Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter #1) by J.K. Rowling

Title: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Author: J.K. Rowling
Series: Harry Potter #1
Genre: Fantasy/Young Adult

Rating: 4/5

Harry Potter has never played a sport while flying on a broomstick. He’s never worn a Cloak of Invisibility, befriended a giant, or helped hatch a dragon. All Harry knows is a miserable life with the Dursleys, his horrible aunt and uncle, and their abominable son, Dudley. Harry’s room is a tiny cupboard under the stairs, and he hasn’t had a birthday party in ten years.
But all that is about to change when a mysterious letter arrives by owl messenger: a letter with an invitation to a wonderful place he never dreamed existed. There he finds not only friends, aerial sports, and magic around every corner, but a great destiny that’s been waiting for him… if Harry can survive the encounter.

Review:

I feel like one of the last people in the world who hasn’t read the Harry Potter series. When it first came out I just didn’t think it would fit my reading personality. Then when I ventured into the Book Blogging world EVERYONE seemed to have read this series and LOVED it. So I held off because I didn’t want to read it and have it NOT live up to the high expectations I had for it. I’m glad that I finally came to my senses and I’m FINALLY taking the time to read this series.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone starts off when Harry is a baby, shortly after You-Know-Who has murdered Harry’s parents. Then the next time we see Harry he’s a young adult living a miserable existence with the Dursley’s his emotionally abusive Muggle aunt, uncle and cousin. The older Harry is getting the more weird things are happening and he doesn’t know why. See he’s been led to believe that his parent’s were killed in a car accident which is NOT true at all. See young Harry is a wizard, he just doesn’t know it yet.

Then the letter from Hogwarts arrives and things start to get a little clearer for Harry.

This is also the point in the book where I really started to get into it. At the beginning of the book I was really lukewarm on what I was reading. I thought that the characters up to that point were pretty alright and well-developed, I was just not enjoying the slow pace of the beginning of the book. But when the letters from Hogwarts start arriving and Uncle Vernon goes a little whack-a-doo that is when I became really invested in the book. This is also the point where a whole host of new characters are introduced to us. My personal favorite is Hagrid. He’s this big loveable “giant” that is sent to make sure that Harry makes it to Hogwarts on time.

Once Harry is at Hogwarts there’s a whole bunch of new characters that keep the pace of the story chugging along and kept me interested. George and Fred Weasley are AWESOME and are good for a giggle here and there. Ron and Hermione become Harry’s constant companions and then there is Draco Malfoy….I just want to punch that kid in the face! I have a love/hate relationship with him. In that I LOVE to HATE him. The teachers at Hogwarts are pretty great too. Even evil Professor Snape.
The most interesting part of the second half of the book was the introduction of Quidditch. Which is the favorite game of the magic world. I thought that the Quidditch was well described and the training and games were well written in the book.

Then there is the twist at the end. I NEVER saw that coming at all. Just when I thought I knew who the bad guy was this twist is thrown in just to say “nope you’re wrong.”

Overall, I’m pleasantly surprised by this first book in the series. I wish the beginning of the book had moved a long a little faster than it did but it didn’t prevent me from liking the book any less. I thought that characters in this book were well-developed and well written too. There wasn’t a TON of action in this book but it’s also the first book in the series and the author is building up EVERYTHING that is Harry Potter for later books so I’m letting it slide this time.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter #2) by J.K. Rowling

Title: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Author: J.K. Rowling
Series: Harry Potter #2
Genre: Fantasy/Middle Grade

Rating: 4/5

Ever since Harry Potter had come home for the summer, the Dursleys had been so mean and hideous that all Harry wanted was to get back to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. But just as he's packing his bags, Harry receives a warning from a strange, impish creature who says that if Harry returns to Hogwarts, disaster will strike.

And strike it does. For in Harry's second year at Hogwarts, fresh torments and horrors arise, including an outrageously stuck-up new professor and a spirit who haunts the girl's bathroom. But then the real trouble begins - something is attacking Hogwarts students, turning them into stone. Could it be Draco Malfoy, a more poisonous rival than ever? Could it possibly be Hagrid, whose mysterious past reveals dark secrets? Or could it be the one everyone at Hogwarts most suspects ... Harry Potter himself!
 

Review:

I was worried that The Chamber of Secrets was going to suffer from "second book syndrome."  I was pleasantly surprised that I was entirely wrong.  I think that even though this book started off a little bit slow, just like book one, that it progressed at a pretty decent speed as well.  There was a TON more action in this book than there was in book one!

Harry has just spent a MISERABLE summer with the Dursley's and is ITCHING to go back to Hogwarts.  Counting down the days! He's worried about his friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, he hasn't heard from them all summer.  While on his summer vacation we are introduced to Dobby the house elf.  Dobby delivers some disturbing news to Harry but that doesn't deter Harry from going back to school.

There are several new characters that are introduced in this book, one of which is Ron's little sister Ginny.  Then there is Gilderoy Lockhart, who I have a love/hate relationship with...in that I LOVE to Hate him.  He's such a miserable character and once the truth is known about him I disliked him even more!

What I really enjoyed about this book was that NOTHING was set in stone.  Just when you thought you had it figured out there was a twist delivered that totally derailed your thought process.  When "stuff" hits the fan and things get so interesting that I literally could not put this book down it was an AWESOME feeling. Even HARRY is accused of all the bad things that are happening at the school!  Once the final twist is dealt and we've figured out where the Chamber of Secrets is at I could not wait to see what happened next.  I was quite surprised to see who the actual bad guy was in this book and how he was dealt with.  Great stuff ladies and gents!

Overall, I can honestly say that though not my favorite Harry Potter book so far, it was definately good.  I can only see this series getting better as Harry ages and becomes a more experienced wizard!

Into the Dreaming (Highlander #8) by Karen Marie Moning

Title:  Into The Dreaming
Author: Karen Marie Moning
Series: Highlander #8
Genre:  Paranormal Romance/Historical Romance

Rating: 4/5

Aspiring romance novelist Jane Sillee was completely in love with her fantasy man -- the hot and strapping dark-haired Highlander who d been coming to her in her dreams for years and inspired her sensual flights of literary fancy.

But it was more than her imagination that conjured up the brilliantly woven tapestry sporting the spitting image of her magnificently arrogant warrior. It was more than a dream that transported her to medieval Scotland to break an evil spell. And it was more than she could handle when she found herself wrapped in the muscular arms of Aedan MacKinnon, who had his own fantasies to fulfill...

Review:

I read this book in one sitting.  I enjoyed this book so very much.  It's the eighth book in Karen Marie Moning's Highlander series but it can defiantly be read as a stand alone.

What I enjoyed about this book was that it had different elements mixed into it.  There were paranormal romance elements and then there were historical romance elements too.  I haven't read any of the prior books in the Highlander series so I wasn't sure what to expect when I sat down with my Nook and read this one.  Let's just say that I was happy with the outcome.

Each of the characters has a set of their own demons.  Aedan has been bound to the Unseelie King for roughly 500 years and Jane is an aspiring author who is having issues getting her book noticed by publishers.  Then the Seelie Queen gets involved and things get really interesting for our main characters.

I really enjoyed reading about the involvement of the Seelie Queen and the Unseelie King.  Not only do they have involvement with our main characters it does seem that these two have a history together.

Aedan at the beginning of the book is a bit of a tyrant and it makes it very easy to not like him.  Then Jane comes along and turns his world upside down, whether he liked it or not.  As Into The Dreaming progressed I really enjoyed seeing Aedan grow out of being a tyrant and grow into a loving, caring individual.  I really liked Jane a lot.  She's thrust back in time and gets stuck with this lunatic tyrant and she's bound and determined to make him love her because they have met before.....In the Dreaming.

There wasn't all that much that I didn't like about this book.  I'm actually having a hard time coming up with something that I didn't really care for.  I guess the one thing that really stands out to me at this point is the length.  I thought that this was a full length novel and it's more of a novella.  Which is fine but I did think it was a little short.  Overall, I'm beyond happy that I picked up the book.  I you haven't read this book or anything by Karen Marie Moning please do.  This is a really great book and author!