The infinitely successful author J.K Rowling found her niche with the wizardry yarns of Harry Potter, but has her latest offing caused a similar stir in literary circles? We take a look at The Casual Vacancy reviews.

The answer is, sadly, no. Given the book's high profile authorship, it was always going to top pre-order charts and land in the hands of the masses on release day, which is today (September 27th), but early impressions aren't good. "The characters in "The Casual Vacancy" feel so much less fully imagined than the ones in the Harry Potter epic," writes Michiko Kakutani of The Los Angeles Times, in a rather damning, but fair review. This is systematic of all the reviews, with each and every one being moved to compare the book with the goliath that is the 7-book-strong Potter series. This is perhaps a touch unfair, but when you consider the critical success of the first book in the Potter series, you get some context as to the monolithic reputation Rowling is contending with. "Of course, Ms. Rowling had seven volumes to map out the intricacies of the wizarding world in Harry Potter," Says the New York Times Review. "The reader can only hope she doesn't try to flesh out the Muggle world of Pagford in any further volumes, but instead moves on to something more compelling and deeply felt in the future."

So there you have it, the book underwhelmed due to a lack of imagination and characterization, but it won't stop fans looking forward to J.K Rowling's Casual Vacancy book tour, as her strong reputation continues to attract attention, and more importantly, sales.