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.

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Comments

[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!