And what I loved about the Harry Potter world. Again Spoilers abound.
10. Inventive Names - Rowling has a gift for coming up with wonderful wacky names. Horce Slughorn. Dumbledore. Voldermort. Quidditch. They are fun to say and even better fun to see on the page.
9. Wizard school - She's not the first to write about students going to a wizard school but she's done it so well. I love the classes and felt like with every book she expanded on the school idea. The O.W.L.S were probably the best example of her taking a relate able concept and inserting it into her world.
8. Wands - At first the wands are just tools Wizards and witches use to conjure spells but as you learn they are actually alive, bound to only the wizard it chooses. This dynamic greatly gives mystery and depth to the story.
7. Casting - The casting for the films pretty much throughout is pitch-perfect.
6. The Ease to Read - Scholars will be debating for generations if these books are considered Great literature (I'm on the fence) but no one can't deny they're fantastic reads, perfect for almost any kind of reader. We need more of these kind of books.
5. Magic is so cool - I love books with magic and the magic in Harry Potter's world is special, playing off spells and concepts we've seen before but with just that bit of originality to be fresh. That's hard to do.
4. So many great characters - The real reason these books became a sensation isn't because of the story (although it's quite good), it's because of all the great characters she populated her world with that we all kept wanting to read about. Ron and Hermione are complete characters on their own right that balance out Harry's complexities. The teachers are worldly and diverse. And even side characters like Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood and Rita Seeker become as memorable as the principles. Some have compared her character building as Dickensesque and it's true: sometimes over the top and grotesque but always exactly what's needed for the story.
3. Many wonderful surprises - In almost every book Rowling found ways to surprise her readers. The twists and turns and discoveries are perfectly done. Whether it was finding out that Ron's rat was a Deatheater or that Harry was one of Voldermort's Horcruxes, she has a knack of being unpredictable. It takes a wonderful storyteller to consistently do this so magically.
2. The Death Toll - Rowling isn't a coward. She killed off characters big and small and I applaud her for not taking the easy route and keeping alive popular characters. In war good guys die and she understood this. This is why there's a sense of danger with every turn of the page.
1. Harry - Harry Potter is flawed. He makes bad choices. He gets unreasonably angry at times. This is why we relate to him and continue to root for him. We sympathize with him. He has a good soul but he's human. This balance is not easy but Rowling found a way. Has it ever been more fun to experience a character grow up? I don't think so.
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