The Promised Review

I think it's about time I released my review of the final installment in the Harry Potter series. In order for you as the reader to fully understand where I stood on the issue, I think that first I am going to have to explain how I felt about past Harry Potter novels. These reviews will be short.

Book 1: Great. Got me hooked right away. I was very excited to hear about this creative character and rather new outlook on the world of Magic.

Book 2: Awful. I could have read HP1 five times in the time it took me to read the Chamber of Secrets. It was slow, boring, and uneventful.

Book 3: Great. This one is my favourite because it is the only one that isn't based around the overhanging fear of Voldemort coming back and killing everyone.

Book 4: Pretty Good. I missed Quiditch (sp?). It has been so long that I can't even remember how to spell the stupid sport. Broomstick football was one of my favourite aspects of the HP series, and from this book onwards, it was pretty much a backseat issue. Also, this was the first of the series in which the ending was merely the beginning of the next book, leaving me hanging completely. Rather frustrating.

Book 5: Terrible. Harry Potter went from being a young boy to being prepubescent teenage girl (no offense meant). It was infuriating. Whine whine whine. I hate you, Harriot Potter.

Book 6: On as scale of 1-10, this book was a -5. It was awful. Here's what I gathered from the first 600 pages. Horcrux's are important. Thanks J.K. Rowling for taking something that can be explained in a page, and stretching it across 600. Tolkien would be proud of you.

Which brings us to book 7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. First thing I want to point out; it's Hallows. H-A-L-L-O-W-S. See the spelling? It's not "Hollows" now is it? So stop saying that dammit! Learn to read! Now for what I thought of the book.

It started off rather well. There was little dancing around the nothings going on at Private Drive. Things seemed to kick off rather smoothly. It had in interesting introduction followed by a great boost of adrenaline. The escape was great, and set the bar for the rest of the book. The death of Hedwig was a perfect way to foreshadow the tone; people are going to die, and you are going to be sad about it.

After that, the Horcrux hunt begins. This was very well done. I was impressed with the first 200-250 pages of it. Clever, fairly well written, and rather gripping. From page 250 up until their final "near escape", I was rather tired of them almost getting caught. But, things panned out, and Harry Potter proved himself in the end.

When Hogwarts reenters the equation, I was very satisfied. All the characters I had missed were there again, and they gave a performance that was very fitting to all of their histories. I was far more pleased than I ever expected to be. The final battle was rather overdone, but the dialog was clever and I believe I laughed out loud several times.

All in all, I would say that this Harry Potter book is by no means the best, but it is certainly an excellent end to what was overall a very clever series. I am impressed, and I don't say that often. J.K. Rowling; I had low expectations, but you came through. Good job. You surprised me.