J.K. Rowling’s The Casual Vacancy, her first novel since Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in 2007, was released at 8 AM GMT worldwide today.

The book has been met with huge anticipation following over 1 million pre-orders, a slew of interviews, and broad interest to see what Rowling could do outside of her wizarding world.

Hypable came in possession of a copy earlier this week and released our official review yesterday. “The writing is exquisite. It pulls you into the drama of what one election can mean and moves you into each character’s life so you fully understand their despair and reasoning. This is the kind of book that is hard to love because the content is so gritty and disturbing. However, it is the kind of story you respect and appreciate because it tells the story of human nature in unforgiving truths that we all know exist but sometimes choose to sweep under the rug,” we wrote.

If you’re unsure about purchasing, you can read a free sample on eBook devices like Kindle’s or Apple’s iOS devices.

When the cover for the book was revealed in July, we created spoofs of the Harry Potter book covers as if they were styled like The Casual Vacancy.

Hypable will offer continuing coverage of the book’s release, reception, and more over the coming days. Be sure to visit the Books area of Hypable’s Forums to continue the discussion with fellow readers. We hope you enjoy!