My Critiquing Opinionatedness: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Book)

(Plot)

Intent on continuing what he and Albus Dumbledore started before the great wizard's untimely demise, Harry Potter must now embark on a journey to search for the remaining Horcruxes. Together with his best friends, the insecure Ron Weasley and the Muggle-born Hermione Granger, they face countless dangers and upheavals along the way.

Unaware of the mysterious whereabouts of their supposed light of hope, the wizarding world is unrelentingly terrorized by Lord Voldemort's Death Eaters, as they take over the Ministry of Magic, all the while subjecting all suspected non-pureblood wizards and witches to genocide. Right on top of their list of priorities is the capture of Undesirable No. 1, Harry, and it seems as though they keep on successfully thwarting our heroes' search for the Horcruxes.

Meanwhile, tensions mount high and the friendship of the three is conflicted by deep-rooted issues. To make matters worse, Harry is plagued by visions of the Dark Lord in his own quest for "something". He worries that whatever Voldemort is looking for has something to do with the items Dumbledore has left behind for our heroes, and that whatever this "something" might be is even bigger than the Horcruxes.

Will Harry and his friends successfully get the job done in time to prevent Voldemort's final rise to power over all of the magical realm?

(Review)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was inconceivably amazing! Completely action-packed from the get-go, J.K. Rowling's 7th installment to what has now become an international phenomenon surpassed all of my expectations. While I have always respected her as a creatively gifted writer, I have felt that Rowling's writing skills had somewhat deteriorated since the emergence of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Deathly Hallows definitely redeemed her name, in my opinion.

But this book isn't entirely without fault. Some parts just didn't add up; like how Harry miraculously knew what the next Horcrux was after Regulus' locket, when it was quite adamantly expressed that they had absolutely no leads to go on with for months.Or their sudden ability to use the unforgivable curses was a bit of much, considering they are unforgivable curses and therefore seems rather hard to administer. Or what the actual purpose of the Deathly Hallows was. It was never really explained what would actually happen when the three items are brought together (which, by the way, they never do in the book), aside from the cryptic message that whoever possesses all three Hallows shall be “Master of Death”. I also felt that the "final explanation to everything" wasn't explosive enough, as much as it is rather vague. And plot-wise, I actually thought that certain premises were a little too familiar.

However, despite everything this book failed to deliver, it is as "monumental" as Michiko Kakutani, of The New York Times, said it was. And I will say this: Deathly Hallows will be one expensive hell of a movie. And I mean it with all my love and support when I say that I really hope the leading movie cast doesn’t butcher this one up with their brand of bad acting. No offense, but they really do need to take more lessons, especially Daniel Radcliffe. But if they manage to pull this one off, and if they probably re-hire the genius Alfonso Cuaron to take on the directorial post, this just might well be the best Potter flick of the entire lot.

Deathly Hallows truly is a superlative culmination to the incredible journey of Harry Potter. Really, Rowling outdid herself with this one. In my "good books", Harry Potter is no longer just a children's novel. It's an epic.

And yes, this book really does make you want to cry a little. Harry Potter will truly, truly be missed...

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Quotables:

"Parked all right, then?" Ron asked Harry. "I did. Hermione didn't believe I could pass a muggle driving test, did you? She thought I'd have to Confund the examiner."

"No, I didn't," said Hermione, " I had complete faith in you."

"As a matter of fact, I did Confund him," Ron whispered to Harry, as together they lifted Albus' trunk and owl onto the train. "I only forgot to look in the wing mirror, and let's face it, I can use a Suspensory Charm for that."

Back on the platform, they found Lily and Hugo, Rose's younger brother, having an animated discussion about which House they would be sorted into when they finally get into Hogwarts.

"If you're not in Gryffindor, we'll disown you," said Ron, "but no pressure."

"Ron!"

Lily and Hugo laughed, but Albus and Rose looked solemn.

"He doesn't mean it," said Hermione and Ginny, but Ron was no longer paying attention. Catching Harry's eye, he nodded covertly to a point some fifty yards away. The steam had thinned for a moment, and three people stood in sharp relief against the shifting mist.

"Look who it is."

Draco Malfoy was standing there with his wife and son, a dark coat buttoned up to his throat. His hair was receding somewhat, which emphasized the pointed chin. The new boy resembled Draco as much as Albus resembled Harry. Draco caugt sight of Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny staring at him, nodded curtly, and turned away again.

"So that's little Scorpius," said Ron under his breath. "make sure you beat him in every test, Rosie. Thank God you inherited your mother's brains."

"Ron, for heaven's sake," said Hermione, half stern, half amused. "Don't try to turn them against each other before they've even started school!"

"You're right, sorry," said Ron, but unable to help himself, he added. "Don't get too friendly with him, Rosie. Granddad Weasley would never forgive you if you married a pureblood."

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