i know this is horribly late, but here it is anyway. i've been wanting to post this since i read harry potter 3 days after it came out. (fine stone me i actually did not get the book on its first day)
here's a book review, just my opinions.
'I must really say, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows fall short of expectations of Rowling’s master storytelling fame, and certainly does not beget the high praise of having crafted a book with dickens-like ingenuinity.
My expectations of the deathly hallows were extremely high, but not exceedingly or unreasonably so. Having stuck through and thoroughly enjoyed the first 6 books of the series (look, the deathly hallow’s decicated to me!), I had braced myself for nothing less than a brilliant and masterful ending that would dwarf or at least, be worthy of even the combined magics of the first 6 books (pardon the pun). However the deathly hallows seemed too rehearsed and staged to me, although this did not at all make it less of one of the most exciting and entertaining books I’ve ever read.
The deathly hallows appeared to be a staged plot element that would, seem acceptable if employed by other authors but instead, rather appear disappointing when applied by whom I’ve regarded to be a masterful storyteller - Rowling. Perhaps, if the deathly hallows had been introduced earlier in the series, would this plot element then fall perfectly into place as the crux lending itself to Voldemort’s ultimate undoing. As it was mentioned that the story of the Deathly Hallows was a popular and almost household fable, such a legend should have been mentioned from books 1 to 6, by wizards who were of pure or half blood parentage and thus would know the story, if not from the main characters themselves. Whether or not Rowling had intended for the deathly hallows to be mentioned only in book 7, it gives the impression of a rather forced plot element thrown into the story to tie up loose ends which is, in my opinion, a great pity.
In addition, the ending to Deathly Hallows seemed almost too fairytale-like; Harry returning from an out-of-body experience after being supposedly killed by Lord Voldemort, and then subsequently moving on to defeat him and to live happily ever after. Even the last sentence of the book speaks of a fairytale-like ending of ‘happily ever after’ in perhaps, Rowling’s own literary brew: ‘All was well.’ Rowling definitely has to take into consideration the younger readers of her book, and as much as I felt the ending to be too light-hearted, I fully support the ending she has chosen for the abovementioned reason. Besides, a Harry Potter theme park would hardly be more successful if Harry Potter himself were to be dead at the end of Book 7. Rowling would be effectively killing off the highly profitable Harry Potter franchise.
I also have much doubts surrounding Ron and the Outputter left to him by Dumbledore. How was it possible that it allowed him to know the location of Harry and Hermione, get there in time to demonstrate great courage and valor by saving Harry and proceed to obtain the Sword of Gryffindor. Coming to the Sword of Gryffindor, it was mentioned that it had to taken as the user demonstrates courage and valour. How did Snape know that either of the trio in the forrest would demonstrate courage and gallantry before taking the Sword? If Harry had removed the locket from his neck before diving into the lake, would the opportunity for Ron to show the immense courage he did present itself? If no, then would the Sword of Gryffindor then be no more than an ordinary sword forged from steel and fire, without the imbued power to destroy the horcruxes? Much of sheer coincidental luck has been used here to carry the plot, which rather dismayed a Potter fan such as I.
Then comes the part on Ron opening the Chamber of Secrets by repeating the Parseltongue word for ‘open’, which he had heard Harry speak to the locket. Surely Pareltongue is a language that is to be mastered before it can be spoken and actually understood by anyone or anything, and not just mere verbal renunciation? Furthermore, Paerseltongue, unlike other languages, was not even a language that was to be learned, picked up or mastered – it was in-born to remarkably few wizards. Thus I find it quite unlikely for Ron to even be able to speak Parseltoungue by a verbal recollection of what he heard – and even more unlikely to get a response out of a very powerful magic that guarded one of Lord Voldemort’s horcruxes. This regrettably lends to the feel of a rehearsed or staged plot element that could have certainly be better written.
Coming to Severus Snape, arguably the most enigmatic and mysterious and debated character in the entire series, I feel that Rowling could not have done better on fitting together the pieces of the massive jigsaw that has been presented to the reader since Book 1. However, the part of Snape’s one-sided affair with Lily Evans seems to be a weak link in the intricate plots surrounding Snape. Was his one-sided affection for Lily enough for him to betray Lord Voldemort and to switch sides just so that Voldemort may spare the woman who did not, and would not, love him in return? Drawing upon the fact that Snape a Slytherin, it would be more likely and logical that he put his utmost safety before everything else, including a married woman. This said, it still remains that Snape was a man of tremendous bravery (as revealed in Book 7), and of character seldomly observed in a Slytherin. Thus this casts doubts over the wisdom of Snape’s sorting. Perhaps this is the point Rowling has left for us to ponder, that is it our choices truly speaks and reveals the most about us, the most of our character, as Dumbledore has explained to Harry in the past. Although by the end of Book 7 all mystery surrounding Snape was solved, the most philosophic question of the complexity of human nature and of choice and interdeterminsm posted to us by Rowling remains to be pondered by the individual himself.
Dumbledore, yet another enigmatic character - I feel that Rowling has splendidly developed his character further. By revealing more of Dumbledore’s somewhat dark past, Rowling seeks to show that there are no extremes on the spectrum of good and evil, just like she has done for Snape’s character. Having protryed Dumbledore as almost saint-like and the ultimate embodiment of good in the first 6 books, Rowling has now succesffuly made Dumbledore a more nuanced and real character through the portrayal of his past. It also shows that the greatness of Dumbledore’s later years was derived from his conflicts and mistakes. It was indeed a very delightful touch by Rowling, and a great closure for the depart of one of the greatest wizards the world has ever seen.
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed what I feel to be Rowling’s best book in the series. The book not only presented the readers with an exciting and dramatic ending, tied up loose ends, but left us more about philosophy, life and of course, death than we thought there could possibly be, to ponder about. And that’s what, in my opinion, makes Rowling such a great and masterful author in every sense of the word. '
