Lately I've been drawn towards the genre that I've always held close to heart; fantasy. While I've been reading lots of fantasy books in general, the ones I've enjoyed the most recently have been reminiscent of the series dear to many of us, Harry Potter.

I started by racing through the first two books in the Magisterium-series by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare. They follow the story of young Callum Hunt, who starts attending a magical school - sound familiar? Only this time, the story is set in *wild gasp* America, of all places.

For me, these books were mainly enjoyable because they're so reminiscent of the Harry Potter-books. Without that background, I honestly don't think I would have picked up a middle school read, which is what these books are. Having said that, I don't think they're bad books, in fact they're exactly what I needed at the moment: something that felt warm and comfortable, without having to be too serious.



The next fantasy book that I greatly enjoyed was The Magicians by Lev Grossman. If we continue with the Harry Potter metaphor, this novel is the story of Harry at college, featuring lots of alcohol and sex and other adult activities. Naturally, I found this description to be more relevant and realistic than both the Magisterium-series, as well as the original Harry Potter-books. It was refreshing to see a novel show both sides of this type of behavior, instead of either over-glorifying it or ranting about its dangers. The Magicians braved a tight-rope: it showed how "reckless" behavior can be fun, but that it can have negative consequences as well.


Furthermore, The Magicians appeals to the generation of readers who grew up with the Harry Potter books, but who would now be too old to attend Hogwarts: it allows us to continue living in the fairytale of our childhood.

-Laura