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I spent a few years avoiding the Harry Potter phenomenon. I dismissed the books as kiddie literature, and I did not read them until a friend talked me into it shortly before the first film was released. To this day I don't particularly care for the first two, which are pretty good but really far more kiddie-oriented than the rest of the series. But starting with part three, Prisoner of Azkaban, the series really took off into something interesting.

The most amazing aspect of the series, on a whole, is how JK Rowling not only created a whole new world of wizardry and magic, but also found a way to make it work alongside the real world. I'm also impressed by the way the series did evolve from kid-oriented magical adventures to something much deeper and darker. And while I'm not impressed with all the characters, there are a few who definitely stand out in the realm of fantasy literature.

But on to the Deathly Hallows

I wasn't too happy with the first half of the book. Part six, Half Blood Prince', ended with a rather dramatic cliffhanger regarding the missing Horcrux and the mysterious "R.A.B." Unfortunately, in Deathly Hallows it took several hundred pages of aimless wandering and increasingly angry arguments amongst the heroes for that one Horcrux to be found. And after reading HBP, I was left with the impression that R.A.B. would be revealed as an important player in the final book. But our heroes just sort of accidentally stumbled across his identity, and the whole thing ended up just being a plot device rather than the important thread I had imagined. After this extended struggle to find that one Horcrux, the others are discovered with comparative ease, as are the Deathly Hallows themselves.

The other problem I had with the book is that one of my favorite characters was killed off, but in the interest of saving readers from getting too specific with the spoilers, I won't say who it was.

But aside from those two criticisms, this was an excellent book and a great end to the series. So many plot threads and important characters are brought together for one final extended confrontation. And while exciting and action-packed, the climax is also far more spiritual and psychological than I had expected.

One of the best and worst aspects of the book is the resolution of Snape's storyline. I say worst' because Snape hardly appears in the book at all. But his actions remain ambiguous until the very end, and his motivations for his actions (both positive and negative) are grounded with a surprisingly emotional and realistic reason.

The book ends with an epilogue which has been pretty universally trashed, but I personally liked it. It doesn't tie up all the loose ends and leaves much to the imagination, but also gives a tantalizing glimpse into the world after the oft-horrific events of the series.

All in all, 'Deathly Hallows' is a great resolution to a really good series of books.

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