me behind on all of my other reviews. When I read and review the other HP books, they most likely won't be as long and as detailed as this but since this was the first, I felt that I needed to.

Parting thoughts: If you haven't read any of these, I STRONGLY encourage you to at least try them out. Maybe it's not your cup of tea? Cool, I won't understand why, but everyone has different tastes.

Until next time.