A review by annuloeb
James Potter and the Hall of Elders' Crossing by G. Norman Lippert

3.0

The beginning was intriguing. The development of the plot was good - using imagery from Rowling's books and explaining it even further, like for example how apparition really works. The fact that we get to know characters from other houses was a great idea and really refreshing, something I missed in the original Potter stories. The fact that we get to enjoy Snape's continuing 'presence' in painting-form is a major bonus.
On the downside - to me - the fact that Lippert is North American really shows as there are a lot of American characters popping up and the language is not quite the same as Rowling's.
Even though I enjoyed reading it I must say the culmination and the end were a bit of a disappointment because everything happened and got resolved too quickly. It felt too easy. There was very little gut-wrenching suspense and - unlike Harry Potter books - no real life-threatening situations nor super evil nemesis. So my main critique is that parts of the development were not realistic. I would however consider reading the next book to see what sort of 'bad stuff' he will come up with next and hope that he will master the skills of 'suspense'.