Huzzah and hurrah, I have completed the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. After a shaky start, this series has got better and better. And Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows brings the adventure to a close in a more than acceptable manner. Things are looking bleak for Harry and his pals, Hermione and Ron. His trusted mentor, Albus Dumbledore, is dead, killed by the much-reviled Severus Snape. Lord Voldemort, who has been trying to kill Harry from page one of book one, is on the verge of taking complete control of the wizarding community. Before he died, Dumbledore left Harry with instructions to find and destroy the "Horcruxes" that Voldemort has hidden parts of his soul in (stay with me), so that the Dark Lord can finally be defeated. So, our three friends do not return to Hogwarts School for the start of the new academic year, but instead, they launch themselves into the most important mission of their lives, aided by a few trusted friends and family. This is the set up for this tale of adventure, action and heartbreak - with much death and destruction along the way. This is, as you would expect, the most grown up of the series - each book becoming darker and more adult, in keeping with the ageing of the characters. There is plenty for the reader to get their teeth into, and the action comes thick and fast. This is where the book works best, when characters are in peril and have to get on and do something. However, there are passages where there is very little going on except people being upset and grumpy, during which, the conversational pieces feel a bit clunky and more often than not, don't seem to move the story forward in any meaningful way. Maybe a little more judicious editing would have cut down what felt like unnecessary padding in places. There is, in addition, too much inner dialogue by Harry for my liking - the reader has to endure a modicum of repetition at times, with various details being explained more than once. Some unexpected twists keep you on your toes, and not all of them are nice! I suppose the moral of the tale is that, just like in real life, you can't always get what you want. Whilst I have enjoyed these books more than I had originally thought I would, I am still not sorry to have finished the tales of the boy wizard. Whilst in my heart I know that there are better books out there, I feel I shouldn't begrudge them, as they grabbed the imagination of millions of children and got them reading - which is an achievement that should be applauded. Thanks J.K.
My STAR rating: FOUR.
Length: 640 print pages.
Price I paid: Free, ebook borrowed via local library.
Formats available: print; unabridged audio CD; unabridged audio download; ebook.
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