I think what turns a few folks off is that it is compared as a coming of age novel, yet a bit darker, than Harry Potter or Narnia. This is a little bit true (as someone that is currently re-reading HP with their eldest) but doesn't quite knock the nail on the head. This is something completely different - a little darker in the sense that not everything seems to work out as well, and that the characters are far from perfect and are not always all that likeable.
This was a surprisingly quick read - I had 250 pages to go on Friday and this is due at the library tomorrow.. I didn't quite see me finishing it time, but I did. This is the kind of book that warns you to be careful about what you wish for, and what happens when we keep running from ourselves. The magic that is learned in this book, isn't always done easily, and people pay a price for performing it. Mistakes happen. It can also been viewed as an academic pursuit, and it does delve in to what happens to magical families, or folks from non-magical families. This also delves in to another world that was at first just a fantasy, but which the characters find themselves a part of in the second half of the novel. This is a different coming of age novel, and I really enjoyed it for its differences. It isn't quite as enchanting as HP, but then again, it doesn't have to be. It is the first book of a trilogy, and I will continue to read them. It feels like the last year has been all about literature and fantasy books. This is one of the better ones.
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