Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Dumbledore is dead and Harry is now left to complete his work, finding the rest of the deadly Horcruxes and destroying them before Voldemort gets them. Yet he, Hermione and Ron must go into hiding as Voldemort has finally succeeded in gaining control of the Ministry of Magic. In a climate of fear and repression our heroes are the only ones who can possibly save the day. Can they complete Dumbledore's work and free the world from Voldemort's tyranny?

In this, the final installment of the Harry Potter series, all the loose ends of the previous books. Although it is not a book that can be described as breathtaking or the best thing I have ever read it was still a good read. It nicely brings the series to a close. There are some extremely sad moments and as widely publicised prior to release a couple of central characters do die. It is a much darker book than even the 'Half Blood Prince'. Parallels can be drawn between the reign of Voldemort and Nazi Germany in that those who oppose the regime must flee underground or suffer torture and imprisonment. Half bloods have to be registered and everyone has to prove if they are pure blood. There are also some really good moments where things fans have hoped for do happen. I won't spoil it by saying any more!

The action centres around Harry, Ron and Hermione as you might expect. Other characters do make appearances throughout the book, bringing a smile to the face of anyone who is a fan. Actions in previous books come back to help or haunt our characters and at the end there is a really good twist that reward some people's faith in a specific character. The storyline keeps mainly to finding the Horcruxes but the trio do find a second quest to undertake.

After the 'Half Blood Prince' I was building myself up to feeling disappointed about 'The Deathly Hallows'. However that was not the case. I found myself wanting to read it and enjoying several of the scenes, especially the one involving the radio. As said earlier, it wasn't 'the best book I have ever read' and to be honest it was very much for fans of the series rather than any newcomers. I think if anyone gave up reading earlier in the series they should try again because the end is worth getting to. There is a lot to get your head round in some respects (anyone who has read the book will know what I mean when I refer to the Deathly Hallows). If you have persevered with the books so far you're at least half way prepared. I do wonder if perhaps J K Rowling made it a bit too complex but some how it all works in the end. I suspect I will be re-reading this book when I reach a lull in my current reading list. As I don't often re-read books I think that says it all really!

*4 stars*