First of all, let me say that though I am an extraordinary Harry Potter fan, I am not one of those readers who thinks that the ink Rowling uses magically turns to gold as soon as it dries on the page. Nor do I think that Rowling is the anti-Christ of literature and that it would be better if people were lobotomized rather than read her books.
That being said, while I was immensely satisfied with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and found it to be a fulfilling end to the series, I have to admit some disappointment on several counts. First and most grave, The Deathly Hallows picks up where The Half-Blood Prince leaves off in its unfortunate trend of thinning the -- and you must forgive the cliché -- magic of the series.
Rowling's true gift and asset is not in the plotting of her books but in her expression of the story. As the series began, Rowling relished in showing off the world she had created, taking readers through delightful tangents and highlighting flourishes of the world beyond Platform 9 ¾.
These expository passages were enchanting and necessary as Harry was ignorant of all the things Rowling wanted to share. Simply put, outside of the plot, the books were fun to read. As the series drew to a close, Rowling's storytelling went from being innovative to something ordinary that happened to take place in a magical setting. This disregard for storytelling is, ultimately, the main failure of The Deathly Hallows.
My second complaint with the book was that The Deathly Hallows is the most straightforward and episodic of the series. There were certain points that needed to occur -- Harry locating and destroying the remaining horcruxes, the conclusion to Snape's story and the final battle with Voldemort -- and this is exactly what happens. These plot points progress as if satisfying a checklist, and although each is independently exciting and interesting, the repetition of problem-escape, problem-escape begins to feel a bit tedious. This is more the case during the horcrux quest where I felt the infiltration of Gringotts was one problem-escape too many.
The Deathly Hallows themselves were very problematic and seemed topically placed as opposed to intricately woven in importance to the novel. The Deathly Hallows had no reason to exist in the first place other than that fact that their existence helps facilitate Voldemort's downfall. While the idea of wand loyalty is ridiculous, and the Elder Wand is an uninspired means to Voldemort's end, the Resurrection Stone and its ability to show Harry his deceased loved ones as he goes to face certain death is a really poignant idea and beautiful image. It makes me wish that Rowling had either concentrated more fully on integrating the Deathly Hallows throughout the linear completion of the horcruxes quest or left them out entirely to make the horcrux quest less repetitive.
While the Elder Wand proved to be a reasonable way to bring about Voldemort's death, Voldemort dying outright seemed a bit too easy. At the end of The Order of the Phoenix, Dumbledore says to Riddle, "Your failure to understand that there are things much worse than death has always been your greatest weakness." I wish Rowling had concluded the book more along the lines of that statement than the simple death of Voldemort.
Again, this review may seem like a negative one, but I thoroughly enjoyed the book. Was I very satisfied with Voldemort's death? Yes, but I was still disappointed that I was not blown away. This seemed to be my sentiment for the book as a whole. While I was reading the book, I did not have a single complaint; I was too busy absorbing everything I could. Only after I had finished did I realize that while entertained, I was not overwhelmed. The Deathly Hallows may have its faults, but it's still pretty good. Whether being pretty good is enough to carry the series into greatness remains to be seen.
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