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Showing reviews 6-10 of 3222
 A fitting finale July 31, 2007
C. MCCALLISTER (The waters of the Great Lakes)
27 out of 35 found this review helpful
I was ambivalent about writing a review on this book, just because there are so many already out there, two things are likely to end of being true: mine will get buried in the avalanche, and mine will say what has already been said many times, and will be said again, and again, . . .
Anyway, here we go. First of all, this is the last book in the series, and both the book and this review will make little sense to anyone who did not read the first six books. The first three books (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Book 1), Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Book 2), and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Book 3)) can almost stand alone, without need of knowing the rest of the series. However, from a point near the end of the fourth book (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Book 4)) on, the story becomes continuous, and should be read in order and without skipping, through Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Book 5), to Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Book 6), to culminate in this book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows does an excellent job of taking all of the many story-lines in the series, connecting them, and closing them out. I cannot think of a single character, of any importance, from the entire series, that does not get at least a cameo appearance. Many of the characters develop and change in very interesting ways in this last story, where the big battle between good and evil pushes everyone to take a clear stand, one way or the other. Many characters pay the ultimate price for their choice, and absolutely no one is safe. The chapter called "The Battle of Hogwarts" and its aftermath, will be hard to portray on film, when that time comes, without being hard on some of the younger kids in the audience, because of the carnage. It will require a ton of computer-generated graphics, and should be both a feast for the eyes, and quite heart wrenching. I will say, though, that the death in this book that most affected me, was one that took place before that battle, and was a much quieter death.
The pace of the book is slightly uneven, but there are two mysteries that the characters have to solve (the identity and location of the horcruxes, and the importance and location of the deathly hallows). When a mystery is being unraveled, the story cannot be all action; there have to be slower interludes where the protagonists (in this case, Harry, Hermione, and Ron) try to put the pieces together. There are also sequences in this book where the action is so fast and furious as to be nearly overwhelming, mainly at the Malfoy Mansion and at Hogwarts.
I have read a few reviews where the reviewer felt that the author forced the plot, in a way that did not fit, in order to tie up another loose end. I never felt that way, at any point. I wished some things had turned out differently, but life does not give us everything that we want, and neither does this book. If it did, that would be forced and artificial. It does give us answers to all the big questions, and most of those answers fit, and were quite satisfying to me.
Is this the best book in the series? No, I think not. I liked the third, fourth, and fifth books better. But, this book might be the most satisfying, as it really does conclude the story well, both technically and emotionally.
I am quite curious about what Ms. Rowling will do next. I suspect that we have not seen the last of Harry Potter.
Excellent May 13, 2008
Lady Naava
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I listened to the unabridged audio version of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows and really think this was the best harry Potter book so far. It was spectacularly narrated and, is 19 CD's long, which is probably why I haven't written a review for a while.
I particularly enjoyed the environment in this latest one. It is darker and more urgent. Harry, Hermione and ron are on the run! Harry must find horcrux's which contain bits of Voldemort's soul. Our heroes are also battling uncertainty, doubt, and betrayal. I particularly enjoyed the fact that Dudley seemed to have shown a kinder side, and the revelation about Aunt Petunia was just fascinating. I almost felt bad for her.
I enjoyed the backstory with Lily/Snape which explained a lot. I only wish Harry's dad had been less cruel towards Snape.
Overall, this was a spectacular conclusion to the HP series, although, I think I could've done without the epilog at the end. It didn't add anything.
Get this audiobook! July 26, 2007
Kurt A. Johnson (Marseilles, Illinois, USA)
14 out of 14 found this review helpful
With Albus Dumbledore dead, and Lord Voldemort on the loose, Harry's life is now in mortal danger. Harry knows the secret of the Horcruxes, the secret of what makes Voldemort seemingly invincible. And so, Harry, Ron and Hermione are off to destroy the Dark Lord, and save the world...but, what will it cost Harry? Quite possibly everything.
This is the seventh and final book in J.K. Rowling's wonderful Harry Potter series. I loved the emotions that she poured into the book - the love, the pain, the sorrow, the hatred, the regret. She is truly a rare find among authors. This is a great book, and a worthy finish to a great series.
Now, if you don't have time to read the book, or if you have read it and want to hear it again, then get this audiobook! Jim Dale, veteran British actor from the Carry On movies (and many others), does an excellent job of bringing the story to life, just as good as he did with the other Harry Potter audiobooks. And, note that the book is NOT abridged, this is the FULL story!
This is a great audiobook, one that I do not hesitate to recommend to anyone and everyone. Buy it!
Horcruxes and Hallows (or, What you don't know CAN hurt you) July 27, 2007
Amanda Richards (Georgetown, Guyana)
23 out of 29 found this review helpful
This final book of the Harry Potter series can be compared to a large-scale game of magical snakes and ladders, or rather, snakes and portkeys, with a huge numbers of players moving around the board, magically or otherwise. However, in this game, not only can players get eaten by a snake, but they also face deadly obstacles, and some players actually die. Indeed, this is the bloodiest Potter of the series starting from the opening chapters, and the body count is way up there. The crux of the matter is, of course, who will reach the last square alive?
The book may look huge, but J.K. Rowling quickly zaps the reader with an Imperius Curse, and you will find it impossible to disobey her order not to put it down. There is so much action and so many revelations as the author ties up the loose ends, that you may have to retrace your steps ever so often to make sure you haven't missed a thing.
The main plot centers around Harry turning seventeen, at which time the Dursley's home will become even more dangerous to a young wizard than before. Assisted by the Order of the Phoenix, he narrowly escapes once again, and teams up with Ron and Hermione to do the bidding of their revered headmaster.
As we learned in the last book, there are bits of evil, black soul hidden in certain special places as a back up immortality system for Voldemort, and a large part of the book deals with rounding them up and the almost impossible task of destroying the darned things.
The horcrux destruction rate started to mount
The Dark Lord was livid and started to count
He scratched off the diary, crossed off the ring
What HE didn't know was he'd missed out one thing
To complicate matters, a mysterious symbol keeps popping up, leading to a heck of a history lesson, and a reunion with old friends.
A symbol supposed to be Grindelwald's sign
A circle, triangle, and also a line
The Hallows were more than a fictional tale
And featured high up on the magical scale
If you've been faithfully following the series, you will be very pleased to learn that many of the characters from the other books are assembled for this, the grand finale, and that this last book is truly the best of them all.
I can't wait for this one to come to the screen
Especially that super-sized big battle scene
Forget movie six, let's just cut to the end
Three cheers for the series that JK has penned!!!
Amanda Richards, July 27, 2007
Exceeds the huge expectations placed on it and ends the series magnificently July 22, 2007
Robert Moore (Chicago, IL USA)
24 out of 34 found this review helpful
Warning: Some spoilers in following review
And so the most celebrated children's series since C. S. Lewis's THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA comes to a close. What is wonderful is that despite the extraordinary pressure placed on J. K. Rowling to end the series satisfyingly, she in fact does far more than that. HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS is, in fact, the best book in the series, managing to wrap up every detail in the series in the compelling fashion. When you reach the final page of the novel there really isn't much more that you could hope from the series. Except perhaps for it to go on.
There are at least two reasons the novel is so excellent. One is that in it Rowling has completely abandoned the formulas that to some degree structured all the preceding novels. Especially in the first three but even in the fourth, fifth, and sixth novels the school year and its rhythms dictated much of the form of the narrative. But in this novel all the familiarities of the first six novels are gone entirely. A second reason the novel is so superb is that it avoids entirely some of the "cuteness" that afflicted some of the novels, especially some of the earlier novels. The first Harry Potter movie, easily the worst of the series, fastened almost entirely on the cute aspects of the early novels. But what I think Rowling, very much to her credit, realized was that the dark aspects which she really started introducing in THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN not only were more compelling, but were of considerably greater quality.
The novel appropriately focuses almost entirely on the task given to the three main characters in the series, as Harry, Hermione, and Ron strive to carry out the task Dumbledore gave them before his death to find and destroy the remaining Horcruxes that contain the fragments of Tom Riddle's soul. This is all done marvelously and leads to several exciting sequences. There are many deaths and losses throughout the book and some more protective parents might be upset at just how many familiar and beloved characters die. Some of the deaths are heroic, but some are merely tragic. Several are completely unexpected.
There are also several marvelous plot twists, as the identity of the final Horcrux, the precise role that Severus Scape plays in the overall story, and the many secrets binding Harry and Voldemort are revealed. From the first book it was obvious to any even semi-attentive reader that the final novel would end with a decisive encounter between Harry and Voldemort. Of the many very, very good things in the book, this final crucial scene is one of the highpoints. Rowling handles the final scene between these two enemies better than I think we had any hope of. When it was over I had an immense feeling of satisfaction that it had ended so very satisfyingly. There is also a bit of a coda where some of the survivors of the novel's events are seen a few years later.
I want to end by saying how impressed I have been with J. K. Rowling's growth as a writer during the course of the series. While the first couple of books in the series were hugely entertaining for children, they were not very challenging or interesting for adults. Well, at least for this adult. But I was impressed and delighted how every book managed to surpass the previous one in quality and care, except perhaps for THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE, which is no slight on that excellent novel but more a nod a how very, very good THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX was. Rowling had already made a fortune with the sales of the first two novels, but she seems to have sensed the responsibility she had to her audience. The first two novels were delightful diversions, but as the series went along the stories became deeper and darker. It is obvious that she took pride in her work and you can see her determination to make the series as a whole something special instead of something merely decent.
I believe that the final three novels especially have moved the Harry Potter series into the upper echelon of books for young adults, up there with ALICE IN WONDERLAND and THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA. Along the way she managed not only to write several excellent novels but also managed to create an extraordinarily rich universe not previously known. The world of wizardry that she has invented is as richly delineated and detailed as any that I can think of, including Tolkein's Middle Earth. While this novel brings the Harry Potter series to a close, I dearly hope that Ms. Rowling will not stop writing. She is still quite young. Surely she can favor us with another series before she hangs up her quill.
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