Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. (Harry Potter #7) J.K. Rowling. 2007. 759 pages. [Source: Library]
First sentence: The two men appeared out of nowhere, a few yards apart in the narrow, moonlit lane. For a second they stood quite still, wands directed at each other's chests; then, recognizing each other, they stowed their wands beneath their cloaks and started walking briskly in the same direction.
Premise/plot: Harry Potter is on his final quest(s) in this final fantasy novel starring Harry Potter and company. (In particular, Ron and Hermione are his companions for most of the novel.) He is preparing day and night (night and day) for that final battle, the big showdown. He's also trying to decipher (uncover, discover) the mysteries of Dumbledore. There's so much he doesn't know, and he's still grieving the loss of his mentor.
My thoughts: I thought I'd share my thoughts on the series as a whole. The seven books do need to stand together, work together. I would say the first few books are like waiting to watch water boil. Depending on how hungry you are, and how anxious you are for that water to boil so you can begin actually cooking your meal, you may or may not find them satisfying in and of themselves. I found the pace to be a bit slow. Or if not slow, a bit uneven. All the books do build up to a climax, of sorts, but never the BIG finale-style showdown you know is bound to be coming. The last two books, however, the pacing is much quicker; there isn't as much waiting around for the sake of waiting around. Everything seems to be happening quickly and "now." There's action, action, more action. (Or perhaps my analogy is wrong. Maybe the series isn't like boiling water...maybe it's making homemade bread and the slow pacing is like waiting for the bread to rise (in cycles) and occasionally you get to punch it down and have some fun kneading). The last two novels are, by far, my favorite in terms of pace and action.
Did I enjoy the series? Yes. No. Maybe. It is not one that I see myself reading again and again and again. I am VERY glad I read through them once. I am glad I've met the characters. But I can't see myself become obsessed with the series, with the characters, with the story and actually needing to revisit it again and again. I can't see myself getting caught up in it, going all fangirl.
I do think it is unfortunate that the series isn't allowed to just be a series. That you've got two VERY rigid extremes. One side being Harry Potter must be canceled because J.K. Rowling is a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad person. She has thoughts. She has opinions. We don't like her thoughts and opinions. We can't allow ourselves to enjoy Harry Potter BECAUSE we don't like the author's thoughts and opinions. Never mind that the book never once goes there and voices anything remotely about the 'controversial' subject. Rowling has been deemed bad, all must unite to agree that Rowling is bad. The other side being Harry Potter must be canceled because of witchcraft, wizards, and magic, oh my. This is by far, the longest held "canceling" position. And my thoughts about both are you do you. It's this need to make every other person agree with you, to feel what you feel, to be as outraged as you, etc. It would have been interesting how things would have unfolded [for the series] if there hadn't been such an uproar, outrage, strong reaction to the initial book being published. If it hadn't been made such a LINE IN THE SAND HAS BEEN DRAWN phenomenon. Depending on where you lived, I suppose, it was very defining--are you the type of Christian who WILL or WON'T read the books. There was a LOT of judgment. And I'm *all* for discernment. I am. I really am. I think every single person should have control over what they personally read (or watch or listen to).
© 2023 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
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