I never read or attempted to read the first couple of Harry Potter books, so I can't comment on your observations above.
But two years ago, while on vacation with my mother and grandmother, I was stuck inside by a spell of bad weather with nothing to read (actually, that week was mostly bad weather so I'd already run through the books I'd brought) but my grandmother's copy of Goblet of Fire.
I couldn't get through it.
About a third of the way in, I just gave up and went to watch the rain on the sea across from our motel.
Now, everyone tells me how great the books are, how original, how interesting - but all I read was so trite, so familiar, so sterotype. Maybe if I hadn't read fantasy stories for so many years I would have thought the story had a lot of keen! new! kewl! ideas/characters/settings. But as it was, I found it was just yawn-worthy.
no subject
But two years ago, while on vacation with my mother and grandmother, I was stuck inside by a spell of bad weather with nothing to read (actually, that week was mostly bad weather so I'd already run through the books I'd brought) but my grandmother's copy of Goblet of Fire.
I couldn't get through it.
About a third of the way in, I just gave up and went to watch the rain on the sea across from our motel.
Now, everyone tells me how great the books are, how original, how interesting - but all I read was so trite, so familiar, so sterotype. Maybe if I hadn't read fantasy stories for so many years I would have thought the story had a lot of keen! new! kewl! ideas/characters/settings. But as it was, I found it was just yawn-worthy.