I finished last night, having forced myself to make this last book last as long as I could. I liked it for the most part, but there are definitely qualms. This is going to be even more rambly than I usually am, so I apologize for that.
This is going to seem pure fangirlism and maybe it is, but I was deeply dissapointed that Sirius never came back. I love Sirius -- definitely my favourite character other than Dumbledore and only slightly more than the twins so I wanted him to come back because of that but also because of how she killed him. The man fell behind a curtain. Okay, fine, he falls into whatever is behind that curtain and can't come back. But what is it? She creates what could have been this really nifty thing and then we never get any sort of hint or explanation about what that curtain or that room was. (I really was convinced that he was coming back though and it makes me awfully sad that he didn't. Talk about a waste of a good character. He didn't even get a good death.
)
Speaking of dead people, I did love Dumbledore's return even if it was a bit angsty. Other than that, the whole chapter in King's Cross was just right and easily one of my favourite parts of the book.
The other deaths though -- Mad-eye, okay. Fred and Lupin and Tonks and Dobby were awfully sad (especially Fred -- too bad Lupin died off stage), but somehow Snape's death felt the most tragic of any of them. He was hated and reviled for his whole life and then he was actually working harder than anyone to protect Harry and he still was the outcast and he died before anyone knew it. And then, he didn't even die for a cause really. Maybe I just have an overdeveloped sense of tragedy, but that seems awful to me.
Honestly, except for Fred his was the only death that really affected me. I know what she was going for killing off all those people but it didn't work because we never had to read about life without them. As someone (Leoba?) was saying above, how must that have affected George? That whole epilogue just did not work. Are you really trying to tell me that Harry lived happily ever after with no PTSD? That he was unscarred and just went on with his life with Ginny? It felt like the perfect fifties family idea -- too good to be true. And what about Neville? It was great when he killed Nagini, but talk about another waste of a good opportunity. She had that whole thing in OOTP about how the boy could have been Harry or Neville and then never did anything with it.
Finally, there was awful lot that felt contrived and I'll stick to the biggest example which is Harry's defeat of Voldemort. That whole scene where Harry's walking into the forest was wonderful, especially when Lupin and Tonks and his parents and Sirius (finally! but all too briefly) came to welcome him to death. And then he came back (in a very Gandalfish manner I might add) (J. K. Rowling = "Just Kidding" Rowling?). I could have accepted that, although the reasoning was hard to follow. She had to make Harry the final Horcrux, but it seems like then she was a bit too desperate to not have to kill him so she found every possible bit of magic that might save him -- the wands and the blood and everything. It seemed a bit tenuous. I would rather have had him die.
All right, so the things I did like. Dumbledore's reappearance, as I said. Potterwatch was brilliant and I'm sorry she didn't have it on more. I loved Fred's (or was it George's?) bit about if it has legs, it's safe to look at it. The visit to Godric's Hollow was great, especially the graveyard. I thought that scene was awfully well written and I do like the way she throws things in by the way that later come to be very important, like the whole Peverell connection. Going back to that final battle, I would like to take a moment to express my love for Mrs. Weasley. Her duel with Bellatrix was absolutely brilliant. I had a grin on my face for the next few paragraphs after Bellatrix finally died. It would have been awfully nice if it could have been Neville but even so. NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH was terrific.
Speaking of Neville, how much do I love his gran? So, so much. I am very sad that we didn't get more of her in the series but loved her cameos in this book.
I guess that's all for now. I really did enjoy the book and it was only the last few chapters that really bugged me. I am sad that it's over. It feels weird to be done and know that there's no more.