Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter has had a long and trying seventeen years of life. His parents were murdered by Lord Voldemort when he was a baby, he was raised by his aunt and uncle who seemed to despise his very presence, and at the age of eleven was told by a half-giant that he was a wizard. He then spent six years at the wizarding school Hogwarts while fearing the thing (that once was a man) who has styled himself Lord Voldemort. Harry's headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, helped him through those six years but was killed by his colleague Severus Snape. However, before Dumbledore faced his fate, he and Harry had been on an expedition, searching for something called Horcruxes, belonging to Voldemort. A Horcrux is something that is used to store a piece of one's soul; and the only way to break a soul is to commit murder. Voldemort created multiple Horcruxes--six, as Dumbledore supposed, and he rarely supposed incorrectly.

End synopsis, begin review of book seven.

Harry has just a short while longer before he comes of age in the wizarding world. Wizards come of age at seventeen, and his birthday is looming quickly on the horizon. The Order of the Phoenix has concocted a plan to transport him safely from his aunt and uncle's house to their headquarters, The Burrow. Harry, Ron, and Hermione have planned to depart The Burrow (Ron's house) after Bill and Fleur's wedding. However, something at the wedding goes amiss and they are forced to leave early; thankfully, Hermione has been ready to go in a pinch. The trio end up camping out all over, digging into both Harry's and Voldemort's past, learning more about Dumbledore than they thought they'd ever know, and discovering the existence of something called the Deathly Hallows--some three things, actually: the Elder Wand, which is said to overpower all other wands; the Resurrection Stone, which can bring back the dead but only as a shadow of their former selves; and the Cloak of Complete Invisibility, which can deflect spells thrown at it and will always render the wearer invisible.

Now Harry, Ron, and Hermione have TWO quests: find and destroy the rest of Voldemort's Horcruxes (there are four left), and find and most likely utilize the Deathly Hallows. Ron, at one point, got quite irritated with Harry and left for a time. But he later rejoined forces with Harry and Hermione and together they traced and destroyed all Horcruxes but two: the diadem of Ravenclaw and the snake, Nagini. The search for the diadem brought the trio back to Hogwarts, where the final battle took place. Many died, on both sides, but ultimately, Lord Voldemort was vanquished.

Nineteen years later...
Harry and Ginny are married and have three kids: James, Albus, and Lily. Albus is entering Hogwarts as a first-year, the second in the family after James. Lily still has two years to wait, but she's very eager to go. Ron and Hermione are also married and have two kids, Rose and Hugo. Rose is a first-year as well, while Hugo still has to wait a couple years before he gets to go to Hogwarts, too. And...(drumroll, please) some poor, crazed girl fell in love with Draco Malfoy and they got married! They have one kid, Scorpius.

And here is where the great adventure of Harry Potter finally ends.


I really, really, really loved this book. For a time I was worried that it wouldn't be all that it had been made out to be, but it was better. It went totally above and beyond the call of duty and makes me want to go back and relive the whole adventure again, transporting myself to that way-back time when Harry Potter was still young and innocent, and following his path as he grows up. For those who haven't read the series, I will say begin! This final installment would make the rest worthwhile, though I do think that the other six were also amazing. For those who have read the series but not gotten around to this one, I say good luck, my friends, for this has been a long and amazing journey with Harry and to see the end is bittersweet.