Book Review: Harry Potter VII

.:Book Review: Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows:.

Yes, I know it’s delayed. But still… you have to realize the obvious... SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows:
Well worth the long wait.

I'm a big fan of the Harry Potter series. Perhaps nowhere nearly as huge a fan in contrast to most other people in Philippine Hogwarts, but quite a fan, nonetheless. I've had my favorite moments, Hermione and Cho Chang were two of my favorite characters, I didn't like Cho that much in the fifth movie, but all in all, the past six books of Harry Potter have been a very well-weaved tale, like a fantastical detective story that I can't quite explain.

The seventh book was pretty much the culmination of the Harry Potter epic, and I must say that they pulled out all the stops...

First of all, the seventh book has an exceptionally high body count. I don't want to do a shopping list of who kicked the bucket, but I can't even begin to explain how disorienting it felt to realize that guys you took for granted like Fred Weasley just suddenly dropped dead, or how Hedwig or Dobby ended up as casualties all the same. I figured the Marauders would end up being wiped out, so Lupin was no surprise, much less Wormtail, and redemption for one of the characters seemed more satisfying with his death, so all things considered, the deaths didn't feel out of place at all.

I liked the storyline a lot. I honestly felt that it was a satisfying way to wrap up the entire saga because they finally tied up a lot of loose ends, although it felt weird that a character as significant as Aberforth Dumbledore would be introduced in the series only now. You'd think Aberforth would figure into the series more than just the last book itself.

In any case, it was a showdown of epic proportions. A lot of subterfuge was at work and the infiltration of the Ministry of Magic by the Death Eaters was a nice touch to keep the tension simmering until it comes to a final boil at the end.

I really liked the characterization of the main players in this one. While there was a bit of angst in the air, it was definitely not an overload the way it was in the seventh book. The epilogue seemed rather contrived, but it at least answers a lot of questions, albeit I'm a Harry-Luna shipper at heart.

My details about the book are murky, but if you've read the first six books already, there's simply no reason to miss out on this one. It's got epic battles, intrigue, and stunning characterization. Is this book perfect? No. But it's incredibly satisfying for a conclusion to one of the most popular book series of our generation.

Marcelle's Evaluation: A-