Reviews tagging 'Xenophobia'

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

11 reviews

laurajordensharris's review

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adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0


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neminemin's review

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2.0


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prashiie's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

“Call him Voldemort, Harry. Always use the proper name for things. Fear of a name increases fear of the thing itself.”

A fun book that not only provides us with a mystery, but also gives a proper introduction to the magic world and we're learning a lot about it alongside Harry Potter. The mystery itself is not very surprising, especially when you've seen the movie. But even if you hadn't, there were many hints in the story that pointed in the right direction. I was not shocked to find out that
Quirrell
was the villain. But let's not forget that this book was written for children and looking from that angle, I have to say that it's very well written. It didn't feel childish at all.

We first meet the Dursleys and they are so horrible! Unfortunately Harry had to live with them as his parents both died. They provide him with the bare minimum and seeing how they treat Harry just made my blood boil. It's great that he has the chance to go to Hogwarts where he becomes friends with Ron, Hermione and Hagrid. Ron and Hermione are both very pleasant characters. I laughed out loud at some of the things Ron said. Hagrid is very sweet and has a big heart but he can't really keep secrets.

In general, it was a fun book to read, but there are still some things that I found peculiar. Here it goes:
  • If Muggles don't know anything about the magic world, how would a Muggle child find Diagon Alley to buy everything he/she needs for school?
  • Harry Potter is so famous and everyone knows that he's the only one Voldemort couldn't harm. So who in their right mind would decide on detention in the Forbidden Forest so that they can find whatever is hunting and hurting unicorns? Even the centaur they meet says this forest is a bad place to be, especially for Harry Potter.
  • The teachers and the headmaster are supposed to keep the children safe, but the only one who actively looks out for Harry is
    Professor Snape
    . You'd expect Dumbledore to do a better job since he is the headmaster but he’s only there to save Harry at the end of the book. He kept a better eye on the Stone than he did on his students. So I'm not sure if I like Dumbledore. He can prove himself to me in the next few books.

Special house edition (Slytherin):
Loved the sprayed edges and the extra information about Slytherin! Though, I think it is more valuable for Harry Potter fans and less so for people like me who are reading it for the first time. The extras in this book give more insight into the series as a whole as opposed to only the first book and I still have a long way to go so not everything made sense to me. For example,
they mention Draco becoming a Death Eater (what the heck is that…?) in his sixth year at Hogwarts iirc
. I guess this will be important later on, but I have no idea what this is about. It could even be a spoiler.

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orchidlilly's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted mysterious relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0


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jannetommo's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A really fun low fantasy book. I keep rereading the entire series. 

Because Harry is also new in the wizarding world you get to learn everything together with him, making it easier to understand everything.
It’s really funny how Snape is like seen as the villain but he turns out to have saved Harry’s a$$ multiple times and absolutely isn’t the villain (although he isn’t a good person he still bullies children)

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kazofbooks's review against another edition

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dark hopeful lighthearted sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0


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warlockdorian's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0


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rini's review against another edition

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fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0


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skudiklier's review

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adventurous hopeful inspiring mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

I love these books but J.K. Rowling is garbage, and there are some issues with the books (fatphobia, racism, transphobia, sexism, etc.). I might recommend reading them because I do love them, but keep in mind that the author is terrible, and also don't support her financially. Get used copies, borrow them from friends, etc.

Edit: Also, now that I'm rereading them for the first time in a few years, I'm not sure I actually would recommend them to anyone new; if you don't have that preexisting attachment to them, and you're aware of how hurtful she is and how those views definitely impact the books, then I'm really not sure they'd have the same impact at all. 

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kingorgan's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This has been my first time reading this book since I was a young teenager. Now as a 24 year old I can see the flaws in this novel more clearly, as well as the inconsistencies that will become apparent in the next six books. But regardless it was fun to read and notice where my memories of what happened had been replaced by what happens in the movies instead. Definitely worth the reread. 

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