Young Adult Book Reviews

Genre: Fantasy and Mystery

Age Level:  12 and up

# of pages:  759

RAC Book: Yes

Other books in the series:  Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of  Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

         In this final installment of Harry Potter, Harry is on the run trying to find the remaining horcruxes that will enable Voldemort to die.  Ron and Hermione accompany him, after they all attend Bill Weasley’s wedding.  At this time, the wizarding world is a dark and desolate place to live as everyone constantly lives in fear.  Snape is now the Headmaster of Hogwarts, which makes life hard for everyone Harry has left behind.  As Harry begins to put together the past that makes up Voldemort he begins to learn a lot about his own past as well.  The life Harry has chosen for himself this year is very difficult due to the constant danger, frustrations, and isolation.  Also, he is always unsure of who he can trust.

     Rowling shows that the wizarding world is ready to defend itself against the imminent threat of evil and reveals the inner strengths of all the characters, some of which have not been tested before.  Some favorite characters are not depicted as much in the book as some readers would like, but their contributions to the outcome are meaningful.  The ending is exciting, surprising, suspenseful, and gratifying all at once.  Readers will come away from this story feeling happy about how they are leaving life in this magical world.  Rowling manages to pull everything together into a lovely, if not maybe a little too long, story.