4.0

Going into this first book of the James Potter series, I really didn't know what to expect. I mean, I love the Harry Potter series, and the idea of reading fan fiction was a little unsettling for me. I mean, on one hand, it could be a totally amazing book that brings back all of the fun, excitement and, well, magic, of the Potter franchise.....or, it could, you know, suck.

In the end, I decided to give it a go. After all, the book is a free download, so there was nothing to lose.

So how did it turn out? I think it is a really excellent piece of fan fiction.

Ok, ok, cannon police, you can stop throwing the tomatoes at me, I agree with you, there are some problems:

* As implied by the above statement, there are canon problems....
Spoilerfirst years wouldn't be taking classes like divination. First years wouldn't be bunking in the same dorm as older students...nor would they have classes together. I was deeply troubled by the fact that students of different houses were hanging out in each other's common rooms....I mean, I know time has passed since Harry Potter's time at the castle and rules change, but it seems like a big shift and a security risk....I mean for instance, why have a password for Gryffindor tower if Zane a Ravenclaw and Ralph a Slytherin can hear James say it?
There are others, but those were the items that are coming to mind right now.

* The American voice. Now, I now that the author is American, but I think it would have done the manuscript a world of good to be run past a Brit so it could have been checked for regional colloquialisms and such.
Also, I found it strange that the American characters in the book sounded a little on the...cartoonish (for lack of a better word) side...they seem over exaggerated. If the rest of the characters had been a bit more Brit and the Americans the way the rest of the book reads, it might have been better,

* Another voice problem is that the characters don't seem age appropriate. James and his friends sound like they could easily be four years older than the 11 years they are supposed to be. One really great thing about the original series is how well the characters aged throughout the 7 books. There is a very big difference between Harry at 11 and Harry at 17.

So if there is so much to complain about, why the high rating?

Because this book was fun!

The plot was original and believable within the Potter world. I was engaged as a reader, and wanted to know what would happen next. Frankly, it was just so exciting to be back at Hogwarts that I didn't care
Spoilerif first years and seventh years were in class together or if James was allowed to lounge around in the Slytherin dungeons.
It didn't matter. You can change all of the above aspects of a book with an editor, but you can't make someone a good writer. This is a well written effort and I look forward to reading the rest of the series.