Reviews

As with the other HP's, I have very little new to bring to the table, but here goes. Obviously the darkest of the books thus far, but also one of my faves. As I've said before, I think Rowling is fantastic at delving into the teenage mind; wizard and Voldemort issues aside, Harry is pretty typical for a 15 year old - confused and angry at everyone under the sun. I also love the character of Dolores Umbridge who is one of the scariest literary creations out there! Her falsely sweet fascist regime at Hogwarts feels all too possible, but mercifully things return to center, as they always do (and nice to see our country finally starting the slow descent back to center...or perhaps it's an ascent?).

Speaking of the characters, though, I have to say (and I'm sure you will all shoot me for this), I find Hagrid and his plotlines tiresome. They bore me and vaguely annoy me. Maybe Grawp has future use in book seven that I don't know about yet, but that whole story could have gone by the wayside without a ripple (just find something else to do about the centaurs). And you know what? He shouldn't be teaching. He DOES make bad decisions and he IS dangerous. This isn't to take away from his friendship with Harry and such, but enough already.

What was odd to me was how different the death (I'll refrain from whom, just in case there's someone out there who doesn't want a spoiler - but really? At this point?) felt as compared to book four. That one was immediately saddening and shocking, while this one took longer to feel, even though it was someone much closer to Harry. I again take my hat off to Ms. Rowling and her writing - she numbed us along with Harry and as his grief opened up, I felt my own open up as well. I am not looking forward to book six, as I remember how I felt with THAT death...sigh.

tiffabreu's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

pchap101's review against another edition

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5.0

I have been slowly rereading this series for the first time since I was a kid. This series was such a big part of growing up for me, midnight release parties with my mom and seeing the movies in theaters. I am having so much fun reminiscing the stories and having more understanding of each book.

liv_neale's review against another edition

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adventurous slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

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