|
| |||||||||||||
What are readers saying about Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows?
|
A Reader posted a review at 2007-07-29 10:41:43.
(Language: English)
  
I read this thing because (a) my son had finished with it, and (b) a number of otherwise sane and intelligent friends were raving about it. I'd read HP1 when it came out, and had no intention of returning to the series. I was assured the books had got more adult, complex and "darker" as they'd progressed, and it wouldn't just be another Billy Bunter meets the Hobbit. After 20 pages, however, I was ready to chuck it in. Come on, guys, JKR writes like Enid Blyton on a bad day! I persisted (rainy days do that for you) and did, I confess, get hooked by the plot just a little. OK, she's Enid Blyton with the plot skills of Jeffrey Archer, but that's not much of a boast, is it? I'm SO glad I didn't take the advice of some friends, and read the intervening books first. You just don't need to. The plot lines are spelled out with deadening clarity. I never found myself getting involved with the characters, they're far too flat, but I was getting quite intrigued by the plot. Perhaps the rumours were right; perhaps she would be daring and risk offending her fans by making the ending hard to take. Well (those who've not read it and don't want surprisaes, look away now) she just funked it over the last 50 pages, didn't she? Only the minor characters came to a sticky end, and even they get to come back to a semi-life for the closing scene. HP and the paper-thin girlfiend survive to breed (as do Hermione and Ron), and Voldemort's end is about as quick and unsatisfying as it's pssible to be. I want to give JKR the benefit of the doubt, and believe her first plan was indeed darker. HP has to die to kill of the last but one bit of Voldemort's scattered soul (lodged in himself). Only the snake-like thing is left, and Hermione dies fighting it, but succeeds in killing it as she does so with the basilisk skull she was earlier wielding. Ron (dispairing) then is left to tackle mr V, and it's touch and go to the end, with them annihilating each other and the whole widardly parallel universe in the end. That way, no sequel. This way, oh my God, she's free to write more of this drivvel!
|
Yes (0) 
No (0) |
|
A Reader posted a review at 2007-07-22 11:41:00.
(Language: English)
What a satifsfying read! It's a shame to have to put it down. So great to see things wrapped up even with the many inevitable casualties of war coming so fast and being so personal. But this is a story of love and war, right? Ron said it all. Although I feel the book was a let-down after my personal favorite The Half-Blood Prince, the strongest stand-alone book in the series and the only one I felt compelled to re-read, the plot elements which wrapped up felt right and were great to see unfold. The best part for me personally was the Snape denouement. Who Snape really was turned out to be more important to me than the battle between Harry and Voldemort. Perhaps because seeing the final bits of insight into Snape as either good or evil - the thematic mirror to the plot of "good vs evil" that was the fight against V. and his forces - tips the hand. Of course, the author had more up her sleeve after this is revealed. In the end, it's this grand, old story being played out again in a wonderful, inventive way. Seeing all the religious allusions play out to the very end - particularly to story elements of "the passion", the grand scale of sacrifice, love and the very human need for a connection to family that even a chosen one needs to survive - were wonderful if not heavy-handed at times to me. They were consistent throughout the series, even if not as obvious to the uninitiated. What a gift to readers of all ages without being preachy. It's part of the real magic of the book series. I'm trying hard not to give things away. I DID read the review in Thursday's New York Times and felt it did not give away anything in any sense of a spoiler. I love reading reviews of books, films, etc. before I buy - even if I have pre-ordered months ahead and am waiting in line until just past midnight! I agree with much of that review, the book may plod along in sections but sometimes you need to tough it out to get to what you want, right? Potter fans know that better than anyone. And it is the payoff we're all seeking. Read it for yourself and enjoy!
|
|
Sreeparna posted a review at 2010-07-18 11:19:10.
(Language: English)
This is the best one of the series.It couldn't have been any better.One of my favorites of all time. The first thing that was perfect in this book was one couldn't guess the ending.We all knew at the ending Voldemort will die.But there was no way you could guess how that was gonna happen.And also we knew Harry had to find and destroy all the horcruxes but you just couldn't imagine how that would happen either.A small twist in the story line revealed such important things like when Harry and his friends were captured and brought to the Malfoy mansion a small event happened.But from that small twist they found out one of the horcruxes and Harry became the elder wand's true master.Those plot twists were amazing. Every possible question and confusion of the readers was answered perfectly.I also liked the idea of bringing back small things from the past books and weaved them perfectly in this one to solve the issues.Those touch from past books made it more real. The emotions were perfectly shown of every character whether it was Ron's outburst or Dobby's loyalty or Harry's grief of loosing his friends and beloved one.I was crying myself when Dobby died saving Harry from the Malfoy mansion. And there were surprises at every corner like Dumbledore's disturbing past,revelation of Snape's true intention,Harry being the last horcrux himself.I also liked the ending where Harry didn't have to kill Voldemort himself but the bad boy was killed by his own mistakes backfiring. So what a reader could want any more than that?There was mystery,there was tension,excitement,epic battle and also emotional touch.I am sure was overwhelmed.The only sad thing was I had to say bye to Harry.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2008-12-09 09:40:57.
(Language: English)
Year 7 of Harry, Ron, and Hermione's magical education is spent in exile from Hogwarts, doing what may be called field research in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Their friendship is tested to the utmost as they set out, only shortly after Dumbledore's death, to find and destroy all of Voldemort's remaining Horcruxes. Harry has to learn to rely heavily on his friends, especially when his twin-core wand is destroyed and he is effectively powerless for a time. With not much in the way of a plan or resources, they wing it most of the way, luckily meeting up with others in the resistance movement, including a nothing-less-than Providential encounter with a certain house-elf from Harry's past! The book culminates with the majestic "Battle of Hogwarts," featuring magical creatures of all shapes and sizes, including students in the renegade "Dumbledore's Army," and during which Harry learns the full truth about the 7th horcrux and his old nemesis Severus Snape. Harry once again meets Voldemort face to face, twice in fact. The plot is very complex as the Trio traipses all across the magical globe using their newly learned mode of teleportation - Disapparition. Character development, while still in existence, seems to be relegated to quick surges of a paragraph or less in this capstone to the series, with the plot centering on action. The attentive reader will find most or all of his/her questions about Horcruxes and the fabled Deathly Hallows answered in this volume! And now, with "The Tale of the Three Brothers" in print and mass circulation, the reader can actually peruse the Fairy Tale that played out so importantly in this book, complete with commentary from Albus Dumbledore written a little over a year prior to his death.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2007-07-27 02:13:04.
(Language: English)
I was expecting more, to be honest. The minor deaths at the beginning/middle were incredibly sad and I was so terrified that she would continue in this manor ... and then I found that it was worse when she didn't. The final battle was disappointing to me, but there was nothing worse than the epilogue. It felt like the writing in the first book, except somehow less magical. Just blah to me. I guess I'll have to wait for the encyclopedia to find out what happened to everyone, but I was certainly hoping for more at the end of the series. It didn't really add anything, and I'd've been happier if she left off with the last actual chapter, since it actually had a good end and we could guess from there everything that happened 19 years later. I did, however, like the middle of the book very much. It was exciting, it took many unexpected turns, and it played with the relationships among the trio. OK, so maybe Ron was melodramatic, maybe Harry was whiny, maybe Hermione was emotional (they all sound the same, really), but we've known this from at least book five, and we'd had inklings all along. Dumbledore's backstory was quite interesting, and it made even more tension for Harry, who realized that he had no idea what he was doing. Yes, it dragged out the middle a bit to have them wandering around without doing anything, but the visit to Godric's Hollow certainly made up for that. When you consider that she didn't have a school year formula to follow, she had to come up with her own schedule and pacing in this one completely different from the others, and I think she rose to the occasion. The Hallows v. Horcrux dilemma was one that wasn't easily decided, and I think it was brilliant of her to include. So the end was disappointing, so I like Snape even less now ... I think that was bound to happen no matter how she ended the series. Not the best one, but it did a decent job of wrapping up the most important questions while still having its own (sort of) plot. There were some funny lines, too, so I can't say that her style went downhill, aside from the epilogue.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2007-07-27 11:29:58.
(Language: English)
We knew the end was coming, but we didn't know how bittersweet it would be. I am a die-hard Potter-maniac. I have a cloak in my closet, and I've done themed parties and meet-ups with "capture the prophecy" instead of the flag. It's a great fandom, it's a beautiful world, and I don't think this is the end. J.K. has talked about an HP encyclopedia, and I'm happy to say that this final installment of the boy wizard series will not demolish our healthy fanfic community. This book caused me a great deal of anxiety. After the book leaked onto the internet three days prior to its release, I shut down all communication that might lead me to spoilers. I went to Borders and waited until midnight until we could get our copies. I sat down and read the book cover to cover in less than 8 hours. And yes, when it all was over, I sobbed like a little girl. The book has its downfalls. There are a lot of characters that weren't developed as much as I would have liked, the locket-inspired angst seemed like those ideas were ganked from Tolkien, and it was weird not to be at Hogwarts. The epilogue was nebulous and vague and though J.K. said that was her intention, I think it's also the mark of her inexperience as an author. Nevertheless, I did see hints of greatness. She put a knot in my lower intestines that stayed from page 100 until the glorious end. The final chapters were oddly reminiscent of C.S. Lewis. Rowling has grown so much as a writer throughout this series, and I for one am extremely proud of her and her accomplishments. She is not the best author of all time, but her story is captivating, her characters are inspiring, and the world she put to page is strange and beautiful. Deathly Hallows is an entrancing read from start to finish. It raised my heartbeat, caused me to laugh, cringe, despair, hope, and cry. Was it the perfect ending? No. But it was an emotional journey, a fitting end, and a satisfying cap to a delightful series I know I will re-read again and again.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2007-08-02 02:00:36.
(Language: English)
There are only a small band of people who can keep me up until 3.30 in the morning. J K Rowling is still one of them. The sheer drive of her narrative is one of the best things about the whole HP series. The plotting is intricate, and after halfway, page 300 the action is compelling. Hence the lack of sleep. I had to seek out Harry's fate; and the answers are all there, distributed nearly perfectly across the book. My wife got to this first when she was reading there would be periodic gasps and bouts of tears. If you care a jot about HP at all then, well , you've probably read it. That's the good news. All this narrative compulsion mask some pretty awful writing. Sorry but there it is, the descriptive prose is often quite clunky, and I got the distinct impression that Rowling was so caught up in the emotion and imagination of this final installment that she just wrote it. Some sections feel a bit first draft to me. This has been a problem with the whole series. In the first book you could tell everyone was trying really hard,but as the train rolled on and on the editors seemed to hold less sway, or just not contribute as much. The order of the Phoenix was especially slow in the first half. But I'm being too harsh. Harry is one of the most engaging heroes of recent times. I think it's his reluctance, pure-heartedness, his contempt of the obviously 'heroic' and that the whole thing has of course been thrust upon him without him having any say. He is perhaps the hero for our times. Harry's humility and selflessness certainly play a big role in this adventure. His character develops and plays out beautifully against Ron and Hermiones, as does their relationship. And by the climax it'll have twisted and turned so much you'll be trying to figure out all the implications for at least a few days. Well worth the trouble.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2011-06-27 11:56:32.
(Language: English)
Being the first book I have read from the HP series, I cannot say that this is the best from the rest though I am quite sure that IT IS considering that its the last book of the epic adventure that defined a generation. I have only followed the series through their movie counterparts so that gave me a not-so-in-depth understanding of some details but still enough for me to be quite engrossed to the story. I'll be definitely lost in the pages of Rowling's last book if I didn't have a solid idea of Potter and the Wizarding World. Thankfully, I am relieved that I was able to get the hang of it and by recalling infos in the previous movies, Deathly Hallows seemed to answer all the unsolved mysteries of the past. Like all the puzzles falling into place, Deathly Hallows was the coffeemate to my coffee: it completes everything. All that was weird and shadowed before now became as clear as water from an Aguamenti spell. What I really liked about this book is that beneath all the magic, there are important lessons that we can learn from the themes that are presented to us: love, friendship, vigilance, corruption, oppression, humility, sacrifice, life and most of all death and its meaning. There are also allegorical references to racism and, quite impressively, Christianity. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the fastest selling book of all-time, is a must-read. Even if this last book is the first HP book you will read, as long as you have followed the movie, it will be enjoyable and completely gratifying.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2010-07-25 09:01:14.
(Language: English)
HOW TO SUCCEED AT AGING Without Really Dying Lyla Blake Ward AmazonEncore $18.95 – Hardback ISBN: 978-1-935597-00-1 186 pages Reviewer: Annie Slessman Growing old can mean different things to different people. One thing is for sure, though, you need to keep your sense of humor in the process. One of the best ways to accomplish that is to read Lyla Blake Ward’s new book, HOW TO SUCCEED AT AGING WITHOUT REALLY DYING, published by AmazonEncore. Ward takes on every subject encountered with the aging process including marketing, investments, memory lapses, health issues, exercise, diet and the lists go on and on. Now that with statement you might ask yourself, what is new with this book that other books haven’t already covered? Well, quite a bit, my friends. This book takes on all the issues and does so with a sense of humor that will keep readers laughing long after the book has been read. What really makes this book a winner, however, is the fact that each reader will recognize themselves within its pages. Ward has gone above and beyond in reminding the “senior” community that they really cannot take life to seriously. After all, we all want to succeed at aging without really dying, don’t we? Ward resides in Wilton, Connecticut. When she isn’t writing her local Congressman, the President or government agencies, she takes a stab at correcting the quality problems in today’s manufacturing sector. Whether she is writing letters, books or just enjoying a grandchild’s school play, she does it with all her heart. I
|
|
Clare posted a review at 2009-02-26 02:25:27.
(Language: English)
Harry has been burdened with a dark, dangerous and seemingly impossible task: that of locating and destroying Voldemort's remaining Horcruxes. Never has Harry felt so alone, or faced a future so full of shadows. But Harry must somehow find within himself the strength to complete the task he has been given. He must leave the warmth, safety and companionship of The Burrow and follow without fear or hesitation the inexorable path laid out for him. So the final book in the long running Harry Potter series and I am sorry to say I was very disappointed, the storyline was good but, it didn't have me as engrossed as the other books had. I did feel some of the plots appeared to be a little rushed. I have seen some people quote this book as being the best book they have ever read, well I am really sorry but, if that is so then they really can't have read very many books! I know primarily this book is aimed at children/young adults but, I think as the series went on it seemed for me more aimed at "older" adults. Now I'm probably giving this book a really rough deal and that is only because personally I felt it was not as good as others in the series, it just seemed as though it had been rushed too much but, overall still a good book. I'm not going to reveal any spoilers in case no-one has read it yet, I felt like I was the only person in the world who hasn't read this book, it felt that way anyway, I'm sure it isn't! Anyway overall, a good read not an engrossing one but, I am glad the series has finished now and think it was the right time for J K Rowling to finish this. Where she will go now I don't know and whilst I don't think she is the greatest author in the world, far from it, she has brought reading to a great many people who may not have otherwise been interested in picking up a book and she should be highly commended for that.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2007-07-26 07:05:17.
(Language: English)
It sucked. Sorry, but I am not terribly interested in reading about 17 year olds bickering and camping for 500 pages. They basically got NOTHING done the entire book. And when things WERE happening (other than the trio fighting and/or camping) they happened so quickly it made me say "WTF???" out loud. Not the letters. Spoiler-containing rant below. Highlight to read. Seriously, the "OMG DEATHEATERS ARE AFTER ME!" got really old really fast. And I thought they probably should have said more than one sentence about Tonks and Lupin dying. I actually MISSED it, and when they referred to them being dead later, I once again yelled "WTF???" and went back searching for the event. And then the ending...wow, what a fantastic final battle. Voldemort dies by having his spell backfire. Totally didn't see that one coming. When it happened, I thought, "What the hell. This entire series has been building up to THIS? "Ope, the spell backfired, and he DIED! Everything is better! Woo!"" And don't even get me started on the epilogue...it read like really really bad fan fiction. "OMG HARRY AND GINNY AND HERMIONE AND RON GET MARRIED AND HAVE LOTS OF BABIES AND NAME THEM AFTER PEOPLE WHO DIED IN THE BATTLE TO SAVE WIZARDKIND!" Give me a BREAK. And why the hell did Draco only appear in the book for like 4 paragraphs? She went through all the trouble during HBP to develop him into a three-dimensional character with importance to the plot, and then in this book she completely ignored him. To follow common literary customs, Draco should have been important in THIS book and probably should have done something to redeem himself as a character, rather than turn into another static character again. This book sucked SO BAD. I LOVED the other 6, especially HBP. But this one was just SO DISAPPOINTING. It broke my heart.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2007-08-01 10:47:10.
(Language: English)
I'm going to be one of the few in the world, I think, who is going to throw some cold water on this work. Don't get me wrong, I liked it and I zoomed through it pretty much in one sitting, but I think its really some distance away from being perfect. Truth be told, I was more hooked into the book because I was more into the series itself, than this novel. Its slow and choppy in places, and this book LOVES to acknowledge almost everything in the series, and sometimes making some rather ludicrous (at least to me) connections. I mean, if my real life was as connected as this, I could just walk out and around the block and bump into the first gal (who lives in a seperate country) I ever had a crush on. It is that convulted. On the very bright side, it does do a pretty good job of wrapping things up, and I'm glad she didn't throw in one of those 180 degrees twist in. The fact that the book delves more into Dumboldore than the previous is a smart choice, and allows us to learn more about one of the key characters of the series. I also like the fact that Potter has to really struggle in this one, giving it a certain touch of reality that the previous entries have been missing, though I have to say that the 'love conquers all' mantra is beginning to wear a little thin on me. Bad news though, is that this book, while shedding light on plot and details, doesn't have a wow factor to it. It tastes so similar to some of later previous entries that I got a bit tired of its style, and I felt that it didn't try hard enough to surprise us. The 19 years later bit, I nearly predicted that outcome, so to me it was a bit of a letdown. I guess the ending was a letdown to me, because while the series as a whole has matured and grown into quite a serious adult series, the endings still fall under the 'happy ending' realm of children fiction. I'm not saying that it should be a nasty ending... just more of a real ending. Still read it, but don't expect to fall in love with it.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2007-08-11 02:09:51.
(Language: English)
Was this book worth the hype??? Yes and no. This was one of my least favorite Harry Potter books. That's not to say that i didn't enjoy it. It's just that it wasn't the best. I thought it left you very confused at the end. I read it twice the first week, and I still wasn't 100% sure how everything worked out. And I'm still not sure why Dumbledore left Harry the quest of the Deathly Hallows. For that being the title of the book, I didn't think it was a very important aspect. I don't want to give it away for people who haven't read the book, but I didn't like the climax of the climax (aka, when THE person dies). I thought it was poorly written. It just kind of happened, and that was that. In fact, I found almost all of the deaths in the book to be poorly written. Usually she writes them to make you feel emotion, but there wasn't anything like that. Only when Dobby died, anyway. I really missed the Hogwarts backdrop too. That was always the place where the books picked up for me, but I guess that they needed to move on, so that was probably a good thing. Enough with the negatives. I thought that this book was action packed. There were attacks every few chapters which kept you on your toes and kept things interesting, which I really liked. I also liked how the dynamics changed between the three heroes. It was super cute how Ron fell for Hermione, and was jealous of like everything she did. (Especially the Krum part, loved it!) But anyways. The climax in general was...AMAZING! And I would just like to say "Go Neville!" What a little hero he turned out to be! I loved that he killed Nagini, especially since it could have been construed as Neville in the prophecy, so I just thought that was super cool. And oh my gosh. When Mrs. Weasley killed Bellatrix. Amazing. Ok, enough spoilers. I'll still need to read the book a few more times to get a firm grasp on it, but I think i have the concept down now. All in all, it was pretty good on the Harry Potter scale. A for Acceptable! haha
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2007-07-28 08:15:40.
(Language: English)
First off.... I want to say WOW!!! This was truly an amazing book. I think that JKR did a fabulous job ending such a wonderful series. I have to say that I cried on and off from Chapter 30 until the end. Not just little tears... I'm talking large tears with many kleenexes and blowing noses. I have to admit I distanced myself from any Harry Potter talk. I avoided it at all costs on the internet. The only thing that I really knew was that JKR said that two major characters would die. I really never thought that it would ever be Harry, Ron or Hermonie, but still never expected poor Fred, Lupin or Tonks to die. I think that I cried the hardest at those moments. I also love that fact that it ended at Hogwarts. At first I despaired that since they didn't go back to school that we wouldn't get to see it, but they finally made it. That made my heart feel good. And Neville,wonderful Neville, I think that his character has evolved the most. He was so brave and earned so much respect that he never really had before and that was nice to see. And Snape.... I just have to say that I knew that he was good. I had such high hopes for him and they paid off in the end. And I know that many think that if he hadn't loved Lilly then he wouldn't have helped Harry at all, but the fact remains that he did love Lilly and he did help Harry because he had her eyes, but he also resented him because Harry but was James' son, which I can totally understand. Knowing that Snape was good just made me feel good. My thoughts on the epilogue.... I know that many people have hated and many have loved it. I have to say that I am one that loved it. Yes.... I know that it was a little corny and a little hokey but I loved it. To know that Harry got his happily ever after was great. I was glad that JKR didn't spell everything out for us. I'm glad that she left all their future careers to our imaginations. I think that Harry naming all his children after James, Lilly, Dumbledore & Snape was a nice touch. He named them after the four people that died either trying save him or help him defeat Voldemort. This is another spot that I really cried hard. But overall I LOVED THIS BOOK. Thank J.K. Rowling for such a great series!!!!!!!
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2007-09-17 03:33:05.
(Language: English)
Before the release of the seventh and last book of the Harry Potter series, my friend got me to read all the preceding volumes. Throughout, I followed how the author developed her grand theme of Right vs Wrong, the strong vs the weak and the evils of the misuse of power. How was Rowling to end this series? Obviously, the Apocalypse was at hand, and the heroic struggle between Harry Potter and the evil Voldemort would be the climax of the series. While we waited for the last book, rumors abounded. Fake spoilers floated over the internet like the soul-sucking Dementors, threatening to extinguish the enjoyment people would get from this final volume. So, no spoilers from this reviewer. All I will say is that "Deathly Hallows" lived up to my expectations and in fact, ended pretty much as I imagined it would. Rowling keeps true to her theme right to the end and to her artistic vision as well. There is plenty of action right from the get-go. This is by far the most exciting of the seven books, with duels, battles, fights, daring escapes and amazing twists of fortune. There are plenty of surprises and also many reasons to weep. The action sometimes is non-stop, but from time to time, there are welcome respites in the action, times for moments of tenderness or friendship between surprising pairings of characters. The sub-theme of the redeptive power of Love is evident in these idylls. J. K. Rowling is a master writer who has created an amazing work of art with the Harry Potter series and just as any master craftsman, she has chosen the perfect finish for a fine series of books. I look forward to new series with entire new worlds or...perhaps this is really the end. Some authors do write themselves out when they've said their say. I don't know. But I do know this author is one I enjoy reading and I hope we have many more new adventures to discover from her pen.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2007-07-28 11:15:35.
(Language: English)
Well, I'll try to do this without giving out horrifying spoilers. I think I've done a pretty good job, but you've been warned. This was one book totally worth waiting for in line until after midnight. We had a celebration in our town. Only problem is, now we don't have any more to look forward to. On the bright side, this book was full of laughs. I admit, when they described the Ghoul, I laughed for about ten minutes straight. Anyways, it was a fast paced, action packed novel that finally gives the evil characters something to do. No longer are the Death Eaters just those 'shadowy guys who follow Voldie around'. No, now they have substance! And Voldemort himself... I can only imagine what it was like living under his reign. And Snape. Personally, this was one thing that I wanted to find out the most about. Who did he serve? Was he good or evil? Well, we found out, and we got a nice insight into Snape's past. We finally learned just what made him leave the Dark Lord. It was touching, and I admit that I cried. Considering all of the loose ends Rowlign had to tie up, this was an extrodinary book. I couldn't put it down - stayed up all night to finish it. From learning what Voldemort was up to, to finding out who RAB was (finding out is a bit of a stretch. Most of us knew already.), it was a thriller and a good read until the end. And now we reach the part of my review when I talk about the epilogue. Sweet, but not entirely needed. It was nice to see what become of them, but personally, I wouldn't have minded if it wasn't included. Oh well. She [Rowling] did an excellent job, as I have repeatedly stated. So, kudos to J.K.R. for writing an amazing finish to a series that I've been glued to for many years. I hope the movie lives up to all of our expectations when it comes out.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2007-07-29 05:40:06.
(Language: English)
(May contain minor spoilers) Well, I finally finished reading it. As probably the most anticipated book ever, it was slightly disappointing. However, in the context of the Harry Potter series, it was definitely one of the better books. The pros are that the book managed to bring everything together in the end - it was also good to see Voldemort and his evil in full swing and I think for once Harry's character was quite well developed. The final battle and confrontation were fantastic and up to expectations. Not so sure about the epilogue though - would have preferred an ending that gave you an idea of what would happen without spelling it out so clearly. Plus there were a lot of important characters' futures that were omitted. On the downside, after 6 books, this final book did not raise the standard like I thought it would. It brought things in the final story together but did not tie in the other 6 books in the way I imagined it would (and from the rumours I had been hearing). The plot, while clever and well-planned, was not much more creative than any of the other books, and the usual twist in plot was rather predictable. There were some slow bits in the middle that made you wonder if the story was going anywhere, and if the author was just trying to pile on the pages. And after all that speculation on major characters dying, in the end JK Rowling's choices were relatively tame and safe. Another complaint is that unless you are a die-hard fan, some of the references to the old books might just go over your head. I only read each book once, so many of the details had already escaped my memory. In that sense it was a little frustrating. So, to sum it all up, it was a fitting end to a series that was, in my opinion, never really that good, but for some reason just took off in a way no other series has ever done.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2007-07-26 07:39:21.
(Language: English)
Every book in J.K Rowling's memorable series is captivating and the latest instalment is no exception. The beautiful places she created are unlike any other and her well-developed and unique characters add a realistic touch within a fantastic fictional world. It quite literally was a journey. I was truly grateful for the in-depth character development through out the series, it makes Harry Potter’s adventure that much more personal. There is no way I can share my feelings about the book without the mention of my two favourite characters; Ron and Hermione. I'm completely biased when it comes to romance and admittedly, I tend to focus a great deal on it- perhaps to much, but I assure you I can’t control it any more than a person who loves horror and thirsts for the next murder to occur. I simply love the way she handles their budding relationship - it was very unique in comparison to the corny, mushy stories that seem to flood the romance sector of literature. It was very innocent and encompassed almost every emotion and phase a boy and girl could endure during those precious ages. It was slow paced but necessarily so. As far as the plot, it was by far the most intriguing of the series. I was not able to place the book down by the second half of the novel. At some points in the story, I actually found myself pausing to wonder how she could come up with such creative concepts and details and make use of them so effectively. A great read- A wonderful story. This is why I will never stray from the children's section. I find the best stories I have ever had the pleasure of reading have been written for the young & innocent.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2007-07-13 03:47:44.
(Language: English)
Something i have been thinking about since reading the 5th book, and especially after last night having saw the film (go see it, its BRILLIANT!) is the veil in the department of mysteries. Someone please correct me if i am wrong, but when harry first enters the veil room he can hear voices and approaches it. None of the others could hear them apart from Luna?? There's quite a lot of things now that Luna and Harry have in common now; the thestrals being the most prominant. JKR has insisted that raveclaw will have their day so i am inclined to think that Luna will play a big role in helping harry identify/find one of the horcruxes (perhaps SHE even has it - descendant of rowina ravenclaw perhaps?). In the film for ootp harry approaches the veil saying he can hear voices, hermionie etc tell him they cant hear anything but then the camera pans in to luna who is walking towards the veil too with the look on her face that she too can hear something. I think this whole voices-in-the-veil aspect is a link to a new trait that Luna and Harry share - i reackon she's a parcel mouth. Thoughts? I agree with priyank about snape and quite likethe idea that snape is good and will be the tragic hero, but i think that he'll show his true colours by killing bellatrix in the company of both Harry and Neville perhaps, giving neville justice and proving to harry his loyalty to Albus. While on hte topic of Albus, this whole hatred look he had on his face: i like what i have read below about feeling contempt for Albus making him do it, but when i first read book 6 it dawned on me that to perform one of the unforgiveable curses don't you need to fill yourself with a very powerful negative emotion, kind of like the opposite of patronus? Perhaps snape had to try really hard to mentally prepare for the AK curse - knowing he had to do it but having to suffer the consequences in th short term.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2007-08-25 11:49:57.
(Language: English)
I just finished reading the book last night. I only read two chapters a day sometimes with breaks in between so I could fully enjoy the book. I really liked this book. I will miss the Harry Potter series . There was plenty of action from beginning to end. I couldn't believe that there was so many deaths in this book; Tonks, Lupin, Mad-Eye, Snape, Dobby, Fred etc.. At first when I thought Harry "died" I was upset but then when everything was explained by Dumbeldore I began to understand better. I was actually sad when Snape died because the way he died was terrible and Voldemort as usual is so ruthless. Then when Harry was looking at Snape's memories in the Pensieve and as readers we saw how he really was actually a good guy at heart. I couldn't believe how much in love he was with Harry's mother. It broke my heart when there friendship ended because I think it was the only time that someone actually showed that he was important and that they cared about him. It was sad to think that he was never really loved by his family or anyone really for that matter. I could only imagine that it must have been lonely. It looks like also the Malfoy family wasn't so bad after all especially towards the end. When Harry defeated Voldemort I was elated. I could almost feel the happiness and joy that the characters felt after someone who was almost a tyrant to their world finally taken down. I'm glad that Hermoine and Ron are married in the end with two children; Rose and Hugo Harry and Ginny married with three children (Lily,James and Albus Severus); even Draco with a child (Scorpius) and he acknowledges them at the train station when they help their children board the train to Hogwarts. I was surprised to learn that Neville was professor but to be teaching Herbology (which he was good at) not so much. I just wonder who the new headmaster at Hogwarts is.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2007-08-15 07:52:31.
(Language: English)
Wow. That's about all I have to say. I read for escape, and in the Harry Potter series, I have found a world that is made for such escape, because it is a world where, above all, there is hope. Those who died, died for a reason and a cause worth fighting for. People are flawed, sometimes horrendously so, but so long as they CHOOSE it, the balance is always good. Motives are not always pure, but, as I said before, there is hope, and that is the key thing. Over the course of this series, Rowling has given us characters and people that we really knew "from the inside out". These people are essentially identifiable, real people, thrust into awful situations, and because we knwo them so well, we love them and journey with them. Furthermore, the sheer detail and mythology of Rowling's world is virtually unmatched - I haven't read a lot of fantasy, but from my experience only Lord of the Rings surpasses it. She cares for these people, this world, and it shows. This book is a fitting culmination to Harry's epic. All of the above holds, but... (you knew there was a but coming) Ginny is one of my favorite characters, and I wish she could have had more of a presence in this book. And yes, the epilogue is cheesy. But people, she wrote it first, before she even wrote the first book. A good faith gesture that she would write everything in between. I wouldn't be surprised if it's published form is essentially unchanged from the original, and if that's the case, I can certainly identify with the sentiment and anyway, I'm a cheesy romantic at heart. Finally - I was very impressed by JK's ability to create different voices within the text narrative. Throughout the book, she quotes at length from other 'books' and allows other characters to take the narrative into their own voices. The clarity with whichc she delineates these voices from each other and from the main narrator's voice - was amazing, a real sign of how much she's grown as an author over the years.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2007-08-05 11:12:38.
(Language: English)
Spolier alert.maybe. So, I read this book in like two days because I was afraid someone was going to spoil it for me. If you haven't read it yet, I have no idea why you are reading reviews for the first place but please stop reading this if that is the case. I had to reread several passages since I had skimmed over it so fast initally, but overall I've digested the novel in its entirety. This was such a different book than the rest of the series in the sense that there were really no moments of rests or places for fluffy dialogue. Rowling had the enormous task of tying up many loose ends, and I thought that she did a fantastic job not making it feel clumbsy or rushed. I appreciate that she established very early on in the book that any character was up for grabs when it came to them being killed off. I mean she killed Hedwig in like the first 20 pages! I think really my favorite part of the whole book is the revelation of Snape's character. My boyfriend is still arguing that Snape is good, and for some strange reason I really wanted to resist that idea with the fact that Snape is bad. But after much thought, and what makes Rowling so brilliant and accurate, Snape is kind of one those people that just falls in the cracks of good and evil. Just like most people . He only protected Harry out of selfish love for his mother, Rowling said herself that if Snape hadn't loved Lily then he wouldn't have cared slightly for Harry's predictament. On the other hand, he was capable of love and that is what caused him to protect Harry. It's such a grey area, and that concept applies to most people. I would love to write on and on about every clever thing that satisfied me about the book, but no one will read this whole thing anyway. I'm sad that the series ended, but I'm excited for when (and if) the encyoclepedia comes out.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2007-08-01 06:01:37.
(Language: English)
WARNING: DO NOT READ THIS REVIEW IF YOU HAVEN'T FINISHED THE BOOK YET! IT IS A MAJOR SPOILER. oK. This book was pretty good, except it was pretty grim. it was so sad when Hedwig died!and Mad-Eye moody! and george! I can't beleive it! And lupin and Tonks, too. I hope ted lupin can cope w/ the fact that he has no parents like harry... the ending was so cute w/ harry marrying ginny and ron marrying hermione and naming their kids after Dumbledore and Harry's parents. my sister has actually been watching all these videos on youtube showing harry and ginny in love, and she was pretty happy that it turned out that way. The silver doe was bugging me ever since it appeared. I couldn't figure out who had cast it, and when it turned out ot be Snape, that confirmed he was on the good side. (that had been bugging me, too) I was hoping Sirius would come back, because after all, he wasn't actually killed. he fell throug the veil; there's no body to prove that he was actually dead. As for Dumbledore's death in the 6th book, my dad had hypothesized that Dumbledore told Snape to kill him when it became neccessary. I wasn't sure that was the case, but it actually turned out ot be true. I found it so amusing that snape had a crush on lily as a kid. that's sweet ;) and the whole story on Petunia's expierience with the magical world the final face-off between hogwarts and the death eaters (then Harry and voldemort) was a little...dull. I think it could have been made a little better. and Harry should have finished Voldemort off himself instead of voldemort killing himself when his curse backfired. that's dumb. However, this book was still good. With suprises on the horcruxes (Harry himself was a Horcrux!) and who destroyed the last one (Neville, not harry. the prophecy refferred to a boy born at the end of July. that could be harry or neville) loved it. So sad that it's all over. Can't wait for the next two movies!!!!
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2007-07-31 11:02:47.
(Language: English)
A good read DH definitly deserves its spot in the harry potter series. i was absorbed and enthralled by rowlings final peice. however despite my love for this final book, and the fact that every second reading it was a perfect second, i had a few problems with the book. The beginnig was certinly entertaining, especially with dudey's confession. the espace from Privite Drive was also intense. by all means the first third of this book was amazing. The middle is where it went slow, and i felt the book was taking a dark plunge, even if it was necessary. overall the flight of Ron and the whole 'camping' section of the book was really not my favorite out of the series. The end of the book however was so amazing, i thought it made up for the middle twice fold. the gringotts sceane, the battle of hogwarts, kings cross, the memories of snape and the final showdown with tom was, well, fricken awsome. overall this book was not my favorite, but definitly in my top half (out of the series that is, the whole series is my top 7 favorite books). i thought the epoligue was rather weak, telling us informaiton we might have already been able to guess. i really wanted to know the direct aftermath of the battle, and what harry, ron, and hermiones proffessions were. i later found out that harry and ron where aurours and hermione was high up in the magical law enforcement (wikipedia). i also was astonished at the high number of deaths in the book, which on the whole i thought were unnecessary. i mean WE GET IT. voldemort kills the innocent (hedwig, dobby, fred (my favorite weasly), colin creevy... honestly all those deaths just sent the book off a dark, and unwanted death. the my final question is: what happened to the curtin in the Department of Mysteries??? i really wanted to know about that. i was also rather sad about the lack of past characters such as cho chang and sirius. on the whole i think they got maybe one line each. so really not my favorite of the series, but an amazing read and an exciting conclusion to the Harry Potter series.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2007-07-24 05:07:14.
(Language: English)
Personally, after reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows I felt fulflled and thought that JK Rowling exceeded my expectations. The book in it's self was written magnificently. The first chapter caught my eye astraight away and nonethless i coould not bring myself to put it down for two days straight. The development of Harry's character from a young boy at the age of 11 finding he was a wizard to a man who fought his own demons. He surpassed his own expectations and was willing enough to end it all to save the ones he cared for most and for that was rewarded with a lovely family who cared for him and loved him. I enjoyed personally the (as strange as this may be) part in which Bellatrix LeStrange is torturing Hermione in the Malfoy's home because she is a mudblood, in which Dobbey comes and rescues them all but not before Harry can steal Belltrix's wand and Malfoy's. It was very rewarding also to try and figure out things for yourself. I peronally was having a debate in to what other Horcruxes Vol--(oops) He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had hidden throughout his life. As well as discovering the Deathly Hollows and the mysterious white stag in the forest that helped Harry in finding the sword of Godric Gryffindor and in helping Ron find Harry in means to save hime. Overall, I shed many tears throughout the books especially too the deaths of Fred, Lupin, Tonks, Mad-Eye, Dobby(many tears shed there), as well as Snape. Overall it was an entrancing story and I am fearfully saddened that there shall not be anymore books in the future but yet it overall was a wonderful end to the series. At last one thing must be said "Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure." Rowena Ravenclaw. Enjoy the book fellow HP fans :) -Sandra
|
Share your views!
Similar books
