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frasersimons 's review for:
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
by J.K. Rowling
2022: still dope.
Hope after all.
Everybody gets an arc. Everything meaningful I wanted I got, and more, actually.
In a story about remorse and love and hope, there is a surprising amount of humility ingrained as well. The small pain points of somewhat clumsy plotting: the sneakascopic (although a different one albeit) and the maddening mirror I hated so much make a return appearance and serve a purpose. I don’t think those were plotted from the beginning but they were rectified, and that made me smile. As did the idea being introduced that sorting is done too early (yet still happens? Annoyingly).
Also, Dumbledores fleeting look of triumph from Goblet of Fire when he learns that Voldemort has taken Harry’s blood, is cashed in, to great effect, I think. The elf rights finally has something to do with the plot. The DA return too. It is my deepest regret that Umbridge didn’t not meet Mrs Weasley’s wand, as Bellatrix finally did.
When backed into a corner, the conclusion is impactful and meaningful and there is more nuance in what the world created is trying to communicate to readers. From moral absolutism never kill, to defend yourself when necessary, even if you must kill.
Dumbledore and Snape are deeply flawed individuals, both of whom commit reprehensible acts synonymous with Voldemort at times. Interestingly, when I was much younger and read this for the first time, it left me cold. I had no love in my heart for Snape even after the reveal. I still despised him. He was, essentially, a Nazi after all. Yet he is the American History X. Now that I am older it is not so black and white and nuance finds me.
There are small ditpicky things I could say, but i felt this was genuinely good. There’s less dialogue to trip over. Everything matters at all times. Previous events and characters and even the previous books are amplified by the efforts of this one. Even going in knowing the various twists. What really shines through is that the plotting that struck home is the stuff that’s clearly planned from early on. The incorporation of things in previous books is hit or miss. But this actually says something, as the previous ones maddeningly often do not. And that is enough to bury my quips.
Hope after all.
Everybody gets an arc. Everything meaningful I wanted I got, and more, actually.
In a story about remorse and love and hope, there is a surprising amount of humility ingrained as well. The small pain points of somewhat clumsy plotting: the sneakascopic (although a different one albeit) and the maddening mirror I hated so much make a return appearance and serve a purpose. I don’t think those were plotted from the beginning but they were rectified, and that made me smile. As did the idea being introduced that sorting is done too early (yet still happens? Annoyingly).
Also, Dumbledores fleeting look of triumph from Goblet of Fire when he learns that Voldemort has taken Harry’s blood, is cashed in, to great effect, I think. The elf rights finally has something to do with the plot. The DA return too. It is my deepest regret that Umbridge didn’t not meet Mrs Weasley’s wand, as Bellatrix finally did.
When backed into a corner, the conclusion is impactful and meaningful and there is more nuance in what the world created is trying to communicate to readers. From moral absolutism never kill, to defend yourself when necessary, even if you must kill.
Dumbledore and Snape are deeply flawed individuals, both of whom commit reprehensible acts synonymous with Voldemort at times. Interestingly, when I was much younger and read this for the first time, it left me cold. I had no love in my heart for Snape even after the reveal. I still despised him. He was, essentially, a Nazi after all. Yet he is the American History X. Now that I am older it is not so black and white and nuance finds me.
There are small ditpicky things I could say, but i felt this was genuinely good. There’s less dialogue to trip over. Everything matters at all times. Previous events and characters and even the previous books are amplified by the efforts of this one. Even going in knowing the various twists. What really shines through is that the plotting that struck home is the stuff that’s clearly planned from early on. The incorporation of things in previous books is hit or miss. But this actually says something, as the previous ones maddeningly often do not. And that is enough to bury my quips.