Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows Reviews

[Anhelda]

I gave it an O, because things played out very differently from how I imagined they would--I never expected the MOM to fall early in the book, I never expected to get the Dumbledore backstory, I never expected Jo to go as dark with some of this stuff as she did--"children's book", my eye! Name another children's book that has snakes coming out of dead people! Creepy!!!

[Sub Zero]

It really exceeded expectations for me, but it wasn't jaw dropping amazing. I still enjoyed it so much, and I wish it weren't the last book.

[bilalzq]

Y i ask RO. y did she left, me atleast, in such a dark and remorse state...i looked at the clock and it was 5am...i thut to myslef...what a storyline...it was good with all the fights and stuff but it was too dark..not what Ro should have exited with...y so many killings...?remus-tonks, were starting anew family...fred..comon...y didnt Ro do something that would amke ppl happy in the ned...like NOT KILL SNAPE...first she shows us, he is good then kils him...i get it she can kill ppl...she did it in previous 2 books. but snape...didnt u want to see snap confront harry and be happy?
i would like to know if someone else felt this way?

bilal

[8m57w6]

I'm the sole person so far who has voted Other. I thought it really was an amazing book, but there were parts I loved, parts I hated, it wasn't what I expected, and was completely different than I imagined. I did like it, but, I dunno, I think I'll have to read it again before I can fully explain how I feel about it.

[Montse]

For a book to have so many people crying its because it very well written,its an amazing story ,so complicatedand so fantastically told.its Outsatnding.i give it an O++.loved it.hated the deaths but loved the book in itself.

[Melsmel]

I gave it an E. There were some parts that annoyed me like at the end not finding out what happened to all the different characters, but other than that I really enjoyed it.

[mysterious]

There is no doubt that it was the best book. The pace was awesome, she didn't rush things and the way things were introduced, it was just great. The best chapter was Prince's Tale. Though I didn't enjoy the book as much, because most of the things were obvious and that dampened the excitement a bit, but overall it was great.

[Blofeld]

E = Could've been better, but exceeded my expectations.

[jammi567]

I put down A, because it really, really could have been better. Cut out the stuff with the trio wounderlessly wondering around for about 1/3 of the year (sure, describe it, but don't actually show it). And i don't know about anyone else, but it felt like she looked at some of the various theories on different site, picked the best ones from the bunch, then decided to mix and match them (such as with the location of the horcruxes (and what they were)).

But it was also a good story, such as finally seing the other side of Dumbledore, that, in fact, he did want to prove himself, and boast and such like when he was younger. What i also liked was that Ron is actually having a responsible role in this book, instead of simply following the leader.

[Aushun]

It's somewhere between an O and an E for me, but I voted E. I think that the statement after O in the poll (It played out like nothing I expected) should be changed though; just because it played out differently doesn't neccasarily mean it was Outstanding..

[vickilind]

I feel honored that I voted like the venerable Morgoth in the poll. It was nothing like I was expecting, and I mean NOTHING! All the ideas I had in my head were blown out of the water like torpedo hitting a row boat! It was so amazing.
Having been a fan, reading and re-reading for 6 years, I truly thought that she couldn't finish the story and make me happy, but I was wrong. Not that I'm happy; too many of my faves died, and yet, I still loved the book, from beginning to end. ( and yes, that includes the hokey epilogue!)

[g_black]

Outstanding for me. When I thought I predicted something I was wrong. It was amazing. Every single page made me want to read more and more. I loved the Epilogue!!

[Drusilla]

I voted Outstanding, because not since Book 3, the graveyard scene in Book 4, and Book 5 have I actually had a book send so many chills down my spine while simultaneously making me want to cheer, weep and giggle (I did plenty of all three).
I have yet to re-read it, but I honestly LOVED the chapter titled The Battle of Hogwarts. The idea of the school in this giant, epic battle to defend itself and Harry was something I found breathtaking, and if Jo Rowling was standing in front of me, I'd take my hat off to her for it, as also for The Prince's Tale. I remember, when OotP came out, saying that I loved it because it was told on such an epic scale- and if anything, Deathly Hallows is even huger. The comparisons to Nazi Germany, in fact to racial intolerance of all kinds, got even clearer with the rounding-up and interrogation of Muggle-borns, and I'm fairly sure it was no coincidence that the Minister for Magic had the same first name as the Pope who reigned between 1939 and 1958 and refused to publicly denounce the Nazi actions of World War II...
It wasn't exactly lacking in the little pleasures either.... I for one found it supremely amusing when Harry told Krum Ginny was seeing a big, jealous bloke when Ginny coughed at the sight of Gabrielle trying to flirt with Harry, and when she told Luna to take him to the Ravenclaw common room to circumvent Cho taking him there alone...
As for Dumbledore, Harry's resurrection (for lack of a better word) and the other deaths, I think I shall talk about that later, though Kreacher's narrration of his own scene in the cave was horrifying- I was shaking when I read it and can't believe too many people would find the idea of that level of abuse as repugnant as I did.
I think my staying off book-related discussions for a few months actually helped in this reading experience, because the Snape/Lily angle, and Harry being a Horcrux, were ideas that people here have been speculating about for years (in the former case, the theory has been around since CoS opened) and not having them fixed in my head as possibilities even if I was aware of them was perfectly fine.

[YellowRose]

Originally Posted by Nicole

I can't say it played out like nothing I expected, because I expected even more than we were given! I was a bit disappointed with the Epilogue. There are tons of questions I have left, too, though it would be foolish to expect any answers for them.

I literally couldn't put the book down until I had read it all, so must confess to being 'totally engrossed'.

More or less how I feel. My favorite book..yes. But it just misses getting top marks for the lack of information about so many characters, ie what happened to them, what did they do. We don't even know what Harry does for a living.

but how the hell did Neville procure the Sword of Gryffindor to kill Nagini?

Exactly the same way Harry did to kill the Basilisk.

[lumos88]

This is an awesome book and I voted it Outstanding.

I couldnt put it down as the pace, the twists and turns, the quest to find the remaining horcruxes and the amount of different locations the trio found themselves in were gripping.

I was crying, exclaiming in surprise at certain points and had my heart in my mouth during the tense scenes.

It seemed as though the last 6 years at school was to help the trio get to this point. They had so much freedom apparating from place to place that it was hard to believe that they had only just came of age.

From the moment Harry left Privet Drive my mind was absorbed in what he was doing, the clues he was following and whether he would be able to stop Voldemort.

I want to go back to the earlier books to see if I can pick up the clues, now that I know what happens.

There are some shortcomings of the book (eg the sword being in the sorting hat) but I think Jo did well to stick to the plot she had created right at the start and wrap things up.

[Sharky]

I voted Outstanding. There were a few disappointments but I began reading it with an open mind and knew that not everything would work out exactly as I wanted it to. I did have mixed feelings when I first finished it but I am now rereading it at a slower pace and loving every minute of it.

I loved the fleshing out of Dumbledore's character. It made him so real and I'm glad we learned so much about him. To me, he is one of the most fascinating characters in the series. I also really loved how Dobby's death was written. It was so beautiful and touching and I cried so much. I loved the Snape/Lily storyline. The chapter entitled 'The Prince's Tale' is absolutely fantastic and intense and brilliantly written. I cheered out loud when the full argument between Snape and Dumbledore was revealed and I gasped and then began sobbing when it was revealed that the doe patronus was Snape's-so, so moving and totally unexpected! I did not see that coming!

I enjoyed some of the smaller things. I thought Xenophilius Lovegood for instance was a brilliant character-so weird and wonderful! I absolutely adored how the Ravenclaws enter their common room! How great is that? It's the little touches like this that made me fall in love with the series in the first place.

I'm still not sure how to feel about the ending. I read 'The Forest Again' chapter and it had me sobbing. To think that Harry was sacrificing himself with such bravery! I have never really had an opinion on Harry's fate. I never really speculated about it and I have never really wanted it either way in particular. But at the end of this chapter, I was thinking 'Thank you, thank you Jo! This is perfect. This all fits and makes sense!' I loved it. I thought that Harry would go on and meet his lost ones and that Neville would deal with Nagini and then Voldemort would be left alive but weak, broken, his soul ruined.

But then Harry was allowed to return and I admit my heart sank a little. Though having said that, I did love the duel between Harry and Voldemort and I cheered when Harry used 'expelliarmus'. I liked that Neville had his moment and Molly's scream to Bellatrix 'You-will-never-touch-our-children-again!' gave me goosebumps. For some reason I liked the similarities between Bellatrix and Sirius's deaths. I loved, loved, loved it when Harry called Voldemort Tom Riddle and gave him 'one last chance' to 'try for some remorse'. Harry's character grew so much in this book and I felt so proud of him. So I guess I'm glad that Harry didn't die because it just wouldn't have seemed right if there hadn't been a duel.

At first I was disappointed with the epilogue because it is a bit cheesy and I wished there was more detail. But now I love it. If anything, this is one of the greatest things Jo could have done, introducing the children of our favourite characters and not including lots of detail. It is almost like a present to all the crazy fans who can now continue to speculate and discuss the Harry Potter world. Plus, after all of Harry's suffering and everything he has been through, it is nice that he finally got some happiness and normality.

The only thing I really disliked about this book was the casulness of Lupin's death. I felt that it was such an injustice to such a brilliant character. I barely even cried though Lupin has always been one of my favourite characters. It just didn't seem real and I couldn't take it in. I wish it hadn't happened 'off-screen'.

But despite that, I really love the book. It was so intense and I literally could not put it down. I am now really looking forward to reading the whole series and looking for all the hints and clues in the previous books. It is going to be so much fun!

[AnnaSofia]

For me an "O" outstanding is pure word to describe a book like Deathly Hallows. It is and will be forever the best book in whole world. For sure i'll read it much more times i read the other HPs books.

[beth83]

At the moment it's an E. Although I'm expecting to change to an O once I have managed to prise it out of my husbands hands for a second read. There are a few things I need to get my head around.

As for the whole Neville and the sword, he pulled it out of the sorting hat as Harry had done in COS. I assume that the magic of Hogwarts allowed the sword to be taken back as a true Gyriffindore student needed it.

[HermyRonnie]

Other. I wouldn't say it's my favorite out of the series, though I still enjoyed most of it. But I felt sorta let down as far as the epilogue and other parts of the book.

3. The Deluminator spawning the port key ability (with some odd reference to Dumbledore knowing that he would be a coward.)

Yes. I have to say, this really bugged me. At first I thought it was the horcrux but after re-reading it, the book makes it out that Dumbledore foresaw Ron's abandoment of the group because he 'understood' Ron. Nevermind the fact that Ron has stood by Harry unwavering and loyally when facing Voldermort. throughout the series so yeah, I was bothered by this.

[SquizyMoomin]

I LOVED LOVED LOVED LOVED the book! And yet...I was the teeniest bit dissapointed? I don't know, I'm not really sure. But I didn't feel like I could give it an 'Outstanding'. It was ALMOST there...but just not quite...Or maybe it was...no....yes...no...yes...no...I'm rather conflicted and unsure. lol. Whatever, it was a great book, easily an 'Exceeds Expectations'.