Thursday, October 4, 2012

Book Review: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows


Review:  #260
Title:  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Series:  Harry Potter - 7th and final book
Author:  J.K. Rowling
Read Before:  yes
My Comments:  The book that ends the series, it does not disappoint.  The beginning was excellent, and it captures your interest right away.  Some shocking news, and a slight detour in the form of a wedding, and then the quest for the rest of the horcruxes officially begin.  First things first though, the deaths were shocking.  It’s much more numerous than the previous book, and yet, this is what gives you the feeling that the wizarding world is truly at war.  All too often, you’ll have a war apparently going on, and the only deaths happen to be on the enemy’s side.  These were the deaths of people you sympathise for, who had been around for a few books already, which you would not expect to have deserved this fate.  It keeps you on the edge of your seat, worrying about whether this will be the part where this character dies, and a LOT of prominent characters do die.  There’s a lot of heart-warming moments here, such as Kreacher’s allegiance switching back to Harry’s, and the expression and belief of people in Harry’s cause.  However, by the middle of the book, it had dragged a little bit.  When the trio camped out for most of the book, arguing, and seemingly not getting any further in their quest, I thought that carried on for a bit too long.  It was also a bit superficial (just slightly!) at how quickly the remaining three horcruxes were found and destroyed.  In terms of events, I felt that the Half-Blood Prince was better in this aspect, as it kept you eager for more the whole way through, whereas in Deathly Hallows, you know that this is the end, and you want to see how it happens.  Speaking of the end, this was where it justified everything (and that which elevated it against the other books in the series in my opinion), it was excellent, and I loved the final battle at how all the characters that appeared banded up together, and helped repel the enemy forces, that their belief, and anguish that Harry was apparently dead, it was really some heart-wrenching and heart-warming moments.  That’s not to mention the reveal of Snape’s true allegiance, and his reasons behind it, you can’t help but feel and empathise with him, and you believe that he’d have deserved more.  The bit that happened after Harry was attacked by Voldemort, where he was conversing with Dumbledore, was a bit dodgy, and the explanation given wasn't exactly the best and most clear.  I was somewhat annoyed by the actions and attitude of Harry at parts of the book, but all in all, a very very good end to the series.
Rating:  8.5/10
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