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

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. 

"Harry Potter is preparing to leave the Dursleys and Privet Drive for the last time. But the future that awaits him is full of danger, not only for him, but for anyone close to him — and Harry has already lost so much. Only by destroying Voldemort's remaining Horcruxes can Harry free himself and overcome the Dark Lord's forces of evil. In this dramatic conclusion to the Harry Potter series, Harry must leave his most loyal friends behind, and in a final perilous journey find the strength and the will to face his terrifying destiny: a deadly confrontation that is his alone to fight."


I like the last book, although it does have some plot holes relating to the Hallows and the wands. However, many amazing elements are woven throughout, and there are certainly some heart-pounding action scenes. We also get a marvelous conclusion to the whole series, wrapping things up nicely. So many people die though. And some non-humans.

I will say that I think the book is a bit unfocused; there's so much going on, and so many different threads of the story that Rowling is trying to juggle. I mean, she does it very well, but it's certainly a lot. The Deathly Hallows themselves are just added in, and they seem a little unrelated; however, I really do like that element as it adds more complexity to an already complicated story. 

There is focus on relationships in this book, but less so, as the characters are all in terrible danger from Voldemort. Still, Ron and Hermione are developed more, and so are some of the other characters, which I always enjoy. However, I really love the last book mainly because of how multi-faceted it is, and how the focus is on fighting evil and discovering new things, like Horcruxes and Hallows, both of which are fascinating in their own right.

This book is particularly hard to put down, because so much happens, page after amazing page. Even when I'm rereading it, I still can't wait to finish the book because it's so suspenseful and so good. There are events and scenes that I eagerly anticipate as well, because it's just so much fun to reread them and savor them once again.

This book takes place in a wide variety of places; at the Burrow, Grimmauld Place, the Ministry, in various woods across the country, at Shell Cottage, Gringotts, and finally at Hogwarts. These different settings for the action make the book more interesting; we're constantly reading about the unfamiliar and they provide a bit of change as opposed to the other books which are mostly set in Hogwarts (though not all of the time). Harry, Ron, and Hermione do a lot of different things in The Deathly Hallows: they storm the Ministry, they attempt to rob Gringotts, and they're searching for Horcruxes.

So many people die in The Deathly Hallows; it's very sad; if you made a list, it would be very, very long. On that note, I didn't like how certain of the deaths were dealt with, how they happened off the page, and didn't seem to serve any purpose. I am referring, of course, to Moony and his wife. Still, the book overall is quite good and absorbing.

759 pages.

Rating: *****