Reading The Hobbit again as an adult is a strange experience, especially when your fantasy taste has changed completely. I loved this book when I was little, but going through it on my second reread, I had to face a hard truth: this book just isn't for me anymore.
It makes sense. Tolkien explicitly wrote it for children, and that whimsical, fairy-tale tone just didn't hook me this time around. To be completely honest, reading massive, intricate worlds like Malazan Book of the Fallen and the gritty, cynical depths of Joe Abercrombie's books has basically ruined "light" fantasy for me. Once you get used to complex magic systems, layered political intrigue, and morally grey characters, a straightforward quest about a hobbit and some dwarves feels a bit too simple. If a story isn't complex and layered nowadays, it just struggles to hold my attention.
That said, I still absolutely recommend The Hobbit.
Just because I've outgrown its target audience doesn't take away its massive merit. This book, alongside The Lord of the Rings, is the bedrock of modern fantasy. The cozy warmth of Bag End, the sheer creativity of the world, and the archetype of the reluctant hero are the exact roots that allowed the darker, more complex fantasy we love today to exist in the first place.
It's a masterpiece for what it is. It’s just that my tastes have moved into much darker territory.