A Book Review of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

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Harry Potter is leaving Privet Drive for the last time. But as he climbs into the sidecar of Hagrid’s motorbike and they take to the skies, he knows Lord Voldemort and the Death Eaters will not be far behind.

The protective charm that has kept him safe until now is broken. But the Dark Lord is breathing fear into everything he loves. And he knows he can’t keep hiding.

To stop Voldemort, Harry knows he must find the remaining Horcruxes and destroy them.

He will have to face his enemy in one final battle.

Series: Harry Potter (Book 7)
Genre: YA Fantasy
Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books (July 1, 2009)
Page Count: 784 pages

 I've finally finished the Harry Potter series! Woohoo! I've heard many good things about Deathly Hallows. I remember when the movie came out and being bummed when I couldn't go see it, so I was really excited to read this!


The Plot: Out of all of the books the pacing for this one is the fastest. Voldemort is winning and Harry is desperately searching for the Horcruxes. Every part of Harry's world is crumbling and changing for the worse. It was sad seeing Hogwarts, the Ministry, and Diagon Alley infected by Voldemort's rule. Though I knew the twists already, the twists concerning Snape and Harry are very mindboggling and well done. I also really enjoyed seeing more about Dumbledore's backstory. It's funny how you never really thought about it too much throughout the series, but then you're so anxious to know all when you come to this book.

Some of my favorite scenes were the Battle of the Seven Potter’s, King’s Cross, and Bill and Fleur’s wedding. It reminded me of my family weddings. Though I do have to say the French culture was a bit inaccurate. No French person says "enchante" when greeting someone. XD

The Characters: Harry definitely goes through the worst he ever has in this book. He loses almost everything in his life and he shows more courage than he has in any of the books. He confronts many parts of his life that have been bothering him throughout the series such as finally visiting the place of his birth and even making as much amends as he can with the Dursley's. The only thing that bothered me about him was that he used the Imperius Curse, an Unforgivable Curse, and he seemed to get no retribution for it.

Ron and Hermione have some great character journeys in this book, though I felt like it was a character inconsistency for Hermione not to be appalled by a dragon being trained to fear pain by a sound at Gringott’s, so I’m glad the movie fixed that. 

I loved finally seeing Neville blossom and I loved seeing more of Luna and Xenophilius Lovegood. They're such interesting characters. 

The Setting: We see a lot of our favorite parts of the Wizarding Worlds, but Voldemort is ruining everything which adds to the desperation of the story. Though we do get to see some new settings including Godric's Hollow and lots of United Kingdom landscape.

Epic Things: I love seeing more patronuses and sending patronuses as messengers is super cool. Mr. Weasley’s weasel Patronus and Kingsley’s lynx are so fitting. 

The Theme: Fear is a big one. Harry, Ron, and Hermione face a lot of fears that they've had throughout the series. 

Content Cautions: This is the climax so there is some significant violence including torture, characters die, bloody wounds, one character loses an ear, and one character commits suicide by strangulation. Two characters kiss. Some mild swearing is used such as h*** eleven times, d*** five times, -and arse once. More severe swearing includes two usages of b*****d and one of b****.

What We Can Take Away For Our Writing:

Favorite Places Being Ruined - In Harry Potter, you've had six books to build up a strong love of the many unique settings in the Wizarding World, so when Voldemort begins to wreck them all, this really ups the severity of the situation. Hogwarts is changed from a happy school into a strict institution, Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley are in ruins, and The Burrow is no longer safe. Throughout Deathly Hallows it feels like Voldemort is tightening the noose with every place he destroys. Nowhere is safe anymore.

How this can be applied to writing: Have you thought of the emotional impact of destroying settings in your story?

Conclusion: Overall, I really enjoyed this book and it was a great conclusion to the series!

About the Author:

J K (Joanne Kathleen) Rowling was born in the summer of 1965 at Yate General Hospital in England and grew up in Chepstow, Gwent where she went to Wyedean Comprehensive. Jo left Chepstow for Exeter University, where she earned a French and Classics degree, and where her course included one year in Paris. As a postgraduate she moved to London to work at Amnesty International, doing research into human rights abuses in Francophone Africa. She started writing the Harry Potter series during a Manchester to London King's Cross train journey, and during the next five years, outlined the plots for each book and began writing the first novel. Jo then moved to northern Portugal, where she taught English as a foreign language. She married in October 1992 and gave birth to her daughter Jessica in 1993. When her marriage ended, she returned to the UK to live in Edinburgh, where "Harry Potter & the Philosopher's Stone" was eventually completed and in 1996 she received an offer of publication. The following summer the world was introduced to Harry Potter."Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" was published by Bloomsbury Children's Books in June 1997 and was published as "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" in America by Arthur A. Levine Books/Scholastic in September 1998.The second title in the series, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets", was published in July 1998 (June 2, 1999 in America) and was No. 1 in the adult hardback bestseller charts for a month after publication. "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" was published on 8th July 1999 (September 8, 1999 in America) to worldwide acclaim and massive press attention. 

The book spent four weeks at No.1 in the adult hardback bestseller charts, while "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" simultaneously topped the paperback charts. In the US the first three Harry Potter books occupied the top three spots on numerous adult bestseller lists.The fourth book in the series, "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" was published in Britain, the USA, Canada and Australia 8th July 2000 with a record first print run of 1 million copies for the UK and 3.8 million for the US. It quickly broke all records for the greatest number of books sold on the first weekend of publication. The fifth book in the series, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," was published in Britain, the USA, Canada and Australia on 21st June 2003. Published in paperback on 10th July 2004, it is the longest in the series - 766 pages - and broke the records set by "Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire" as the fastest selling book in history. The sixth book in the series, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince", was published in the UK, US and other English-speaking countries on 16th July 2005 and also achieved record sales.The seventh and final book in the series, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," was published in the UK, US and other English speaking countries on 21st July 2007. The book is the fastest selling book in the UK and USA and sales have contributed to breaking the 375 million copies mark worldwide.J K Rowling has also written two small volumes, which appear as the titles of Harry's school books within the novels. "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" and "Quidditch Through The Ages" were published by Bloomsbury Children's Books and Scholastic in March 2001 in aid of Comic Relief. The Harry Potter books have sold 400 million copies worldwide. They are distributed in over 200 territories and are translated into 67 languages. Find her on her website and Twitter!

Other Books by this Author I've Reviewed:
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince