I too, was a bit bored with it (I was quite ashamed of myself, actually) until chapter 26. That was it for me, I was hooked by the emotional aspect. Although I do also wish there was more action. And also the lack of Draco's old sneering and Snape's and Umbridge's relentless prosecution of Harry I thought contributed to my boredom.
But overall, I think I liked it. I have to read it a couple more times to make my final decision.
Chapter 26 was quite good, and it did contain my favorite line in the book ("I'm not worried, Harry. I am with you" which just set Dumbledore up for death since he was pretty much saying that Harry had become his own wizard and no longer needed Albus's protection. Not the point), but after that it went downhill. I do like that Draco couldn't kill Dumbledore, but other than that the whole battle scene was a huge let down. Especially when compared to the one in Ootp.
well im dissatisfied with how many people are responding to Harry's melodramatic "I might not return next year so i can kill Voldemort, and while I'm at it turn down the help that I will most definately need" I mean really? in a round about way scrimgeour was trying to make amends, kinda, by offering the the help of Aurors. People are going to die, obviously, but i think that it is better to have lost a handful of aurors, compared to millions of innocent people. if he succeeds on his own, ie without adult help, i will be utterly disgusted. hes talented, yes, but lacks experience.
and i was dissatisfied with the book too. simply because it was obvious, and was written for the shippers, even the H/D ones (see page 409, first sentence, second paragraph)-
I don't think he will be able to do it without adult help, I just think that he won't accept anyone who wasn't loyal to Dumbledore. In other words, he will probably end up using the Order but I doubt he'd turn to the ministry except as a last resort. In hsi mind, Dumbledore will always be perfect now and since Albus didn't like the minister Harry will hold the same opinion.
Still, I agree that I will be disgusted if he does it all on his own with only a little help from Hermione and Ron. Not that they haven't faced bunches already, but to defeat Voldemort when not even Dumbledore could do it with the Order seems too far-fetched.
i hope that she will make amends. because i remember feeling the same remorse last time around. maybe it will be like a huge wave at the end when every one just goes "ohh, okay."
and on a different note, did the poison make Dumbledore sound like a child? or was that just me, and could the pleadind been contributed tothe poison, and not the 'please kill me severus' i thought it was?
oh dear. so many theories; im glad there's time til the next book.
I thought he just sounded like a man in pain. That was actually part of the books I liked, mainly because of Dumbeldore's line that he felt safe with Harry after Harry had said the same of him. That really showed mutual respect instead of a solely mentor-apprentice relationship which set Albus up for death nicely, I thought, leaving on the note that Harry had become his own strength seperate of Dumbledore's protection. I really wish Harry had drunk some of the potion though so we could understand what was going on in Alubs's head when he was in that much pain, though I don't think Harry would have surived it.
What I hated was how full of himself Dumbledore seemed to be. Every other time he spoke he was going on about how clever and brilliant he was. Not at all like the modest, sock loving Dumbledore we saw in the first five books.
There seemed to be a larger portion of the books dedicated to romance than to Voldemort (who was mysteriously absent during the book but sure managed to kill a lot of people, regardless).
LOL.
I guess Jo saved Voldemort’s big appearance for the 7th book. Till then he’ll have to content himself with killing random magical folk. XD
I enjoyed the non-action for lack of a better word. After 5 years of fighting evil it was intersting to see Harry doing something remotely "normal".
I must admit to be slightly shocked about Dumbledores death. I hadn't read any spopiles and though I didn't see him living through the series I thought he'd die in the next book. And maybe it was just me, but I was quite surprised by Snape's betrayl.
And I though there were certain things about this story that really set it apart from the others. I was literally laughing out loud during several moments.
Overall I loved being privy to certain key moments in their lives. I thought there was some great character development. and while some minor characters like Neville were absent we also got to see a great deal more Draco, and were introduced to several new characers.
Oedipus Rex Trilogy has supplied me with enough non-action that I never need to see it again, thank you very much. ^^
I think I would have been shocked by Snape as well if someone had warned me to skip over the second chapter. That really gave it away for me. I just had this feeling that Snape wasn't joking around when he was saying all those things. That doesn’t mean I'm not holding onto hope that he really is going to redeem himself, but his betrayal lost most of the shook value because of that chapter. Though I'd admit it was wonderful to have chapter’s outside of Harry's ‘world’.
I found OotP to be much funnier, though Won-Won was great and Luna at quidditch was lovely as well. Still, this one seem to lack the humor and JKR plot twist I really love. I know it's all opinion, of course, but I can't help but feel cheated.
Ah well, live and let live. Maybe the next one will be more my cup of tea.
I agree with pretty much everything you said; It was nice to see something more than Harry just having to save the stone/close the chamber/stop sirius/go through the TWT/save the day sort of thing. And, had I not a) seen a spoiler on accident or b) read "Spinner's End", Snape's betrayal may have been suprising. In fact, that is the one thing I find as an error in the book. I somehow feel that Spinner's End should have been viewed as a memory or something after Dumbledore's death. I get the feeling that Unbreakable Vows will be more important in book seven, hence why "Spinner's End" is in HBP at all.
I also didn't feel that there was enough of school in the books. Harry seemed to lack classes and impossible work, save for the potions classes and hearing about nonverbal spells.
Character Development, while some think to be lacking, I found in certain characters. I like that we finally saw Blaise. I liked actually seeing Voldemort's past and knowing what he went through. I love that Snape and Voldemort have these extreme ties between
( ... )
Yeah, I guess in a way I was surprised about snape. Yet that chapter, he just didn't seem to be lying to them. I agree that it would've been better if it had been a memory later, made it more of a shocker.
I thought that too. I was expecting to get more of a feel for how Snape taught D.A.T.D.A. and Sluhourn's potion classes.
I agree, while some minor characters were left out others were able to develop. I loved Draco's part because he finally became more then one dimensional. I agree that I really think he'll leave the Dark Side in the next book.
First of all, I respect your opinion very much. My boyfriend didn't like the book at all, but it's my favorite of the series so far, and here's why.
Snape isn't evil. How can anyone believe that? Dumbledore wasn't lying when he said he has reason to trust Snape, and though we may not know that reason yet, it's there. No matter how long it takes Harry to find it, he will. Dumbledore, when he was dying, said "Severus, please." He did NOT say, "Severus, please, help me [stay alive]." If he trusted Snape so much, why on earth would he have to plead with him to help him stay alive? No, Dumbledore wanted to die, and it was part of their plan. Snape is good. "There are things much worse than death."...I need...Severus... Remember? Don't you guys get it? Snape will die, he will break the vow, he will not go back on his word to Dumbledore. Don't lose your faith in Dumbledore. He still lives on, and Snape won't fail us...
at least, I hope not.On another note...Harry isn't a kid anymore. Sirius' death has pushed him into manhood, and it's very
( ... )
Well, I'm all for holding out on the hope that Snape is still good, but it just seems unlikely. I've read a lot of reasons why Snape acted like he did in this book and (as you said) one of the biggest is that Dumbledore was pleading with Snape to kill him
( ... )
I definitely think the relationships are important for the reasons I already stated, and I see them differently that a lot of people do, I think. They're part of human emotion and the kids are growing up. It was bound to come up, but I know she's not going to revolve the plot around it, as she shouldn't. Ron and Hermione was always coming, it's been there since book one and has grown ever since. H/G makes sense. Harry finally realizes that he...well, loves, I'm assuming...her. She's grown up quite a lot.
Dumbledore probably made some kind of pact with Snape. Dumbledore was already dying, and probably would have died anyway...at least, I think so. He was old and his hand was burned [something that I know is easily disregarded, but still]...I am not entirely sure, but there is this feeling in my stomach that Snape isn't evil. I trust Dumbledore. And only JKR knows for sure.
I definitely think the relationships are important for the reasons I already stated
I think it would have been possible (and to me, preferable) to show that Harry still has the capability to love without dedicating near half the book to teenage hormones. I was never that boy crazy in high school - I had things like scholarships and car insurance to worry about. Yet Harry manages to find all the time in the world to crush on Ginny despite everything else happening in his life. That annoyed me. I would have much preferred a quiet relationship like the one Hermione/Krum had. Yes, they were dating but we didn't have to hear about it for pages on end.
I'm still half-n-half on Snape. I don't want him to be evil, but it is rather obvious he killed Dumbledore and, although I knew Dumbldore was going to die, I'd like to think it wasn't a suicide.
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But overall, I think I liked it. I have to read it a couple more times to make my final decision.
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and i was dissatisfied with the book too. simply because it was obvious, and was written for the shippers, even the H/D ones (see page 409, first sentence, second paragraph)-
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Still, I agree that I will be disgusted if he does it all on his own with only a little help from Hermione and Ron. Not that they haven't faced bunches already, but to defeat Voldemort when not even Dumbledore could do it with the Order seems too far-fetched.
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and on a different note, did the poison make Dumbledore sound like a child? or was that just me, and could the pleadind been contributed tothe poison, and not the 'please kill me severus' i thought it was?
oh dear. so many theories; im glad there's time til the next book.
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What I hated was how full of himself Dumbledore seemed to be. Every other time he spoke he was going on about how clever and brilliant he was. Not at all like the modest, sock loving Dumbledore we saw in the first five books.
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LOL.
I guess Jo saved Voldemort’s big appearance for the 7th book. Till then he’ll have to content himself with killing random magical folk. XD
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I must admit to be slightly shocked about Dumbledores death. I hadn't read any spopiles and though I didn't see him living through the series I thought he'd die in the next book. And maybe it was just me, but I was quite surprised by Snape's betrayl.
And I though there were certain things about this story that really set it apart from the others. I was literally laughing out loud during several moments.
Overall I loved being privy to certain key moments in their lives. I thought there was some great character development. and while some minor characters like Neville were absent we also got to see a great deal more Draco, and were introduced to several new characers.
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I think I would have been shocked by Snape as well if someone had warned me to skip over the second chapter. That really gave it away for me. I just had this feeling that Snape wasn't joking around when he was saying all those things. That doesn’t mean I'm not holding onto hope that he really is going to redeem himself, but his betrayal lost most of the shook value because of that chapter. Though I'd admit it was wonderful to have chapter’s outside of Harry's ‘world’.
I found OotP to be much funnier, though Won-Won was great and Luna at quidditch was lovely as well. Still, this one seem to lack the humor and JKR plot twist I really love. I know it's all opinion, of course, but I can't help but feel cheated.
Ah well, live and let live. Maybe the next one will be more my cup of tea.
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I also didn't feel that there was enough of school in the books. Harry seemed to lack classes and impossible work, save for the potions classes and hearing about nonverbal spells.
Character Development, while some think to be lacking, I found in certain characters. I like that we finally saw Blaise. I liked actually seeing Voldemort's past and knowing what he went through. I love that Snape and Voldemort have these extreme ties between ( ... )
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I thought that too. I was expecting to get more of a feel for how Snape taught D.A.T.D.A. and Sluhourn's potion classes.
I agree, while some minor characters were left out others were able to develop. I loved Draco's part because he finally became more then one dimensional. I agree that I really think he'll leave the Dark Side in the next book.
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Snape isn't evil. How can anyone believe that? Dumbledore wasn't lying when he said he has reason to trust Snape, and though we may not know that reason yet, it's there. No matter how long it takes Harry to find it, he will. Dumbledore, when he was dying, said "Severus, please." He did NOT say, "Severus, please, help me [stay alive]." If he trusted Snape so much, why on earth would he have to plead with him to help him stay alive? No, Dumbledore wanted to die, and it was part of their plan. Snape is good. "There are things much worse than death."...I need...Severus... Remember? Don't you guys get it? Snape will die, he will break the vow, he will not go back on his word to Dumbledore. Don't lose your faith in Dumbledore. He still lives on, and Snape won't fail us...
at least, I hope not.On another note...Harry isn't a kid anymore. Sirius' death has pushed him into manhood, and it's very ( ... )
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Dumbledore probably made some kind of pact with Snape. Dumbledore was already dying, and probably would have died anyway...at least, I think so. He was old and his hand was burned [something that I know is easily disregarded, but still]...I am not entirely sure, but there is this feeling in my stomach that Snape isn't evil. I trust Dumbledore. And only JKR knows for sure.
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I think it would have been possible (and to me, preferable) to show that Harry still has the capability to love without dedicating near half the book to teenage hormones. I was never that boy crazy in high school - I had things like scholarships and car insurance to worry about. Yet Harry manages to find all the time in the world to crush on Ginny despite everything else happening in his life. That annoyed me. I would have much preferred a quiet relationship like the one Hermione/Krum had. Yes, they were dating but we didn't have to hear about it for pages on end.
I'm still half-n-half on Snape. I don't want him to be evil, but it is rather obvious he killed Dumbledore and, although I knew Dumbldore was going to die, I'd like to think it wasn't a suicide.
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