[Mandy4President]

I read for 10 straight hours yesterday and finished the book. I warned my dh that it was like I "wasn't even there" - lol. It took me like 2 hours to finish the last 200 pages I was reading so fast (for me) because I was so excited to read the end.

I was happy. I thought it ended how it should. I was a little disappointed that they dragged the middle fo the book out so much and then didn't give as much detail to the battle or what happens after the battle, but all in all I was glad that it ended how it did.

I also wish that I would have reread book 6 before I began this one to remind me of some of the stuff going on. There was so much I had forgotton, especially since an earlier book's movie just came out and I had just seen in. I had forgotton about Harry and Ginny, even though I thought that they would end up together.

Did you cry? I CRIED when Dobby died. Tears and all. I was really sad when Lupin, Tonks, and one of the twins died (can't remember which one this early). I thought it was a little unnecessary for BOTH Lupin and Tonks to die when they just had a baby. I was a little sad that the Malfoys weren't killed in battle. They may have helped Harry, but it was only what was in their best interest at the time.

I'm so sad that its done.

[Disneycrazed]

Question...... Was the woman in Walmart right????

[Mandy4President]

LOL- She was half right. Harry lets Voldemort kill him, but he doesn't really die, he just separates the part of his soul that is Voldemort's. So she really didn't spoil anything for me, she didn't really know and like someone else said, was fueled by rumors.

[CashCrew]

Oh Mandy I didn't know Dobby died. Poor little guy. Kollin is going to have such a hard time with this book. He loves Dobby (what part of the book did he die in?) and the twins as well. I don't think he's to that part yet. So far he's pretty upset that Harry's owl was killed! LOL

[Mandy4President]

Kelly, there are ALOT of people that die in this book. Some that I thought were a little unnecessary. Dobby dies in about the middle of the book. One of the death eaters kills him with a knife after he saves HP's life.

[Synesthesia]

It was a good book and I cried at the end.
But I was so dismayed about the deaths.
Man, it was sad in parts, but funny in a few parts too.

[jeck]

I loved how it ended!! I so wished I would have reread the other 6 again before I read this one. There was so much that I had forgotten and didn't catch in the previous books. I like how she brought it all together. I suspected that Snape love Lilly and I am so glad she went into detail and explained Snape's Story!

It can't be really over can it??? I don't want it to end!! I am still going to hold out hope for more HP!!

[MamaS]

I saw movie Number 5 yesterday afternoon, but I couldn't start the last book until after midnight, so I stayed up until 5AM. I wish there had been more info about Luna. I could see her with Neville. They were both sweet.

[Wonk]

I finished it yesterday too. There are a lot of things that I could comment on. One is the strong parallels to the Jewish extermination in Germany in World War II. The state of the wizarding world seemed very much like Nazi Germany with groups being persecuted and the use of the government's machinery to do so.

Thinking of it in this context let me feel that we were lucky that so few people died rather than so many. The whole wizarding world was heading towards tyranny and they were lucky that so few of those that were in harms way due to their opposition to the government actually were killed.

I was surprised that Doby was killed with something so mundane as a knife. I guess that was what it would take given his peculiar magical affinities but it was still odd.

I wonder to what degree when they film this that it will be a buddy film. The middle of the book was really about buddy relationships. You see that at the end too when Harry seeks out not his girlfriend but Ron and Hermine.

Small quibble: Why did Hermine have to ride with Ron to fly out of the Room of Requirements at the end? She should have gotten her own broom, as an equal.

I was surprised by the introduction of so many new plot lines into the book (Dumbledore and his brother for example). I figured there was already enough to resolve without adding more but she did pull it all off.

Snape turning out to be good was the biggest surprise for me in the book. Rowling has a history of leading you in one direction then whipping you around the other but I had pretty much thought that he was gone to the dark side. It was very well done I have to admit.

All in all, an extraordinary book and series.

[jeannecr]

I agree--just wonderful--I loved the Epilogue too!

[DianeS]

Originally Posted by Wonk

Small quibble: Why did Hermine have to ride with Ron to fly out of the Room of Requirements at the end? She should have gotten her own broom, as an equal.

A: Hermione isn't comfortable on a broom. They said that when during the "seven harrys" part, she had to ride on a thestral.

I'm also remembering a small part in book one where Harry finds out he can do one thing better than Hermione - ride a broom. (But I can't find it in book one, so it might be in another book or I might have imagined it altoghether.)

Originally Posted by cashcrew

Kollin is going to have such a hard time with this book. He loves Dobby (what part of the book did he die in?)

A: When they escape the Malfoy's basement. Basically, Dobby appears in one scene, and doesn't make it through that scene alive.

I really enjoyed the book, too. Now I get to go reread all the others to pick up all the little details I didn't get the first time around!

I liked how she didn't give us a lot of extraneous details, that the details she did give were almost always used later. I mean, even as detailed as the Black family tree, in book 5, where we first learn that Sirius' brother's initials are RAB, and that although Voldemort supposedly killed him, the body was never found. All those details were put together in book 7, and turned out to be important. I picked that up, but there were others I missed.

[kacmom1]

I don't care for Harry Potter but my kids have read the books and have seen the movies. I just have to say....I'm just jealous that you have 10 hours to sit down and read!

We got the book yesterday and the kids have started. I don't read them, so I turned to the last page to see how it ended! It's driving my kids crazy!!!!

[krafmatic]

My book came Saturday, but I had 20 family members over so I couldn't touch it until yesterday. The last visitor left for the airport at 8am and I brought it out!

DH has been working a lot the last few weeks (and will be for a couple more weeks) so he planned on doing things with the kids all day, so my responsibilities were reduced to making dinner. Today, however, is the day to get things cleaned up from when my family was over.

I had planned on rereading the last couple before this came out, but things got quite hectic. Someday I'll reread them all in one Harry Potter packed week

[toribugsmom]

I finished it last night. I thought it was great but I was very sad to see it end. I still want more!!! I thought the ending was good, with the whole Voldemort killed the part of Harry that was him. I'm glad to see that she made it seem realistic, I mean, like it made sense. I was glad that she put that epilouge at the end too, nice to know how everyone ends up if only briefly. I was so sad when Hedwig, Mad-Eye, Dobby, etc etc etc died. I think the whole "two important characters die" thing was just a teaser. I counted at least 7 who I thought were important to the story that died !!!!!! Oh well. Sad to see it over, it will be a hard movie to make.

[ERAmy]

I was really hoping Snape was good afterall, so glad to see he was. I honestly thought Dumbledore knew he was going to die and had Snape swear to finish him off quickly instead.
I did reread 6 quickly before 7.
I too thought Tonks and Lupin both dying was a bit much. But with Harry being godfather, I figured both parents would perish just as James and Lily did. Fighting for the greater good.