The Harry Potter franchise is massive in scope. Seven books, eight movies, a plethora of video games, countless Lego sets, and even a large section of Universal Studios is dedicated to Harry Potter. 

On top of all this, Harry Potter fans are probably one of the most die-hard fan bases out there. They take their love for “The Boy-Who-Lived” to the extreme. I once watched a video of a woman collapsing to her knees with tears running down her cheeks because she was seeing the Harry Potter section in Universal for the first time. 

I wanted to know what J.K. Rowling sprinkled into those books that made them so compelling to people. With the way millennials treat Rowling’s works – as if Holy scripture – these must be some of the best books ever written, right? At the very least, they must be there with J.R.R. Tolkien’s work in Lord of the Rings?

Now I must admit, here might be where I made a mistake. I watched all eight of the movies before even picking up the first book. I know I have committed a Holy Crime amongst Potterheads, but I am busy and do not have nearly enough time to read seven novels. 

Regardless, I enjoyed the series. I think there were some lows, but the highs were high enough to balance the lows out (I plan to rank all 8 films in due time). I could see why people went so insane for these movies. 

After watching the films, I felt compelled to read the books. I found my brother’s old copy of Sorcerer’s Stone and cracked it open – and I just couldn’t stop reading. I read 100 pages in a day. Then another 100. And soon I found that I was actually reading for enjoyment – something I had not done since my days in middle school. 

I finished the book in four days. I found it to be charming and wholesome, and I completely see why people obsessed over these books in the 90s. Hogwarts sounds amazing – like every kid’s dream. The Great Hall is lit up solely by floating candles where incredible-sounding feasts are held, the corridors are riddled with secret passageways and moving paintings, and of course, the classrooms where you learn magic of all kinds. The books do a perfect job of creating the most fantastical scene ever. 

Not only is the setting loveable, but so are the characters. Hagrid is by far my favorite with his tall stature yet kindhearted nature. Harry Potter is also a character you can’t stop rooting for. I mean, the boy has nothing going for him his whole life but randomly gets a letter saying he’s a wizard. You can’t stop yourself from rooting for him. 

I completely see now why this book franchise has touched the hearts and minds of millions. Frankly, the book rekindled my enjoyment of reading and has made me desire to read more frequently. I will definitely being picking up the next in the series shortly.