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Jul. 20th, 2007 11:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
which_chickHere is the once-over-lightly rendering of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, A Review.
First off, we're going to look at my predictions and how I did.
1. Voldie really does die. Yep, he does. He throws the AK at Harry, who throws Expelliarmus. Spells collide, Voldie's wand rejects him (it's complicated, the business with the wand) and Voldie gets hit with the rebound AK. I don't know if this counts as Harry kills him but that's how I'm scoring it.
2. Also, there will be Harry and Ginny. And their three children in the epilogue. Yo.
3. Personally, I really hope Hagrid dies. He does not. One failure.
4. It is my considered opinion that Snape is a good guy He is a good guy. Not a nice guy, but a good guy.
5. Good guy or not, Snape is going to die. And he does. Voldie kills him in the aforementioned Business With The Wand.
6. Lucius Malfoy will totally not survive. Actually, he does survive... he and his wife both. Two failures.
7. Draco is going to not-die I get half a point on this one. Not sure he ever turned, but he does live. Two and a half failures.
8. Ron and Hermione will hook up. This wasn't even difficult. Practically a gimme.
9. Neville will be more heroic than we have heretofore noticed him being... probably something with herbs. Wrong about herbs, right about the more heroic, if you consider Drawing the sword of Gryffindor out of the Sorting Hat and offing the big Nagini snake of Voldemort right in front of the Dark Lord a heroic act.
10. One of the twins (Fred and George) is going to die. And full marks on that for me, damn it. They kill Fred.
Ten predictions, two and a half failures. Well, hell, that's *nearly* a passing grade, innit?
The book is *long* The wandering around and looking for horcruxes part kind of drags a bit and the battles (of which there are many) are kind of confusing... but action-packed.
The moral complexity (and there was rather a lot of it) was fun, though. I'm not sure this is entirely a children's novel. The big wrap-up scene on the myffic train with the dead headmaster and the flayed infant thing? Weird. Not very child-friendly. O'course it's Voldie, or what's left of him on that plane, but still. Eeww. Also liked the treatment of D's past. That was very interesting, indeed and I liked how we got three perspectives of the same story (one from Messes-With-Goats, one from the Skeeter woman, and one from the Ghost of Albus or whatever).
I was glad to see that Harry finally got the shits of D. not telling him things, too. The not-telling would have driven me batshit about three, maybe four books ago.
I suspect that the fanfic writers get a huge bone (hur*hur) thrown to them on the Albus/Gellert front. That was kind of surprising, really. And, y'know, he's *pretty*. Golden hair in curls. Handsome. Yep. I can see that working.. Fanficcers, start your engines. Tell me *all* about the greater good.
We got some loose ends tied up -- finally the story of the Bloody Baron, which was kind of interesting. Also we get why the hell Albus trusted Severus, which I was not thrilled about but at least it was a reason. Shitty reason, but a reason. I said there hadda be one, you know.
In all, not a bad read. I'll have to pick up a copy tomorrow so that I can read it again without going blind -- the pdf I pulled off the torrents is passable but not the best and I really would like a book.
First off, we're going to look at my predictions and how I did.
1. Voldie really does die. Yep, he does. He throws the AK at Harry, who throws Expelliarmus. Spells collide, Voldie's wand rejects him (it's complicated, the business with the wand) and Voldie gets hit with the rebound AK. I don't know if this counts as Harry kills him but that's how I'm scoring it.
2. Also, there will be Harry and Ginny. And their three children in the epilogue. Yo.
3. Personally, I really hope Hagrid dies. He does not. One failure.
4. It is my considered opinion that Snape is a good guy He is a good guy. Not a nice guy, but a good guy.
5. Good guy or not, Snape is going to die. And he does. Voldie kills him in the aforementioned Business With The Wand.
6. Lucius Malfoy will totally not survive. Actually, he does survive... he and his wife both. Two failures.
7. Draco is going to not-die I get half a point on this one. Not sure he ever turned, but he does live. Two and a half failures.
8. Ron and Hermione will hook up. This wasn't even difficult. Practically a gimme.
9. Neville will be more heroic than we have heretofore noticed him being... probably something with herbs. Wrong about herbs, right about the more heroic, if you consider Drawing the sword of Gryffindor out of the Sorting Hat and offing the big Nagini snake of Voldemort right in front of the Dark Lord a heroic act.
10. One of the twins (Fred and George) is going to die. And full marks on that for me, damn it. They kill Fred.
Ten predictions, two and a half failures. Well, hell, that's *nearly* a passing grade, innit?
The book is *long* The wandering around and looking for horcruxes part kind of drags a bit and the battles (of which there are many) are kind of confusing... but action-packed.
The moral complexity (and there was rather a lot of it) was fun, though. I'm not sure this is entirely a children's novel. The big wrap-up scene on the myffic train with the dead headmaster and the flayed infant thing? Weird. Not very child-friendly. O'course it's Voldie, or what's left of him on that plane, but still. Eeww. Also liked the treatment of D's past. That was very interesting, indeed and I liked how we got three perspectives of the same story (one from Messes-With-Goats, one from the Skeeter woman, and one from the Ghost of Albus or whatever).
I was glad to see that Harry finally got the shits of D. not telling him things, too. The not-telling would have driven me batshit about three, maybe four books ago.
I suspect that the fanfic writers get a huge bone (hur*hur) thrown to them on the Albus/Gellert front. That was kind of surprising, really. And, y'know, he's *pretty*. Golden hair in curls. Handsome. Yep. I can see that working.. Fanficcers, start your engines. Tell me *all* about the greater good.
We got some loose ends tied up -- finally the story of the Bloody Baron, which was kind of interesting. Also we get why the hell Albus trusted Severus, which I was not thrilled about but at least it was a reason. Shitty reason, but a reason. I said there hadda be one, you know.
In all, not a bad read. I'll have to pick up a copy tomorrow so that I can read it again without going blind -- the pdf I pulled off the torrents is passable but not the best and I really would like a book.
