Published September 1st 2014 by Bloomsbury Children’s (first published July 21st 2007)
Author: J. K. Rowling
Format: Paperback
Genre: Fantasy, fiction, YA/Children’s
Pages: 620
Star rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Opening line:
“The two men appeared out of nowhere, a few yards apart in the narrow, moonlit lane.”
Goodreads synopsis:
“Give me Harry Potter,” said Voldemort’s voice, “and none shall be harmed. Give me Harry Potter, and I shall leave the school untouched. Give me Harry Potter, and you will be rewarded.”
As he climbs into the sidecar of Hagrid’s motorbike and takes to the skies, leaving Privet Drive for the last time, Harry Potter knows that Lord Voldemort and the Death Eaters are not far behind. The protective charm that has kept Harry safe until now is broken, but he cannot keep hiding. The Dark Lord is breathing fear into everything Harry loves, and to stop him Harry will have to find and destroy the remaining Horcruxes. The final battle must begin – Harry must stand and face his enemy…
My review
The final book of the main series. I launched into this one pretty much straight after reading The Half-Blood Prince, and it made me quite relieved to not be of a generation that would have to wait ages between each book.
This one is the darkest of the series, and it’s for that reason I loved it. I thought I would struggle with it: I love when we’re at Hogwarts, and I’d struggled in previous books when the perspective started to shift away from Harry to give us a glimpse at the darker character’s actions. I don’t know if it was because it’s the last book, but I loved everything about this one.
The whole series accumulates to this one, final, incredible quest. The whole of the wizarding world is affected, and we’re at the heart of it. We’ve been on the journey, we know what has happened up to this point, and we’re alongside Harry, Hermione and Ron the whole way. Everything matters in this book, in the way that things matter once you’ve crossed a threshold and you know you can’t go back to how things were before.
And of course, a lot of people die. And before I go any further, if you don’t want spoilers, then look away now.
Some deaths are more meaningful than others, but they’re all painful. What I didn’t like as a reader is that during the Battle of Hogwarts, Fred’s death was so sudden that I needed to backtrack and read the paragraph again. It didn’t make sense the first time. The fact that he’s just been killed registered with me, but didn’t have an immediate emotional impact. This might have been intentional in that we’re in the middle of a battle, expect sudden death with no warning, but I didn’t like the way it went for Fred. I’m still putting it down to the way it was written more than that it happened the way it did.
Dobby’s death was the saddest, but I liked the way it happened. He died rescuing Harry, and I think if Dobby was ever going to proudly die for a cause it would Harry Potter’s. So I was at peace with his death, although I secretly always wanted Dobby to be Harry’s house elf, but at the same time I love that Dobby became free.
The heart of the battle and the confrontation of Voldemort was worth reading all the previous novels for. It could very easily have not lived up to the expectations set for it, but those last few chapters of the book were some of my favourites from the entire series and it’s why I gave this book five stars. And the scene in King’s Cross between Harry and Dumbledore is one I thought was incredible, and it gave me one of my favourite quotes:
“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?”
I’m grateful to the series as a whole for that quote in the context of everything I’ve read, and the whole wizarding world. It’s on this note that I’ll wrap this ‘review’ up. I could fill up reams and reams of parchment writing about these books, but the only thing that can do justice to them are the books themselves and the reader who reads them. So many people dedicate their love and passion for Harry Potter, children today are still growing up with them, and people still want to buy them. It’s truly magical, and I can’t imagine a world that doesn’t have a wizarding world alongside it. The fans and readers have made it real, and imagination is the true source of magic.
Link to the book on Goodreads: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Read all of my Harry Potter reviews: Harry Potter book reviews
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