Spoilers--my review to MSN

[darsynia]

I was profoundly disappointed. While there were some satisfying and interesting segments to the book, overall the editing was shoddy (typo'd or un-caught canon name mistakes, inconsistent punctuation, etc.), the writing was rough and uneven, and there were a myriad of plot holes or unresolved arcs (some of which were promised in multiple interviews by the author to be explained in the final book).

I am heavily involved in the HP fandom and would consider myself an authority on the facts of the series--and what I found most disappointing was the inconsistency in characterization. Characters whose prior appearances have been lovingly described by Rowling turn up dead with no explation of how or why--while other, less integral characters are given heroic death scenes or at the very least, an impression of emotional impact by their fellow characters. Canon facts which may seem to non-Potterphiles as inconsequential, such as Dumbledore's pre-gray hair color, are altered or simply ignored.

Overall, I got the sense of a rushed author with an incomplete sense of the idea that they were writing the *last* book of a series. Many of we fans had been looking to the final book for explanations of open-ended or seemingly incomplete plot devices (the Veil, for instance)--and to reach the Epilogue (referred to by many of us on Live Journal as 'the Crapilogue') without having those mysteries satisfied was... very unsatisfying.

In the end, I feel as though I've been either let down, or that I had been expecting too much--as though I'd attended a traditional wedding that ended in a pie-eating contest.
/end

As for me, I came home and had sex instead of reading the book. WIN. (tmi, I know, sorry :P)

OH, and I forgot--on page 125 JKR or her publishers goofed. Hermione JEAN Granger? WTF.

Click Me To Leave Yours

Comments

[oops-pig.livejournal.com]

Amen sista!

Also? Sex instead of reading? You rock! Totally don't even bother. You've already read it. At least it'll look complete on your bookshelf!

[darsynia.livejournal.com]

Yeah I got home and hubby's like 'wanna snuggle?' and I'm like... 'you know, I've read this thing already, why bother with it?' You're exactly right, hehe.

The only thing I did was look at the free poster and put my book next to the other six so they could all beat it up look complete.

ps. Stop thinking the same words as my brain, kthx :)

[oops-pig.livejournal.com]

Ha! Beat it up.

It's not even as long as GoF. It just looks .... wrong sitting on my bookshelf. Like it should be as big as OoTP or something.

I was so irate last night that i couldn't sleep, and I was laying there thinking up reasons why it was so crap. This is what I came up with: JK didn't write the book. She had all her ideas written down and got a ghost writer to write it for her. She's so rich that she could pay someone enough that they're never, ever going to talk, and the only people that would know would be her and the writer. She needn't even tell the publishing company. And she got someone who knew the story enough to write it, but not enough to get it all right.

[kimmers84.livejournal.com]

I've only got 2 chapters left to read...and I'm agreeing with you so far. Granted, I'm not as "literary educated" as some people, but I did take English in college...and I agree..it was rushed. I would have gladly waited another year or two for JKR to have it done perfectly.
Same with the movie...again...rushed IMO(aside from Gary Oldman, I <3 him).

At least I know TSIK won't be filled with holes...haha.
PS: I giggled at the JEAN thing too. So obvious.

[darsynia.livejournal.com]

I agree about the wait--I almost feel sad, as though the year being 07 pushed her for the cool date of release rather than the timely and well thought out goal she should have been shooting for.

If you're friends with inell, she loved it and her review of it actually makes me feel a bit better, so I'm hoping on the re-read I'll find more of it to like.

*giggles* I try pretty hard not to leave holes in it, and besides the strange as hell characterization of Remus, nothing in DH altered the way I was planning to write it, thank god. I have my own version of the final battle and I'm happy that I don't have to change it based on looking like I'm taking from JKR's.

ps. oh my gawsh if I get fanbrat complaints about 'Miss Jane' I'm gonna slug someone. LOL

[kimmers84.livejournal.com]

I agree...I mean, even a couple extra months could have done wonders. Like a December release..then it's still in the "07" year...
Yea, Remus got written a little weird in DH...I noticed that.
But the first *sqee* that I got in the book was in the first chapter when we find out he gets married. Aw Lupin. :)
I'm not friends with inell, but I'll have to check out her review. I'm going to reread the book again this coming week, just because I always re-read things anyways:)

Hahaha....slug away. I'm sure you'll get a few complaints. Silly brats :P

[crushing83.livejournal.com]

In the end, I feel as though I've been either let down, or that I had been expecting too much--as though I'd attended a traditional wedding that ended in a pie-eating contest.

LOL. Kinda accurate. Part of me kept expecting someone to say "Hey, you know that photograph leak version? Someone played a little too much with Photoshop! Not the book!" because it seemed too fantastic in parts (and a little like they were channelling "Alias" at times) and some things with canon were goofed.

(But, things get goofed in the AB books (like someone's sexuality, for instance) and I didn't have a cow so I wonder if I'm unfairly judging HP7. Or holding grudges or something.)

[darsynia.livejournal.com]

I feel you on wondering if you're judging too harshly. A few of the folks on my friends list loved the book, and I value their opinions just as much as I do my own as well as those that disliked it, so I'm planning on examining the book after reading the entire series again (something I hadn't done before DH's release, and don't think it would have made any difference). I probably sound like a broken record, but I don't want to hate it for the sake of it, you know?

If it helps, JKR apparently doesn't re-read her books before writing the next one--so it's better than if she HAD reread them and still messed up, I guess.

[crushing83.livejournal.com]

Yeah... same here. Friends on my list (and not LJ related) have loved it. I don't know if it's a combination of it being the last book plus a few things I didn't agree with, or what. But, I am going to give it another go.

I'm going to need some time before I go back and re-read it, though. I don't know if I can read Snape's death scene again so soon. He was my favourite character from the beginning and the scene really knocked the wind out of my sails!

Probably, the major irk was the epilogue. I've been ranting to Mum about it all day. And now that I think about it, it might have seemed dull because of the war. And I'm not saying family isn't important. But... it didn't feel like a good, forward thinking, underlying message to send to millions of children. Sigh. I'm so narrowly liberal it hurts sometimes. Plus, I doubt that JKR really had family values programming woven through her book on purpose.

Oh, sorry... I typed too much! Oops!

[cee-m.livejournal.com]

On the whole, I loved the book. I hated the epi, but that goes without saying. (Could it be any more bad fanfic? Everyone gets married, their kids go to hogwarts, and the kids are all named after dead people....)