guthmund

I finished it last night.

Without going to far into it, I think this book could've been about 2/3 or maybe even 1/2 the size it currently is and been a much better book. Not that I don't appreciate 700+ pages of Harry Potter goodness, but the middle third, which is absolute crap when compared with the rest of the book, feels like filler and I hate filler. It was a chore getting through this part of the story and that's a shame.

A few more notes...
Spoiler: I absolutely hate what she turned Dumbledore into. For six books, he's been...well, Dumbledore and now it turns out he's really this sort of this manipulating scumbag. That would've been great had it been a thread in all the other books, but this felt tacked on. "Oh, by the way, Dumbledore for a time was best friends with this real evil bloke that did horrible things....over there....and his sister was beat up by muggles....and he uses everybody....yeah, that's the ticket...just read this article by Rita Skeeter.

Seperately, I hate when writers do that, by the way. Articles, book excerpts and such....It's stupid and lazy, in my opinion, whether the offender is J.K. Rowling or Stephen King.

As for the epilogue, I think that stinks as well. This series, since about book 3 I think, has matured very well over the years, dealing with darker stuff and more adult themes as the audience has gotten older. The relationships have gotten more complex, the villians harder to spot and by book seven the shine has really come off the wizarding world that was all pixies and magic dust in the first book. To tack on this super sweet syrupy ending is...well, I don't know, it feels a bit insulting. Ginny and Harry, Ron and Hermione...it all worked out. And kids, no less, named after dead parents and dead heroes. "Albus Severus, don't listen to James, Lily or your second cousin Remus Nymphadora Rubeus Flitwick Minerva Sirius Neville Lovegood,
they're just trying to pull the wool over your eyes, the little scoundrels.
Ruffle hair, put them on train to Hogwart's and wave as the train pulls out the station. End Scene "...and they all lived happily ever after."

Other than all that I think the book was pretty good. I thought she handled Snape's story rather well and last bit (the battle of Hogwart's and Voldemort's death) I thought were pretty good as well.

I've said too much...

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