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Best. Book. Ever.

July 29, 2007 4:35 AM

ust finished reading the last Harry Potter. Here's what I thought, in no particular order as it's late, I'm tired, and I'm still processing the whole thing. In order to avoid spoiling people who haven't read it yet, I'm going to make it so that you have to highlight the text to read it.

First of all, J.K. Rowling starts the thing off by letting you know that she's not fucking around--killing Hedwig and Mad-Eye in the first few pages was something I didn't at all expect, but it really made it perfectly clear that every character was fair game.

Second, I loved the treatment of Dumbledore. I loved the fact that, through giving him real, deep, horrible flaws, Ms. Rowling made him even more unbelievably awesome.

Third, Harry was amazing. Although I was annoyed at some points by the fact that he was still being childish, everything he did after Dobby's death was perfect and really showed how he was finally ready to be what he needed to be. The interaction between Harry, Hermione, and Ron, also, was excellent. I loved the way they played off of each other, strengthened each other, but also annoyed and frustrated each other. The fact that they're strong, stubborn individuals that just happen to be each others' absolute best friends makes the whole thing much more believable--and frustrating at times.

Fourth, Neville is the shit. Seriously, he went from being a so-so character for me to being pretty much in my top five. It was him--not one of the professors--that stood up to Voldemort. It was him that kept Dumbledore's Army going, risking great bodily harm. And it's him that ends up being a professor.

Fifth, all of the action was amazing. The Battle of Hogwarts was nearly perfect. The small battle at the Ministry was awesome. Even Harry and Hermione's escape at Godric's Hollow was great. All of the action sequences were well-paced and exciting. Wow.

Sixth, I knew Snape was a good guy.

Seventh, tied into Snape being my new favorite Hogwarts professor, how awesome were Harry and Ginny's kids' names? Albus Severus Potter. That's pretty cool. Although I wondered how Ginny felt about the whole thing--didn't she have any name suggestions?

Eighth, don't fuck with Molly Weasly. Aside from bringing us the closest thing to an actual curse word in any of the books, she fucking took on Bellatrix one-on-one and took her down. That was awesome. It was also awesome, by the way, that Ginny, Luna, and Hermione were keeping their own against Bella.

Ninth, the final confrontation was pretty much everything I expected and more. Harry's confidence, Voldemort's arrogance--just great.

Tenth, why did so many people have to die? Hedwig, Mad-Eye, Lupin, Tonks, Fred (Fred!)--each one was so terrible.

Eleventh, I cried at several points. Not really cried cried, but teared up. Mad-Eye did it for me, which I wouldn't have expected. Ron's return definitely got me, as did Percy's sudden arrival. But, then, by the time Percy came back, I was pretty much already teared up because, come on, the return of Dumbledore's Army was awesome. The end definitely did it. Dumbledore telling Harry that Harry was the better man. So many heart-wrenching and -warming moments--I can't even remember them all.

All in all, the book was far more than I could possibly have expected. Ms. Rowling did not disappoint.



10 Comments


butterflyfish said:

COMMENT IS FULL OF SPOILERS. STOP READING --- STOP READING NOW!


1. The thing I like best is she didn't give what we expected -- Neville took down Nagani. He didn't get the satisfaction of killing Bella, but his soul remained in tact. Snape was good, but didn't die saving Harry, which is how most people beleived his goodness would be revealed. This was better.

2. Death of Dobby, the burial, was my worst tear up point. Full on streaming tears.

3. I love how Dumbledore became most human, and the apparant corny-ness of his staying at a school when he was uber powerful is now most reasonable.

4. None of the children killed, not even Harry -- he aimed to disarm and the curse rebounded. It is a children's book after all.

5. I honestly thought more kids were gonna die -- I thought more named minor characters (Lee Jordan for example, not just poor Creevy) were toast.

6. McGonagall kicks ass. Just. Kicks. Ass.

July 29, 2007 7:34 AM



Dee said:

JUST READ THE BOOK ALREADY! NO PEEKING!


I have been waiting to see what you thought--i also LOVED this book! i read it to expat--but i had to hand the book over at the point when harry said "accio hagrid!" i was shaken by hedwig's expiry, and i just couldn't convince myself that hagrid wasn't dead. i sobbed like he was my dad or something. i cried a lot throughout the book, but that was the only time i lost my shit utterly.

i am furious that we didn't even get to see lupin's death. i don't know who killed my favorite character--BOO!


i totally agree that ginny is a really generous uterus, guess whatever's good enough for harry's good enough for her.

also, how cool was it to see the malfoy's fall from grace? it's nice that she really humanized their characters. i wanted them to come out of it alive.


i could keep going. come visit!

July 29, 2007 11:00 AM



lily graypure said:

Yep! i was really happy with the book. Agreed on just about all points. I think that Ginny, for loving Harry, would have nearly the same appreciation of those names. She'd grown up with the same lore, after all.

July 29, 2007 8:02 PM



TheExpat said:

Excellent point, Lily. She likely would have caught on that Snape was good soon after she and the other students were sent off to be with Hagrid instead of being roasted alive for attempting to steal the sword of Godrick Gryffindor.

But now comes my time to gloat, and having no other forum on which to do so, I will do it on your comments page, Ismael:

I knew Harry was a horcrux. I read no such theory on this beforehand, whether on Mugglenet or any other website. I seem to remember that you disagreed with me, Ismael. Hmm, perhaps I should have bet money. I will now proceed to spend the rest of the day floating on a cloud of my own self-satisfaction. Good day.

July 29, 2007 8:24 PM



Ismael Tapia II said:

butterflyfish,
I loved that Neville killed Nagini, that was awesome and it gave him a chance to be a super badass. I also thought it showed that Harry had progressed from blindly following Dumbledore's orders to actually using his own judgment--and he ended up being right.

It's too bad that Snape didn't die saving Harry, but his death and the subsequent events were even better than I imagined.

The part that got me most teared up was the part after Aberforth let Harry and the others back into the castle and then Luna and everyone else showed up. And then Percy. I thought that was awesome.

It's true that we didn't see any of the children use Avada Kedavera, but it's probably also true that the kids were involved in killing people one way or another. More importantly, though, we saw Harry use both of the other two unforgivable curses.

Creevy got to me. I just didn't expect him to even be involved. I agree, though, that I expected more minor characters to bite it.

Dee,
I'm also kind of pissed that Tonks and Remus didn't get to die on-screen, as it were. I had to reread the passage where Harry noticed that they were dead once or twice--I didn't believe it. I was sure that the fact that they just had a kid meant that at least one of them would make it.

There were so many times when I was sure that Hagrid was about to die. I was sure he was a gonner when the motorcycle crashed, but I was also sure that the spiders were going to kill him. I'm really surprised, actually, that he survived.

Lily,
I'm sure that Ginny would appreciate the names Albus and Severus just as much as Harry. And I can definitely understand why she'd indulge Harry in naming the other kids after his parents. Still, it sucks that her heritage isn't really reflected. I'm going to tell myself that Harry's son James's middle name is Fred.

Expat,
You got me there. I didn't believe that theory, although it seems pretty obvious now. At the time, my main objection to Harry's being a horcrux was that it would mean that Harry would have to kill himself or let Voldemort kill him, which I didn't want to happen. As it turns out, though, Harry has more lives than a cat, so it all works out.

July 29, 2007 10:29 PM



Lauren said:

Loved every minute of it. Ismael, in your defense, and to Mr. Expat's general detriment, Harry was an unintended horcrux. Voldemort had no idea he'd given up a part of his soul to Harry, which is why and how Harry was able to kill him. Hurray! And I knew Harry was going to die...sort of. I didn't tear up once during the whole thing until Fred died. Hedwig was a nasty shock, and I think it was the shock that kept the tears away. The same was true for everyone else, except for Fred. Somehow the thought of the twins not being a singe breathing, joking unit was too much. Even now it chokes me up. Also, I'm willing to bet that Ginny and Harry's kids names are James Arthur and Lily Margaret. I know she doesn't say so, but I think its fitting. Harry's real parents and his surrogates, who happen to be his in-laws. And I also thought it fitting (echoey is maybe a better word) that the one person who can understand growing up without parents is the one who ends up being Lupin and Tonks' godfather.
And who saw Aberforth coming?!?! God, I didn't. I'd forgotten all about Dumbledore's family. And Kreacher?!? Yay for Kreacher! But I think that's what makes J.K. Rowling awesome. We learn more about her characters and they change before us, yet stay fundamentally the same. Just like real people. I loved it.

July 30, 2007 12:45 PM



TheExpat said:

Hmm. To be fair Lauren, I did specify that Harry was a de facto horcrux. That means he was "in fact" a horcrux, if not one spelled out in the rules on intentionally-created horcruxes. As any person that has read the books can tell you, Voldemort wanted to kill Harry, not give him a piece of his soul for safe keeping. Lily's spell proved that Voldemort had a weakness: he loved himself. That baby-thing crying in Harry's psyche toward the end? Voldemort's own sense of abandonment, the part of himself he cherished above all others, the part that justified him being an evil fuck, the part he himself accidentally abandoned in Harry when he cast the killing curse. It might not have been his intent, but that's what Lord Voldy-thingey made all those years ago in Goddrick's Hollow. A fucking horcrux.

Put that in your detrimental pipe and smoke it!

July 31, 2007 1:05 AM



Ismael Tapia II said:

Lauren,
I have to say that I saw Aberforth coming. Ever since he was vaguely introduced in the picture of the Order of the Phoenix, I was sure that he was the bartender at the Hog's Head. That also explains the whole thing with Professor Trelawney and the prophecy--didn't she make it in front of Dumbledore at the Hog's Head?

July 31, 2007 1:45 AM



butterflyfish said:

On Aberforth, yeah, I saw that one coming and was pretty sure he was the eye in the mirror, though I had no idea how she was going to explain that. It was like RAB, which since most everyone figured out, she revealed fairly early in the book.

Thought the spiders got Hagrid fo sure and he met an ironic end. But Jo has since said Hagrid was always going to be the one to carry Harry from the forest. So that was a surprise.

July 31, 2007 7:20 PM



Ismael Tapia II said:

I was definitely behind the game on they eye in the mirror. I was pretty sure the Hog's Head guy was Aberforth, but I couldn't put it together that the blue eyes were his.

Yeah, I also thought Hagrid was finally going to be undone by the consequences of one of his "pets." I have to say, though, that Hagrid carrying a pretending-to-be-dead Harry out of the forest was one of the most moving moments. That's just so sad!

July 31, 2007 11:19 PM



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