Hey all, I noticed there are a LOT of people who were unsatisfied\upset\angry with JKR for how she ended the series with DH. My first time reading it, I was actually a bit disappointed too. I enjoyed it, but didn't feel it ranked with the other books, what with all their magic and wonder and whatnot.

I began re-reading it the other day to see how it would go, and it has been AMAZING. Not rushing through to finish in x hours (ended up being 12 for me the first time), I'm really enjoying all the intricate details, ironies, and "easter eggs" of enjoyment from JKR. The whole "camping story" isn't as long the second time through, since you're focused on the events that happen (and looking back, there were a ton while they were camping). The whole thing reads brilliantly; it's one of my favorites for sure now, if not my favorite.

I'd love to hear what everyone thinks on the matter, whether you've re-read it or not. If you haven't, I highly recommend it.


As a side note, I think many people didn't enjoy the last book because they overhyped it themselves. Not that it wasn't worth all the hype, but with a "whodunnit" type series that Rowling has created, everyone had his or her pet theories. Seeing how Rowling ended things (often disregarding your pet theories entirely or changing them dramatically) left people with a funny taste in their mouths.

Speculators of all things HP took the biggest hit with DH because:
1. There were a ton of loose ends after book 6
2. There was a long time in between books
3. Sites like LeakyCauldron only got more popular with time
4. Once it ended, that was it. Your theories either made it in (low percentage) or didn't, and there's only an extremely small chance that your unused theories will ever be heard from again.

I, for one, disregarded the "Harry is a horcrux" theory entirely because I really, really felt like she wouldn't off Harry. I was half right, as we all know, but that didn't keep me from being a little bitter when we first find out he was in fact a horcrux.

Now that we all know how it all went down, re-read it and see if you can't get past the fact that it wasn't what you expected. Because no matter what you expected, when you re-read it you'll probably find out it was much, much more.

Even though I finished the book in 2 days, which I think is quite fast, I was able to appreciate and love it when I finished reading the first time around. I think it helped that I didn't just rush off head first into reading and would re-read passages so I understood what was happening and how things happened and ended up the way they did. I was actually disappointed with those fans who were disappointed by the book and I agree that they probably over-hyped themselves and felt sure that their pet theories would happen. Also, reading the book so quickly contributed to a lot of missed details which was very obvious from the posts on this forum the Monday after the book was released. A lot of people had unanswered questions that a re-read or a slow first time read could have answered.

People have to remember that this story was plotted out from the beginning and as this was JK Rowling's vision and story to tell, not ours, we were just along for the ride, so too it was also Rowling's right to change her mind on how she wanted to handle the last book. JK Rowling was the driver, we were the passengers and as such, we should of just sat back and enjoyed the ride and expected a great story, which she provided.

I loved the Epilogue. I don't understand what some were expecting. This wasn't a biography. It's fiction and as fiction it requires an imagination and I think JK Rowling wanted us to imagine for ourselves what happened within those 19 years. She only filled in the holes because she was asked and since it was her characters that's what she imagined happened to them within the 19 years of Voldemort being defeated and the Epilogue. Personally, I was enjoying imagining Harry as a great professional Seeker and winning the World Cup with his team.