Harry Potter vs. Riordanverse (Contains Spoilers!)

DISCLAIMER: There will be spoilers for all Harry Potter and Percy Jackson books!

The Riordanverse and Harry Potter book series are two book series that are absolutely loved by fans and fellow bookworms. Fans of the two book series however, are often clashing, especially when it comes to which series is better. Whether it’s about the plot or the characters, fans are often defending their side with reasons so convincing that it was decided that they should be included in this article. Every person is entitled to their own opinion, so please don’t take anything to heart. 

Character Development:

When it comes to character development, a majority of the fans state that Rick Riordan wins this one. He manages to develop all of his characters in a way that JK Rowling was never able to. One fan stated, . “Rachel was more than just the main character’s ‘love interest’. She had her own story, her own reason for doing things, and her own path. She was more than a girl who had a crush on Percy and [somewhat] caused a love triangle. She was also the Oracle, and played a part in the Prophecy of Seven. JK Rowling however, gives her side characters little or no development, with the only characters like Harry, Hermoine, Ron, Neville, and Draco getting character arcs or development. Ginny, for example, was just a girl who had a crush on Harry, and was the sister of Harry’s best friend.”  

Villains:

Though there are many types of villains in the PJO series, we will only be tackling the mortal villains in the series. This section has had many fans split. Many Harry Potter fans have claimed that the “Villains in pretty much all of Rick Riordan’s books are from mythology while JK Rowling had to make up her villains” – therefore stating that the villains in Harry Potter are better than those in Percy Jackson. Percy Jackson fans however, have rebutted with, “Luke Castellan… is an amazing example of how a villain is fully developed and has a total characterization. At the end of The Last Olympian, the reader feels devastated that Luke has died. We knew virtually his whole life story, from when he ran away until he died. We knew what motivated him, we knew what caused him to abandon the way of the gods, and we know what was keeping him under Kronos’ control…” Another fan has stated, “Voldemort does get a fair amount of character development admittedly. We know a lot of what motivates him and makes him want to take over the wizarding world, but there is still a lot lacking in his case. To this day, I could not tell you why exactly he became the Dark Lord. What pushed him towards that? What caused him to see the Light as [useless] and unnecessary? Was it really just his fear of death? … it just feels like there could be more in this regard.”

Writing Style:

The writing style is a tie since it really just depends on what type of books you like. If you prefer fast paced books with quite a bit of humor in it, then the Percy Jackson series then in terms of writing style, Percy Jackson wins this round. If you like detailed, dark books, then the Harry Potter series will win this one for you. Mrs. August, a bookworm who prefers Harry Potter over Percy Jackson said “I liked how dark it was. I also liked it more because at times, I felt like Percy’s decisions weren’t what I wanted them to be while I never felt that way with Harry Potter.” This whole section really just depends on the writing style that you prefer. 

Representation:

This hands down goes to Rick Riordan. He represents different communities extremely well and puts a lot of thought into all of his characters. Nico (LGBT), Hazel (black), Frank (Chinese – American), Leo (Latino), and Piper (Native American) are just a few of the many characters that represent different communities. Rick Riordan also does an amazing job of addressing stereotypes. Annabeth, for example, is constantly underestimated because she is blonde. Through Percy’s eyes, we see that she is more than capable of fending for herself, and is most definitely intelligent. We also see most – if not all – of Rick’s characters have ADHD and dyslexia, which is also an example of excellent neurodivergent representation. In Kane Chronicles, Rick Riordan also addresses interracial relationships (platonic) with characters like Carter and Sadie Kane. When it comes to representation, JK Rowling can’t even compare. Many Harry Potter fans have judged how little representation there is in her books. Her little attempts to add representation to her characters have often gone down the drain, such as saying that Cho Chang is Chinese even though Cho Chang is a Japanese name. 

World Building:

This topic is one that many fans are constantly arguing about. One Harry Potter fan has said that “Riordan is effectively taking a world that has existed in real life for three millennia and modernizing it. That isn’t to say that this doesn’t require a lot of creativity or ingenuity because it does, but it is still different than what Rowling had to do because Riordan has the broad strokes and ‘foundation’ of the world already set for him, making Rowling’s world more impressive.” A Percy Jackson fan however, has said that “Percy Jackson does not only describe Camp Half Blood, but also goes beyond and into different parts of the world, including Tartarus and Camp Jupiter. Though Harry Potter is more detailed with its description, Percy Jackson has a more complete world as there are more places that is described. (But I must admit the world of Harry Potter is a bit more creative.)” Both worlds are extremely creative, and this section has definitely had fans split. 

As you can see, both the series and authors are fantastic at getting their message across. While all of these sections have definitely had fans split, we shouldn’t forget these are two amazing book series that both deserve an equal amount of recognition.