Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling (2007)

I don't think I ever waited on Christmas like I did for this book and Rowling did not disappoint me.

Deathly Hollows picks up right where The Half Blood Prince left off and Rowling doesn't miss a beat.

Our three favorite heroes know what they have to do but only have a few obscure clues to work from. They must find their own solutions on how to accomplish their misson. While this is a theme common in the other 6 books, this time there is no safety net provided by the adults. The fate of the world rests on their shoulders alone.

As they go from one adventure to the next, gaining (at first) seemingly useless information and narrowly avoiding death, they slowly piece together how everything must fit together. Even then Rowling is not yet done: the solution itself is a test, and the hardest challenge Harry ever had to take.

The book is dark and bloody, more so than The Order of the Pheonix. In case the reader had any doubt about that, Voldermort sets it straight in the very first chapter. The body count continues to go up and Rowling gives no indication of playing favorites. Nobody, and I mean nobody, is safe until the last spell is cast, somewhere in the last 10 pages or so.

While it was sad seeing so many characters I had grown attached to die, I did not have the same sense of dispair that I did with Pheonix. I never doubted for one page that good would win in the end and I could take comfort in that their sacrafices would not be in vain.

While I sincerly hope that Ms. Rowling will continue to write, I believe it is time for a new series. Harry Potter was as close to perfection as I'm likely to see in this world. I don't want that delicate balance upset.

John Holland-Author of The Necklace of Terrersylvanous

Without saying too much about what happens in the book...I don't want to ruin it for anyone else, I will say that half way through the book I was feeling a little disappointed. Events were dragging along and we didn't seem to be getting anywhere with any of the plot lines. The second half of the book picked up the pace and was quite satisfying. J.K. Rowling has definitely delivered a wonderful ending to her series.

Well, to those would-be spoilers, thanks for TRYING to ruin it for everyone. I doubt anyone will believe that you've actually READ the book everyone's waiting for.

Some people have no desire to hear theories or potential spoilers about book 7, and shame on you for trying to throw them out there where people might read them when they don't want to. There is a proper place for such discussion - like the ebook about Deathly Hallows that I am selling.

One thing is for certain, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is going to be amazing, action-packed, and heart-breaking all at the same time. I can't wait - mine's already pre-ordered, is yours?

*No plot spoilers

As a huge fan, I had recently re-read books 5 & 6 to get up to speed and in the mood for the Deathly Hallows. In a way, I wish I hadn't re-read them as I felt the writing in this wasn't quite up to previous standards and I even managed to read this thoroughly & cover to cover in about 12 hours.

As a previous reviewer said, I spent the first half of the book waiting for it to really get started, for explanations, twists, action. JK Rowling seemed to me, in her writing, a little rushed to get the epic over. Some of the twists that did come where unexpected, others not, but there just weren't enough of them. Some things seemed to be thrown in for convenience without a good explanation.

On the whole, I still enjoyed it. My questions were answered, albeit not always to my liking, but then what novel can keep everyone happy? Very sad to see the end of such a great storyline and in spite of my disappointments, if you've read 1-6, you should still read this last one. I'll be re-reading again, more slowly, in the hopes of finding some subtle twists and turns that I might have missed.