Finished VERY late last night! And here's my fangirl squee:
::BOUNCE BOUNCE BOUNCE BOUNCE:: I LOVED IT!!!!!!!!!
Were there imperfect things? Sure. Were there things I was mildly disappointed with? Probably. But WHO CARES! It was AWESOME.
Okay, squeeing mode ON.
Voldie was suitably evil. I liked seeing the propaganda and the issues. I liked seeing him have an agenda. I liked that he kept emphasizing that he didn't want to spill any more magical blood than necessary. It made him less evil-overlord and more real villain.
I actually was touched that Dudley didn't want anything bad to happen to Harry. It was such a relative dynamic. "I can torture you, but no one else had better kill you." It also drove home what I've always thought about Dudley- he's a bully, but he's not evil. As Sirius said, the world is not split into good people and Death Eaters." And Petunia almost saying something nearly broke my heart.
I loved the name Ariana for a girl. Unfortunately, Duckie doesn't.
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The flight from the Dursleys was great. I cracked up when Harry got embarrassed because the people were showing a little more of his body than he wanted them to. And you know Hermione and Fleur were totally taking advantage- at least for a moment- of finding out what it was like to be a guy. And Hagrid had the motorbike! I squealed in joy
And the desperation in that escape... awesome. Totally awesome.
The Tonkseses were very much how I pictured them. I liked Ted a lot, but then, I always expected to. I hate the fact that the name "Dora" is now canon, though, just because of Dora the Explorer.
Moody dying choked me up. I really liked Moody, and while I know this is the way he wanted to go, but still. The death of Moody early on was so perfect, because if you can take down Moody it really emphasizes just how dangerous your adversaries are. And it was MOODY.
The whole thing at the Burrow I loved. I can totally understand Molly's desire to protect the kids, and she was completely motherly about it. (I.e., sneaky and manipulative.) I loved the way the family (especially the twins) responded to the whole bit about George's ear. And the wedding. LOVED the wedding. Aunt Muriel is awesome, just for being so... so... oh, God, whose family DOESN'T have a relative like her? Seriously?
Sirius's bedroom kicked butt and cracked me up, although I do have to ask how the letter from Lily got in there. He left at 16, right, and didn't return until post Azkaban? I'd say Remus must have kept some of his stuff for him. Regulus was totally made of awesome, and when I heard how he met his death, that was not a happy moment (but in a good way).
Um, Remus? IF YOU DIDN'T WANT KIDS, USE A CONDOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm sure Fred and George probably sold several excellent ones in their store, even if the condom making inappropriate noises at the appropriate time is offputting. I did count, and it wasn't a shotgun wedding, but it was awfully close. And seriously, dude, I'm glad Harry knocked some sense into you. It's potentially Tonks's fault, too, but you're the one with the issues. You should have a.) talked about this with her, and b.) used protection.
The Ministry part was a lot of fun, in a sick way. Oh, and can we say Holocaust at all? I mean, the registration? The concentration camp that Grindewald had set up? The propaganda? I agree with her points, but man, she's not subtle. Hee.
The whole search for Horcuxes thing did drag a bit, and this is where I'm more pressed to remember details. I did like Ron leaving and then coming back- I thought that was realistic. It fit his character completely. The Godric's Hollow bit was interesting, especially since I remember making jokes about it being a Wizarding tourist attraction. Oops. Guess I was right.
Ted dying made me sad, even if he was a totally minor character.
Luna Lovegood's father made me laugh and feel sad at the same time. The Deathly Hallows were very interesting, and I liked the Hallows vs. Horcrux thing Harry had going, but I was neither thrilled nor repulsed by them.
I loved that the truth was somewhere between Doge and Skeeter. Very realistic.
The bits at the manor chilled me, especially when Bellatrix was torturing Hermione. Eek. And Wormtail! I was partly right! I KNEW that silver hand wasn't going to be used on a werewolf, and I knew that it would be a gift that appeared powerful but had a price. It wasn't what I expected, but it was immensely satisfactory all the same. I'm actually glad there was no big redemption for Peter, because it would have taken away from Snape, and Snape was the more important character.
Dobby's death made me tear up, too, which is a surprise given how much Dobby always annoyed me. The whole bit at Shell Cottage was a nice interlude, with the Griphook bits keeping the tension going. I like how she wrote Griphook a LOT. It wasn't all happy turnabout. The bits at Gringotts were fantastic- one of my favorite parts of the book, for some reason. I just thought that was really creative.
Aberforth=awesome. And there are goats!
And then finally we get to Hogwarts. WHOO! Really enjoyed the desperate last stand battle, and that was the point where you had to finish the book, no matter what time. The only time I really cried was when Percy joined in the fight. I'd actually predicted Fred's death, so that didn't hit me as hard as it could have. (What would have hit me would have been seeing more of George's grief.) Remus's death was almost required. I was fine with that- AND I GOT MY FORCE GHOST ENDING!!!!!! WHEEEEE! Tonks's death just didn't hit me at all, because she sort of annoyed me through this book. However, I TOTALLY forgive JKR for Tonks/Remus now, because she wrote it messed up and difficult and clearly not healthy, even if it was apparent that Remus finally made the decision to accept his life and be happy about it in the end. As far as her leaving the baby... well, I can see where she felt she had to fight, because her child would have been in mortal danger if Voldemort won.
Trewlawny dropping a crystal ball on Fenrir was fantastic! That cracked me up. My favorite line of the series used to be "It unscrews the other way," but I think it's now in a tie for "NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU &*%#@!" GO MOLLY!!!!!! YES!!! Because, I'll tell you, if anyone ever threatened Toby, I would do the same. exact. thing. (Except yell "NOT MY SON!") Molly killing Bellatrix was AWESOME.
I'm glad Harry didn't destroy all the Horcuxes, either, and that Hermione, Ron, Dumbledore, Crabbe (who would have thought Crabbe?), and Neville each got to destroy one. It really drove home the point that Harry couldn't do this alone. And Neville kicked butt!
So Snape is a bit of a woobie, huh? Although I expected he was in love with Lily the whole time, and I actually liked how it was written. It was so awkward and sad. And I will shut up about the Patronus change being sexist, although I still wish a guy had lost his powers due to unrequited love (and I'll never shut up about that one being cheesy.) But I do like that it was emphasized that all sorts of love were important- although I would have liked to see a bit more paternal.
Force Ghost ending- loved it for sentimental reasons, even if it was a little sweet and cheesy. I don't care.
It was what I wanted anyway. However, I still don't understand why JKR said "you'll find out later why Sirius had to die." I thought it was obvious. His death was a necessary part of his arc and of Harry's character development, and let's face it- senseless deaths are a major part of war. That's what happens- people you love die and you can't bring them back. But JKR saying there was a reason made it sound more like Sirius was going to be an underworld guide or something like that. Oh well.
King's Cross... must think on that a bit more.
And finally, epilogue: cheesy, yes. But when is an epilogue not? I'm glad, for the sake of her fans, she left it very vague, because there are so many more possibilities. Personally, I didn't need the epilogue at all. But one thing: Albus Severus. First, I don't care how much Harry respects Snape now, Snape still did some horribly nasty things that would, were I Harry, make me NOT want to name a child after him. Personal things, not big things. A statue? Sure! A scholarship fund? Bring it on! But a kid? No. And also, Harry, are you trying to advertise you're a Parselmouth with that name? Boy, does it have a hiss to it.
Anyway. Much love for the book!
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And the desperation in that escape... awesome. Totally awesome.
