Finally! I finished reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows earlier this week. I've been looking forward to reading this book ever since I started the first book back in April. I can't even imagine having to wait a full year before the book was released in 2007.
In the Deathly Hallows Harry, Ron, and Hermoine must continue on with the mission that Dumbledore left them with. They must find and destroy Voldemort's remaining Horcruxes. Also Harry struggles with the stress of being "The Chosen One." It was said in a prophecy that he was the chosen one to get rid of Voldemort for good. it was said that "one could not survive while the other lives." If he fails then Voldemort will take control of the wizarding world. Which leads me to my next plot point. Voldemort infiltrated the Ministry of Magic and they begin hunting down Muggle born witches and wizards. The parts of the book that mention that are arguably some of the darkest parts of the book. It's reminiscent of the Holocaust when the Germans passed the anti-semetic laws and the Jews were losing their jobs and homes. Everything has been set into motion. Either Harry will triumph and defeat Voldemort once and for all, or darkness will reign at Hogwarts.
There were two parts I loved about the book. The first one was the Battle of Hogwarts. I remember before I read that I texted my brother "I'm about to read the Battle of Hogwarts. I fear very soon there will be a lot of dead characters." My brother texted back "Say goodbye to your favorites." Yes two of my favorite characters died in that battle. But it was so suspenseful and so well written. I was able to enjoy it. My other favorite part of the book was that final showdown between Harry and Voldemort. Harry's taunting him by calling him Riddle which is his real name. When he finally triumphs and kills Voldemort, it was such a great moment. It's what fans were waiting for so long.
The other thing I have to say is that for the first six books, I didn't like Professor Snape. However there's a chapter in the book where you learn a lot about him. Not only did I understand him more, I actually grew to love him. He just might be my favorite character in the series. He's the one who sacrificed the most in the fight against Voldemort. I really grew to respect him a lot.
When I finish a series and I'm sad that it's over, I know I've read a good series. The Harry Potter series will live on forever. It's right up there with The Lord of the Rings for the most influential fantast series of all-time. I don't know why I didn't read this when I was younger. Of course Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows gets 5 out of 5 stars. I'm currently reading Angels and Demons by Dan Brown. I'll have a review for that when I finish it. I thought of a fitting way to end this review of the Harry Potter series with a quote from Alan Rickman who plays Severus Snape in the movies. "When I'm 80 years old and sitting in my rocking chair, I'll be reading Harry Potter and my family will say to me 'After all this time?' And I will say 'Always.'
