Review of Deathly Hallows

[sanalith]

So I think I have sufficiently calmed down from reading the new Harry Potter book that I can right at least a semi-coherent review. I think I may go back and re-read it quite soon, just so I can get a better handle on some of the details, but for now I think I just need to sit back and absorb.

 
Needless to say, there are SPOILERS behind the cut for the entire book.

 
Got that? SPOILERS!!!  DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVE NOT FINISHED THE BOOK AND DO NOT WANT TO BE SPOILED!!!

 
Ok, my karma is clear. On we go!

Oh, and be warned...this is long and rambly and...yeah  ^^;;

This book was such an emotional roller coaster ride that I hardly know where to begin. I think I scared Mike more than a little while I was reading. I had a tendency to read for an hour or so, then stomp downstairs muttering to myself while I got a drink or a snack, occasionally flopping down on the coach next to him and glaring in a way that probably made him feel as though it was all his fault, and then I would trudge back upstairs and begin again. Invariably, on my ascent, he would call out timidly, “But you’re still enjoying it, right?”

 

And the weird thing was, I didn’t really know the answer to that until about three-quarters of the way through the book.

 
I didn’t *dislike* the book. Not for the most part, at least. I was certainly addicted, there was no denying that. But I felt like “enjoy” was a bit too strong of a word. The book was such a bloodbath, such an edge-of-your-seat thriller that I really didn’t know what to think. When each chapter seemed to bring another death or maiming or both, I felt like there wasn’t time to enjoy it. Everything was happening so fast, like it was all action and hardly any plot, at least in the beginning, that there was no time to do or feel anything. It was all I could do to keep turning the pages.

 
Once I hit the chapter with Snape’s memories, things changed. Aside from the Epilogue, which shall be discussed separately, I loved loved LOVED every single chapter from that point on. This was the Harry Potter I’d been waiting for. Snape’s past, Harry’s determination, his discussion with Dumbledore, the final battle…it was everything I’d wanted, everything I’d hoped for. That ending washed away almost any annoyance I’d felt previously.

 
Almost.

 
So, in true Academy Awards style, here’s my take on the best and worst of Deathly Hallows.

The Best

SNAPE WAS A GOOD GUY!!!!!

 
Yes, boys and girls, this was what I wanted to see more than absolutely anything else. I wanted Severus to be vindicated. I wanted him to be fighting for the side of good. I didn’t want him to be Voldie’s man, I didn’t want him to pull a Darth Vader and turn good at the very end, and I didn’t want him to just be out for himself. I wanted him to be fighting for good because he knew Voldemort had gone too far. Now, some of you might be thinking that he was still selfish, and that he did it all simply out of an unrequited love for Lily. Maybe. But I still see that love as selfless. No matter how much he hated James, we didn’t see him trying to turn Lily against him. Oh yes, they agreed James was a prat and a stuck up git, but Snape didn’t try to paint him evil. He loved her, and when she married his enemy, he stepped back into the shadows and did his best to protect her. And when he failed, he turned against her murderer and vowed to protect her son.

 
And when he found out Dumbledore intended Harry to die all along, he protested. Vehemently. That choked me up. Granted, it was again out of love for Lily, and probably out of anger for being used and used up only to have the one he was protecting be offered up like a lamb for slaughter, but he cared. It almost doesn’t matter to me who he truly cared for. The point is he cared, and he, too, stayed with Harry until the end.

 
And, of course, there was his doe patronus. I was sooo curious as to whose it was. I figured that the doe represented Lily, and at first I thought it was either Lily herself, or perhaps James, casting it somehow. The fact that it was Severus…man, that got to me.

 
I have to admit that I was having a few doubts during the book. When he gave Voldemort the correct date of Moving Harry, when he used sectumsempra on George, and when he allowed Unforgivables to be used on students in detention, I worried. But I told myself I would never stop believing in him until I was given absolute, concrete proof that he was a Death Eater at heart, and in the end, I was right.

 
I have, and always shall, trust Severus Snape.

 

 
HARRY LIVED AND VOLDEMORT DIED!!!!

 
I really wanted this to happen. I think we all knew Voldie was going to bite the dust, but with all the commotion over what was going to happen with Harry, I was starting to get worried. I never really thought he would die, I just couldn’t bring myself to believe it. It wasn’t until Snape’s memories when we learned that Harry had a piece of Voldemort in him that I truly started to get worried. I should have known that a selfless sacrifice would save him in the end, but I really did get shivers for a moment. I would have forgiven Jo in the end, I think, if Harry truly had to die. Sometimes it has to happen, in order for a successor to truly reveal himself or herself. Sometimes it shows that the story, the fight, doesn’t end just because the lead general dies. But at the end of the day, this *is* a children’s story, and I honestly hoped Jo would decide to let him live in order to show kids that heroes don’t always have to die. Harry fought and won, and he got to reap the rewards of that. After seventeen years of pain and suffering, Harry finally got to truly live. That’s a good message. It may be cliché and sappy, but for me, it was right.

 
 

ZOMG DUMBLES ISN’T PERFECT!!!!

 
Since about the fourth book, I knew something was going on with Dumbledore. I couldn’t put my finger on what, but I knew there was something amiss. I went through a lot of crazy, wacko theories, up to an including the thought that he was actually on Voldemort’s side and was setting Harry up, but nothing could have prepared me for this. I love that Jo showed he was human. We saw a little of this in OotP, when we admitted he’d made a mistake with how he’d dealt with Harry that year. But this…this was so much more. We get to see a vain, power-hungry young man, one who, in his own way, was perhaps not all that much different from Tom Riddle. He was a brilliant boy and resented anyone and anything that held him back. He didn’t want to be evil, per se, didn’t want the world kneeling at his feet, but he wanted recognition. He wanted to put his talents to “good” use.

 
He made a huge mistake, and he spent the rest of his life trying to make up for it.

 
Dumbledore was human.

 
One of my favorite chapters in the whole book was Kings Cross, not just because we got to hear the real truth about Dumbledore’s past, but because we got to see him ask forgiveness from Harry. “You’re the better man,” he said. He knew he’d put his family, his friends, and especially Harry, through hell, and he needed to be re-assured that he was *not* as bad as Voldemort. Hallows instead of Horcruxes. That still makes me shiver.

 

 
I SEE DEAD PEOPLE!!

 
The chapter that really choked me up was when Harry walked into the forest determined to die. The way Jo described his feelings, down to the way his heart was beating almost like a clock ticking away his last moments was eerily beautiful. And when he opened the Snitch by admitting he was going to die, and he brought back his parents and Sirius and Lupin…I just couldn’t stand it. This really was Harry knowing the difference between walking into an arena certain of your defeat and certain of at least a chance of success…except this time it was both and neither. It wasn’t just getting hit with a curse and having two seconds to realize you’re dying. It’s having the courage to walk into something knowing you’re not going to come back out. Of course, in the end, that’s exactly why he *did* come out, but the point is still well taken. I couldn’t have done it. I doubt very many people could.

 
Doing what you have to do because you’re the only one who can. Fighting not the fights you can win, but the ones that need to be fought. I think that’s what this whole chapter, what the whole *series* really boils down to. Courage isn’t walking into a fight you know you’re going to win. It’s walking into a fight you know you’re going to lose…and doing it anyway.

 
Man, I’m starting to cry again  ^^;;

 

 
NEVILLE IS TEH AWESOME!!!

 
Out of all the non-major characters in the series, I think Neville has definitely grown the most out of all of them. He went from a scared, forgetful child to a brave and honorable young man. While most parents and guardians were probably worried sick about their children fighting, Neville’s grandmother took it for granted, was *proud* of him for it, knowing he was finally becoming his parents’ son. It takes real guts to stand, the last line of defense, between an invading army and your home ground. But he did it, like Harry, not because he knew he would win, but because he had to.

 
And I don’t think it’s coincidence that Harry entrusted Neville with the secret of the snake. I don’t think he would have stopped to tell just anyone. He trusted Neville. He knew Neville would never let him down.

 
He knew Neville wasn’t the bravest or the strongest. But back in their first year, he’d had the courage to stand up to his two best friends, which, as we know, is sometimes harder than standing up to an enemy. Neville wouldn’t back down. That’s just awesome.

 

 
I LOVE...KREACHER….?

 
Errr…surprise? I always thought he was such a nasty little piece of work, when it turns out Dumbles was actually right about something and he really did just need some TLC. He was brought up to hate non-pure bloods, of course, but it really sounds like Regulus brought out the best in him. His story just tore at my heart, and when Harry gave him the fake locket, I wanted to cry. And THEN in the battle when he comes storming out of the kitchens to lead the house elves to victory for “Master” Harry and Regulus’ memory….aww man, that was just too wonderful.

 

 
Smaller Squee-Worthy Moments

 
Narcissa lying to Voldemort about Harry being dead so she could go find Draco.

 
Harry saving Draco twice, and the little ferret STILL turning on him =P

 
Crabbe actually being the brains behind the group?  o.0

 
Molly: “NOT MY DAUGHTER YOU BITCH!”  Yah!

 
Luna Luna Luna!! Luna Luna Luna!!!

 
The Ravenclaw password being a question so you can learn!

 
Snape being friends with Lily from the start!

 
McG: “What would he be doing in Ravenclaw? He’s in MY House??” Possessive much?  ^___^

 
Harry casting an unforgivable because McG got spat on. Very noble indeed!

 
Dudley and Harry making up!

 
Petunia wanting to be a witch!

 
Percy coming home!

 
Trelawney throwing crystal balls! McG with an army of desks! It felt like the attack on the Beast’s castle in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast! I was waiting for the dressers and candlesticks to join in!

 

 
The Worst

 

HERMIONE x RON

 
Like I said, I’ll give the epilogue a separate discussion, but I just wanted to whine for a minute about this particular pairing. I knew it was coming, I prepared myself for it, and I cringed during every “romantic” moment. I’m sorry, but out of all the pairings that actually stuck throughout the series, this is the one I really hate the most. (And no, this is NOT me complaining that my OTP was firmly crushed, mainly because I knew it would never happen!) I just honestly don’t see what the two of them have in common. Sure, they have Harry and Hogwarts and a really good history, but Ron is going to be bored to tears by Hermione’s studying and lecturing, and Hermione is going to go crazy with all his Quidditch talk. I also really feel like Ron craves fame and fortune, simply because he had neither growing up, and I can’t imagine Hermione caring for things like that. I just…ugh! I don’t see it lasting realistically. That is all.

 

 
WTF – WAS SNAPE EVEN IN THE BOOK???

 
I feel rather cheated out of my Severus time. I feel like the man basically showed up to die. I mean, he played a small role in the first chapter, mainly to prove his “loyalty” to Voldemort, and for the rest of the book, he’s basically just in the background. We hear snippets about his reign of terror at Hogwarts, but until the battle actually starts, we hardly see him. Then he’s flying out the window and on his way to getting bitten by a snake. I wanted more Snape!! I really feel like HBP set him up to be a really main and important character, and he wasn’t hardly there!

 
And speaking of his death, what the heck? I knew he was going to die, just as surely as I knew R/Hr was going to happen. I hoped against hope I was wrong, but I figured dying was truly the only way to cement his loyalty to Dumbledore and the Good Guys. But…but…I wanted him to go out in a blaze of glory! I wanted him to take a Killing Curse for The Golden Trio or Ginny or someone important. I wanted him to change sides in front of Voldemort and spit in his face. I wanted something dramatic, something to take the sting of his actual death away. The fact that he was just sort of declared another “spare,” someone to be disposed of because he got in Voldemort’s way, was disappointing. It was a fitting example of Voldemort’s character, of course, but I had really hoped for something better.

 
Oh, and it did kind of annoy me that Harry didn’t really even think about the fact that he’d been blaming Snape for such horrible deeds until many chapters later. Yes, I realize perfectly well that his mind was more seriously occupied on his impending death, and that is to be expected. But just one stray thought might have been nice. Just one. Sheesh.

 

 
BRING OUT YOUR DEAD!!!

 
I’ll cry and sob over the deaths that really cut me up in a bit, but there’s one death in particular that made me more angry than sad. Remus Lupin. For one thing, I wasn’t expecting it. I don’t know why, when everyone else was dying, but I just wasn’t. However, if he had to die, I wanted him to go out taking 20 Death Eaters with him. I wanted him to go out in a blaze of glory, a twinkle in his eye, knowing that he’d kept his best friend’s son alive.

 
And…errr…maybe he did. We don’t know. THAT’s what I hate.

 
Lupin was what I consider a major character. He’s been around since book three, and he has one of the tightest histories with Harry. Not only did he deserve an explosive death, WE deserved to at least witness it! But no. Instead Jo just gives us a lineup of dead bodies and, lo and behold, there’s Lupin! And yes, I realize this was also done with Tonks and Colin, and that aggravates me as well, but Lupin was one of my favorite characters, and darn it all I want to know how he died! That should NOT be so much to ask!

 

 
YOU DID NOT ANTICIPATE THAT!!

 
The first half of the book felt very…umm…shall we say Phantom Menace-esq. For those who don’t quite know what I’m talking about, allow me elaborate.

 
Coincidences are cool once or twice. Fifty billion of them are annoying.

 
Yes, I realize Hermione is a brain, an obsessive planer, and practically able to see into the future. But you cannot tell me that she had the foresight to back every single bloody thing they needed during the entire trip in her little purse. I’m sorry, I really am. And honestly, what’s the chance of them having to run during the wedding, which is the only time up till then that she is carrying said purse? I just really feel like the Trio escaped a lot of things and had a lot of things with them that they shouldn’t have, just like little Anakin was able to pilot his way through a war that no one else could. I realize Hermy is smart and Ani has the Force, but come ON people. A little realism never hurts every now and then.

 

Annoyances

 
It’s Hermione JANE Granger, not Jean. I don’t care if she ended up with the same name as Umbridge. Stick to the script.

 
Umm…the whole Secret Keeper thing? Yeah. We thought we already knew what happened when the SK died. Don’t go contradicting yourself there.

 
TOO MANY NAGINI SCENES! SANA IS VERY OPHIDIOPHOBIC!!!

 
For some reason, I didn’t like the Putter-Outer being able to transport Ron to Harry and Hermione. It seemed cheap. Can’t really explain it more than that.

 

 
RIP

 
So there were a LOT more deaths in this book than I was expecting, along with a lot more maiming and almost-deaths. Hagrid almost bought it at least twice, falling off the motorbike and then being swallowed up by Araggog’s kids. This was, of course, a very realistic portrayal of war and terrorism, but still…I felt like I couldn’t catch my breath.

 
Dobby was the worst, I think. I wasn’t expecting it, and it was just soooo emotional. When Harry dug his grave himself and carved the epitaph – “Here Lies Dobby, a Free Elf” I just wanted to cry. Dobby so easily could have been an annoying side character, but he became incredibly endearing. He was one of the most selfless characters in the books, and also so very childlike, that it just really hurt.

 
Hedwig also surprised me, mainly because it happened so quickly and was so…pointless, really. It’s not like she was a threat to Voldemort in a large way. She just happened to get in the way of a stray shot, and she died for it. I love pets so much, and she really had been a member of the family for Harry, that I just felt really, really sad.

 
Fred really hit me hard, though probably not as hard as if there had been fewer deaths. By the time they got to him, I was almost numb with it all. I also pretty much knew at least one of the Weasley’s was going to die, and the twins seemed a likely bet. They weren’t as close to Harry as Ron and Ginny, but closer than Bill, Charlie or Percy, and so would hurt him without destroying him. Of course, it really stunk because Percy had just come home, and Molly would have had all her children back, but I guess that’s war.

 
Mad-Eye didn’t bother me so much, expect to demonstrate that all bets were off. If a battle-hardened auror could be defeated, everyone else could, too.

 
So yeah. Death sucks, man.

 

 
The Epilogue

 
*deep breath*  Ok, I know a lot of people have been complaining about this, and I’m going to kind of jump on the bandwagon with that. First off, I have no overt problem with Harry and Ginny, as I’ve rather grown found of them together. I’ve already discussed my annoyance with Hermione and Ron. They all have children and that’s cool, and I’m also going to disagree with a lot of people and state that Albus Severus Potter is a perfectly good name for Harry’s son. It may be a mouthful and it may not sound the best, but it almost brought tears to my eyes because it acknowledges that Harry completely and totally forgave Snape. He even told his son that Severus was one of the bravest men he’d ever known…and he’d been in Slytherin.

 
What I hate most about the epilogue is that, aside from Draco’s cameo (which was cool), it was completely Trio-centric. It also didn’t even go into details with them! Did Harry become an auror? Is Ron a Quidditch player? Does Hermione teach or do research? We know Neville is Herbology instructor at Hogwarts, but other than that, we know nothing. What about Luna and the other DA members? I realize she couldn’t give *everyone’s* biography, but a little more info would have been nice. I also agree that it did read a little like a fanfic, though that didn’t bother me so much as the lack of information.

 
The world is good, Harry’s scar no longer hurts, and he has a brood of kids. Errr…nice, but can’t you add a little more than that?

 
Still, I think the overriding sentiment she wanted to make was that Harry finally had what he’d waited his whole life for – a large, loving family in a peaceful world. He’d fought so long and so hard, and he deserved the rest a quiet life brings. And that…that’s nice. I’m happy with that. I’m also glad he talked a little about to Sorting with Albus and how choice can play a large part not only in one’s future House, but in one’s future in general. This whole series, and this book in particular, really deals a lot with choices. Sometimes it may seem like there really aren’t any, but in the end, Dumbles was right – our choices matter far more than out abilities.

 
After all, Harry always chose to walk into his battles, knowing that in a test of pure magic and strength, he would lose.

 
I also agree with a lot of others that the epilogue really brought things full circle. At the end of the day, as long as there are nervous children waiting on Platform 9 ¾ to be taken to a place of magic and wonder, all was right with the world.

 
One final thought, and this about Slytherin in general and Snape in particular. I’ve read a lot of reviews complaining about Slytherins really getting labeled as bad guys and cowards in this book, mainly because none of them (including Slughorn) stuck around to fight with Harry, and because of Dumbledore’s comment to Snape that perhaps they Sort to early. For the former, all I can say is that Slytherins look out for themselves first and foremost, and all they were showing were self-preservation instincts, not cowardice. They knew they would be punished harder for fighting Voldemort, because they should “know better.” Yes, I find it stereotypical that they *all* left, but guess what. It’s a book, and books have to have bad guys. Deal. As for the second, I don’t think Dumbledore at all meant to say that Slytherins could not be brave. Harry himself noted that Snape was one of the bravest men he’d ever met, and I’m sure Dumbledore felt the same way. I think all he meant was that Snape was starting to show *more* bravery than perhaps ambition and cunning. Remember, most people have more than one House inside them, and the Hat Sorts based on the most prevalent characteristics. Snape was simply evolving into a different person. (And remember, Snape didn’t want to be in Gryffindor for the same reason Harry didn’t want to be in Slytherin – because they’d both met people from those Houses they didn’t like.) In sum, did Jo stereotype the Snakes a bit more than strictly necessary as the bad guys? Yeah, probably. But in the grand scheme of things, I think all the Houses are one big stereotype, so I wasn’t all that shocked.

 
And now, as I look at this review and realize I am nine pages into Word, I just want to say this. I feel like DH was a fitting close to the series. There were things I didn’t like (as always), things I loved, things that made me laugh, and things that made my cry. But in the end, the main thrust was all about doing the right thing because it had to be done and you were the only one who could do it. THAT sends a positive message to children and adults alike. And the fact that doing what needed to be done brought him back and allowed him to finally beat Voldemort was something else I think a lot of us needed to see. (Or at least something I needed.) It’s hard for my to put my feelings for the book at large into words, so all I can really say is I feel fulfilled. I feel like Harry taught us what we needed to learn about choices, about good and evil, and about putting one foot in front of the other even when you feel like there’s no point.

 
And this isn’t the end. Not really. Those we love never really leave us, after all.