Reviews

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

natashatsimbler's review against another edition

adventurous inspiring mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

thesimplereader's review against another edition

4.0

4 ⭐️ 2013
Anyone who didn't grow up reading Harry Potter as a child (myself included) should start NOW! It's never too late to be inducted into Hogwarts Academy and imagine yourself roaming the stone-laid steps of the grounds with Harry, Hermione, and Ron.

4 ⭐️ 2023
10 years later, reading Harry Potter still feels like being a child at Christmas, making chocolate covered pretzels listening to classic holiday music.

lettersbylily's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted 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? N/A

3.0

stuffhanreads's review against another edition

4.0

Now, I haven't delved into the wizarding world for a long while, so I decided to bring out my illustrated version of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, which is very pretty. Of course with childhood favourites, the writing just doesn't hit the same when you read it as an adult and that's how I feel about this book. The nostalgia mixed with the illustrations made me rate this higher than I would've without.
I couldn't get into it as much as I used to, I felt like it got boring around the middle and it was one of those books that felt rushed. The time skips were rather large, though I can't fault it too much it is directed towards children. I feel like the further I go with this reread the more I'll feel like the writing is better. Since this was a series made for a growing child, each book gets darker, as a child gets older.
Overall, a solid 4/5 stars including a star for illustrations and nostalgia. So a middle 3/5 without.

jeanniebrown's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted 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? Yes

5.0

emadams93's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

5.0

hhanock's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted 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

4.5

schumachr's review against another edition

2.0

i (re)read this for my british cultures seminar. i don’t remember what my first impressions of this book and universe were since it’s been almost a decade since i read it for the first time. however, it’s definitely not as good as i remember it being. it’s not a bad book by any means, but i do think it’s interesting (and something that we discussed in my seminar) how rowling simultaneously tries to be progressive while also creating new ways of discrimination and tradition keeping (ex. why can’t hermoine be a wizard? how does the inherent classism effect the rest of the story? etc). i probably won’t read the rest of the series again, because i forgot how annoying ron is lol.

cali's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

wherewolf37's review against another edition

adventurous funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious fast-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? It's complicated

5.0