Fan-Lit: Review of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Review of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling

I finally made it through to the last Harry Potter book, and it has been an incredible journey, reading these books for the first time. I'll give my thoughts on all of the books at the end of this review. So, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" picks up reasonably shortly after the end of the last book. I liked the opening because even though the Dursleys have mistreated Harry, he still tries to protect them from Lord Voldemort. There's a great moment where Dudley shows gratitude to Harry, and even aunt Petunia almost has a moment. At the end of the book, we'll find out why Petunia hated Harry's mom. Jealousy. I like to think that she would tell Harry to kill Voldemort to avenge her sister's death.

It's hard to portray a chase on broomsticks in the air, incredibly if you are not familiar with the English landscape, so I found it confusing to follow along. Much of what happens in this chase is revealed later in the book.

After Harry reaches Ron's house, he is in a hurry to start looking for the Horcruxes. However, Hermione and Ron convince him to wait until after Bill and Fleur's wedding. I enjoyed Harry being disguised as a Weasley cousin. We get to meet Ron's Aunt Muriel, who's been mentioned before, as well as a friend of Dumbledore's. Harry learns more about Dumbledore's past, and this is the first time we are introduced to the symbol of the deathly hallows.

After the wedding, the trio spends a lot of time in the forest, not accomplishing much. This, to me, is where the book starts to have pacing issues. Every time Harry, Ron, and Hermione are in hiding, and the book grinds to a halt for me. Even the scene of them infiltrating the Ministry of Magic takes too long. I enjoy it when the trio is at Grimmauld Place, and Harry feels like it could be home. This book also pays off Hermione's crusade about free house elves through the change in Creature. Harry treats Creature with more respect than his previous masters, and in return, earns Creature's loyalty. While Creature is not a free elf, this shift in how house-elves are treated removes their cruelty. It's been a subtle plot since Doby was introduced. Speaking of Doby, his death is sad but fitting because of his loyalty to Harry, even before he was set free.

One of my main problems with this book is traveling to too many locations. For a first-time reader listening to the audiobooks, it got confusing sometimes trying to figure out where they were. I often got Grimmauld Place confused with Godric's Hollow, and it took me a while to figure out that it was a village, not just a single house. Jumping from place to place, gathering bits of information slowed the story's pace, at least for me. Obviously, we can't make it too easy for Harry to obtain the Horcruxes, and we want to feel a sense of danger wherever he goes, but I feel some scenes could have been combined.

While the middle of the book dragged on a bit, the ending is non-stop action. I love the reveal of Snape's past and his love for Harry's mother Lilly, as well as Dumbledore's planned death. The back and forth battling at Hogwarts happens so fast that some deaths are barely mentioned, which adds to the chaos and urgency of the fight. Harry is losing his friends, and he needs to figure out how to stop Voldemort all at once. I love that Harry is resigned to dying and faces Voldemort. As explained by astral Dumbledore, why Harry doesn't die doesn't make any sense because they've never really explained how Lilly's spell protects Harry; and how it relates to Voldemort. But somehow, Harry lives again, and I love how Harry taunts Tom Riddle about the elder wand belonging to Harry. In the end, Harry can defeat Voldemort for good. I like that everyone gets something to do in the battle. Ron and Hermione retrieve the Basilisk fang to destroy the Horcrux, Neville receives the sword of Godric Gryffindor from killing Nagini, and Molly Weasley beats Bellatrix Lestrange. It's also a bit comedic to have the Malfoy's running around looking for Draco, which shows that they were never really true believers of the dark lord.

The book ends with an epilogue nineteen years later, when Harry sees his second son, Albus, off to Hogwarts at platform nine and ¾. This gives us a glimpse into how Harry, Ron, and Hermione's lives ended. Harry and Ginny were married (I never understood that pairing), Ron and Hermione are married, and while not friends with Draco, they weren't enemies anymore. It's a great way to end the story. I know there is the Cursed Child story, but I haven't read it since it was written as a play and not a novel.

Now that I've read all seven of the Harry Potter books, I can say that I understand why it is so beloved. These books are exceptional works of fantasy that deal with destiny, death, bravery, and friendship. These books succeed because of the fantastic characters we get to know throughout the series.

The last Harry Potter universe book post will go up on Monday, "Short Stories from Hogwarts of Power, Politics and Pesky Poltergeists." Reading these books and immersing myself in this world has been so fun. I'll post my rankings for favorite books and characters separately. Look out for that.