Deathly Hallows.

[icarus]

Just finished reading Deathly Hallows.

I got my money's worth. I enjoyed every minute of this book.

First comments: Whoo-hoo! Percy! I cheered out loud when he turned up.

The book was different from all the others, kept surprising me, while at the same time hitting all the right emotional notes. It was not an easy feat to pull off and JKR has made me very, very happy.

As for Hermione, I wanted to snog Ron, too. This book has confirmed by love of Ron, Percy, and Snape. Snape still has the best line of the entire series, to Dumbledore after being asked to kill him, the ultra-dry, "Would you like me to kill you now, or would you like a moment to compose your epitaph?" No doubt Alan Rickman is practicing that line in the mirror as we speak.

Then Harry's choice, how hard it was, marching to his death -- got me where I lived.

The magical chess game of who conquered whose wand left me befuddled (I decided, "I'll just take your word for it, Harry," and thought it classic JKR) though I loved the additional detail about how Harry and Voldemort were out on the edges of what even the experts knew about magic.

Yes! More about Dumbledore and his history. His flaws, ambition, and humanity.

I believed Harry's maturing once he, Ron, and Hermione were out on their own. Believed how they had a narrow squeak every time they came out of hiding. Believed that this hunt for horcruxes had them stymied and grasping at straws. I'll never really buy Ginny as Harry's love interest, though I think JKR planned it from OotP on -- but as a Percy/[fill in the blank here] shipper it's not really relevant to me. I enjoyed the Ron/Hermione, though.

wildernessguru can't believe the bodycount. I'm not surprised though. I knew once she killed Sirius in Order of the Phoenix, all bets were off.

The part that hit me like a gong: When Neville came out of Hogwarts and began describing the horrors at Hogwarts. The casual way he said things is what was awful to Harry.

That's Beg Me For it. That sentence was the whole fic, right there. She's noticed the same thing, that when people survive something horrible, for them it becomes the norm. They are not shocked by it.

Anyhow, disorderly thoughts for now, but I really, really loved Deathly Hallows. She did it justice.

Comments

[electricandroid.livejournal.com]

Hi Honey!

When I read the percy scene, I went to make myself a cup of tea to prevent myself from writing you a long and spoilery email! And yes, I am completely happy with this book as well, after the last 2 was preparing for over-adverbed dissapointment. However, it was EDITED. It flowed! (to a greater extent)... Just could have done without the epilogue. I think that without it, it would have been a stronger book!

Just... Whee!

mwah!
me

P.S. Actually I'm slightly surprised by how LOW the bodycount was. Was expecting many more major characters to die.

[fractalreality.livejournal.com]

It was my favourite, I think; the only one so far that has floored me emotionally (Snape dying hurt, and then the Resurrection Stone scene).

Percy has one of the best lines, the whole resigning thing, it made me happy.

[stanharding.livejournal.com]

The magical chess game of who conquered whose wand left me befuddled (I decided, "I'll just take your word for it, Harry," and thought it classic JKR)

This. I need to reread - I'm still not clear how Draco became the right master of the elder wand.

[izzybeth.livejournal.com]

i made loud happy noises when Percy showed up. and fell down. oh Percy.

[fleurrochard]

As far as I understood it - he disarmed Dumbledore in HBP and that made him the master of the wand.

[ansku]

That's how I understood it too... but I expect that the fact that Dumbledore was really helpless before him had its part as well, because otherwise the mastery of wands should change every time someone uses expelliarmus succesfully... or maybe it's just for that particular wand that it's enough? Although didn't Harry just snatch Draco's wand from his hand and that was it? I don't really get the whole thing either, I think she didn't think it quite through...

[mad_maudlin]

The dolphin noises I made over Percy rival my reaction to Commodore Norrington in POTC3, with bonus squee because Percy didn't die. Now we need fic--Percy Weasely, Master Bureaucrat, rebuilding the Ministry one filing cabinet at a time!

[harveywallbang.livejournal.com]

yeah, i counted there were 7, maybe 8 if you counted Ted Tonks, people on the good side that we could possibly have been affected by their death.
hedwig (big sad face)
mad-eye moody (sad, but not really)
dobby (it was more how it affected harry that made me really sad)
fred (!!!!...)
remus ( more sad)
tonks (more sad)
snape (because he died, but then we found out he was good, it ended on a good note, and i wasn't so sad, even though he's my favorite)
i liked the epilogue... my favorite line was when harry was talking to his son. and he said "you were named after two of hogwart's best headmaster, one of them being a slytherin and the bravest man i ever knew"...or something like that.... but yeah... major snape-happiness for me.
ginny kinda grew on me. i wish we coulda found out what happened with George. did he run WWW by himself? but everyone else, i'm kinda okay with a specific explanation. thought draco's son had a really really dumb name..
when ron said the houseelves thing, and hermione threw down whatever it was she was holding, that was FABULOUS. i also loved when earlier, when he returned to their 'camping expedition' and she beat the crap outta him.
it's my favorite book of the 7. 5 and 6 rubbed me the wrong way, with the extremely sad deaths, and the no closure. but this one definitely had closure.

[sarka.livejournal.com]

Percy! I cheered out loud when he turned up.

Around six people can testify to the fact that I actually flapped my arms around like a crazy person at that point.

Oh God, I need to post my own reaction post and stop commenting to other people...

[ncp.livejournal.com]

WTF? NORRINGTON DIES!??!?! They killed Commodore Hotness?

Great, now I have no reason to see it any more.

[ncp.livejournal.com]

i wish we coulda found out what happened with George. did he run WWW by himself?

Percy became George's partner in WWW, naturally.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

That's what I was thinking. I haven't seen PotC3.

Icarus

[spherissa.livejournal.com]

... and colin creevey for some people you know...

[spherissa.livejournal.com]

ps re draco's son's name... it is Ron who says it my friend and i have a theory it's not his real name and Ron is just continuing to give Draco hell as ever.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Wait. Colin Creevey bought it?

Icarus

[hateable.livejournal.com]

The part that hit me like a gong: When Neville came out of Hogwarts and began describing the horrors at Hogwarts. The casual way he said things is what was awful to Harry.

Yes, yes, yes. It was one thing for Luna to be calm about it, that's Luna in general (although I still think she was fantastic), but when Neville was okay about it, it just hurt me. I love what JK did with that character.

[harveywallbang.livejournal.com]

oh yeah, him too, definitely. i forgot him because he was in the lew of deaths at the castle, along with fred, tonks, and remus. but i will add that to my list.
colin's death did make me sad..

[harveywallbang.livejournal.com]

that would be fabulous. percy finally succumbing to mischevious and fun.

[mad_maudlin]

...oops. ::cringe:: I apologize for the spoiler--I've been so paranoid about book ones that I didn't even think about the film.

[slashophile.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I thought so, too. I absolutely loved every moment of this wild read. I've never laughed and cried so much in 27 hour period (tho, I might be going slightly loony from the lack of sleep). I think I'll miss the anticipation the most.

There are quite a few complaints about all the deaths but really, people, this is a war. Causailties happen, doesn't matter if you're the funny guy, the werewolf or the misunderstood one. That's what makes war so heartwrenching. You don't always get to see people go down in a blaze of glory, you know?

Goddamn JKR.

[slashophile.livejournal.com]

Oh! And I meant to also go WHEEE!!! PERCY!!! And wave my flag. *waves Percy flag* With Oliver, no less.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

*sniggers with suppressed laughter* Well, I know not to see that movie.

It's okay, I wasn't going to see it anyway.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

I crack up at your bodycount predictions. But you would have killed them all, no doubt....

JKR! Percy! She just made my day.

Oh, I think the epilogue is just to keep the fanfic going. ;)

Icarus

[aizjanika.livejournal.com]

I always thought Harry would end up with Ginny from the first book. I just assumed that's what was intended. When it actually happened in HBP, though, I didn't buy it. *g* OTOH, I actually like Ginny as a character, so it really doesn't bother me or anything. I just didn't really like the way it was written all that much.

I enjoyed Deathly Hallows, though. It was fun. I'm going to read it again more slowly now. :-)

[skuf.livejournal.com]

I was so happy to see Percy, too - maybe the forgivness scene felt a little forced, but it wouldn't have been the same without it.

Would you like me to kill you now, or would you like a moment to compose your epitaph?
Best. Line. Ever. So much love for Snape :o)

All in all, I loved it - she managed to finish off this series far better than I had imagined, and I'm impressed by how many threads, big and small, she managed to gather up and tie off. No really, that was impressive, and I don't get people who don't see that!!

[dunv-i.livejournal.com]

Percy! Percy made me flail!

And Neville, all, "Yeah, I've decided I'm going to annoy the teachers to hell and back, but it's okay, really,"! Neville! NevilleNevilleNeville! *flail*

This whole book made me flail!

And I agree, the whole book was so good, so much better in quality, I personally thought, than HBP, and just as a closer, I don't think it could have been any better.