The staff of The Reflector thought about our favorite entertainment from the 1990s and decided to review them. We just had one rule: They could only review what they hadn’t already seen, heard or read.
I confess that, at first, I was skeptical about reading “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.” However, I am glad to admit that I was wrong. Fearing that the books would somehow diminish my liking to the movies, I refrained from reading the books. However, after reading the first book in the series, I am hooked.
A major theme in “Harry Potter” is friendship, which is presented frequently through the development of the characters. One critique I do have regarding the novel is that the enemy attitude that Draco Malfoy and Harry seemed to develop awfully quickly. I understand that well-written novels need a secondary character that are antagonists to the story, but with a book that tries to be inclusive to all, it does seem to fall short there.
What I enjoyed the most was the continuous twists and turns throughout the novel. The narrative heavily focuses on Harry’s heritage which was both engaging and entertaining to see unfold within the pages. J. K. Rowling successfully carried the narrative throughout the book without over-explaining the characters or providing unnecessary details. I would recommend it to those who enjoy this particular genre of novels as well as those who enjoyed the movie series.
