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nigeltdeI got up nice and early yesterday to get my book as close to 8.31am (Central time) as possible, so I'd have as much time before work to read. Borders had a real party atmosphere going, it was great, and I was most impressed by the effort one couple put into dressing up as Lucius Malfoy and Rita Skeeter (now there's a match made in hell!). So I got about four and half hours in before work, then had to tear myself away. Bumface had a gig (which she ROCKED, btw) that ran late last night so I couldn't read it then; I finished it this morning.
I found it oddly paced, with that gap in the middle of bickering and hiding in the forest and talking and not doing much that seemed to go on for ages, and then the chapter-by-chapter episodic format in the last third. If I wasn't such a big Snape fan I might have found "The Prince's Tale" rather momentum-killing, telling us as it did much that we already suspected. But I was never bored, and the ending was tremendously exciting. I had a good cry, triggered mostly by "Albus Severus," which is astoundingly, cringingly lame, my god, just like the whole epilogue, but it was like the only emotional resolution for Snape's death, and forgive me,![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
lydia_petze, but he was my FAVRITE!! So that, and the whole "it's over, emotional exhaustion, have not yet had a coffee this morning" thing made me bawl.
ME LIKEE
- I didn't have many expectations as to content but I loved seeing so many fan theories vindicated! Far-from-saintly!Dumbledore, Good!Snape, Horcrux!Harry, Dumbledore's death as pre-arranged (although I liked the twist that he was already dying from the cursed ring). I never really liked the whole Snape-Loves-Lily thing but it was executed okay. That his Patronus is a doe is fantasically faggy, I love it. He's so hardcore. NO DUMBLEDORE I AM A NOBLE HERO SPY, JUST WITNESS MY DOE OF HETERO GAYNESS.
- HERMIONE. Oh Hermione, you kicked so much ass. Harry would be dead a thousand times over if it wasn't for you. Oftentimes I can take or leave you but not here. She made me want to jump up and down for joy at Xeno Lovegood's house.
- Speaking of, Luna's bedroom. I love the little oddball.
- Neville, the second most ass-kickingest person, and his awesome Gran. Neville's story has been one of the best plotlines of the books and I really loved seeing him come into his own.
- Dumbledore the asshat. High time to expand upon his characterisation, and I liked learning the details of his life, although a little less discussion and angst and restatement and restatement and restatement might have been nice. This book has more talking than the rest combined, y/y?
- Someone, I thinksaturn92103, said that we finally know the reason why Dumbledore trusts Snape so much: simply that he understands what it's like to start down the wrong path, change your mind, and repent, and the role love plays in that. That's really neat. I like Dumbledore a bit more for that.
- The Ministry of Magic and Gringotts escapades were genius, they were inventive and clever and quick and exciting.
- The Battle For Hogwarts. McGonagall. Trelawny. Dumbledore's Army. Kreacher and the House-Elves!
- Narcissa Malfoy, who's got more balls than the rest of her family combined.
- Aberforth!!
- Dudley!!
- Percy yay Percy!
- Kingsley! You fucking rock, dude! Kingsley for President.
- Ravenclaw Common Room.
- I am rather impresed with the death-count. Ballsy, JK, ballsy.
ME NO LIKEE
-I don't mind that Fred died, really, I can see how it's appropriate for a story set in wartime, but I would have really liked to see George's grieving. Theirs was the most uncomplicatedly joyful, fun relationship in the books and a little recognition of it would have been nice. Same for Lupin; although he has become rather a twat in his hetero-ness, I loved his tired, dusty, gentle competence, and Harry didn't seem to care much.
- MOAR SNAPE. I totally agree withmightygodking's recap: Page 595: Snape, finally, makes an appearance. What was that sound - oh, right, it was the book getting cooler. Snape fucking brings something, man, an unpleasant unease, a menace that Voldemort with Xtreme Eevil does not. Everyone hates Snape so much, and he hates everyone so much, and he's such an arsehole, shit gets way more intense when he's around; I sit up a bit straighter when he comes on the scene. It sucked that he spent almost the entire book off-screen. I wanted much more interaction between him and Harry, and more information about his time as Hogwarts headmaster, and him to have more direct involvement in Voldemort's downfall.
- Nineteen Years Later. Oh, GIVE ME A FUCKING BREAK. Dude, if you really need an epilogue, we want to know about the cool stuff they've done, not the precocious little shits they've managed to push out. Has Hermione united all magical races? Is she ruling the MOM with bushy hair and a busy wand? Is Ron an Auror? Is Ginny a seeker? Did Rita Skeeter die a horrible, disgusting death? Is Luna the head of the Illuminati and secretly controls the world via Nargle telepathy? But that epilogue was rather gag-worthy, and even the Snape stuff didn't redeem it. However, perhaps the most important question: will Ginny ever get to pick a fucking name for one of her own children? ETA: c&p'd from a comment tolydia_petze: Arguably Rowling's best achievement is her creation of this complicated, odd, funny, magical world and we're left with no picture, absolutely zilch idea of its state after the traumatic rise of Voldemort. That's retarded!
- The Slytherins being evil and refusing to participate in the final battle. I expected a bit more sophistication than that, and the little concessions to the ambiguity of sorting and Harry's speech about Slytherin at the end didn't really fix that. See also: Malfoy, Draco.
- Ginny being petty about Cho, as a war's about to start? Oh no you di'int. Ginny is way better than that.
- I find it rather tragically amusing that the two main pairings I follow (H/S, F/G) each lost a member, and the only other I am vaguely interested in (R/S) has lost BOTH its members :-D
Ok, I really should go to bed. All in all I like HBP the most, but we shall see how this one ages, away from the excitement of its release.
PS: Can anyone tell me what the hell AS/S means, apart from ass?
I found it oddly paced, with that gap in the middle of bickering and hiding in the forest and talking and not doing much that seemed to go on for ages, and then the chapter-by-chapter episodic format in the last third. If I wasn't such a big Snape fan I might have found "The Prince's Tale" rather momentum-killing, telling us as it did much that we already suspected. But I was never bored, and the ending was tremendously exciting. I had a good cry, triggered mostly by "Albus Severus," which is astoundingly, cringingly lame, my god, just like the whole epilogue, but it was like the only emotional resolution for Snape's death, and forgive me,
lydia_petze, but he was my FAVRITE!! So that, and the whole "it's over, emotional exhaustion, have not yet had a coffee this morning" thing made me bawl.ME LIKEE
- I didn't have many expectations as to content but I loved seeing so many fan theories vindicated! Far-from-saintly!Dumbledore, Good!Snape, Horcrux!Harry, Dumbledore's death as pre-arranged (although I liked the twist that he was already dying from the cursed ring). I never really liked the whole Snape-Loves-Lily thing but it was executed okay. That his Patronus is a doe is fantasically faggy, I love it. He's so hardcore. NO DUMBLEDORE I AM A NOBLE HERO SPY, JUST WITNESS MY DOE OF HETERO GAYNESS.
- HERMIONE. Oh Hermione, you kicked so much ass. Harry would be dead a thousand times over if it wasn't for you. Oftentimes I can take or leave you but not here. She made me want to jump up and down for joy at Xeno Lovegood's house.
- Speaking of, Luna's bedroom. I love the little oddball.
- Neville, the second most ass-kickingest person, and his awesome Gran. Neville's story has been one of the best plotlines of the books and I really loved seeing him come into his own.
- Dumbledore the asshat. High time to expand upon his characterisation, and I liked learning the details of his life, although a little less discussion and angst and restatement and restatement and restatement might have been nice. This book has more talking than the rest combined, y/y?
- Someone, I think
saturn92103, said that we finally know the reason why Dumbledore trusts Snape so much: simply that he understands what it's like to start down the wrong path, change your mind, and repent, and the role love plays in that. That's really neat. I like Dumbledore a bit more for that.- The Ministry of Magic and Gringotts escapades were genius, they were inventive and clever and quick and exciting.
- The Battle For Hogwarts. McGonagall. Trelawny. Dumbledore's Army. Kreacher and the House-Elves!
- Narcissa Malfoy, who's got more balls than the rest of her family combined.
- Aberforth!!
- Dudley!!
- Percy yay Percy!
- Kingsley! You fucking rock, dude! Kingsley for President.
- Ravenclaw Common Room.
- I am rather impresed with the death-count. Ballsy, JK, ballsy.
ME NO LIKEE
-I don't mind that Fred died, really, I can see how it's appropriate for a story set in wartime, but I would have really liked to see George's grieving. Theirs was the most uncomplicatedly joyful, fun relationship in the books and a little recognition of it would have been nice. Same for Lupin; although he has become rather a twat in his hetero-ness, I loved his tired, dusty, gentle competence, and Harry didn't seem to care much.
- MOAR SNAPE. I totally agree with
mightygodking's recap: Page 595: Snape, finally, makes an appearance. What was that sound - oh, right, it was the book getting cooler. Snape fucking brings something, man, an unpleasant unease, a menace that Voldemort with Xtreme Eevil does not. Everyone hates Snape so much, and he hates everyone so much, and he's such an arsehole, shit gets way more intense when he's around; I sit up a bit straighter when he comes on the scene. It sucked that he spent almost the entire book off-screen. I wanted much more interaction between him and Harry, and more information about his time as Hogwarts headmaster, and him to have more direct involvement in Voldemort's downfall. - Nineteen Years Later. Oh, GIVE ME A FUCKING BREAK. Dude, if you really need an epilogue, we want to know about the cool stuff they've done, not the precocious little shits they've managed to push out. Has Hermione united all magical races? Is she ruling the MOM with bushy hair and a busy wand? Is Ron an Auror? Is Ginny a seeker? Did Rita Skeeter die a horrible, disgusting death? Is Luna the head of the Illuminati and secretly controls the world via Nargle telepathy? But that epilogue was rather gag-worthy, and even the Snape stuff didn't redeem it. However, perhaps the most important question: will Ginny ever get to pick a fucking name for one of her own children? ETA: c&p'd from a comment to
lydia_petze: Arguably Rowling's best achievement is her creation of this complicated, odd, funny, magical world and we're left with no picture, absolutely zilch idea of its state after the traumatic rise of Voldemort. That's retarded! - The Slytherins being evil and refusing to participate in the final battle. I expected a bit more sophistication than that, and the little concessions to the ambiguity of sorting and Harry's speech about Slytherin at the end didn't really fix that. See also: Malfoy, Draco.
- Ginny being petty about Cho, as a war's about to start? Oh no you di'int. Ginny is way better than that.
- I find it rather tragically amusing that the two main pairings I follow (H/S, F/G) each lost a member, and the only other I am vaguely interested in (R/S) has lost BOTH its members :-D
Ok, I really should go to bed. All in all I like HBP the most, but we shall see how this one ages, away from the excitement of its release.
PS: Can anyone tell me what the hell AS/S means, apart from ass?
no subject
Date: 2007-07-22 02:00 pm (UTC)It stinks too much of 'We think you're evil, so there's no hope for you. Ever'.
The odds of every Slytherin student turning out to be evil is stupid. Hell, Harry was almost in Slytherin, he only got Griffyndor cos he had a spazz attack over it.
no subject
Date: 2007-07-22 02:02 pm (UTC)That's right. The cheated Harry/Draco shippers have already started slashing their kids.
no subject
Date: 2007-07-22 02:18 pm (UTC)I hope it's simultaneously supposed to mean arse. As in, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is all about AS/S."
no subject
Date: 2007-07-22 02:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-22 09:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-22 10:52 pm (UTC)Hey, whatever :-)
Speaking of, Luna's bedroom. I love the little oddball.
I'd have loved more Luna. I like shipping her with Neville, for some reason.
This book has more talking than the rest combined, y/y?
And most of it was in the last 50 pages.
- The Battle For Hogwarts. McGonagall. Trelawny. Dumbledore's Army. Kreacher and the House-Elves!
Trelawney, omg, dropping crystal balls on heads! She made up for being a kook right there. And McG SO became Headmistress, y/y? And yay for Kreacher, too. OMG, I just remembered Dobby :-(
no subject
Date: 2007-07-23 12:16 am (UTC)Leave the first years to mingle in a common house, so that their personalities show through, then sort them into a house. Might be safer in the long run :D
I really wish the prologue could have been longer, or more detailed as to what happened After.
no subject
Date: 2007-07-23 02:24 am (UTC)*snort*
no subject
Date: 2007-07-23 02:25 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-23 03:45 am (UTC)Hey, corvus! You got there before me! Quoting the GENIUS.
will Ginny ever get to pick a fucking name for one of her own children?
Exactly what I thought. Bloody hell Harry, stop being a prat.
JKR still killed ALL MY SHIPS! And I love her for it. Kill em all, woman! Note: I did not ship Hedwig.
no subject
Date: 2007-07-23 03:54 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-23 03:54 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-23 04:07 am (UTC)I like the idea of a common house for first-years.
I really wish the prologue could have been longer, or more detailed as to what happened After.
Yeah, I don't really see the point of it. SHe ended the main story so abruptly that I can see how she'd want some resolution, but, "they bred and had cutesy kids with retarded names" doesn't really do much for us.
no subject
Date: 2007-07-23 04:10 am (UTC)HELL YEAH McG became Headmistress. No-one's gonna argue with a herd of galloping desks :-D
Luna/Neville is cuteness personified.
no subject
Date: 2007-07-23 04:11 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-23 07:34 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-23 07:37 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-23 10:17 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-27 07:01 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-27 07:22 am (UTC)