First of all, I respect your opinion very much. My boyfriend didn't like the book at all, but it's my favorite of the series so far, and here's why.
Snape isn't evil. How can anyone believe that? Dumbledore wasn't lying when he said he has reason to trust Snape, and though we may not know that reason yet, it's there. No matter how long it takes Harry to find it, he will. Dumbledore, when he was dying, said "Severus, please." He did NOT say, "Severus, please, help me [stay alive]." If he trusted Snape so much, why on earth would he have to plead with him to help him stay alive? No, Dumbledore wanted to die, and it was part of their plan. Snape is good. "There are things much worse than death."...I need...Severus... Remember? Don't you guys get it? Snape will die, he will break the vow, he will not go back on his word to Dumbledore. Don't lose your faith in Dumbledore. He still lives on, and Snape won't fail us...
at least, I hope not.
On another note...Harry isn't a kid anymore. Sirius' death has pushed him into manhood, and it's very obvious with his confidence in this book. After all he's been through, he understands, finally, that there is more than luck channeling him and his success. I grew to love Harry even more in this book, and it kind of makes me feel proud to see the man he's becoming. And I have to admit, H/G...well, I had a field day, let's just put it that way. I was expecting H/L, and I was so pleasantly surprised. The 'ships were not too much in this book. They were very absent from the last books [for the most part], and romantic relationships, however little they may relate to Harry finding and killing Voldemort, are part of the reason that Harry differs from Voldemort. His ability to love makes him different.
I have so much more, but I think I'm going to read the book again.
Well, I'm all for holding out on the hope that Snape is still good, but it just seems unlikely. I've read a lot of reasons why Snape acted like he did in this book and (as you said) one of the biggest is that Dumbledore was pleading with Snape to kill him.
Why?
What possible reason could Dumbledore have for abondoning Harry at a time like this? Why let Snape kill him just as Voldemort is rising to power? One one hand, he might want Voledmort to contine believing that Snape is on his side, but there had to be a better way to do that then killing Dumbledore. Doesn't Albus want to protect Harry? There is no way he can do it from the grave. Was Snape's position really so important that Albus would die to keep him there? And is it really all that helpful if everyone now believes that Snape is on Voldemort's side? He could try and explain that he had to kill the headmaster under Dumbledore's orders, but who would believe him? If that was Dumbledore's plan that it just makes him seem weak and foolish - neither of which I wish to associte with Albus but both of which seem to be present in this book.
I haven't given up all hope, but I'm not firmly on the 'Snape is still good' side, either.
As for the ships, I have never liked them. I don't read romance novels, don't read shiupper fics, don't watch chic flicks. Every relationship prsented in those always seems to me to be so fake and not reflecting what I've seen and been through at all. So, to me, that entire part was boring and horrible to read through. On the other hand, some people love that sort of thing and so they're probably going to love this book.
I definitely think the relationships are important for the reasons I already stated, and I see them differently that a lot of people do, I think. They're part of human emotion and the kids are growing up. It was bound to come up, but I know she's not going to revolve the plot around it, as she shouldn't. Ron and Hermione was always coming, it's been there since book one and has grown ever since. H/G makes sense. Harry finally realizes that he...well, loves, I'm assuming...her. She's grown up quite a lot.
Dumbledore probably made some kind of pact with Snape. Dumbledore was already dying, and probably would have died anyway...at least, I think so. He was old and his hand was burned [something that I know is easily disregarded, but still]...I am not entirely sure, but there is this feeling in my stomach that Snape isn't evil. I trust Dumbledore. And only JKR knows for sure.
I definitely think the relationships are important for the reasons I already stated
I think it would have been possible (and to me, preferable) to show that Harry still has the capability to love without dedicating near half the book to teenage hormones. I was never that boy crazy in high school - I had things like scholarships and car insurance to worry about. Yet Harry manages to find all the time in the world to crush on Ginny despite everything else happening in his life. That annoyed me. I would have much preferred a quiet relationship like the one Hermione/Krum had. Yes, they were dating but we didn't have to hear about it for pages on end.
I'm still half-n-half on Snape. I don't want him to be evil, but it is rather obvious he killed Dumbledore and, although I knew Dumbldore was going to die, I'd like to think it wasn't a suicide.
Maybe Dumbledore knew that Harry was prepared to fight Voldy, and knew that Voldy would onlycome out if he was gone. Or maybe he knew that Harry would keep looking to him for advice and second-guessing himself if he was still alive. Or maybe he preferred Snape to do it than have Draco, a petrified young student do it, if it had to be done. Maybe he just knew it was his time - the whole first part of the book seemed like Dumbledore was preparing Harry for a time when he wouldn't be there - sharing everything and leaving nothing for later. I bet he KNEW.
I'm not sure I agree with the snape thing, but then agree I was one of the few people surprised by his betrayl because I trusted Dumbledore's judgement.
But I completely agree with you on everything else. And I truly loved Harry in this book. He really came into his own. I absolutely loved this book. It brought us certain things we didn't have in any of the others.
I think Dumbledore knew it was his time, knew he was going to die - that's why he told Harry all those things, and I agree he was asking Snape to "put him out of his misery" so to speak -- if anything, to protect Draco and keep him from turning evil. Dumbledore has ALWAYS had his students' interests in mind, and had been protecting Draco up to that point. I think Dumbledore told Snape to do the deed himself without questioning him, in the same way he told Harry to follow his orders without questioning him.
Also, Even when Snapeand Harry were "dueling", Snape only blocked his spells, and told him to keep his mind closed - probably to prepare him for the battle w/ Voldemort. As for the "don't call me a coward" I bet it took a great deal or courage to kill a man who trusted you and gave you a second chance, even if those were his orders.
I read over that part over and over and I don't get the feeling - at all - that Snape is truly evil. He just doesn't ACT on that.
Snape isn't evil. How can anyone believe that? Dumbledore wasn't lying when he said he has reason to trust Snape, and though we may not know that reason yet, it's there. No matter how long it takes Harry to find it, he will. Dumbledore, when he was dying, said "Severus, please." He did NOT say, "Severus, please, help me [stay alive]." If he trusted Snape so much, why on earth would he have to plead with him to help him stay alive? No, Dumbledore wanted to die, and it was part of their plan. Snape is good. "There are things much worse than death."...I need...Severus... Remember? Don't you guys get it? Snape will die, he will break the vow, he will not go back on his word to Dumbledore. Don't lose your faith in Dumbledore. He still lives on, and Snape won't fail us...
at least, I hope not.
On another note...Harry isn't a kid anymore. Sirius' death has pushed him into manhood, and it's very obvious with his confidence in this book. After all he's been through, he understands, finally, that there is more than luck channeling him and his success. I grew to love Harry even more in this book, and it kind of makes me feel proud to see the man he's becoming. And I have to admit, H/G...well, I had a field day, let's just put it that way. I was expecting H/L, and I was so pleasantly surprised. The 'ships were not too much in this book. They were very absent from the last books [for the most part], and romantic relationships, however little they may relate to Harry finding and killing Voldemort, are part of the reason that Harry differs from Voldemort. His ability to love makes him different.
I have so much more, but I think I'm going to read the book again.
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Why?
What possible reason could Dumbledore have for abondoning Harry at a time like this? Why let Snape kill him just as Voldemort is rising to power? One one hand, he might want Voledmort to contine believing that Snape is on his side, but there had to be a better way to do that then killing Dumbledore. Doesn't Albus want to protect Harry? There is no way he can do it from the grave. Was Snape's position really so important that Albus would die to keep him there? And is it really all that helpful if everyone now believes that Snape is on Voldemort's side? He could try and explain that he had to kill the headmaster under Dumbledore's orders, but who would believe him? If that was Dumbledore's plan that it just makes him seem weak and foolish - neither of which I wish to associte with Albus but both of which seem to be present in this book.
I haven't given up all hope, but I'm not firmly on the 'Snape is still good' side, either.
As for the ships, I have never liked them. I don't read romance novels, don't read shiupper fics, don't watch chic flicks. Every relationship prsented in those always seems to me to be so fake and not reflecting what I've seen and been through at all. So, to me, that entire part was boring and horrible to read through. On the other hand, some people love that sort of thing and so they're probably going to love this book.
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Dumbledore probably made some kind of pact with Snape. Dumbledore was already dying, and probably would have died anyway...at least, I think so. He was old and his hand was burned [something that I know is easily disregarded, but still]...I am not entirely sure, but there is this feeling in my stomach that Snape isn't evil. I trust Dumbledore. And only JKR knows for sure.
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I think it would have been possible (and to me, preferable) to show that Harry still has the capability to love without dedicating near half the book to teenage hormones. I was never that boy crazy in high school - I had things like scholarships and car insurance to worry about. Yet Harry manages to find all the time in the world to crush on Ginny despite everything else happening in his life. That annoyed me. I would have much preferred a quiet relationship like the one Hermione/Krum had. Yes, they were dating but we didn't have to hear about it for pages on end.
I'm still half-n-half on Snape. I don't want him to be evil, but it is rather obvious he killed Dumbledore and, although I knew Dumbldore was going to die, I'd like to think it wasn't a suicide.
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But I completely agree with you on everything else. And I truly loved Harry in this book. He really came into his own. I absolutely loved this book. It brought us certain things we didn't have in any of the others.
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Also, Even when Snapeand Harry were "dueling", Snape only blocked his spells, and told him to keep his mind closed - probably to prepare him for the battle w/ Voldemort. As for the "don't call me a coward" I bet it took a great deal or courage to kill a man who trusted you and gave you a second chance, even if those were his orders.
I read over that part over and over and I don't get the feeling - at all - that Snape is truly evil. He just doesn't ACT on that.
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