(no subject)
I've been making little notes to myself since I finished OotP and reading everyone else's responses and I've come to the realization that I'm never going to come up with coherent and organized review type thoughts on it, at least not until I've read the entire book again at a much slower pace.
I think I can safely say that OotP was one of the most emotionally draining books I've ever read. I feel like I'm still crawling out from under the wreckage. Part of it was the anticipation and part of it was the book itself. Yes it was bleak, very bleak, but I liked, no loved it. And the more I think about it really the more I do love it all of it. The bleakness makes sense. This is the start of a war after all and war is just not going to be happy and also Harry is now fifteen. I remember fifteen. Fifteen is plenty heart wrenching and depressing without Death Eaters and Voldemort and Umbridge.
Umbridge is chilling. She is the man, the machine, the system that is corrupt that needs to be fought against. She is everything that is wrong with the world. And I flinched at every punishment, especially the I must not tell lies and every decree she set down.
Harry has become the boy I'd always wanted him to be. Angsty!Harry is now canon. It's almost Igby!Harry. I like him sarcastic, cynical and insolent. It's the way he should be. He's snarky remarks are as good as Draco's and I think that now I love Harry more than Draco because he now embodies so much of the things about Draco that I liked so much. Everything that has happened in his life has finally caught up with him and he is so much more real.
Despite the fact that Draco was basically just a minion of evil I firmly believe that H/D is not dead. And there are so many little bits of subtext like Draco's hand brushing Harry's as he tried to catch the Snitch. the fact that he didn't say anything after the fight (and really I just like that fact that they did fight). The sorting hat song For were there such friends anywhere, As Slytherin and Gryffindor? And the wine glass. Oh the wine glass. But really, ivyblossom's said everything I could possible come up with and more on that subject. And much more articulately too. And, if anything I'd say I'm more of an H/D shipper now than I ever was before.
And now the random thoughts that I can't be bothered to make into proper paragraphs:
I really really didn't think it would be Sirius. Why did it have to be Sirius. Oh, Harry. JKR's taken everyone away from him. It is the hero's lot though I suppose.
Dudley asking Harry if Cedric was his boyfriend. Heee.
I loved seeing MWPP. James and Sirius's arrogance made me love them more (why do I love the arrogant and insolent, I don't know, and at the same time poor Snape). And Lily hating James ohh. I now find them much more interesting than I did before. It's nice to know that they're not supposed to be some sort of perfect people for Harry to live up to. For the first time I am tempted to write a MWPP era fic.
Ginny has spine and is a real person. And, Tonks and Luna, I like them both muchly. Hoorah for some real female characters.
I now have a growing like for both Ginny and Neville and find Cho a rather annoying snivelly girl. There was absolutely no mention of Blaise, so still no gender. Which makes me happy. I'm not a Snape/Harry fan but geeze. Private Occulmency lessons. I see a huge surge in Snape/Harry fics on the horizon.
Loved Fred and George's escapades and their escape and the fact that so many, including Peeves, carried on tormenting Umbridge in their wake.
Love DA! It makes me grin every time, just thinking about it. I love it. Love. It.
I think I can safely say that OotP was one of the most emotionally draining books I've ever read. I feel like I'm still crawling out from under the wreckage. Part of it was the anticipation and part of it was the book itself. Yes it was bleak, very bleak, but I liked, no loved it. And the more I think about it really the more I do love it all of it. The bleakness makes sense. This is the start of a war after all and war is just not going to be happy and also Harry is now fifteen. I remember fifteen. Fifteen is plenty heart wrenching and depressing without Death Eaters and Voldemort and Umbridge.
Umbridge is chilling. She is the man, the machine, the system that is corrupt that needs to be fought against. She is everything that is wrong with the world. And I flinched at every punishment, especially the I must not tell lies and every decree she set down.
Harry has become the boy I'd always wanted him to be. Angsty!Harry is now canon. It's almost Igby!Harry. I like him sarcastic, cynical and insolent. It's the way he should be. He's snarky remarks are as good as Draco's and I think that now I love Harry more than Draco because he now embodies so much of the things about Draco that I liked so much. Everything that has happened in his life has finally caught up with him and he is so much more real.
Despite the fact that Draco was basically just a minion of evil I firmly believe that H/D is not dead. And there are so many little bits of subtext like Draco's hand brushing Harry's as he tried to catch the Snitch. the fact that he didn't say anything after the fight (and really I just like that fact that they did fight). The sorting hat song For were there such friends anywhere, As Slytherin and Gryffindor? And the wine glass. Oh the wine glass. But really, ivyblossom's said everything I could possible come up with and more on that subject. And much more articulately too. And, if anything I'd say I'm more of an H/D shipper now than I ever was before.
And now the random thoughts that I can't be bothered to make into proper paragraphs:
I really really didn't think it would be Sirius. Why did it have to be Sirius. Oh, Harry. JKR's taken everyone away from him. It is the hero's lot though I suppose.
Dudley asking Harry if Cedric was his boyfriend. Heee.
I loved seeing MWPP. James and Sirius's arrogance made me love them more (why do I love the arrogant and insolent, I don't know, and at the same time poor Snape). And Lily hating James ohh. I now find them much more interesting than I did before. It's nice to know that they're not supposed to be some sort of perfect people for Harry to live up to. For the first time I am tempted to write a MWPP era fic.
Ginny has spine and is a real person. And, Tonks and Luna, I like them both muchly. Hoorah for some real female characters.
I now have a growing like for both Ginny and Neville and find Cho a rather annoying snivelly girl. There was absolutely no mention of Blaise, so still no gender. Which makes me happy. I'm not a Snape/Harry fan but geeze. Private Occulmency lessons. I see a huge surge in Snape/Harry fics on the horizon.
Loved Fred and George's escapades and their escape and the fact that so many, including Peeves, carried on tormenting Umbridge in their wake.
Love DA! It makes me grin every time, just thinking about it. I love it. Love. It.