Yeah!! I finished my re-read of the Harry Potter books!! This is only the second time I have read Deathly Hallows. Here is the goodreads description:
'His hand closed automatically around the fake Horcrux, but in spite of everything, in spite of the dark and twisting path he saw stretching ahead for himself, in spite of the final meeting with Voldemort he knew must come, whether in a month, in a year, or in ten, he felt his heart lift at the thought that there was still one last golden day of peace left to enjoy with Ron and Hermione.' With these words "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" draws to a close. And here, in this seventh and final book, Harry discovers what fate truly has in store for him as he inexorably makes his way to that final meeting with Voldemort. In this thrilling climax to the phenomenally bestselling series, J.K. Rowling will reveal all to her eagerly waiting readers.
This book took me like three weeks to complete. I must admit it my least favorite Potter book. I just don't like all the camping. It is also my least favorite movies. The book picks up big time at the end but the beginning I am just like eh. I think one of my problems is that the innocence and youth is gone too. None of the book really takes place in Hogwarts. Though of course I love Snape in this book. His story is wonderful. His love for Lily is a love we all want. There is so much death and destruction in this book all the way till the end. Yeesh. I love though that we see Draco's family as a real family. Draco's mom loves him just as much as Lily loved Harry. We don't really think of it that way because they chose the dark side. This book though is really long to me and just keeps stretching out.
I have no idea when I will re-read this series. Probably not for another 5 years or so. I had fun reading it!!! Just great books to read.
The crystal ball says:
Fog is coming..... in the middle of the road on this book!
Here are my other Potter reviews:
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Nice review! Deathly Hallows can be a little long winded (such as the camping scenes) but I still think it was a well done conclusion to the series.
ReplyDeleteI agree about a good ending to the series. I was very satisfied! I have heard a lot of people don't like the epilogue but I really enjoyed it. I thought it was a good thing to help people with closure.
DeleteI know a lot of people complain about the first half of the book and the DH Part 1 movie because of the “camping,” but the way JK has weaved the story up to that point, I find it a necessary path. With the overthrow of the Ministry of Magic by Voldemort & Co., Harry, Ron and Hermione find themselves “on the lam” – fugitives in the wizarding world where Harry has one of the most recognizable faces. Living off the grid was their best choice once 12 Grimmauld Place was busted.
ReplyDeleteFor me, the innocence was out the door with book 5 (one could also argue it was gone with the death of Diggory). I love book 5 and the movie. Book 5 is the turning point – the point where Harry and the DA make that conscious decision to stand up and fight. All bets are out the window. There’s no more hiding behind their parents, teachers and other care givers. Again, I know it gets beat up on by people who say he’s constantly “whining.” Remember, the kid is 15, his mind is being torn in two, people you’ve been friends with for four years start turning their back on you, and oh by the way, the most evil dark wizard who killed your parents, thousands of others and tried to kill you – is back from the dead and is gunning for you. I don’t know about you, but at 15 my biggest issue was who to take to homecoming. Yeah, so I give him a break on the “whining.”
I too hated to see some of my most beloved characters die in Deathly Hallows but it is full-out war. There are no easy wins. I also wish we could’ve seen more of the students that returned to help Harry fight (I really wanted to see Wood return in the movies) and the centaurs and house elves (especially Kreacher). Favorite moments for me from Deathly Hallows: Learning of Snapes relentless love for Lilly; Harry deciding to make the ultimate sacrifice by giving himself to Voldemort; Neville killing Nagini; Ron and Hermione kiss; Mrs. Weasley killing Bellatrix; and learning that Harry and Ginny named one of their sons after both Dumbledore and Snape (Albus Severus Potter).
WOW! Your post put my post to shame! You have many good points. Truth is camping was boring for them. They didn't know where to go or what to do. Rowling does a good job showing the reader this. But maybe I was too bored. I don't know. I love the explanations that Dumbledore gives to Harry when they are in the beyond about why he never told Harry everything. Would Harry have done like Dumbledore and tried to be more powerful? We will never know. Dumbledore and Harry took the right road in their destiny.
DeleteThanks but my intention was not to shame. I believe that as readers, we sometimes want the story to evolve how we would like to see it, and we forget to empathize what the characters are going through. I think that a good author really knows how to put themselves in their characters mind and soul and write from their perspective. JK does that for me in these books.
DeleteI love this book. Initially I was sceptical as I missed Hogwarts and the school environment. But the more I got into it, the more I loved it. Good point about Draco's mother.
ReplyDeleteSo many deaths though, it broke my heart over and over. Ultimately I was satisfied with how it all ended though.
My favorite character exploration in this book is the Malfoys. They are normal people... and ended up making wrong choices. They wanted out of Voldemort's grasp but there was no way they could do that. Dumbledore knew that Draco was a good kid. That is just my favorite part.
DeleteOoh, I re-read the series last year (which was funny, because only when I'd started did I realise a heap of other bloggers were re-reading for the 15th anniversary! Also, I don't know if it's technically a re-read, as I listened to the books/had them read to me growing up, but I did read a few of them myself, too.) and it was incredible going back and noticing things I hadn't previously. I liked the things J.K. puts in for adult readers and its astonishing going back and catching sight of them and remembering what you thought it meant as a child! (:
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you had a fun re-read!
Lucky you for reading them as a child!! When I started reading them I was done with high school and in college. So I never read them through a child's thoughts. I sure wish I did though.
DeleteThis is the only book of the series that I haven't written a review for. I need to. It's probably my second favorite book in the series. I know what you mean about the camping though. It frustrated me the first time I read it, but it feels like it moves faster the more rereads I do.
ReplyDeleteI know a lot of people who also love this book. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood and was just ready for my re-read to be over with!!!
Delete