Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Book 7) by J.K. Rowling Summary and Reviews
|
List Price: Our Price: $42.99 You Save: $36.96 (46%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $34.00 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Book 7)
Book Review: Meh. Nowhere near as good as earlier books.
Summary: 3 Stars
This book could have been better in so many ways.
And in so many ways, the book is like bad fanfiction. Especially the epilogue. That was NOTHING but bad fanfic there.
Enjoy the constant and frequent bouts of Ginny-Sue, and the shout-outs that JKR gives to the fangirls.
Personally, it doesn't quite live up to the long wait for it. I should have stopped reading the books after Goblet of Fire. They've certainly been a let down since.
Book Review: It ended all too soon...
Summary: 5 Stars
My children and I arrived to get our reserved copy of Harry Potter right at 11:30 p.m. By the time I got home and settled into a good read, it was 2:00. My poor husband woke up to go to work at 7:00 to see me wiping my eyes and closing the backcover. Not wanting to spoil it for him, I could only say...it didn't last near long enough.
What a wonderfully complex book! There was one section where Harry is so focused on retrieving items (not saying what!) that seemed forced and thrown in there at the last minute. It just did not feel fleshed out. Overall, however, the book was paced (not too fast, not too slow) and seemed to give the many characters a chance to shine each. I sniffled over every death and wanted them not to have occured but it is a war and that is what happens in a war.
About the end...all I will say is I want more details! For those of you who have no idea what I mean...READ THE BOOK! *G* Enjoy!
Book Review: A perfect ending to a glorious series
Summary: 5 Stars
Before the release of the seventh and last book of the Harry Potter series, I re-read all the preceding volumes. Throughout, I followed how the author developed her grand theme of Right vs Wrong, the strong vs the weak and the evils of the misuse of power. How was Rowling to end this series? Obviously, the Apocalypse was at hand, and the heroic struggle between Harry Potter and the evil Voldemort would be the climax of the series.
While we waited for the last book, rumors abounded. Fake spoilers floated over the internet like the soul-sucking Dementors, threatening to extinguish the enjoyment people would get from this final volume. So, no spoilers from this reviewer. All I will say is that "Deathly Hallows" lived up to my expectations and in fact, ended pretty much as I imagined it would. Rowling keeps true to her theme right to the end and to her artistic vision as well.
There is plenty of action right from the get-go. This is by far the most exciting of the seven books, with duels, battles, fights, daring escapes and amazing twists of fortune. There are plenty of surprises and also many reasons to weep. The action sometimes is non-stop, but from time to time, there are welcome respites in the action, times for moments of tenderness or friendship between surprising pairings of characters. The sub-theme of the redeptive power of Love is evident in these idylls.
J. K. Rowling is a master writer who has created an amazing work of art with the Harry Potter series and just as any master craftsman, she has chosen the perfect finish for a fine series of books. I look forward to new series with entire new worlds or...perhaps this is really the end. Some authors do write themselves out when they've said their say. I don't know. But I do know this author is one I enjoy reading and I hope we have many more new adventures to discover from her pen. Bravo!
Joanna DanemanBook Review: Too many pointless deaths
Summary: 3 Stars
I like these books and I was expecting this to be the darkest but I have to say That I was really put off. Some of the death were pointless and not needed. Especially one at the beginning that doesnt involve a human but is very close to Harry. I dont get the point of that death. It made me cry and I hope its taken out of the movie. That and w/all the deaths and all that, she killed one of my favorite characters. Which needless to say took my breath away and franly, pissed me off. One I never expected to die and it wasnt even a good death. That and there was no mention of the after effect at the end. It was good to finally understand all the connections and they were well thought out I just didnt think so many people you have grow to like should have been off. I get the whole war scenrio of it but it still just seemed like overkill (pardon my pun). I dont even want to see this last movie when its out because I know I will have to watch some of those uncomfortable scenes. She's a brilliant written but I just expected something better.Book Review: well worth waiting for
Summary: 5 Stars
Warning: This review contains spoilers.
Plot: Harry, Hermione and Ron have each been left something in former Hogwarts' headmaster Dumbledore's will. As they have decided not to return to school for their final year, they begin to look for Horcruxes, in hopes of solving the puzzle left by their mentor. Meanwhile Voldemort along with his Death Eater cronies has seized power, and taken control of the Ministry of Magic.
This means persecution of Muggles and a Nazi-like emphasis on weeding out the less than "pure" blooded witches and wizards. Meanwhile back at school, the remaining members of "Dumbledore's Army" and the Order of the Phoenix battle the oppressive new regime which reflects Voldermort's growing influence. There are casualties on both sides, including characters the reader has come to know and love. Harry does ultimately find answers to the questions that have perplexed him - particularly, about Snape's relationship with his parents, but not without a price.
As the clich? goes, you'll laugh and you'll cry. At times, Harry and his friends bicker like they're on a sitcom together, but the black humor is welcome given the gravity of their situation. Many of the passages are breathtakingly beautiful, particularly the graveyard scene. Rowling's genius is that she makes you care passionately about her minor characters, as well as her main ones. In fact, she ties everything together. All the characters' and their pasts are shown to be integral to the plot.
I'm going to get stoned for this, but there just a couple of things that bothered me. One, Hermione starts acting like a stereotypical girl, even as she continues to ably assist Harry in tracking down Horcruxes and defeating Voldemort. There were at least six or seven times where she bursts into tears, and while she was definitely under considerable stress, so were Harry and Ron.
The other is that the action grinds to a halt when Harry finally gets to learn from Dumbledore the answers to his questions. Directly after that, he is going to battle his nemesis - except instead of fighting, they talk. And talk. I know that loyal readers want answers that have been percolating since Book One,, but I thought the exposition could have been a little more spread out. Finally, the showdown comes, and instead the good guy and bad guy act like characters in an action movie and taunt each other for what seems like forever. But these are minor points because the final book is definitely the best of the series. It would not be overstating things to say it was one of the best books I have ever read.