Oh my goodness, what a breath of fresh air! I received this book as a Christmas gift and when the gifter told me it's comparable to Harry Potter, my little heart fluttered in excitement. And I'm proud to report back that YES, this book DOES in fact remind me a lot of my childhood reading the HP series! It's filled with magic and humor and incredibly fantastic creatures. What I loved even more is that it's not as HEAVY as Harry Potter (at least, not yet). I absolutely adored the characters and the story and I'm moving straight on to #2. If you're in the mood for a YA fantasy to escape into, this is it!