I have finished.
My thoughts are tumultuous at best. I don't know that I will be able to write a reasonable review in my present state. Perhaps I'm too close to it?
I find that my initial predictions, the ones I wrote immediately after having finished OoTP proved to be the most true.
She held true to the basic archetypes, though there was a lot less interaction from previous characters than I originally believed. No one got a "reprieve," unless you count the second to last chapter and Harry's trip to "King's Cross" and his chat with Dumbledore. Which ... I suppose we should.
The book went so quickly ... I'm almost sad and hungry. Sad because there was so much ... so much taken and so much lost. And hungry because in the 19 years between the final battle and the epilogue, does Harry find happiness and peace? At last? We are left to assume ... yes.
I cried through the first 10 chapters and the last 200 pages ... I don't know what that translates to in chapters. Molly killing Bellatrix I thought was extremely fitting, as she had been friends with Sirius, and Bellatrix at one time or another had held a wand on several of her children. Not to mention the horrible torture of Hermoine.
I was so sad to see Hedwig go ... so soon ... it was as if JKR was telling us "Get ready ... this whole thing is going to hurt." Dobby was devestating ... the betrayal of Griphook (It was the Griphook on the British cover art holding the sword!) ... though I'm not sure you can call it a betrayal as he was acting in his nature. I honestly wasn't so sad about Moody ... I know he was a great warrior and fierce member of the Order ... but I just wasn't that attached to him as a character. Lupin and Tonks ... especially after little Teddy ... but it is almost like a circle ... a God son for Harry to look after and protect.
It's 759 pages of amazing adventure and disaster, humor and most of all ... love. The theme of the entire series is that love and friendship conquer all. And that power is never absolute, and the smallest of armies can battle back and fight for what is right. Love ... they were all love stories.
I'm just awed. So much was explained but yet I'm still not satsified. I'm not complaining ( he LIVED!) but it would have been nice to know if he worked as an Auror or what he did as a profession. Same with Ron, Hermoine and Ginny.
There's so much! The parts with them going after the Horcruxes and arguing about the Hallows ... fighting Voldemort in Godric's Hollow and then the Death Eaters at the Lovegood's. It was all amazing. McGonagal crying out "No!" when Harry is pronounced Dead ...
And Harry repairing his wand ... I liked that part.
But Snape ... I wish that someone had said thank you! Or told him they knew and understood how he had suffered. But he was taken before ... I know he's a character in a great story ... but I would have really liked to read how he would have reacted to hearing that someone knew of his struggle.
I've been reading all day. There's so much more to talk about but I really can't put it all eloquently enough into words.
I will miss Hogwarts. But I loved this novel.
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