Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Finally, we arrive at the final Harry Potter book! I prepared for this by re-reading all of the HP books before its release, so I was rather hyped up for it. I would say that it lived up to expectations. All of Rowling's writing tics are present - the plot meanders a little, and there are several chapters' worth of material that probably could have been cut without harming the plot at all. At the same time, though, it's obvious from reading this how much Rowling has progressed as a writer over the series - one of the special treats of the Potter books has been seeing them become more complex and nuanced with each volume. Many of the same themes of love, family, and duty in the face of evil that peppered the entire series are still present, and many of the unanswered questions from previous volumes are addressed ass well. Also appreciated was the fact that Voldemort's final undoing comes from a mother's love of her son, and her desire to keep him safe (although this time it's Narcissa Malfoy's love for her son Draco, rather than Lilly's for Harry, that does the deed). I also came to the realization with this book that Neville Longbottom is my favourite character of the whole series - he started as this nebbish, talentless little boy, and by the end has become a warrior, fighting alone in Hogwarts without the need of any special items or aid from others.