Anyone else disappointed? and what next?

I was really disappointed- this was the worst book in the series for me. It was way too predictable, the writing quality poor, too much new stuff was added that wasn't hinted at in previous books, the epilogue was like a 14 year olds first attempt at fanfiction, there were anvil sized plot-holes, contradictions to her own magic and rules from past books, characters made sudden unbelievable changes, too much telling not showing, it was culturally offensive in places, and themes from previous books were dropped that could have rounded the series out wonderfully (eg house unity). If you want more details on any of those, see my review. http://www.librarything.com/review/18660570

The previous books were fun, she had a great idea, but I felt she lost it halfway through, didn't have the talent to tackle certain sensitive issues and couldn't live up to the hype.

Now- I asked this in another board, but may as well here- what are you going to read next? I read tons of non-fiction, but would like to add soem more fiction to my shelves, specifically stories that combine fantasy or sci-fi with myths and history (any time period or place). I have stuff by neil gaiman and Jonathan strange and Mister Norell, what else might be promising?

I atotally agree with the first paragraph. I thought that the end should wrap up eveything, only using what had aldready been revealed. Instead, JKR introduces a whole new concept of the wand, stone, and cloak. I had never thought that the cloak was important, it seemed like a reguler cloak. Besides, we have seen other invisability cloaks before. Mad-Eye Moody could see thorugh it, so why couldn't Death? Still, it was a great book, even though it introduced too many new questions.

Exactly! The Mad-Eye Moody shaped plot hole! That was so unblinkingly obvious- it wasn't as if he was some half-forgotten remnant from the first book.

"the epilogue was like a 14 year olds first attempt at fanfiction", I couldn't agree more. Everyone in pairs, two kids a pair...and naming the kids after his parents. I would like to know the other plot holes (if that isn't too cynical a request), if anyone will post them.

Anyway, I did like the book, I really did. I cried and wailed...in a good way. I just thought she couldn't be bothered to put in a good ending. Most people can't, they somehow don't realise it's incredibly important. The only well-finished books that come to mind are Catch-22 and The Lord of the Rings. Mainly only the former.

I would also like to counteract this whole 'it's a really blatant allegory of WWII' meme. I know Hitler and Nazis are so deeply ingrained in national conciousness to the extent people will call each other 'grammar Nazis', but it wasn't the only historical incident of its kind. JKR was just writing the pattern that happens with every modern tyrannical take-over.

Lastly, a word or two for Remus. Dear Remus, my favourite character, we don't know how you went, and we didn't get a chance to mourn you and Tonks, but rest assured your boy now lives in the happy clappy world of Bad Epilogues.

We will never forget you, Moony!

I personally liked how JKR didn't wrap everything up...I've gotten so used to wondering what going to happen next that I wouldn't want her to spell everything out!

the only reason why i'm disappointed is because there's nothing left. the last and final book in the series. but, i loved it. if you want to hear what i thought of it, go to the favorite and least favorite topic.

"The Mad-Eye Moody shaped plot hole!" lol, I love that, reference. I'm sure Fanfic writers will be attacking these holes, and explaining the missing scenes in no time!

the links were pretty blatant in the book, and backed up with interviews; I think its an important topic. It is soemthign that happens world wide and if it was kept more general if would have been less risk at offending some people while at the same time, i think it would have been more powerful a message/warning. If you're interested, a lot has already been said on the issue you brought up in my livejournal (not that it cant be here, but i hate answering with cut-n-paste, and some of it others said so I've no right to copy their replies).

I read C22 a long time ago; I vaguely remember it, maybe I should take another look now; LotR didn't hold my interest unfortunately.

"The Mad-Eye Moody shaped plot hole!" lol, I love that, reference. I'm sure Fanfic writers will be attacking these holes, and explaining the missing scenes in no time!

the links were pretty blatant in the book, and backed up with interviews; I think its an important topic. It is soemthign that happens world wide and if it was kept more general if would have been less risk at offending some people while at the same time, i think it would have been more powerful a message/warning. If you're interested, a lot has already been said on the issue you brought up in my livejournal (not that it cant be here, but i hate answering with cut-n-paste, and some of it others said so I've no right to copy their replies).

I read C22 a long time ago; I vaguely remember it, maybe I should take another look now; LotR didn't hold my interest unfortunately.

I agree it wasn't the best book for me. I did like the ties back to the previous books and the many questions that were answered. I think part of the reason this book took so long for me to finish was due to the fact that it is the last one.

Overall...I thought it was a good end to the series. It seems there are some other places that could be explored on though...wondering if she left it open for some possible other series.

I don't know if I was the only one, but I was actually disappointed that Harry survived. It would have made so much more sense if he had died when he confronted Lord Voldemort. Personally I believe that JK was going to kill him off but then chickened out just to please the masses.

Though on a positive note, I really enjoyed how she ended the Snape story line. The questions of whether Snape was good or bad has been one of my favourite plotlines and I think was ended perfectly.

As for what next, I'm currently reading Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials which starts with Northern Lights or as it was released in America The Golden Compass

Hi Alchemia! I actually read your review on your LJ *before* I got 'round to the book (a friend directed me there) and at the time I mistakenly assumed that you were attacking a fictional interference in human events by wizards. Now that WOULD have been crass!

Now I've finally read the book, I must say that I don't take it in quite the same way you do. The scene where he "barges in" and defies Umbridge in the Ministry was wish-fulfilment, certainly, but the trope of "hero defies villain in his/her own lair" is a staple of fantasy writing. I don't think JKR was under any moral obligation to write Harry as unable to stop what Umbridge was doing, just because she was acting in a way which mimicked the Nazis. In fact, I think if he'd sneaked out and done nothing to help the Cattermoles, we'd have a lower opinion of him as a "hero"! Really, the plot demanded that he take action and show his courage at that point.

Also, when he's in the woods he's not a saviour, but a refugee. His business is not rescuing others but keeping himself and his friends alive. I think that's a pretty direct parallel to the plight of the refugees in such conflicts as WWII, and one could argue that JKR is actually encouraging children to empathise with those dispossessed by war.

However, I'm not going to say that I loved this book either. It was better than 5 & 6, in my opinion, but then I didn't rate those two books at all. I loved the "afterlife" sequence, I thought it had genuine soul. (If she'd only stopped there instead of writing that needless "Hogwarts Battle" scene!!) The Prologue was crappy, but that's not news.

I'm going to start reading Quicksilver by Neal Stephenson next, it looks big and detailed enough to fill a gap. If you haven't read The Baker's Boy by J.V. Jones you might give that a try, I think she has a similar style to Rowling's (only far more adult). Happy reading!

I liked it, but it certainly didn't live up to the hype for me.

The looooooooonnnnnnnnnggggg camping trip got really dull and repetitive and I was really glad when they quit camping and just got on with things. Also, most of their discovering the locations of horcruxes depended on pure chance, rather than serious deduction, which felt like JK just suddenly thinking, "oh hell! how will I work in that they've worked this out? Ah well, I won't bother - they'll just find it anyway."

Then the battle of Hogwarts felt very jumbled and there were sections of that I had to read more than once to really get a handle on what was happening, who was doing what and who was still alive. And to totally dismiss the deaths of Lupin and Tonks, having them die "off-screen" felt very unworthy - they at least deserved a final battle where we found out what happened to them.

On top of all that, although the epilogue answered plenty of questions, it left just as many unanswered, and also felt very twee and "they all lived happily ever after"-ish.

If I were to list the books in order of preference it would be like this:

1. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
2. Harry Potter and the Order of te Phoenix
3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
4. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
5. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
6. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
7. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

To me this book was very disappointing. Seems like it would have benefited from some serious editing. The whole "camping trip" thing went on way to long, and just like the characters I was wondering "Where is this going?". Death that made me feel the saddest : Dobby the house elf.

Ooh, that's interesting to see how you rate the books, putting the first book last- I fink ur maaadd!

For me it goes kind of like:

1. Prisoner of Azkaban
2. Philosopher's Stone
3. Deathly Hallows
4. Half-Blood Prince
5. Goblet of Fire
6. Chamber of Secrets
7. Order of te Phoenix

...but I'm not too sure. I'll have to read them all again, perhaps in 5 years time.

#9 How can you want Harry to die! And JK did not chicken out. She had this planned all along.

I think one of the big things I was disappointed about was that this book passed up the last chance to spend time with Hermione's family. With all the time devoted to the Weasleys, you'd think the Grangers would have something coming. Hermione goes through the entire series as knowledgable as if she had come from a wizarding family, even though she's muggle-born. It was a great lost opportunity to see the opposite of Harry's family situation. Instead of being raised by a family that loathed her abilities, Hermione's muggle parents seemed to be accepting of their daughter. But we never got to see them beyond a brief appearance in Diagon Alley in book 2 and a few mentions in book 7. At least the Beadle Bard Tales were used effectively as an opportunity to point out that Hermione was raised as a muggle, but it just doesn't seem like enough.

Maybe when the movie comes along they can slip in a scene before Hermione gets picked up to go to Privet Drive. Maybe she could be trying awkwardly to tell her parents how much she loves them while not letting it slip that it could mean good-bye, resulting in her parents affirming that they're proud of her, no matter how different from a muggle's life her life has turned out to be. She could discretely leave two plane tickets on the dining room table and while her parents are on the couch watching television, she could come up behind them with her wand drawn and ZAP!

I think J.K.R did great with this one! This book is 784 pages (7 less then 777) so you shouldn't have expected a book that was 100000000000000 times better then the amazing book 6.

Yes I agree that everything was going to be predicted by the readers. But you have to remember, anything in these books can change. We have so many examples of it! Look at Scabbers. He was really Peter Petigrew! Harry also has a new opinion about his father in book 5. So I don't think we have the right to be picky about the book. But in a way some subjects in the book are very dissaponting,I'll agree with that.

Personally I was a little disappointed that more was not said in the epilogue but after all, come on this is Harry POtter we are talking about every second of every book is meaningful and great, in my opinion. HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS RULES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Personally I agree with JK not writig enough about Hermiones parents in but, she can't put everything in, you know?

1. deathly hallows
2. Goblet of fire
3. sorcerers stone
4. order of the Pheonix
5. half blood prince
6. chamber of secrets
7. prisoner of askaban

1. deathly hallows
2. Goblet of fire
3. sorcerers stone
4. order of the Pheonix
5. half blood prince
6. chamber of secrets
7. prisoner of askaban

Deathly Hallows
Half-Blood Prince
Sorcerer's Stone
Prisoner of Azkaban
Chamber of Secrets
Order of the Pheonix
Goblet of Fire

I was sooooo disapointed when the series ended...I didn't know what else to read!

I for one liked the book but the about Mad-Eye Moody is right BIG PLOT HOLE.

I mostly agree. It was the worst book out of the series but it wasn't terrible, that really annoyed me because it was the last one! :( The last one i'm ever gonna read of Harry Potter! Me and my sister saved up our pocket money for 5 months because the library had 25 requests and thats like over 6 months half a year! And i had to wait couz my sister wanted to read it first. I think the writing was better than a 14 year old fanfiction a bit harsh. But the idea of the whole thing did get lost in the last 3 books. And the idea of ron and her (ugh i can't spell her name, some fan i am) hermaine being put 2gether in the last half was rushed. and tonks and remus deaths were rushed as well, tonks was one of my favourite characters!!!! The kids names i agree were chessy but it was terrible! It was just really bad, lol!

OH TRY THE CHERUB SERIES BY Robert Muchamore. It's funny and about children/teenage spies. it might sound a bit rubish but it the top series in my town. (we have a poll on the town website lol)

*wasn't terrible* sorry lol whos ur fav characters and y?

I didn;t like it either.

I find it interesting that JK did that talk after the book was released and that's where she summed things up on what happened to the characters in the book.