Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

I have finished! This was my first full read through of the Harry Potter series and I could not have loved it more. I had read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows before, but reading it along with the other books gave me a new perspective.

As always, J.K. Rowling created a beautiful novel, as well as a perfect end for her beloved series.While I am not a fan of the epilogue and overly exaggerated happily ever after, I do think it is nice that she tried to leave her readers with some, but not all, of the ideas for how Harry, Ron, and Hermione went on to live their lives. I also appreciated that J.K. Rowling was not afraid to kill her characters. It often irritates me when authors don't have the guts to kill their creations, because obviously that is not how real life works. So even though it is painful every time I read this book to re-live the deaths of so many beloved characters, I cannot be upset. Dobby has the saddest death next to Snape, but I also mourn the loss of Hedwig, Lupin and Tonks, and Fred.

Speaking of death, I have been waiting for six posts now to talk about Severus Snape!! I always loved him because I felt like he was the only teacher who saw Harry for the whining and entitled kid he was. Even though his loyalty was questioned multiple times, I felt like after awhile it became obvious that this was due to the fact that he was not a bad guy but made to look like one. Thus when I read the seventh book six years ago I was elated and had an "I told you so" attitude about the fact that Snape is the best character in the entire series. Rereading that chapter was painful but also fulfilling because this time I knew it was coming and was upset I could not stop his death but also excited to relive the moments when Snape reveals his true self.

In the past I counted the seventh book as one of my favorites, and I still do, but I think the official order of favorites goes: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and then Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The reason that this book is the last of my favorites is just because I felt it was a bit slow going in the middle. The scenes where Harry and Hermione (and sometimes Ron) are moving from place to place trying to figure out where Horcruxes might be is boring. There is a lot of drama between all of them and it demonstrates what the world has come to now that Voldemort is in charge, but it does not feel like it moves the story along. I don't feel like things truly get started until the visit to the Lovegood's house.

The scene breaking out of Gringotts is amazing as well as the scene where Mrs. Weasley kills Bellatrix Lestrange. Finding out about Dumbledore's past is also a favorite of mine because it proves he was not always a great person and not as well liked as many believe. Since I am one of the very few who did not like Dumbledore, then I appreciate these themes throughout the book. I also enjoyed that overall we learn about magic and its limits, or previously supposed limits. The small examples are too many to list but of course the biggest are the Horcruxes and the Deathly Hallows. It is fitting that in her final book Rowling would go beyond the limits of magic and explain and create elements that many in the wizarding world have not heard of or don't believe in.

In conclusion, this is a wonderful book. And the series of Harry Potter is a fantastic series. Although it took me a long time to read the entire series in order, I am glad that I did. I wish it had been earlier in my life. This is a series I now love. A series I plan to read to my children at an early age so they can grow up with the magic of it. If you somehow have not read this series, I encourage you to do so. I read them along with my fairy godmother who knows nothing of this series at all. It was so much fun to see a grown woman delight in the surprises and wonder of these books and it showed me that age is not a factor when it comes to feeling magic. I now understand why so many enjoy and praise these books, they are the Narnia of our generation.

Stardust by Neil Gaiman

I first read Stardust three years ago when I discovered Neil Gaiman. It was not my favorite of his novels, and even though I read through it quickly, I was left uninspired. I later found out the inspiration for the book had come from a night in Arizona, where I live, and was sad that I did not enjoy the book more. Then earlier this year I read his collection of nonfiction The View From the Cheap Seats. In this collection he has several pieces on fairy tales, including a few about the fairy tale he created, Stardust. I now have more appreciation for fairy tales and what they represent, so I decided to go back and reread the book. This time I listened to it via audio book which I think really helped since Neil Gaiman reads all of his novels. So I was able to hear the story told in the way that the author had intended.

I was still not "starstruck" by anything in this novel. Overall it lacked the Gaiman-esque feel that I have become addicted to. But I was able to enjoy the simple telling of a tale entirely his own and meant to be told in such a way. Maybe I just did not appreciate the simplicity enough the first time around, but this time I was in awe of it. I could just imagine Neil writing this book and sitting down carefully choosing which words were or were not necessary. In fact I would imagine that Stardust took just as much precision to write, if not more, than many of his other novels because of the type of book it is. Neil Gaiman wanted it to sound like a fairy tale of old, one that had been passed down for centuries and would continue to be passed down, and I feel that he succeeded.

None of the characters particularly stood out, and perhaps that is part of why I don't love this novel. But I do enjoy the changes in the star, Yvaine, and Tristran's feelings towards not only one another but also their original wishes. I love the land of Faerie as well and the ways that Neil Gaiman describes it.

So, do I recommend this book? Yes, just not as an introduction to Neil Gaiman. After you have read something else of his, then pick up Stardust.

Overall, the story is charming but not memorable, and yet I can feel that I will one day read it again. Not just because it is a fairy tale written in modern times that feels timeless, but also because it is a fairy tale told by Neil Gaiman. I will read it again because simple stories like these, full of magic and life, are important. They remind us where stories began. They remind us that fairy tales are not just for children. And these reminders need repeating, whether we know it or not.