Harry Potter

The basics:

1. The Sorcerer's Stone-309 pages
2. The Chamber of Secrets-341 pages
3. The Prisoner of Azkaban-435 pages
4. The Goblet of Fire-734 pages
5. The Order of the Phoenix-870 pages
6. The Half Blood Prince-652 pages
7. The Deathly Hallows-759 pages

I came to this series skeptical and expecting not to like it. That I enjoyed the first book says a lot. It was well written and engaging. The main characters lacked the dynamite that seems a given in such an epic series ( I found their constant bickering a tad annoying), but they were still passable. I enjoyed the descriptive passages and finished the book satisfied.
I intended to leave it at that, but a nephew had other ideas.So I rallied my stamina and read the rest of the series.
Books 2-5 could have been condensed into one book. The events quickly became monotonous and the ever increasing page length left me frustrated. I would catch myself skimming paragraphs instead of absorbing them (Yes, yes, the Quidditch match was exciting. Get on with it.). There were important scenes in each book, but I had trouble justifying the amount of time I had to spend to reach each nugget. After book five, I had Potter fatigue and needed a break. If I had read each book as it came out, that might have been different. I might have anticipated each new segment and relished the length, but I doubt it.
Book 6 seemed to get the volume size a little bit more under control and the story moved forward much better. By the end, I really needed to read book 7 (although I am uncertain still if it was because I wanted to know what happened or because I could finally see the light at the end of a very long tunnel.). Book 7 wrapped up all of the loose ends pretty well and saw the conclusion to some decent character development. All of them came away changed by their conflict (with the exception of Hermione, who seems to have come out unscathed-a minor transgression).
Throughout, the writing could have been a little tighter for my taste, but it stayed relatively clean. For the most part, it was a gratifying 4100 pages.

From a Christian's perspective, it could have been worse. Yes, the book involves magic (dark and otherwise), wizards and mythological creatures.Yes, some of the scenes are a bit graphic (especially for a visual person). No, I don't think these books are for everyone (my kids would have to be much older before I would consider letting them read them). But they could have been much darker and more sinister. With that in mind, I have no intention of watching the movies. Discretion is key.