Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Review by Loc

In the seventh year, it ended. How dramatic, hehe. Yes, the most famous wizard of all time, and that includes Merlin, wrapped up his epic tale, where the battle between good and evil reached its climax and destinies were etched in stone. And after all the hype, the midnight sales, the 14 gazillion copies sold, how did it all end? Quick hit: just like you expected, just like you wanted.

JK Rowling has sold over a quarter of a billion books. That’s “B” as in 1000 millions. So, she must be doing something very, very right. Through the first six novels, Rowling has constructed a magnificent mythology where a world of magic and wizardry exists right under our noses. We’ve been treated to the story of Harry Potter, who grew from a naïve boy wonder to a stumbling, awkward teen, and now arrives as a focused, inexperienced young adult. Striking a chord with his generation, Harry Potter captured the imagination of a world so fully, it’s easy to forget how hard it is to bottle that lightning strike seven times in a row.

However, the Harry Potter novels never seemed to focus much on expectations. Rowling seemed to have a plan, and when it came down to it, she wrote without inhibitions and served up grand adventures that we’ve all enjoyed. Even as the first three novels followed the same exact pattern, we loved it enough to yearn for more. Even after a limp fifth novel failed to capitalize on the immense enormity of the extremely entertaining fourth story, we waited for the next. And now with the final installment arriving, we lap up the glory of wizards and read with a most bittersweet after-taste in our mouths.

And what of book seven? It’s a very solid story. There’s no backtracking to start this novel, Harry, Ron, and Hermione do not end up back in school. There is no brooding plot for Voldermort’s reemergence. Where Rowling shifted the playing field by the conclusion of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, she refuses to succumb to the status quo and pushes forth into new territory.

Which works relatively well for most of the book. Having Harry, Ron, and Hermione charge through their quest, ignoring the notion of graduating from school seems natural and refreshingly obvious. There’s not much to miss in covering another school year, we’ve been through six of them already. So focusing on the quest of quests is nice change.

And while entertaining, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows doesn’t offer much in terms of surprises. It never catches you off-guard, you’re never blindsided or stunned, and it never tries hard to surprise you with a twist. Instead, we’re treated to very fun back-story, tales of Dumbledore’s youth and Snape’s past. These bits are full of information and help round out the complexities weaved from earlier novels. Yet, none of it is groundbreaking, and instead, offer very nice substance to the Harry Potter mythos.

Like every Harry Potter book, the writing is casual perfection. Sprinting through the story is never a chore, and you’re halfway through the book before you know. The style is nice and loose, inviting you in like a friendly neighbor offering you a home-cooked meal. How many novels skirt around the edges of 760 pages and have it’s readers anxiously consuming it in two days. Make no mistake about it, Rowling mastery of simple and laid back ease is amazing.

Overall, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is a fun speed-read. There are points that drag on a little bit, but the novel always moves quickly. The characters are mostly the same, some of the kids begin to show their maturity. For instance, it’s nice to have Ron be more of a leader than a goofy yes-man. However, it plays out very straight, even in all its dressings. Rest assured, it’s an enjoyable tale and wraps the Harry Potter series into a great package. Out of 7 horcrux’s, Harry Potter and the Deathly Harrows escapes Voldemert with 5 of them. Very nice ending.