Title: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Author: J.K. Rowling

Published: 2007

I knew what was going to happen. I had that vague recollection of all the events that would unfold over the course of these 759 pages. But as with books 5 and 6 before it, I devoured this book the first time I read it. I was so intent upon reaching the end and discovering how it would all turn out that I skipped over the details.

Honestly, I don’t truly believe I missed that much. To say that makes it sound like my reading comprehension is nearly nonexistent. But reading this book again, taking my time this time around, I was definitely able to enjoy it a lot more than last time.

It’s the story of the end of Harry Potter’s long journey of self discovery and the culmination of seven years of adventures that have led him to finally come face-to-face with his mortal enemy for the last time. Harry, Ron, and Hermione are given a secret and difficult task, the dying wish of the great Albus Dumbledore. The trio is to seek out and destroy all of Voldemort’s remaining horcruxes, the objects which keep his soul anchored to this world, making him impossible to truly kill.

Along the way, they discover the legend of the Deathly Hallows, three objects that will, when united, give the owner a mastery of Death. Once again, we find that it is Harry’s choices that shape him into the man that he has grown to be. At one point, Harry realizes that he has two quests that have been lain upon him: the horcruxes and the hallows. He must decide which of those quests is the more important. In the end, his decisions and self-sacrifice lead to his ultimate victory over his arch-nemesis.

I’m keeping a lot out of my description of what happened in the book. And I know I said there was a spoiler alert, but I really don’t want to give anything away, in case there are still people out there who actually haven’t read this thing. Another part of my lack of detail is because there’s just so much.

J.K. Rowling packs so much information into this one book that it’s very easy to become confused. It’s really no longer than any of the previous three novels in the series, but somehow she’s able to put her characters through so much more in that same span of pages. Harry Potter is taken on this hero’s journey in which he discovers things about himself, about his enemy, and about his mentor that he doesn’t always like, but these are the things that help him to make those all important decisions that cause him to achieve the victory that you know the hero just has to achieve.

It’s a very good book and an excellent end to a very good series. Characters that you love and hate have some surprising twists in them before the end. It’s good to see surprises like that in an author after reading her six other books. So, do yourself a favor and read the book. As good as the movies are, the books are all better.