Thoughts at the End of DH *MAJOR SPOILERS*

[whimsicalmuse]

I've not read any other reviews yet, and this may the hundredth one by now, but I wanted to express my initial thoughts on DH before being influenced by anyone else's. This is a long, but pretty damn fair review, at least imo. :)

Comments

[demosthenes91]

Wow... those are a lot of insightful points that I hadn't thought much on. I pretty much liked the book, but then, that's after a straight through, exhausting read with a nap somewhere in there. I found it satisfying in that I was expecting a debacle like HBP and was totally happy that she had returned to form, but I don't think I realized, 'til now, all the stuff that's still missing or was poorly done. I think I was trying to focus on the positives as much as possible, and was just glad that she seemed to get better at writing the romances here.

But yeah, I would have liked to have seen more grieving and saying goodbye to Lupin, Tonks, and especially Fred. inell wrote an excellent, but sad, ficlet, about George dealing with Fred's death... I really wish it had been Percy to bite it instead.

But again, thanks for pointing out all that you did. I'm sure in the days to come, these things will start to fall on me (like the anvils I'm sure they are), but in the exhausted aftermath, I can't ponder on it too much.

Of course now, you really

[whimsicalmuse]

*laughs* Sorry!!!

I pretty much enjoyed it too, but there were so many problems with it as a part of the series. I definitely thought it was miles better than HBP. :)

I thought Percy was going to bite it, but I was very worried for the twins.

I saw that Inell fic and I fully intend to read it. I know she'll do right by the twins. I'll just need to get a box of tissues before I read it, I'm sure. *lower lip quivers*

[annearchy]

Dude. I have to steal your icon, now that we know it's true *wibbles*

[whimsicalmuse]

Y'know, I really don't feel too disappointed

[whimsicalmuse]

I agree about the MoE and understand the comparison, but I still don't see the *need* for them as related to the plot. I'm still foggy on how they made a real difference to the ending. I think that most people already know by the seventh book that Harry would be willing (has always been willing) to sacrifice himself for others with no personal gain. I actually thought Harry's getting the diadem because he didn't want to use it for personal gain mirrored the PS/SS stone in the mirror scene. What's the need to reiterate that using the DHs

[whimsicalmuse]

P.S. Harry did want the Resurrection Stone. He said that earlier in the book when all the trio said which of the three DHs they'd rather have, and I thought it implied that he wanted to use it see his dead loved ones. As far as the cloak goes, he did need it, but he'd always had it. I still can't see how the DH subplot helped him accomplish his mission in the end, but maybe I'm missing something.

On the other hand, I also have to wonder, given the Christian connotations in the book, if she wasn't trying to draw some parallel along those lines using the DHs between Christ and Lucifer and the choices they made. *shrugs* I'll have to think on that more before I go into that. :)

[annearchy]

This is brilliant. You've written my review for me; I have nothing else to say. And your last line is chillingly perfect. In all this time, NO ONE has told Harry, "I love you" - not even his fecking future wife o_O

Like you, I liked a lot of individual details about this book and the trioness but overall there was a lot to be disappointed about.

[whimsicalmuse]

I think that was the single most dissappointing thing for me. After watching Harry live through such horrible situations his whole life, the ultimate thing I wanted was for him to be happy and loved (can you be happy without being loved?). I wanted for someone to wrap their arms around him and say the words. It didn't have to be Hermione, although that would have been great even if she had been expressing platonic or sisterly love.

I've decided that JKR is very good at window dressing and asking a lot of questions. She's written some great books and some fabulous passages. I just wish she'd had more in her than what we ended up with.

[annearchy]

Agreed. And now I feel more than a bit stupid for overthinking these books for the past 5 years :(

[whimsicalmuse]

NO! I understand, but you should NOT feel that way!

Regardless of what JKR did, we got to experience (and still will, thanks to fandom) the beauty of Harry and Hermione, as well as many other wonderful ideas that have sparked our imagination and stretched our understanding of the world around us. I'll not ever be sorry that I found all that I found in HP. It was JKR's lack in the end, not ours.

[sarahkitty]

Wow - I wrote my little review and find that you were in agreement and MORE. :)

Part of me thinks JKR was a cruel b*tch and didn't want Harry to ever feel Love until he dies and is reunited with his parents.

And yeah - there was so much with the whole Harry and Hermione being alone thing that was completely unrealistic - it was almost like THEY weren't friends when Ron wasn't around - which, for a true trio and in previous books, was definately NOT the case. *sigh*

Oh well, yay for fanfic!

[whimsicalmuse]

I think this was huge catharsis for JKR after having lost her mom. And I sincerely hope it helped her--I don't want to even think about losing my mom. That would explain (at least to me) some of the differences between what she ended up writing and what we expected.

Yep, the lack of interaction (romantic or not) between Harry and Hermione while Ron was gone was completely OOC for both of them. It rang false to me.