Reviews

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

skmcclelland's review against another edition

5.0

Oh my. Perfect. Loved it. Incredible. Cried way too much. Some people I've talked to said they didn't like all the wandering around in the country, but I had no problem with that part. I'm sad it's all over and of course I have nothing coherent to say about it. Yay Kreacher. I cried at all that - that's how drippy I am these days. Silly.

How long should I wait before I can re-read them all again???

alexdpar's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

To put into words how you feel after reading for the first time something that was, cinematically, so fundamental to your nerdy upbringing is harder to do than I thought. It was seven books that showed an all encompassing love is stronger than any evil force, and that is something I wish the author actually held to be true. 

Regardless, the resolution to the story and the characters is what stood out to me the most. While the storytelling and writing were a bit choppier compared to book 5 and 6, the story itself alone is worth five stars. Every conclusion felt natural. Every scene felt vivid and crucial. Every action felt consequential but all in the right way. I don’t know how else to frame it. 

The scene where Harry meets Dumbledore at Kings Cross seems most exemplary of this notion. It perfectly felt as if it tied everything together exactly the way the reader needed it to. And how important was that for the ending to the battle! 

This book will stick with me, and I wish I could find my words more. But I will relish in that gut-wrenchingly beautiful feeling that you have in your chest when you finish a series to grand for days if not weeks to come. 

tieganlucy's review against another edition

5.0

A fantastic end to a fantastic series. I can’t believe I’ve read them all and that’s it. What a journey!

toph821's review against another edition

adventurous tense medium-paced

3.75

The first half is really a slog, unfortunately. Once we get to the Malfoy Manor chapter, the story and pacing really picks up. A great ending to the series, but I feel like this one could have been shorter and/or paced better.

derry's review against another edition

5.0

Harry Potter has been with me through my childhood, and the novelty has never really worn off. Despite my growing dislike and disagreement with Rowling's views, it is so hard to separate the art and the artist. Re-reading these books has made me even more conflicted. On the whole, I love these books. The sense of wonder and magic is still there now when I read them aged 22, as much as when I was child. I still get chills at the strong women, emotional men, and fierce mothers that flow through this book and the magic of the whole universe. But I cannot ignore the lack of diversity, and appalling stereotypes of black, Asian, and Irish characters. I am not sure how to express my mixed emotions around this issue and I am sure so many HP fans feel the same.

PS: I listened the whole HP series as an audiobook and will be logging the same review for each book so that my book challenge is accurate!

adelle_bookworm's review against another edition

5.0

Until the very end. ♥

kendraaimelechocolat's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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

5.0

kjgeiger's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

4.75

cwback's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

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

5.0

meggie82461's review against another edition

5.0

Oh, memories. I remember it so well, waiting in line for this book. It was July 2007… I would have been almost 23, so I’d been out of college about a year. We were on the precipice of recession and I was waiting tables. It was probably my second hoe era, but that’s not relevant here. Point is, I was so excited but it was bittersweet. I also wondered if the ending could ever live up to my expectations.

Somehow, it did.

I remember ugly crying, legit sobbing. I remember cheering. I remember shouting FUCK YES, NEVILLE. It hurt, but in the way things have to if you love them with all your heart. I had grown up with those kids, and it felt right to at least see them prevail. The worst was still ahead of me, but I made it out of the darkness eventually too. And this helped give me the hope and strength to do it ❤️