Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

[Sanglunaria]

Like many said before me, I didn't like the epilogue very much. I would've been fine if Rowling had just ended the book with Harry thinking about his bed in the Gryffindor tower and having Kreacher bring him food. Furthermore, the epilogue just seemed too "fanfiction-like," as one of my friends said. It felt like Rowling had read too many fanfictions and made the epilogue all "And everyone lives happily ever after!" She told us a little bit about what becomes of some of the characters in the epilogue, but left us begging for more about those that weren't mentioned- like I said above, it probably would've just been better if she ended the book at the last chapter without saying anything about what happens to the characters years down the road.

I thought the whole Deathly Hallows thing was... unnecessary. I'm sure Rowling had it all planned out since she brought in the invisibility cloak in the first book, but even so, the Deathly Hallows seemed like it was just thrown in there at the last minute. I suppose before the book came out, I was expecting Harry to finish Voldemort using items that had already been around since the beginning of the series, like Gryffindor's sword or something else. With the Deathly Hallows, everything just happens to work out. (And even without the Hallows, Harry's the luckiest bastard ever. I mean, seriously... breaking into Gringotts and the Ministry.) The Hallows seemed like an excuse to make everything that was loophole-ish about the plot make sense.

Other minor complaints I have include Voldemort's death being rather anticlimatic (well, I thought it was anyway- he just fell over and that was it) and much of the book just being spent on Harry/Ron/Hermione running and hiding and arguing amongst themselves.

The chapter about Snape's past made me cry though, I admit.

All in all, I think the book was a bit better than "alright." My favorite one is still the third one.

 

[Qzahk]

There are somethings that i still don't understand about it, sorry if they've already been asked or are stupid.

1) What does it mean to be master of death? The first time Voldemort Avada Kedavra'd Harry, Dumbledore said he lived because of Lilys protection in Volds blood and that the talk with Dumbledore was in his head.

3) The magic that Harry used when he meant to sacrifice himself to save the others. Would that work anytime a magical person tried to sacrifice him/herself?

oh yeah I think the epilogue sucks too

 

[General Tso]

@ Qzhak

1. If you didn't already read the number of times it's been mentioned, master of death means you actually accept it and know there are far worse things.

2. Probably

There's a good reason Snape decided to die that way, otherwise, he would've been killed by Voldemort, instantaneously, instead he chose a more slow death to try and buy time to get to Harry.

Who says Molly killed Bellatrix? In book five, it just said Sirius was hit by a jet of light and fell through the veil, not a green jet of light. What makes it different here?

I also don't get why people are complaining about Voldemort's death. You heard what Dumbledore said, if Harry had actually killed Voldemort, his soul would have been torn apart

Btw, the Elder Wand went flying because Harry used Expelliarmus

 

[Uskuri]

I don't think it would work anytime a wizard/witch/(muggle?) sacrificed themselves. I was under the impression that the nature of the magic and the reason it was so powerful was due to the selflessness of the action. Lily died in an attempt to save her son, regardless of the fact that she could have run away. Harry died in an attempt to make it possible to kill Voldemort for everyone else and save the wizarding world, even though he didn't have to give himself to Voldemort. Since neither were thinking "by killing myself I will have sacrificed myself and given protection to everyone I died for!" it worked. If a wizard went to let himself die so that the ones he loved would have magical protection on them and for that reason only, the magic wouldn't take effect.

In Harry's case, it is a very fine line and almost a bit confusing if you don't actually pay attention to it, since he is killing himself so that Voldemort can be stopped, but he isn't thinking that it will activate the magical protection, and that certainly isn't the reason he is allowing himself to be killed.

 

[Qzahk]

So having all the hallows doesn't give you any magic, it just means that the person who got them accepts death?

 

[Ancien Régime]

It would be horribly anticlimatic if Bellatrix turned out NOT to be dead, considering that Voldemort and the rest of the DEs reacted as if she was.

I think there are other spells that can kill in HP - the thing that makes AK so special is that it's a spell designed solely to kill, as well as a spell that cannot be blocked by any normal means.

I think the other key difference is motive, i.e. "self defense/defending one's family" as opposed to "cold-blooded murder". AK is for the latter.

 

[Sanglunaria]

Kind of a dumb and pointless question, but Ted was snogging Victoire at the end of the book. Victoire is Fleur and Bill's daughter, right...?

 

[General Tso]

Well which other Weasley would name their kid that =P

Yes it was them.

 

[Thorns]

I, too, did not notice Tonks and Lupin dying. I was most disappointed with Hedwig (my favourite character) and Fred (my second favourite) dying. At least Fred got a laugh dying. Hedwig's death was unneeded. I didn't like the Stone coming out of the Snitch either. Harry could have said 'I am about to die' to it when he received it, found the Stone, say 'What the hell is this?' and throw it away. The epiloque wasn't horrible, but it was bad. And James also says 'He [Teddy] comes over four times a week anyway...'. Harry is Teddy's godfather, so shouldnt' Teddy be living with him anyway? Or has he found foster parents? Lots of people predicted Harry killing Voldemort with Draco's help. In a sense, he did. I hated the middle of the book. It spent too much time building up to the end. It was great to see Umbridge return (and get owned up the ass, again). Also, has anyone noticed Albus Severus's initials are ASP? Is he a Parseltongue too? I hope he's a Slytherin.

 

[McGrrr]

The RRP is 208 Yuan (a bit less than 14 GBP) in China while the book retailed for 5 GBP in English supermarkets upon release. However I was able to barter a copy for 180 Yuan (~12 GBP).

Deathly Hallows was satisfactory... it delivered what it needed to deliver and tied up loose ends. Admittedly, the plot twists were predictable, but nothing else seemed plausible and the fandom had years of speculation to narrow down possibilities.

I share many of the positive (and negative) sentiments already mentioned in this thread and in particular appreciated the revelations with regards to Snape.

Hermione cries too much.

Prisoner of Azkaban remains my favourite, but Deathly Hallows marks a timely return to form and makes a worthy series closer.

 

[Peterko]

took some time to read all the posts, good read

in the end, it was a book I enjoyed reading, although I was like WTF when I had to work my way through too many pages (started afted the wedding) about nothing but camping and arguing (nice to know that the majority didn´t like it) with occassional snakes coming out of dead old bodies (a bit unnecessary) - I almost felt like she needed some filler pages to earn more money...silly I know

the main difference between books 1-6 and 7 was hogwarts, which was the centre of everything before, but not in #7 (except in the end), I felt like Rowling entered terrain she wasn´t used to, that hiding part didn´t seem to fit with what she produced before, it felt copied from other books, that´s why I didn´t enjoy that part that much...

Harry dying when he was prepared to was really heroic and emotional - am I the only one who thinks it would also fit? with his friends finishing the job later, but it was clear that it had to be the kind of american heroic movie ending with the two facing off (oh well, at least no more (BAN ME PLEASE)s believing Voldemort survived)...

some things that confused me in the heat of reading, like "the master of the wand", the whole am I dead or am I not part was really weird, but OK, had their use

I was also disappointed at the death of Lupin and Tonks, who were important figures (at least Lupin) and not weak but were used as war victims fodder

the epilogue was stupid but there was a sentence that made me cry - harry mentioning snape as the bravest man he knew, snape was really a hero, after all

this was my first HP book that I´ve read in English and it took me two days, it was a cool experience

 

[Sanglunaria]

I, too, did not notice Tonks and Lupin dying. I was most disappointed with Hedwig (my favourite character) and Fred (my second favourite) dying. At least Fred got a laugh dying. Hedwig's death was unneeded. I didn't like the Stone coming out of the Snitch either. Harry could have said 'I am about to die' to it when he received it, found the Stone, say 'What the hell is this?' and throw it away. The epiloque wasn't horrible, but it was bad. And James also says 'He [Teddy] comes over four times a week anyway...'. Harry is Teddy's godfather, so shouldnt' Teddy be living with him anyway? Or has he found foster parents? Lots of people predicted Harry killing Voldemort with Draco's help. In a sense, he did. I hated the middle of the book. It spent too much time building up to the end. It was great to see Umbridge return (and get owned up the ass, again). Also, has anyone noticed Albus Severus's initials are ASP? Is he a Parseltongue too? I hope he's a Slytherin.

The thing about Harry being Teddy's godfather... Well, the epilogue took place 19 years later, and Teddy's 19 in the epilogue... so since a wizard is considered an adult at 17, I guess Teddy moved out already?

 

[aamto]

She didn't try to make the family likable at any point in the series. The closest thing was Narcissa sparing Harry, but that ties into the entire Love wins over Voldemort theme of the books. Did you miss the entire subplot where, after the failure at the Ministry, Lucius is kept in Azkaban, broken out against his will, Draco forced to attempt to kill Dumbledore, Malfoy Manor taken as the Death Eater headquarters, Lucius' wand taken and broken, Draco working as Voldemort's personal slave....there are several gigantic reasons they turned against Voldemort, but this is not an attempt to make them likable; if anything, it is atonement for them, and the only thing you could call Malfoy from the epilogue is shy and repentent for his misdeeds.

Well, what goes around comes around. She spent 6 books making the Malfoys evil and then drops that. Be it for good or bad, I felt that after all the bad that Draco and the family had done (despite being forced or not) was unforgivable.

Wow, the Battle of Hogwarts wasn't intended to be the showdown where "everybody gets revenge"; Molly's killing of Bellatrix can be attributed to love of Ginny. Why should Neville get revenge on Bellatrix? The good side wasn't supposed to seek revenge like the Death Eaters would. The war wasn't supposed to be the clean, showdown-like battle you wanted, Lupin died suddenly and heartbreakingly, and that went towards the cruelty of war and Voldemort. If Neville/ Tonks had killed Bellatrix, if there was a "werewolf fight" or anything else like that it would've looked just like a bad fan fiction.

That's what you think. I don't think it would be poor writing to put in something that only makes sense. The book had enough random and confusing deaths (Moody, Dobby, Colin Creevey, etc) that properly illustrate the tragedies of a "war." She could have just have easily had made it Neville's grandmother that the killing curse missed and Neville that got pissed. And they could've had the same fight. You say that seems like a poor fan-fic, but "NO YOU BITCH!!" a completely out-of-character line is perfectly reasonable?

The fact is she killed high-profile characters like Lupin and Fred with little more than a second thought -- say what you want about war, but I feel that major characters such as those (who have been in the series since book 1 and 3 respectively) deserve a little more for their deaths. Having Lupin die to someone like Greyback, with whom he has a history with, is more satisfactory than "I walk by the hallway and can see bodies - Lupin, Tonks." Call it humoring a fan. You don't have to make a fantasy novel series perfectly mimic real life.

Snape was the unsung hero, a quiet crisis unheard in the roar of the deaths of the Lupins and Fred and everyone. That fit his character, but he is far from "the most complex character in the series by far"; he had a single emotion, hating Harry. "Complex"? Hardly. Meanwhile, the best part of his story was his love of Harry's mother, giving him a little extra depth to a shallow character, and gave a good reason why he remained Dumbledore's loyal servant til the end.

A shallow character? Snape had a complex history, involving betrayal, secrecy, etc. He did this all for someone he loved (that he sold out unknowingly). So he makes atonement for his crimes by working for Dumbledore (and thusly for Voldemort, the man that killed the woman he loved) and paying the ultimate price in the end. As a reader, I did not like Snape's character until his purpose was revealed. Tell me, who in the series happens to have more depth?

 

[General Tso]

I, too, did not notice Tonks and Lupin dying. I was most disappointed with Hedwig (my favourite character) and Fred (my second favourite) dying. At least Fred got a laugh dying. Hedwig's death was unneeded. I didn't like the Stone coming out of the Snitch either. Harry could have said 'I am about to die' to it when he received it, found the Stone, say 'What the hell is this?' and throw it away. The epiloque wasn't horrible, but it was bad. And James also says 'He [Teddy] comes over four times a week anyway...'. Harry is Teddy's godfather, so shouldnt' Teddy be living with him anyway? Or has he found foster parents? Lots of people predicted Harry killing Voldemort with Draco's help. In a sense, he did. I hated the middle of the book. It spent too much time building up to the end. It was great to see Umbridge return (and get owned up the ass, again). Also, has anyone noticed Albus Severus's initials are ASP? Is he a Parseltongue too? I hope he's a Slytherin.

You do know Teddy still has his grandmother right?

Wtf does ASP have to do with anything or am I missing something? He wouldn't be a Parseltounge because that ability isn't actually in the family but something Harry gained when part of Voldemort's soul latched onto him.

 

[Sanglunaria]

You do know Teddy still has his grandmother right?

Wtf does ASP have to do with anything or am I missing something? He wouldn't be a Parseltounge because that ability isn't actually in the family but something Harry gained when part of Voldemort's soul latched onto him.

I think Thorns was trying to say that "asp" is an archaic term for a poisonous snake...

 

[Jackal]

Going into this book the only thing i was really hoping for was that it would not be a cliche...boy was that disappointing. Was I the only person that cringed at "Well then I am the master of the Elder Wand!". It just seemed so gay...this book really had a chance at revolutionizing (is this a word) literature, the entire world was gonna read this book...and JK gives us what we had all heard time in and time again, love prevailing, the good guys win. I mean a main character didnt even die, the saddest part of the series was dumbledore dying.

When you really think about it, Deathly Hallows invoked almost no emotions whatsoever. I was not once shocked or surprised, was not once sad or teary eyed, and was not once laughing (ok, maybe at NO, YOU BITCH). It was barely even "cant put it down" reading, as book 6 was, i mean i just finished the book today and got it the day it came out. Thats how little this book did it for me. Sure it answered questions, but it had to. JK planned this out, she wouldnt just not have a plan to piece everything together...it was semi logical and worked, but it just didnt have any sort of shock or tragic value.

Another bad thing was JKs constant use of "magic we have never seen before" as a cop out to fill in plotholes that would otherwise be hard to fill. In my opinion, the bathilda -> snake thing was just HORRIBLE. Oh hey look its a person NOPE LOL ITS A SNAKE. Then hermoine apparating them out of there meh it was bad. Also as it has been said, the heist of gringotts had massive potential, but it sucked.

I will give credit where credit is due i guess, and some explanations to lingering questions were well thought out. The taboo on voldemorts name giving location, reason for planning dumbledores death and subsequent realisation of who the silver doe belonged too was cool.

Too conclude, i think my expectations were too high and imo this book did not deliver. tl;dr

 

[aura_lucario]

When you really think about it, Deathly Hallows invoked almost no emotions whatsoever. I was not once shocked or surprised, was not once sad or teary eyed, and was not once laughing (ok, maybe at NO, YOU BITCH). It was barely even "cant put it down" reading, as book 6 was, i mean i just finished the book today and got it the day it came out. Thats how little this book did it for me. Sure it answered questions, but it had to. JK planned this out, she wouldnt just not have a plan to piece everything together...it was semi logical and worked, but it just didnt have any sort of shock or tragic value.tl;dr

No emotion? Did you forget to read the chapter(s) where Dobby dies? That was one of the saddest parts in all the books to me.

 

[Aeroblacktyl]

You do know Teddy still has his grandmother right?

Wtf does ASP have to do with anything or am I missing something? He wouldn't be a Parseltounge because that ability isn't actually in the family but something Harry gained when part of Voldemort's soul latched onto him.

Plus JKR said that Harry couldn't do paraseltounge anymore in that chat/interview thing

 

[The_Black_Mage]

When you really think about it, Deathly Hallows invoked almost no emotions whatsoever. I was not once shocked or surprised, was not once sad or teary eyed, and was not once laughing (ok, maybe at NO, YOU BITCH). It was barely even "cant put it down" reading, as book 6 was, i mean i just finished the book today and got it the day it came out. Thats how little this book did it for me. Sure it answered questions, but it had to. JK planned this out, she wouldnt just not have a plan to piece everything together...it was semi logical and worked, but it just didnt have any sort of shock or tragic value.

Because Harry walking to his death had NO emotion, right? That was the only part of the series that brought tears to my eyes, and I am not very emotional usually.

 

[Jackal]

for me that part was too corny to be sad, with the resurrected people...meh

plus its not like it was a shocker to see harry do that after he was told he had to die.

 

[gdpt]

TDH was great. I finished it within 24 hours and then read it again. It was, for sure, my favorite one. My only problem with the book was the Death Eaters seem a bit weak except for Bellatrix. I always thought they were top of the line at school but they were easily beaten or evaded by the trio or the other young people. Also I didn't like how Ginny and Harry's relationship was depicted throughout the book. It appeared to be infactuation or something b/c he's always thinking how beautiful she was or the moments they were kissing. Harry and Luna make a better couple b/c they had more moments together. (This could just be bias since Luna's my favorite character).

edit: also the shield charm seemed to be god like. It stops major curses and can prevent you from dying from falling at great heights. (Harry uses to protect Molly at the end? Wouldn't Voldy cast a killing curse at molly? Also the falling from the great heights is the part about Ron talking about Moody)

 

[dishwasher]

tl;dr

If the ministry has fallen and I have hordes of death eaters after me, my spell of choice is the killing curse, not expelliarmus ((BAN ME PLEASE) harry)

The Book should of been written from Neville's viewpoint, cause hes hardcore, evidenced by him lopping off the snakes head in epic manner.

Kings Cross Station was lol, but not near as much as 200 pages of camping.

 

[Altmer]

The thing about Harry being Teddy's godfather... Well, the epilogue took place 19 years later, and Teddy's 19 in the epilogue... so since a wizard is considered an adult at 17, I guess Teddy moved out already?

Teddy wasn't even brought up by Harry. He was brought up by his grandmother, Andromeda Tonks (née Black). Although he did have his godfather's family and friends in the Order to stay with.

 

[The_Black_Mage]

Teddy was brought by his grandmother, but according to one of the Potter children he was "over for dinner at least once a week", so obviously he had a tight bond with the Potters and Harry.

 

[Surgo]

Am I the only one who liked the middle of the book? I felt it was somewhat necessary, and good -- it helped to highlight the major differences between Harry and Voldemort, and the differences (and similarities!) between the Order and the Death Eaters.

edit: I thought Snape was a Bad Guy up until his death, at which point he turned good to betray his master (I didn't realize the stuff his corpse was leaking was memories until the pensieve was used). Good to see I was wrong!

edit 2: Voldemort's cave from HP6 is now one of the creepiest places in fantasy imo, up there with the forest of the elves from Dragonlance when I was 15. Just thinking about what he could have done to terrorize those two kids there when he was a kid is pretty creepy.