Sylvana's Deathly Hallows Review
This is meant to be rather general, not Snape-centric. Be warned that it is longish and not beta-read. I tried to take out the most blatant errors, but if you see something, don't be shy to point it out.
Sylvana’s Deathly Hallows Review
Three years ago, a friend insisted that I finally read the Harry Potter series, because it is so good. I reluctantly did so, because it was so passionately recommended by that friend. I had been wary because I heard and read about all the hype surrounding the books, movies and author. For me, popular never automatically meant good, being popular certainly wasn't a reason for me to read something.
I was so wrong.
I jumped into the adventure, read the first chapter, laughed, and told my friend ‘hell, how more clichéd than these Dursleys can you get? I see why it’s popular, a poor, mistreated orphan who turns out to be a powerful wizard is a sure winner.’ My friend only laughed and urged me to read on. So I did.
And then came the Mirror of Erised. And Dumbledore’s speech about choices. The dangers Harry faced, the friendship with Ron and Hermione, the bizarre and imaginative world of magic, the eccentric and funny inhabitants of that world, the bad villains, and the hints at deeper themes. Love, revenge, discrimination, bigotry, personal development. I loved it, I was hooked. Right through to OotP, because that, then, was the last one in the series.
As a Snape fan I try to write this not from a Snape-centric view, but explain what pulled me in in the first place. I was a fan of Alan Rickman already, and knew that he played Snape, so I made an extra effort to hate Snape, because I didn’t want to be biased because of Alan Rickman. Can you follow me? It didn’t get me further than the second book. When I reached the dueling scene, I asked ‘Snape?’. ‘Read on,’ was the reply. Book 3: ‘Hey, Snape!’ and from then on he was my main focus.
This, of course, will be different for children, who were, and supposedly still are, the target audience. But as an adult, I found enough to enjoy these books thoroughly, too.
There were so many issues touched upon, so many open questions, so many wonderful opportunities to make the characters grow, get a bit of a moral lesson in there without preaching, and to show how issues can be solved when everyone makes an effort. I defended the author and the books, despite HBP, despite, capslock!Harry, despite the rather stereotypical and clichéd explanation for Voldemort’s character, despite the plotholes that became evident. I seriously expected that all of this would be resolved nicely in book seven.
I was so wrong.
It’s not only because of Snape. For the casual reader, Snape will not be that important. The casual reader will note that he died, may note that he did achieve what he set out to do: protect Lily’s child as well as he could, and get the information to him when the snake stayed close to Voldemort. The casual reader won’t have noticed how Snape just was thrown away, out of the picture, never even mentioned except for a ‘poor Severus’ by that sickening Afterlife-Dumbledore. It’s an issue for Snape fans, but not the only reason why I don’t like these books any longer.
Nothing was resolved.
Voldemort is dead and Harry lives, that wasn’t such a big surprise. Before DH came out, when the first spoilers appeared, I read a few comments by people who wanted to be spoiled. The majority asked: ‘will there be a wedding?’ Apparently, what most care about, is that Harry and Ginny, Ron and Hermione got married and have a happy life. They have their wish fulfilled. The minority (as it seems) of fans who wanted the other issues resolved as well, are left hanging.
There was the issue of Harry and his personal development
I liked DH-Harry more than OotP- and HBP-Harry. He had found to his lovable self again. I won’t get into his motives, but it is undeniable that he is a brave young man, good at heart, and tries to do what is right. He didn’t do all these things only to revenge his parents. He did it also to make a better life possible for his friends, for the children of his friends, for all the others. That’s why he came back from the dead, that’s what I loved about him, always did.
Sadly, he proved to be more stupid than I thought. As the whole plot was, actually. A Harry under his Invisibility Cloak walking away from the Dursleys wouldn’t have resulted in Hedwig’s death, Moody’s death, and all that mess. It would have been logical, but not dramatic. No flying Voldemort, no battling wands … shrug. It is the first sign that here the action scenes dictate the plot, not logical development, not careful consideration.
Why did he have to say Voldemort’s name after he knew that it was tracked? Because otherwise we wouldn’t have had the dramatic scenes with Hermione tortured, Dobby dying, and Wormtail’s fate (which left me with a big, ‘Oh, please!’ too.)
But overall, I don’t have a problem with Harry. He lacked proper mentors. With the likes of the Dursleys and Dumbledore, especially Dumbledore, I’m rather surprised that he turned out a warm-hearted person. A bit stupid, a bit shallow, but determined, brave and overall, good.
There was the issue of racism and discrimination
The impact of a totalitarian regime on those prosecuted was well described, I thought. The Ministry scenes were dark, depressing, frightening. It wasn’t Orwell's 1984, but this is a children’s series, let’s not forget this. Harry and his friends did what they could to rescue as many as they could, everything was good in the Ministry scene, I thought. However, it wasn’t followed through.
We know that Kingsley Shacklebolt was made interim Minister, but then? Did things change? I doubt it. Things didn’t change after the first Voldemort war, and there is no indication that they did after the second.
We see the house-elves fight with the wizards. Great! But in the end, the house-elf topic was made ends to the means to have Ron and Hermione kiss. And that was that.
I loved the Kreacher development. But why didn’t they call him when they were on their own? The way he loved Harry in the end, he would have gladly provided food and comfort for them. But that would have made the camping trips enjoyable instead of dramatic. We can’t have that.
Dobby, the free elf. And that was that. Some creatures took sides, the centaurs fought for Harry in the end, but that was it, again. And now, after nineteen years? Nothing.
The Muggle-born issue
Apparently that is resolved for now, but the way the houses still are divided, I wonder how much of that was really dealt with in the wizarding world, it rather looks as if it was swept under the carpet and best forgotten. I found it frightening how fast wizards and witches would resort to Muggle-born discrimination and prosecution, and I can’t believe that all of them were under Imperio. And now, after nineteen years? Nothing. The DA turned up out of the blue, their families came helping out of the blue, all nice, but why? Where did they hide, where did they come from, what changed their attitude? The Patil twins and Hannah Abbott had been taken from the school in HBP. Now they’re back in the DA as if nothing happened. Strange.
ETA:
loopyloonyluna pointed out that the kids were ordered by the Ministry to return to school. That explains it, I had forgotten about that.
The Love/Hatred/Revenge issue
Love apparently only means parental and romantic love in this series. And that is very sad. Love is the power the Dark Lord knows not. But he was loved. Bellatrix loved him.
Love is the power that drove Severus Snape. What? Unrequited Teenager love, to a girl who isn’t really his friend, who hangs out with him because he understands her magic, and drops him at the first convenient reason for someone like James Potter? Severus Snape at least could love. Although no one seemed to have loved him. We don’t know about his mother, we weren’t told. Albus Dumbledore, who should have been a mentor and friend, failed him even more miserably than he did Harry. Severus Snape isn’t even loved enough by his creator to give him a decent backstory, a decent closure, to mention him with the portraits, with the funerals, with anything. He was thrown away by his creator as casually as Voldemort threw his life away. And yet, Severus Snape, for many fans, is the most intriguing character in the whole series. We love someone who was created in the head of an author who doesn’t care for him. How can that be?
The ‘Father’ issue
For boys, fathers are important. We learned a lot about Harry’s father. About his surrogate fathers, Sirius, Lupin and Dumbledore. About Draco’s father, and that even Death Eaters love their family. About Dumbledore and Aberforth and their father. They could have provided guidance, if the issues surrounding them had been addressed. Instead, they were briefly touched and pushed away. Harry hates bullies, his father was one, o woe, but that can’t be true, because the famous Marauders can’t be bad. End of issue.
Dumbledore, the great wise mentor. How miserably he failed. What a despicable, arrogant, self-absorbed git he was. And then the remorse. And the sickeningly-sweet ‘Harry!’ from that Afterlife-Dumbledore. And Harry forgives him just like that. Oh joy. That aspect alone is reason for me now to not touch the books again for a long time.
There was one who could have been a fatherly advisor after the war. That would have meant that Harry would have had to deal with him, listen to him, come to terms. But instead he was meant to be loathed and hated. Thus he was killed. Thus the character was wasted.
The ‘Mother’ issue
In the Potter world, mothers are there to love and protect. Lily loves and protects Harry with her life. Petunia loves Dudley (and grudgingly gives protection to Harry). Narcissa Malfoy loves Draco more than Voldemort’s cause. Molly Weasly turns Yoda when her daughter is threatened, and loves, protects and overwhelms her children.
Whoa, where did that Molly come from? What was that supposed to be? Woman power? All of a sudden, out of the blue, Molly Weasley is such a strong dueler that she takes on and kills Bellatrix Lestrange? I would have loved this, if we had had the slightest indication somewhere, that Molly is such a strong witch. Why, in Merlin’s name, didn’t she apply for the DADA job in Harry’s fifth year? She could have done it much better -- but then, no reason for Umbridge.
The ‘Magic’ issue
Just like Molly’s sudden outing as ‘Power-Molly’ much of the magic that showed up in this volume came out of the blue. To explain it away with ‘you will see magic you never heard of before’ just isn’t good enough. A magical wold needs rules. Dreaming up what you need and explaining it away with ‘unknown magic’, is superficial and lazy. Other authors have created magical worlds. They stuck to their rules. Rowling couldn’t even remember, or didn’t want to, what she told her fans about the Fidelius Charm on her website. Which brings me to:
The ‘Plot Hole’ issue
Harry, the Quidditch captain, can’t mend wounds?
How does Hermione know how the Polyjuice Potion of Crabbe and Goyle tasted? She drank the one with the cat hair.
Don’t get me going on the rescue, or the camping, or...
The Fidelius is all wrong according to older information. Why? The whole secret keeper issue isn’t followed up logically, not even, or especially not even with the new rules.
So the books about Dark Arts are in Dumbledore’s office, and Hermione summons them just like that. How very convenient.
Why does Hermione’s middle name have to be Jean when it’s been cited as Jane for years?
The timeline in Snape’s memories is wrong. The Shrieking Shack incident would have happened after their OWLs, not before. If Sirius was sixteen when it happened, as we were told previoulsly.
Ron speaking Parseltongue, when it was previously made more than clear that this is a talent, not a skill one can learn. If it were that easy, why didn’t Dumbledore learn it?
ETA: from
melusin_79's review: how did the sword get back into the Sorting Hat?
And so on, and so on, these are just a few excerpts from my notes. Many of my notes conclude with: Hermione rocks. Which brings me to:
The ‘Feminism’ issue
Hermione did rock through most of the book. And then, after nineteen years, nothing. We never learn what career she chose (and with seven years between the battle and becoming pregnant, there would have been time for a career). Instead we learn the name of her two children. Great.
Likewise with Ginny, who was another of these wasted characters, I thought. Like Lily, she had potential in book five, and then she was reduced to being pretty and popular, and to be protected. Three children and no word about her career.
To be fair, we don’t know what Harry and Ron do, either, but at least we learned what they wanted to do.
I didn’t have the impression that the wizarding world was an unequal one in that regard, there are female Ministers, Healers, Aurors, ministry workers… I would have wished for the girls to focus on something else than getting married and having children. It wasn’t mentioned. That is sad. It is, IMO, cutting the characters short.
---
I will not get into more Snape, that’s not for a general review, the Snape fans are more or less united on this anyway. There are far more reasons to not be thrilled about this book than the treatment Snape received. At least he was granted a whole, intact soul, because he had remorse. Sigh.
What I liked:
Luna, Neville, Hermione, Hermione's beaded bag, Aberforth, Kreacher, the action scenes (despite poor logic behind it sometimes).
Hermione accusing Harry about not wanting to learn Occlumency in almost the same words Snape did.
In some scenes, Rowlings charm shone through. More details of the magical world. Sometimes I had the impression she threw some information in to give fanfic writers something to play with.
The plot hole with Snape’s death. That leaves Snape fans a lot of room. He isn’t really dead, you know. Not a Snape who is in character.
What I hated:
Hedwig’s death. The treatement of the dragon at Gringotts. If you want to show how bad something is, leave the animals out of it, please.
The multi-coloured werewolf pup. That was something that was discussed in the infamous Memerson interview after HBP. Was that really necessary?
The whole Deluminator plot line. It was just so… off.
The silver doe. It was bad enough that the woman (Lily) gets the doe to James’ stag, just like Tonks got something big and hairy for her Remus. And then to give the doe to Snape. No, just no. Shudder.
Dumbledore and his story line. The whole Deathly Hallows thing came out of nowhere.
Romulus has to be the stupidest code name ever.
The radio scene where Lee Jordan (River, how clever… sigh…) made the Snape/Shampoo joke. That actually made me very angry.
The Slytherin issue.
The Grey Lady/Bloody Baron tale.
Ron using Parseltongue.
ETA: Everyone using Unforgiveables left and right, especially Harry.
For many, it will be an entertaining read. It doesn’t require much thought in the end, because none of the issues that could have been addressed, were followed through. For some, including me, this book is a great disappointment.
I can’t give it more than an ‘Acceptable’. 5 out of 10.
Sylvana’s Deathly Hallows Review
Three years ago, a friend insisted that I finally read the Harry Potter series, because it is so good. I reluctantly did so, because it was so passionately recommended by that friend. I had been wary because I heard and read about all the hype surrounding the books, movies and author. For me, popular never automatically meant good, being popular certainly wasn't a reason for me to read something.
I was so wrong.
I jumped into the adventure, read the first chapter, laughed, and told my friend ‘hell, how more clichéd than these Dursleys can you get? I see why it’s popular, a poor, mistreated orphan who turns out to be a powerful wizard is a sure winner.’ My friend only laughed and urged me to read on. So I did.
And then came the Mirror of Erised. And Dumbledore’s speech about choices. The dangers Harry faced, the friendship with Ron and Hermione, the bizarre and imaginative world of magic, the eccentric and funny inhabitants of that world, the bad villains, and the hints at deeper themes. Love, revenge, discrimination, bigotry, personal development. I loved it, I was hooked. Right through to OotP, because that, then, was the last one in the series.
As a Snape fan I try to write this not from a Snape-centric view, but explain what pulled me in in the first place. I was a fan of Alan Rickman already, and knew that he played Snape, so I made an extra effort to hate Snape, because I didn’t want to be biased because of Alan Rickman. Can you follow me? It didn’t get me further than the second book. When I reached the dueling scene, I asked ‘Snape?’. ‘Read on,’ was the reply. Book 3: ‘Hey, Snape!’ and from then on he was my main focus.
This, of course, will be different for children, who were, and supposedly still are, the target audience. But as an adult, I found enough to enjoy these books thoroughly, too.
There were so many issues touched upon, so many open questions, so many wonderful opportunities to make the characters grow, get a bit of a moral lesson in there without preaching, and to show how issues can be solved when everyone makes an effort. I defended the author and the books, despite HBP, despite, capslock!Harry, despite the rather stereotypical and clichéd explanation for Voldemort’s character, despite the plotholes that became evident. I seriously expected that all of this would be resolved nicely in book seven.
I was so wrong.
It’s not only because of Snape. For the casual reader, Snape will not be that important. The casual reader will note that he died, may note that he did achieve what he set out to do: protect Lily’s child as well as he could, and get the information to him when the snake stayed close to Voldemort. The casual reader won’t have noticed how Snape just was thrown away, out of the picture, never even mentioned except for a ‘poor Severus’ by that sickening Afterlife-Dumbledore. It’s an issue for Snape fans, but not the only reason why I don’t like these books any longer.
Nothing was resolved.
Voldemort is dead and Harry lives, that wasn’t such a big surprise. Before DH came out, when the first spoilers appeared, I read a few comments by people who wanted to be spoiled. The majority asked: ‘will there be a wedding?’ Apparently, what most care about, is that Harry and Ginny, Ron and Hermione got married and have a happy life. They have their wish fulfilled. The minority (as it seems) of fans who wanted the other issues resolved as well, are left hanging.
There was the issue of Harry and his personal development
I liked DH-Harry more than OotP- and HBP-Harry. He had found to his lovable self again. I won’t get into his motives, but it is undeniable that he is a brave young man, good at heart, and tries to do what is right. He didn’t do all these things only to revenge his parents. He did it also to make a better life possible for his friends, for the children of his friends, for all the others. That’s why he came back from the dead, that’s what I loved about him, always did.
Sadly, he proved to be more stupid than I thought. As the whole plot was, actually. A Harry under his Invisibility Cloak walking away from the Dursleys wouldn’t have resulted in Hedwig’s death, Moody’s death, and all that mess. It would have been logical, but not dramatic. No flying Voldemort, no battling wands … shrug. It is the first sign that here the action scenes dictate the plot, not logical development, not careful consideration.
Why did he have to say Voldemort’s name after he knew that it was tracked? Because otherwise we wouldn’t have had the dramatic scenes with Hermione tortured, Dobby dying, and Wormtail’s fate (which left me with a big, ‘Oh, please!’ too.)
But overall, I don’t have a problem with Harry. He lacked proper mentors. With the likes of the Dursleys and Dumbledore, especially Dumbledore, I’m rather surprised that he turned out a warm-hearted person. A bit stupid, a bit shallow, but determined, brave and overall, good.
There was the issue of racism and discrimination
The impact of a totalitarian regime on those prosecuted was well described, I thought. The Ministry scenes were dark, depressing, frightening. It wasn’t Orwell's 1984, but this is a children’s series, let’s not forget this. Harry and his friends did what they could to rescue as many as they could, everything was good in the Ministry scene, I thought. However, it wasn’t followed through.
We know that Kingsley Shacklebolt was made interim Minister, but then? Did things change? I doubt it. Things didn’t change after the first Voldemort war, and there is no indication that they did after the second.
We see the house-elves fight with the wizards. Great! But in the end, the house-elf topic was made ends to the means to have Ron and Hermione kiss. And that was that.
I loved the Kreacher development. But why didn’t they call him when they were on their own? The way he loved Harry in the end, he would have gladly provided food and comfort for them. But that would have made the camping trips enjoyable instead of dramatic. We can’t have that.
Dobby, the free elf. And that was that. Some creatures took sides, the centaurs fought for Harry in the end, but that was it, again. And now, after nineteen years? Nothing.
The Muggle-born issue
Apparently that is resolved for now, but the way the houses still are divided, I wonder how much of that was really dealt with in the wizarding world, it rather looks as if it was swept under the carpet and best forgotten. I found it frightening how fast wizards and witches would resort to Muggle-born discrimination and prosecution, and I can’t believe that all of them were under Imperio. And now, after nineteen years? Nothing. The DA turned up out of the blue, their families came helping out of the blue, all nice, but why? Where did they hide, where did they come from, what changed their attitude? The Patil twins and Hannah Abbott had been taken from the school in HBP. Now they’re back in the DA as if nothing happened. Strange.
ETA:
loopyloonyluna pointed out that the kids were ordered by the Ministry to return to school. That explains it, I had forgotten about that.
The Love/Hatred/Revenge issue
Love apparently only means parental and romantic love in this series. And that is very sad. Love is the power the Dark Lord knows not. But he was loved. Bellatrix loved him.
Love is the power that drove Severus Snape. What? Unrequited Teenager love, to a girl who isn’t really his friend, who hangs out with him because he understands her magic, and drops him at the first convenient reason for someone like James Potter? Severus Snape at least could love. Although no one seemed to have loved him. We don’t know about his mother, we weren’t told. Albus Dumbledore, who should have been a mentor and friend, failed him even more miserably than he did Harry. Severus Snape isn’t even loved enough by his creator to give him a decent backstory, a decent closure, to mention him with the portraits, with the funerals, with anything. He was thrown away by his creator as casually as Voldemort threw his life away. And yet, Severus Snape, for many fans, is the most intriguing character in the whole series. We love someone who was created in the head of an author who doesn’t care for him. How can that be?
The ‘Father’ issue
For boys, fathers are important. We learned a lot about Harry’s father. About his surrogate fathers, Sirius, Lupin and Dumbledore. About Draco’s father, and that even Death Eaters love their family. About Dumbledore and Aberforth and their father. They could have provided guidance, if the issues surrounding them had been addressed. Instead, they were briefly touched and pushed away. Harry hates bullies, his father was one, o woe, but that can’t be true, because the famous Marauders can’t be bad. End of issue.
Dumbledore, the great wise mentor. How miserably he failed. What a despicable, arrogant, self-absorbed git he was. And then the remorse. And the sickeningly-sweet ‘Harry!’ from that Afterlife-Dumbledore. And Harry forgives him just like that. Oh joy. That aspect alone is reason for me now to not touch the books again for a long time.
There was one who could have been a fatherly advisor after the war. That would have meant that Harry would have had to deal with him, listen to him, come to terms. But instead he was meant to be loathed and hated. Thus he was killed. Thus the character was wasted.
The ‘Mother’ issue
In the Potter world, mothers are there to love and protect. Lily loves and protects Harry with her life. Petunia loves Dudley (and grudgingly gives protection to Harry). Narcissa Malfoy loves Draco more than Voldemort’s cause. Molly Weasly turns Yoda when her daughter is threatened, and loves, protects and overwhelms her children.
Whoa, where did that Molly come from? What was that supposed to be? Woman power? All of a sudden, out of the blue, Molly Weasley is such a strong dueler that she takes on and kills Bellatrix Lestrange? I would have loved this, if we had had the slightest indication somewhere, that Molly is such a strong witch. Why, in Merlin’s name, didn’t she apply for the DADA job in Harry’s fifth year? She could have done it much better -- but then, no reason for Umbridge.
The ‘Magic’ issue
Just like Molly’s sudden outing as ‘Power-Molly’ much of the magic that showed up in this volume came out of the blue. To explain it away with ‘you will see magic you never heard of before’ just isn’t good enough. A magical wold needs rules. Dreaming up what you need and explaining it away with ‘unknown magic’, is superficial and lazy. Other authors have created magical worlds. They stuck to their rules. Rowling couldn’t even remember, or didn’t want to, what she told her fans about the Fidelius Charm on her website. Which brings me to:
The ‘Plot Hole’ issue
Harry, the Quidditch captain, can’t mend wounds?
How does Hermione know how the Polyjuice Potion of Crabbe and Goyle tasted? She drank the one with the cat hair.
Don’t get me going on the rescue, or the camping, or...
The Fidelius is all wrong according to older information. Why? The whole secret keeper issue isn’t followed up logically, not even, or especially not even with the new rules.
So the books about Dark Arts are in Dumbledore’s office, and Hermione summons them just like that. How very convenient.
Why does Hermione’s middle name have to be Jean when it’s been cited as Jane for years?
The timeline in Snape’s memories is wrong. The Shrieking Shack incident would have happened after their OWLs, not before. If Sirius was sixteen when it happened, as we were told previoulsly.
Ron speaking Parseltongue, when it was previously made more than clear that this is a talent, not a skill one can learn. If it were that easy, why didn’t Dumbledore learn it?
ETA: from
melusin_79's review: how did the sword get back into the Sorting Hat?
And so on, and so on, these are just a few excerpts from my notes. Many of my notes conclude with: Hermione rocks. Which brings me to:
The ‘Feminism’ issue
Hermione did rock through most of the book. And then, after nineteen years, nothing. We never learn what career she chose (and with seven years between the battle and becoming pregnant, there would have been time for a career). Instead we learn the name of her two children. Great.
Likewise with Ginny, who was another of these wasted characters, I thought. Like Lily, she had potential in book five, and then she was reduced to being pretty and popular, and to be protected. Three children and no word about her career.
To be fair, we don’t know what Harry and Ron do, either, but at least we learned what they wanted to do.
I didn’t have the impression that the wizarding world was an unequal one in that regard, there are female Ministers, Healers, Aurors, ministry workers… I would have wished for the girls to focus on something else than getting married and having children. It wasn’t mentioned. That is sad. It is, IMO, cutting the characters short.
---
I will not get into more Snape, that’s not for a general review, the Snape fans are more or less united on this anyway. There are far more reasons to not be thrilled about this book than the treatment Snape received. At least he was granted a whole, intact soul, because he had remorse. Sigh.
What I liked:
Luna, Neville, Hermione, Hermione's beaded bag, Aberforth, Kreacher, the action scenes (despite poor logic behind it sometimes).
Hermione accusing Harry about not wanting to learn Occlumency in almost the same words Snape did.
In some scenes, Rowlings charm shone through. More details of the magical world. Sometimes I had the impression she threw some information in to give fanfic writers something to play with.
The plot hole with Snape’s death. That leaves Snape fans a lot of room. He isn’t really dead, you know. Not a Snape who is in character.
What I hated:
Hedwig’s death. The treatement of the dragon at Gringotts. If you want to show how bad something is, leave the animals out of it, please.
The multi-coloured werewolf pup. That was something that was discussed in the infamous Memerson interview after HBP. Was that really necessary?
The whole Deluminator plot line. It was just so… off.
The silver doe. It was bad enough that the woman (Lily) gets the doe to James’ stag, just like Tonks got something big and hairy for her Remus. And then to give the doe to Snape. No, just no. Shudder.
Dumbledore and his story line. The whole Deathly Hallows thing came out of nowhere.
Romulus has to be the stupidest code name ever.
The radio scene where Lee Jordan (River, how clever… sigh…) made the Snape/Shampoo joke. That actually made me very angry.
The Slytherin issue.
The Grey Lady/Bloody Baron tale.
Ron using Parseltongue.
ETA: Everyone using Unforgiveables left and right, especially Harry.
For many, it will be an entertaining read. It doesn’t require much thought in the end, because none of the issues that could have been addressed, were followed through. For some, including me, this book is a great disappointment.
I can’t give it more than an ‘Acceptable’. 5 out of 10.