Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Review

The Case

After six books, untold hardships for our characters, and years of waiting, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows has been released. And I was a participant in the madness. I theorized about the plot. I hazarded guesses over who would live and who would die. I was at a midnight party, waiting breathlessly for the stroke of 12. I read the book in less than 8 hours. So, the question is, did it live up to the anticipation? Did it rise to the challenge? Did it meet the high standards created by its forerunners? Yeah, I think it did.

The Plot (Spoiler-free!)

Harry Potter has a destiny. He knows that now, and he knows what he must do. Together with Ron and Hermione, Harry sets off on a long and arduous journey for Horcruxes. None of them know where the path will lead; none of them know the horrors that await them. All they know is that they're battling Voldemort alone and unaided.

Along the way, more mysteries present themselves. Harry is once again getting visions direct from Voldemort, and what he sees mystifies him. What is Voldemort up to? Is Dumbledore's past a factor in Harry's goal? Will the trio be able to complete their quest without losing sight of who they are and what they mean to each other? Is Severus Snape friend or foe? Which loved ones will survive and which will be lost forever? And what exactly are the Deathly Hallows? These questions and more will be answered in the climactic showdown between The Boy Who Lived and The Darkest Sorcerer Of The Age.

The Good

Wow. The minute I finished Deathly Hallows, I had to take a few moments to sort the millions of thoughts and impressions racing through my mind. Did I like it? Was I satisfied? Would I ever want to read the series again? There were a lot more questions, but it would take me hours to write them all here. After a fair bit of pondering - in which I flipped through the book, rereading certain parts for clarification or just cuz I liked them/loathed them - I decided that yes, I did like it. And yes, I was satisfied. And yes, I will read the entire series many more times in the future. For me, Deathly Hallows was a positive experience.

This wrap-up was worthy of the series. If you had a question, it was most likely answered. If you wanted to see something, you will most likely see it. If you were looking for a fantastically climactic novel packed with action, you will be pleased. Hallows is nothing if not action-packed, especially the last battle, which was one of the best sequences in the entire series, bar none.

I was impressed by Rowling's ability (though not surprised, as she has demonstrated her mastery of this in the previous books) to tie up the humongous amount of plot threads, some of them created way back in book one when Harry was still just a green little sprout with wide, wondering eyes. The fact that there's not much left hanging is quite a feat.

On the whole, well done, J.K. Rowling!

SPOILER ALERT!!! SKIP THE SECTION BELOW TO AVOID!!!

Okay, for my own zany fandomness, I must gush a little about the things I liked. First and foremost: Ron and Hermione. About time! For pete's sake, I was seriously wondering if they would ever get together! I thought it was great that Ron's concern over the house elves is what pushed Hermione over the edge of the friends line into outright snogging. Plus, the visual I got of basilisk fangs flying everywhere was fantastic!

Next thing I must comment on is Hermione's torture scene. It was so disturbing to me that it was hard to read. I kept wanting to close my eyes or something, but thanks to the movies, I kept getting horrific images of Emma Watson writhing in agony as her gut-wrenching screams pierced the walls of Malfoy Manor. Ghhhh! Talk about upsetting...

And lastly, how awesome were the action scenes in the Ministry of Magic, Gringotts, and Hogwarts? I loved every minute spent reading those pages. They were absolutely delightful! And I can't tell you what a relief it is that the trio survived! I had a nasty suspicion that Harry would live, but either Ron or Hermione would snuff it. Every time either of them were in danger, I literally had to force myself to keep reading. I was just dreading the thought of anything happening to them! But they both made it! Yay!

END OF SPOILER PARAGRAPHS!!! READ ON IN SAFETY!!!

The Bad

I'm sure some of my complaints will be old news, but I'm gonna run through them anyway. First and foremost, this novel was a frickin' bloodbath! I heard that Rowling originally said two characters were doomed. Then, a little before the release date, I read an interview with her where she said "it's not a bloodbath, but there's more than two [characters that die]." Psh. I don't know what that woman's definition of 'bloodbath' is, but if you've got a death toll in the double digits, that seems pretty bloody and pretty bathy to me! The main problem I had was that some deaths seemed to be there just for the shock factor (or maybe to up the body count). I'm sorry, but if a main character's death doesn't resonate, then you shouldn't be killing them. It's just not right!

Second complaint: there were so many things in this novel that really didn't need to be there (to qualify this let me just give you four words: babies, wands, and Dumbledore's past)! Sure, they were interesting, but they didn't add to the main story, and that really screwed up the pacing. And believe me, the pacing is dodgy enough without any help from random plot points! All of you out there who have read the book will know what I'm talking about - there are enough slow spots to satisfy a sloth!

And lastly, that epilogue just blew. I mean, really. If you're not gonna give me more than that, don't give me anything at all. I'd rather leave it open to my imagination than get a tantalizing view of a future with more informational holes than a piece of swiss cheese, Talk about frustrating...

SPOILER ALERT!!! SKIP THE SECTION BELOW TO AVOID!!!

Okay, as with the good, I must rant on the bad. Why the heck did Fred have to die?! It was the most pointless death ever! And it ticked me off! Of course, Lupin and Tonks run a close second and third on the pointless death-o-meter! We don't even get to know how they actually died! And why the heck was Snape so underused? After all the stuff in Prince, I was really bummed about that. Besides, getting bit by that smarmy snake was a death that rivaled Sirius falling through a curtain in lameness. He couldn't have gone out in a blaze of glory? I mean, for crying out loud, the only deaths that really evoked emotion were the owl and the elf!

And why was Teddy Lupin ever born? What role did his existence serve, other than that really pointless kitchen showdown between Harry and Lupin - one of the most disposable scenes in the whole book? Considering how unused Tonks and Lupin were in Hallows, why were they given so much coverage in Prince? Why waste the ink on them?

Speaking of wasted ink (as I continue my rant), the Deathly Hallows themselves were really lame and served no purpose. The only cool Hallows scene was Harry being able to talk with his parents and Sirius. Was the entire plotline really worth that? Why bother? I think it was just something to keep ol' Voldy off the radar. "Hmm, what can the arch-villain of my story do so that I don't have to use him in the book? I know! I'll create the uberwand of victory and have him search for it obsessively!" Blah. Pretty much everything having to do with wands was just stupid.

Let me end by remarking on the epilogue, which was also ridiculous. I'm fine with the marriages and the kids and everything, but I wanted more. Are the Dursleys back at Privet Drive? Who's headmaster at Hogwarts? Is Kingsley still Minister of Magic? Did Harry seriously just leave the resurrection stone lying on the ground in the Forbidden Forest? What's up with Hagrid - did he hook up with Madame Maxime? How is George surviving without Fred? Are non-wizard magical beings treated better now? Did Umbridge ever get her comeuppance? Tell me what Luna's doing, because you know that would be entertaining. Did Harry, Ron, and Hermione go back to Hogwarts to complete their seventh year? What are their jobs? Are they Aurors? Bureaucrats? Quidditch players? Co-chief-executives of S.P.E.W.? What?!?! C'mon, give me something here! It makes me bitter just thinking about it...

The above rant in no way detracts from the fact that I like the book a lot. I just needed to 'spew' about the niggling annoyances. :o)

END OF SPOILER PARAGRAPHS!!! READ ON IN SAFETY!!!

The Verdict

Three and a half stars (rounded to four)! It's very sad to me that the Harry Potter series has come to an end, but Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows gave me one last wonderful excursion into that magical world before it was over!

Thank you, J.K. Rowling, for giving us this truly amazing series! We owe you so much for the countless happy memories that Harry and his friends have provided!

Good luck, Harry, wherever you are.

If you read this, Harry, we're all behind you!

Long live Harry Potter!