A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K Le Guin

A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 183

Publisher - Puffin

Source - I honestly can't remember (been on the shelve for years)

Blurb from Goodreads

Ged, the greatest sorcerer in all Earthsea, was called Sparrowhawk in his reckless youth.

Hungry for power and knowledge, Sparrowhawk tampered with long-held secrets and loosed a terrible shadow upon the world. This is the tale of his testing, how he mastered the mighty words of power, tamed an ancient dragon, and crossed death's threshold to restore the balance.



My Review

So this is my first time reading this author and I can't actually remember where I got the book but I finally picked it up. Ged, this is his story, apparently the best sorcerer ever (in Earthsea) so the book takes us across his lifetime. As a kid, learning magic and seemingly having a clear talent, he outgrows his initial teacher and gets an opportunity to train so of course he takes it (that part gave me a hint of Harry Potter style vibes). Whilst there is no denying he has a talent he also has pride and anger which gets him into scrapes and one particular blow up will follow him and danger is always afoot.

I LOVED the wee creature that befriended him, I liked that he had opportunities to train and develop but I think because the book is so thin we do go quickly past things that could have done with more depth.

There is jealousy (power rather than romantic, there isn't any romanceyness in this) its all magic, power and male pride. There is death and animal casualty which ALWAYS ruins a part of enjoyment of any story. Not graphic but it doesn't matter.

I did find it interesting but I would have liked more depth, it has hints of Lord of the Rings with a smidge of Harry Potterish but on a far lesser level. This is book one so it will be interesting to see what the other(s) do/cover, I won't be rushing out to buy them but I will read them if I come across them. A bit on the fence so a 3/5 for me this time.

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Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them by J K Rowling

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay by J.K. Rowling
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - < 3 hours

Pages - 293

Publisher - Arthur A Levine Books

Source - Bookstore

Blurb from Goodreads


When Magizoologist Newt Scamander arrives in New York, he intends his stay to be just a brief stopover. However, when his magical case is misplaced and some of Newt's fantastic beasts escape, it spells trouble for everyone…

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them marks the screenwriting debut of J.K. Rowling, author of the beloved and internationally bestselling Harry Potter books. Featuring a cast of remarkable characters, this is epic, adventure-packed storytelling at its very best.

Whether an existing fan or new to the wizarding world, this is a perfect addition to any reader's bookshelf.


My Review

First off, I am not a fan generally of screenplays, I would much rather a novel, however after The Cursed Child I found I could get into these, written by Rowling, quite easily. Everyone has seen the trailer for the movie, just in case you missed it, we head back to the wonderful world of magic. Newt Scamander is a Magizoologist (finds, protects and looks after rare/magical beasts), scouring the world to locate and help them. He arrives in fabulous New York and no sooner has he arrived when things go all wrong. Magic in front of muggles, saved magical creatures on the loose and that is only the beginning. Newt finds himself in big trouble and taking those with him down the same route!

It isn't Harry Potter that is for sure but instead we have another world filled with magic, good and bad, wizards, muggles (although they are called No-Majs this time), danger and best of all fabulous magical creatures. My absolute favourite was Picket and when you read the book you will see why, he doesn't have a huge part in the book which is disappointing, I would love to have heard more but I did love the small glimpses we had.

The book is only a short 293 pages and quite a few are filled with beautiful illustrations so the actual story isn't that long at all. I devoured it in about 3 hours, had I not had interruptions I would have got through it in an hour. If you liked The Cursed Child and the Potter books I am sure you will enjoy this. Beautiful images on the pages, I love the cover too, dark blue with beautiful gold writing and the writing itself is what we have come to expect from Rowling. She casts her own spell, creating a fictional world that you have no problems conjuring up in your mind and briefly escaping reality to dabble with a little bit of magic, 4/5 for me this time. If she brought out more of these I would read them however I would much prefer them to be novels!

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Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone by J K Rowling

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 310

Publisher - Scholastic

Blurb from Goodreads

Harry Potter thinks he is an ordinary boy. He lives with his Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia and cousin Dudley, who are mean to him and make him sleep in a cupboard under the stairs. (Dudley, however, has two bedrooms, one to sleep in and one for all his toys and games.) Then Harry starts receiving mysterious letters and his life is changed forever. He is whisked away by a beetle-eyed giant of a man and enrolled at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The reason: Harry Potter is a wizard! The first book in the "Harry Potter" series makes the perfect introduction to the world of Hogwarts.


My review

I have read this book about three times and cannot believe this is the first time I have reviewed it! Harry Potter lives with his aunt, uncle and cousin, the Dursleys, Harry has been an unwelcome guest since he was put upon the Dursleys after his parents died. Harry is unliked, unwelcome and above all just an ordinary boy or so the Dursleys would have him think. But as Harry's birthday approaches, he gets letters informing him he has been enrolled in Hogwarts School for witches and wizards. Life as Harry knew it is about to change, secrets about his family, who he is and learning just how dangerous being Harry Potter can be.

Oh I love this book, a tale of friendship, love, family, honour, secrets and magic, whats not to love. The book introduces us to poor Harry, a lovely boy who is treated so poorly by his family, they make him sleep in a cupboard under the stairs and have never gave him any kind of love or even respect as a human. Harry is then taken to a world where he is famous, a world full of magic and mayhem where he meets friends and finds out all about the magical world of wizardry.

This book is loved by kids and adults alike, I am currently re reading the whole series, Rowling has created some fabulous loveable and equally horrid and loathable characters. 5/5 for me, this book is a keeper for me and I will return again to it in the future.

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