Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

I remember being unsure as to how to feel about the fact that this was going to be the last Harry Potter book I would ever read for the first time. The previous book had done such a good job of imprinting the death of Dumbledore, and Hallows picked off from there, reinforcing Snape in all his nastiness as the book went on. But by the time you were done with The Prince's Tale, it was such a smack in the face, and turned the whole thing around. While it's hard to say that it was completely unexpected or that no one saw it coming, Snape's redemption and turn around and the way it was done really brought out what an awesome character he had been all along. There were lots of frightening moments too (Godric's Hollow, anyone?),there were laughs and scares in the exact right places; and towards the end, it sort of really came together. Bellatrix getting what she had coming to her (‘Not by daughter, you bitch!'), Percy coming around, the Battle of Hogwarts, the Resurrection Stone scene. But I think what she really did well was the final confrontation between Harry and Voldemort (which, sadly the movie completely butchered) - ‘You don't learn from your mistakes, Riddle, do you?'

The confrontation was awesome, but the actual duel itself was kinda disappointing. Expelliarmus. I mean, OH SHIT NOT AGAIN.

However, aside from that, reading this book for the first time was one of the genuinely best pleasures I've known.

I may have my issues with the prequel, but I don't think she could have done a better job with the book, or the series for that matter.