For context, I’ve watched all of the films before, they’re fun naman but not as remarkable as everyone claims it to be. So, when I was around 14-15 years old, I decided to read the book. I was halfway book 1 and I cannot for the life of me continue.
Mind you, I’ve read all of Cassandra Clare’s books at around the same age and many other fantasy series. So I just don’t quite understand myself why I can’t get into Harry Potter.
I’m thinking of giving it another chance. I’m 24 now by the way. Do you think it’s gonna be worth it?
by blackth0rn3
38 Comments
The same thing happened to me. I gave it a shot when it first came out and I just didn’t care. Then, I picked it back up at your age (24) and I loved every moment. Give it another shot. My bet is that you like it.
they are children’s books, maybe just try something that’s more stimulating
I enjoyed every book and every movie. I sat in the movie theater and felt joy.
The problem with Rowling, well, a problem anyway, is how inconsistent she is as a writer.
She has some very strong worldbuilding, and a knack for real emotional punches in the latter half of the series. But she also has bad plot devices, inconsistent quality of writing, and transitions shambolically from a kids magical mystery writer to edgy YA fantasy writer.
So if you didn’t like it as a kid, I doubt it’s going to be a more enjoyable read as an adult. It’s fascinating as a piece of cultural zeitgeist though.
meh – I found them annoying. Like everything Harry did was perfect and everyone loved him, except for the people who didn’t and they were clearly flawed or wrong or imperfect. He is like the golden boy at school who everyone thinks can do no wrong, and therefore consistently overlooks it when he does.
Not everyone can like everything
Maybe try the audiobook version instead if you’re determined to give it another shot.
the 1st book isn’t very good. it’s boring. if you can make it through that one the rest of them are a lot better. one of my little sisters all time favorite series, and when she suggested i read it that’s what she mentioned to me. get past the 1st book and you’re golden.
I tried the series for the first time as an adult and gave up half way through book 4. They’re fairly dull and the dialogue is terrible. I was kind of shocked at how mid they are compared to all the hype surrounding them.
they’re books for 12 year olds
To be frank, I don’t think someone in their mid-20’s coming to those books for the first time is going to get much out of them, particularly because they’re not getting that tailwind of nostalgia to prop up their enthusiasm. It’s children’s literature.
I grew up with Harry Potter but if I started reading it now as an adult I don’t think I’d like it, way too childish
They’re just not well written. If you didn’t like them at 14, no way are you going to at 24.
I turned 36 a week ago. As a kid I couldn’t get into it the way my friends and peers did. I remember tuning out while my 6th grade teacher read the Sorcerer’s Stone to the class and I never went out of my way to watch the movies unless my friends or teachers put them on. However over the last month I started listening to the audiobooks on Libby (because I refuse to give a dime to She Who Must Not Be Named). I can’t say I find them life changing and some parts are problematic but I do find them enjoyable so far. Your mileage may vary
Why would you want to get into harry potter *now* of all times, anyways?
I mean, you can try, and maybe you’ll like them this time round, but don’t be surprised if you’ve aged out.
I honestly had no idea about Harry Potter until I went with a friend who wanted a copy of…I think it was the 5th book had come out. Wasn’t interested then, but ended up buying the 6th book when she got hers and proceeded to borrow books 1-5 from her before reading the 6th book. So I didn’t actually start reading the books until I was 19 or 20 years old. If you can’t get into the first book again, just enjoy the movies. No shame in that.
It would definitely be worth it to read them. Whether or not you’ll succeed is unknown. If you decide you don’t like book one and don’t finish it, it’s no big deal. Life goes on.
I mean it is written by a catlady for young children
I started the first one at 17, read part of it, kind of liked it. Picked it up again months later when weirdos were going on about banning it because it promoted witchcraft. Read them all as they came out after I finished the ones that existed. I didn’t really get excited about it until book 3. However, at some point it was just enjoyment of the world, what comes next, and, most importantly, the online communities that sprung up. Harry Potter was really the first and possibly only fan community I was involved with. And it was because it grew with the internet.
You don’t have to like it. I liked it because I like boarding schools/friends/British kids. The guy who did the potterless podcast drove me crazy because he wasn’t really a reader and goes on and on about my least favorite sport, basketball.
Read whatever you want.
I started reading Harry Potter when was about 12-13 so after the first movie came out. My sister, 4 years younger than I am, started reading thanks to Harry Potter. I would finish the books and she would read it after me.
I do have a lot of fond memories of the books, and around the book. Like my sister gifting me the third book for my birthday and me reading it in one go on the same day. Or when the last book came out, we were so excited we couldn’t wait to finally be able to buy it and read it. We were also fan of the movies, so my parents would take us to the cinema to watch them.
To me they were great fun. Unfortunately, I actively dislike the author now so it kind of put a damper on everything and I’ve lost interest in everything Harry Potter. That, and the fact that I am 33 now so that’s a long time to still keep the same level of excitement for one thing. I don’t believe I would read them now, but growing up I thought they were the best thing ever.
Honestly I don’t know what to say. For me, Harry Potter was shown to me by a librarian in 2000 who knew I was a bookish kid who got bullied a lot. There was really nothing like it.
For me, Harry Potter was the zeitgeist of late-millennial young adult literature. I really don’t know how people get into now.
Each book is basically written to the age level of the characters at the time. So, books 1-2 especially are children’s books (like even using sillier names for objects that have sophisticated names in later books). Books 3-4 are where they start to grow up and bit and are more YA. And 5-7 are much more complex and more interesting for adults. You have to push through the first 2-3 to get to the stuff you’ll probably be more interested in at 24. You could also do the audiobooks for those first ones instead?
Also, the movies leave out so much that make the books amazing, but you won’t be fully lost if you just start on book 3 or 4 if you’ve seen the movies. The personalities of the characters are a little bit adapted to the actors (justice for Ron and Ginny! And screw Snape!) and there’s no peeves and you’ll miss a few of the really cool story building details and call back moments though.
I never got into them as a teen either. Probably cause I didn’t really read. I’m 30 now and started Harry Potter this year and honestly I’ve been enjoying them. I think it’s worth giving them a 2nd chance.
I’ve been using audiobooks though since I don’t have time to sit down and read.
The first two really stand out as meant for children but by book 3 (Prisoner of Azkaban), that’s when adults start getting hooked into it.
I like the first few books but the quality really does decline as the series goes on. She really needed a better/more aggressive editor. And on my recent adult re-read, I really was not as impressed with the books as I was as a kid.
I was gifted my first HP book as a university student and it was enjoyable enough. As the series progressed, my interest decreased. The books could have been shorter. I tried reading the last installment — twice — before I DNFed. Not every book/series works for everyone. If HP doesn’t do it for you, move on guilt-free.
Well, for one, the Shadowhunter Chronicles aren’t even comparable to Harry Potter. They are way more entertaining and have more depth and good storylines. All that aside, I agree with you. I felt bad that I didn’t like Harry Potter like everyone else, but it just didn’t draw me in like other book series managed to do. I accepted that and just read what I liked.
The books age up as you go and the first is for kids. I’ve read the series twice but the first book is not great.
nope! I got about two chapters in first book and shelved it ever since!
Don’t. Go get books more suitable for your age, and if at all possible, not written by a bigot.
Oh no, the movies aren’t the best by any means. The first book is pretty cringy but it’s also a children’s book. They weren’t considered “young adult” until book 4. I personally feel the books pick up around book 3. The second one is an improvement over book 1, but Azkaban is my favorite so I’m a bit biased.
I was the same age as Harry during each book when I read them, so the series really resonated with me and had an impact on my reading life. And obviously culturally the series made a huge impact. But I can absolutely understand why someone just starting them in adulthood can’t get into them. It’s the same reason a lot of people have a hard time reading middle grade or YA, it’s just not as relevant to their perspectives now as adults. And the books do have their problems, which is definitely more obvious to an adult who’s cultivated their taste a lot more.
I read the books as they came out and really liked them, but I was seven when I was reading the first book. Until around book four, they’re very clearly written with younger children in mind. It might be you’re just at an age where you won’t be able to get into the series.
I was a huge fan of the books as a kid and still occasionally enjoy dabbling in new related content that is released (games, videos, etc.) However, I recently took an honest and candid look back at them and was able to easily admit to myself the books are just… *not* that well written. They’re children’s books, of course, so an adult who didn’t get to enjoy them as a child would have a hard time getting into them later in life. That doesn’t necessarily make them bad, of course.
Some of the more interesting characters are glossed over, while the most boring are heaped with praise for, essentially, nothing. Harry himself isn’t a very engaging or relatable character – especially if you’re older than the target demographic of children/teens/young adults (a big stretch on that one).
Truthfully, I think the series suffers from a similar problem as Star Wars, for example, in my opinion. The world the story is set in is fun, exciting, and interesting, we’re just experiencing one small story in that vast expanse that isn’t that thrilling. As is evidenced by the wild success of Harry Potter and Star Wars media that focuses on other characters and an extended story universe in general.
I get the same problem with cult classic films that most people saw as a kid, and thus have fond memories of, so they’re highly recommended (I experienced this with The Princess Bride, and Labyrinth). It’s not that the films were *bad*, necessarily, I just wasn’t in the target demographic anymore and found I didn’t enjoy them as much as folks said I would.
I’d recommend perusing some of the related Wizarding World content if you’re still interested in trying, and maybe try the books again at some point down the road. If you never get inspired to try them again, not everything is for everyone, and that’s alright. 😁
Just leave long-time readers to revel in the nostalgia and find something better catered to you.
They’re books for children, so no, it’s not surprising that an adult cannot get into them
I would say with 80% certainty that it will not be worth it.
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