Comment

Mar 05, 2021bezoarbezoarbezoar rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
It's impossible for me to review this book objectively. The Harry Potter series has such a special place in my heart. It is what gave me my love of reading. I am working to reconcile my love for the series with my disappointment in its author and her harmful rhetoric towards trans people. If anyone is interested in reading thoughtful reflection on that disappointment, I encourage you to check out what Daniel Radcliffe has said about the issue. I am trying to re-read the series before my very first trip to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in a week (something I have been looking forward to since the parks were first announced in 2007) and I kicked off my reading with the illustrated edition of book 1. I had never read this edition before, and it was a treat! I loved examining the full-color pages closely so I could find easter eggs (there's a deathly hallows symbol hidden in the leaky cauldron's sign! all the names carved in the restricted section!) and I had a great time showing this copy to my 10-year-old cousin who is also a big Potter fan. While I loved the new experience of reading a familiar book with a new and creative interpretation, it was easy to see how the illustrator was influenced by the movies. While there's nothing wrong with that (and perhaps there's only so many way to interpret Rowling's descriptions) it would have been interesting to see the books take a different direction with some of the design of the buildings, wizarding items, etc. I don't have copies of the other illustrated editions readily available, but someday (when they are all released) I'd love to do a read-through of only the illustrated editions to see how the characters change throughout the series and what other easter eggs I can find.