I don't usually read books like this but a friend recommended it and I figured I may as well branch out a bit on this book quest, so to speak. I'm actually glad I did. It's very much a fantasy book and with the main protagonist being younger and I wasn't really expecting to get into it but it was actually pretty surprising how engrossed I got on Lyra's journey as I tried to work out what was going on, who was trustworthy, who wasn't and everything else that was going on. 
 It's going to be interesting to watch Lyra grow and find out how the story develops after the end of the first book. 
 I can understand why it's so popular and I'm almost curious as to watch the film (not going to get into a rant about how they changed the book's name in North America because I feel like I might have had that particular rant about Harry Potter and the PHILOSOPHER'S Stone before. ;)) but I probably won't because it's one of those weird things where I just think the film won't do it justice. Maybe when I'm finished with the trilogy I might go back and watch it.