Well, I just finished the final installment of Harry Potter, I mean less than five minutes ago. I know that everyone will be talking about it and reviewing the book. I am putting in my two cents, but I promise that I won't include any spoilers.
I love Harry Potter, I have enjoyed the way Rowling has grown the books with her intended audience. I spent the last couple of weeks listening to the audio books of all the previous volumes to refresh myself on the little details. (I remembered all the major plot points, but not all the little stuff, which a portion of played an important role in the latest adventure.)
The first thing that struck me was how much Harry had grown up from the previous books, he is more thoughtful and less rash. I know that he showed that a bit in book six when he broke up with Ginny, to protect her, but at the time I read it as a stereotypical storybook romantic gesture on the part of an over gallant teenage boy. Not blaming Rowling for this but rather how a teenage boy would feel about protecting his girl, even if she is perfectly capable of taking care of herself.
I have to say, that I'm glad I was right about Snape. If you know me personally you'll already know my theory about Dumbledore and Snape. I won't go into details in case people reading this haven't read the last two books. I hate spoilers and don't want to ruin the experience for others.
It was nice seeing the characters out of their usual element whether it was Hogwarts or the Ministry of Magic. We got to see a little deeper into some of the secondary characters' personalities and relationships. All I'll say is rock on Mrs. Weasley and Neville's grandma! You can kick ass and take names with the best of them.
I strongly recommend that you have tissues handy if the sixth book made you cry, you'll need them here too.
I felt the book was well paced and an excellent wrap up to the whole series. Rowling wrapped up all of the loose ends and answered many fan questions about things hinted at in the other volumes. I felt satisfied with the ending.
