Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

J.K.Rowling has really outdone herself in this one.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows contains fantastic crescendos and decrescendos of action, each peak leaving the reader with slightly less nail length.

The "lulls" contain great substance, and are consistently more interesting and informative than any of the previous books (which I, admittedly, haven't read in awhile). Some of the lulls are tension-filled, whilst others are used to concoct plans, and others to help debate the Horcrux versus Hallows dilemma, and realizations are made sometimes through Trelawney-like moments of clairvoyance, and some through linear thought, where the conclusion punches you in the chest, causing your stomach to sink and your breathing to go shallow.

My biggest complaint with the book is the Epilogue, and after reading the remarks of others, I have slightly more acceptance for its truncated sappiness. It seemed as if Jo contracted a case of "senioritis" (or maybe "seventh-year-itis"), and left something to be desired in the Epilogue.

The reasoning which strikes me as the most succinct is that Harry valued family above everything else, so wrapping the story, in brief, as a benign "happily ever after" makes a great deal of sense. However, we care! We care about what happens to Harry, Hermione, and Ron on a social and professional level. We care about their families, and not just the ones they started. It's obvious Harry is still an icon, as the staring children reveal. Did Harry go work for Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes? Why isn't Hermione teaching at Hogwarts? Does Ron play Quidditch? (Yeah, remember Quidditch?) Did he take his father's post at the Ministry? There are a million other questions that could be sorted in pertinence and addressed.

It took about two days to read the book from cover to cover, same as Half-Blood Prince. However, if you are finishing up the book, I would suggest closing it after the last chapter, and saving the Epilogue for the next day, after the initial feelings of satisfaction and excitement have sunk in. After that, pick up the book and read the Epilogue. I can only guess that it might be more fitting an end after some of the original elation subsides.

I'm sure this is exactly what Bloomsbury and Scholastic want to hear, but I hope there are more side-stories released, and I can't wait for the Harry Potter Encyclopedia.

And, one final note:

Neville rules!