Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Harry Potter, #7) by J.K. Rowling, Mary GrandPré Published by Arthur A. Levine Books on July 21st 2007
Pages: 759
Goodreads
It's no longer safe for Harry at Hogwarts, so he and his best friends, Ron and Hermione, are on the run. Professor Dumbledore has given them clues about what they need to do to defeat the dark wizard, Lord Voldemort, once and for all, but it's up to them to figure out what these hints and suggestions really mean.
Their cross-country odyssey has them searching desperately for the answers, while evading capture or death at every turn. At the same time, their friendship, fortitude, and sense of right and wrong are tested in ways they never could have imagined.
The ultimate battle between good and evil that closes out this final chapter of the epic series takes place where Harry's Wizarding life began: at Hogwarts. The satisfying conclusion offers shocking last-minute twists, incredible acts of courage, powerful new forms of magic, and the resolution of many mysteries.
Above all, this intense, cathartic book serves as a clear statement of the message at the heart of the Harry Potter series: that choice matters much more than destiny, and that love will always triumph over death.
4 Nuts
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS is a big deal. Not so much because of its content but because of what is represented. Deathly Hallows was the culmination of years of work for JK Rowling and the majority of my childhood as a young reader. It was the end of the series that was my first internet fandom, the series I wrote my first fan fiction for, the series that got me together with my first kinda boyfriend. It represents the end of midnight release parties and worldwide spoiler dodging on a level I don’t think I’d ever experience again. And yet as a book it’s not that amazing.
Don’t get me wrong, I love this book and at the time I wasn’t at all disappointed with what we were given. I was ecstatic to be proven right about Snape, moved by Harry, brought to tears by the many deaths and heartbreaks that Rowling wrote for us. Yet as an adult I see there are more problems with the book than I gave it credit for back then.
For one there’s the entire middle, also known as the book within a book titled HARRY POTTER AND THE NEVER ENDING CAMPING TRIP. Boy, when I say never ending, I mean it. this wandering around Great Britain goes on for chapters upon chapters, with a few important things sprinkled throughout. Now that’s not to say that I don’t understand its purpose, because I do. However I think its used in excess and could probably have been cut down to make room for more actual doing of things.
The second is the epilogue, that mess of words that eventually made room for the disaster that is HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD. The names, the sentimentality, the blah! This epilogue is no where near at the caliber of Rowling’s usual work and also seems tacked on to the end. And besides, who would be so cruel to name their child Albus Severus?
All of that being said, this book does hold a special place in my heart, and it’s certainly not a bad book. It does not, however, hold up as well as some of the others in the series do. Still, Rowling’s genius cannot be forgotten and genius she is. I still laugh, I still sob my eyes out, no matter how many times I read this book.
An interesting fact, this was the only book in the series that I had not heard read by Jim Dale all the way through. By this point I was devouring book after book on my own faster than a narrator could read to me and no longer had the time to linger. So going back and listening now was a new experience. Dale is in incredible narrator, with each character having a voice so unique that to this day I can pick out who he is speaking as. Even new characters get their own voices, and he keeps all of them straight! It’s impressive to say the least.
I will always recommend this series to younger YA readers and anyone who has not read them yet, no matter their age. It’s like a right of passage to read Harry Potter and one I hope everyone experiences for years to come.
WhichHarry Potter cover is your favorite? Share your pick in the comments.
From my shelf to yours,
Erin
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