The usual Harry Potter Thing.
So, I finished Book 7 about 2:15 this morning. Damn.
I enjoyed the book. A lot. The only times I put it down was to wash my hair, and to make food (because it's much harder for me to concentrate when I'm hungry. Or my hair doesn't feel clean. Don't ask me how that works.)
I loved how the book kept moving. Though that seems to work for all of the Harry Potter books. They're page-turners (except for Book 4 for me this time. For some reason, that one just moved really slowl for me and took me all week for me to read. Though that might have been because of class.) I also loved how it was full of information, answering pretty much all the questions we've asked in the past - I can't think of anything where we were left hanging.
I'm one of those people who made no predictions about Snape, and ignored everyone else's predictions. I don't think I would have been surprised whether or not it turned out that he betrayed Dumbledore. The fact that Dumbledore arranged his death with Snape ahead of time didn't surprise me in the least. What did catch me off-guard was that Snape was in love with Lily. It makes a lot of sense, but I just never saw it coming. It's weird, actually. Most of the books talked about the relationships between James Potter and many of the other characters in the story. Lily was mentioned, described, always favorably, but this is the first book that really talks about her, focuses on her and her relationships with other people in Harry's life. This is the only book that is about Lily.
On Fred's death - Needless to say, this was the hardest thing for me to accept in the whole book. The only way I can describe it is to compare it to Wash's death in Serenity. Here you have a lovable character, the comic relief, the life of every party, always able to being a smile to everyone's faces (well, except their mother, sometimes), laughing at a joke just as the battle seems won, and boom! he's dead. It was just as abrupt as Wash's death, to me, although I may have expected it a little more. Not expected Fred to die, but expected that something would go wrong in ithe calm after the storm. I had to reread it - it was so hard for me to accept at first (hey, it took me at least three watchings of Serenity to really accept Wash's death, and it's still the main reason why I don't put that movie in quite as often as I might). Lupin's and Tonks' deaths didn't affect me nearly as much, but that might be because they haven't been in the story as long as Fred had, and probably had to do with the fact that we never saw their deaths, only the dead bodies. The most touching thing about their deaths is that they've just had a newborn son (which, incidentally, I wonder who ends up raising Teddy? The epilogue doesn't cover that, unless I missed it).
On the last scene with Dumbledore at King's Cross. Well, basically, I got "Wise Old Mentor Explains All the Gaps in te Story." It was still good. I like knowing what happened, having an explanation. (to be continued)
I enjoyed the book. A lot. The only times I put it down was to wash my hair, and to make food (because it's much harder for me to concentrate when I'm hungry. Or my hair doesn't feel clean. Don't ask me how that works.)
I loved how the book kept moving. Though that seems to work for all of the Harry Potter books. They're page-turners (except for Book 4 for me this time. For some reason, that one just moved really slowl for me and took me all week for me to read. Though that might have been because of class.) I also loved how it was full of information, answering pretty much all the questions we've asked in the past - I can't think of anything where we were left hanging.
I'm one of those people who made no predictions about Snape, and ignored everyone else's predictions. I don't think I would have been surprised whether or not it turned out that he betrayed Dumbledore. The fact that Dumbledore arranged his death with Snape ahead of time didn't surprise me in the least. What did catch me off-guard was that Snape was in love with Lily. It makes a lot of sense, but I just never saw it coming. It's weird, actually. Most of the books talked about the relationships between James Potter and many of the other characters in the story. Lily was mentioned, described, always favorably, but this is the first book that really talks about her, focuses on her and her relationships with other people in Harry's life. This is the only book that is about Lily.
On Fred's death - Needless to say, this was the hardest thing for me to accept in the whole book. The only way I can describe it is to compare it to Wash's death in Serenity. Here you have a lovable character, the comic relief, the life of every party, always able to being a smile to everyone's faces (well, except their mother, sometimes), laughing at a joke just as the battle seems won, and boom! he's dead. It was just as abrupt as Wash's death, to me, although I may have expected it a little more. Not expected Fred to die, but expected that something would go wrong in ithe calm after the storm. I had to reread it - it was so hard for me to accept at first (hey, it took me at least three watchings of Serenity to really accept Wash's death, and it's still the main reason why I don't put that movie in quite as often as I might). Lupin's and Tonks' deaths didn't affect me nearly as much, but that might be because they haven't been in the story as long as Fred had, and probably had to do with the fact that we never saw their deaths, only the dead bodies. The most touching thing about their deaths is that they've just had a newborn son (which, incidentally, I wonder who ends up raising Teddy? The epilogue doesn't cover that, unless I missed it).
On the last scene with Dumbledore at King's Cross. Well, basically, I got "Wise Old Mentor Explains All the Gaps in te Story." It was still good. I like knowing what happened, having an explanation. (to be continued)