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Jul. 24th, 2007 05:46 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rowanberriesSo, I read HP7.
Oh. Oh, I liked that a lot. I wish to get that out of the way in case all the moaning I am about to do gives anyone the wrong idea. I loved it, and not just because of the events, although for the most part, those were pleasing in the extreme; but because JKR writes in a way that I find enjoyable. Say what you like: JK got skillz. The setups all through the whole bloody series, forget just this one book, were incredible, and very well done, too. The whole Dumbledore-Draco-Snape-Voldemort wand switcheroo was awesome and made me squeal like a madwoman. Of course Draco owned the wand! I didn't even think about it when Harry disarmed him at the time!
Okay. Let's start at the beginning, which admittedly I did while still overtired from con. Oh, Harry. Man, I grew to like that boy so much more than in the mid-series books. The Dursleys leaving was brilliantly organised, and I loved the awkwardness of Dudley's changing respect for Harry, because yes. At the time, he was in shock, but he'd know that Harry had saved his life, and gradually realising he was fighting a war altered his perception, even though the prejudice.
And we saw that, slightly, with Petunia, too, a little later in the book, and oh yes. It's been done in fandom, duh, but the jealousy of the siblings works so well to explain how she hated Lily, and Snape's involvement? Well... why not? Frankly, it worked better having him form an emotional attachment so young for a pretty, happy girl from the same village that showed signs of magic when he was too young to be aware of the stigma against muggleborn witches and wizards, than if he had met her at Hogwarts and fallen in with the more assertive Slytherin crowd. Friendships formed at young ages can grow apart, but they do linger in the mind. (Yes, hello personal experience, whatever.) We get hints his homelife was unhappy. And outside there he finds another magical person to talk to, and is so eager for that friendship and happiness, but doesn't know how to go about it without hurting her through repelling her sister, a lowly muggle, after all, which he would have been told was less than a witch or wizard. And then she was sorted into Gryffindor, and he into Slytherin, and we know the rest, more or less.
Yes, I like how that fits.
Let's move on. The escape plan. Masterminded by Dumbledore, set in place by Snape, carried off by the Order. Excuse me. HEE! I love that. Voldie's looking for one Harry - they give him seven. Rock on.
And then the wedding, and oh my god I was so convined that the tiara Fleur wore was going to be a Horcrux. (I bet JK was torn between using that right up until she casually mentioned one in HBP.) And eeee, Trio on the run! That was great, although tense, but sadly it brings me to the one thing I really viscerally hated.
It was this:
LUPIN: Hi, here to help! Er, also Tonksispregnant.
TRIO: Oh, wow, yay! Congrats! When's it due? Need bootees? Etc.
LUPIN: Um. Yeah. So, where are we going?
HARRY: ...Uh. Well, we can't tell you, and you're... going back to your newlywed, pregnant young wife?
LUPIN: ...She's okay without me. *Radiates angst*
HARRY: *Casually bitches out due to own parental issues*
LUPIN: YOU'RE NOT THE BOSS OF MY SELFISH MANPAIN!
Remember that? Oh. God. The issues I have with that. Right off there's the first thing I hate in all and every book and film it occurs in. It's the marriage = pregnancy syndrome.
Yes. Of course. Tonks is married so she automatically gets herself get knocked up. Lupin, the lycanthropic angstmeister, lets her get knocked up. When she is an Auror. Trying to hide her husband's status. Trying to work for a shady subgovernment organisation. When he is a FUCKING WEREWOLF. Whiny about his status and the dangers thereof anyway.
LUPIN: Oh, I could have infected my child!
YES. YES, INDEED YOU COULD HAVE. What a pity no way exists to have sex without potentially creating a child- OH WAIT. There does. It's called contraception, and even if (for some absurd reason) the wizarding world doesn't have such a thing, Tonks' father is a muggle. Hi.
God. Frankly, I'm not even surprised they died, if they were truly that stupid.
*Breathes*
Okay. Sorry. Obviously, I'm sad they died, since I liked them both before... oh, book six. But what? Thank god for Milliways, and for AU.
On that note, JKR still fails at writing romance. All in all, she gives the impression that Harry, our perspective character, was mildly fond of Ginny Weasley, and fell into a moderately friendly marriage with her a little while after the events, and fathered three children apparently by artificial insemination. Given that, it's not surprising that the Tonks/Lupin star-crossed love came across as a cowardly moron of a Lupin not being able to shake off a just-out-of-school fangirl then both getting killed.
Oh, JK. No, no, no.
Ahem. Virulent bile over, you can remove the protective screens now.
The sword! Yay Snape, and yay nice idea that explains how they find it so easily and randomly!
KREACHER! Vindication of Hermione's ElfQuest, hello! Oh, the speed of the turnaround was maybe a bit much, but it still made me oh so happy. The Marauders being kind of bastards to people who are Evil makes so much sense from both sides - they saw things very much in black and white terms, especially as they were so young at the time, and yes, they were popular, and talented, and handsome, of course they were also a bit cocky. They were victims of circumstance at Hogwarts in the Slytherin = bad conclusion they came to, but my god, did they come out the better for it, and push those that could have helped them further away. Because of course a Slytherin or your family's slavish House Elf could never be on the side of Good, and naturally, no-one from Gryffindor, no-one they deemed a friend could ever be Evil. It was foolish, and arrogant, but it makes sense, because we saw Harry leap to the same conclusions. Poor boys. Poor, clever, arrogant boys, James and Sirius. James dead because he trusted Peter, Sirius dead because he mistreated Kreacher. I need to stop dwelling on the, um, fictional characters making me cry.
Ministryyyyyyy. Oh, fuck. This is all kinds of messed up, and yet all kinds of predictable, what with the massive Nazi likenesses.![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
areyoumymemmy? Looks like you need to bring Hitler back and show them all how to do it. You don't question the Muggleborns, Ministry! Just send them all off in case they use logic at you! Logic is the mindkiller! Because Muggles can't cast magic even with wands, fools! I can't believe no-one pointed that out. Anyway. This arc kind of rocked. Because anything where Umbridge gets smacked down is awesome. (Off hand: totally creepy moment where we see she has marked the poster of Harry, 'To be punished.' *Shivers.*) And yay for rescuing Muggleborns!
Anyhow. Ron: Failed apparition. Owie. I was so sure they were going to kill him here. So glad they didn't. And, um. Then he fucked off. Yeeeeees. Well, I'm not sure. I like the idea that he was more susceptible to the influence of the locket more than the idea that he got pissy because there was never anything to eat. And thinking Harry had a plan... um, Ron, has Harry ever really had a plan? A good one? It's always been 'we have to go get this thing/person CHARGE under invisibility cloak RAAAAAAAAAAH quietly.'
Then we get to the very clever idea of Taboo-ing the name 'Voldemort' - now really dangerous to say! That was a great idea, and very realistic to have Harry - who has being saying it casually for years - slip up and lead a group straight to them. And oh, when they get there. Hermione. They tortured Hermione. And yet... in spite of the many many fics that would have it be Ron, no, it makes sense that they spare the Purebloods (and Harry counts, or close enough) and torture the Muggleborn. Owie. And yet, you go girl. *Hugs her hard* Good girl. Good, clever girl. And as I've already said, nicely understated addition of Harry vitally disarming Draco and taking his wand. Very nice indeed.
Oh. What? The Deathly Hallows? Pffft. You think I'm going to review the actual plot? Get out!
Escape from Malfoy Manor! I love to think of them hanging out at Bill and Fleur's, and all because of Dobby's intervention. Oh, Dobby. Don't get me wrong, me annoyed the hell out of me, but was also believable in so many ways, considering Harry's actions, and the devotion spanning all the way back to book two. Oh, Dobby. Oh, Harry. Oh, JKR.
Yay plan! I love the breaking-into-Gringotts bit. Even more, I love the idea of Hermione pretending to be Bellatrix.
HERMIONE!BELLATRIX: Oh, er... Open the vault! I command it as, um, the Dark Lord's one truelove follower! Er... please!
Yes. Hoorays for getting the Horcrux. But more to the point, YAY DRAGONS!
Even even more?
YAY HOGWARTS!!!
Snape! McGonagall! EVERYONE IS TOTALLY AWESOME, OMG.
PERCY. THE REST OF THIS REVIEW WILL NOW TAKE PLACE IN CAPSLOCK.
FRED. FRED WEASLEY, GUYS. DIES LAUGHING, HELLO MISTERS ALLGOOD AND KING, HOW ARE YOU?
BATTLE! STUDENTS FIGHTING DEATH EATERS AND KICKING ARSE BECAUSE HOGWARTS ROCKS!
MALFOYS ONLY CARING FOR WHAT THEY LOVE, WHAT THE FUCK EVER, <3.
SNAPE!!!!!! *CRIES* ...OH, SNAPE.
SNAPE'S MEMORIES HAVE ALREADY BEEN ACCOUNTED FOR, BUT THEY STILL MERIT CAPSLOCK. ONWARD.
REMUS AND TONKS. WHAT THE FUCK EVER. IN THIS BOOK THEY WERE SO DUMB THE KID WILL PROBABLY BE BETTER OFF WITH ANDROMEDA. MILLIWAYS SAVES ALL.
OH, HARRY.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA NARCISSA RULES ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING FANFIC WAS SO RIGHT ALL SHE CARES ABOUT IS HER SON <3 <3 <3.
NEVILLE AND THE HOUSE ELVES! BEST BAND EVAR, FOR MY BOOK.
WHEEEEEEEEEEE!
Ahem. Okay, that last 'whee!' was both Neville killing Nagini, and Harry showing up from both death and under the cloak, and Mrs. Weasley beating the fuck out of Bellatrix. If that isn't in the movie there will be a revolt.
YAY RATIONALE. That wins so hard. I believe I have already mentioned so. I love detective novels, have I mentioned? I always read Agatha Christies when I get my grubby little hands on them, so the Draco twist at the end warmed my heart. Beautiful. And that Voldemort got to hear it all before he killed himself on accident? (Ahehehehehe.) Perfect.
Ah. Epilogue. Reads like a fanfic, but in a way that makes me giggle. Hee. I am so very fond of all the characters by now that it doesn't bring it down. Everybody lives. (Apart from those that didn't.) Kiddies are kiddies, and Albus Severus shows... acknowledgement, if nothing else. I don't think either Harry or Ginny named him that for sentimental reasons, but Severus Snape was a part of their past just as much as Albus Dumbledore was, and that they didn't name their first or last child after them says something. Dumbledore and Snape were a part of their lives, and worthy of remembrance and recognition for that - but neither the be-all or end-all of life and living.
It's a sucky name for a kid... but then most wizarding kids have to live with the most awful names, and being Harry Potter's child should help him with that. It's full circle, as Albus is the quiet, self-absorbed one that's going into a new world as his father did, not James - the brash, confident child who took after his mother - but a quiet, thoughtful boy, a little unsure, but with more options - if he ends up in Slytherin now, why not? With Rose, the clever girl, his cheerful brother, a sister to come after him, and even a Malfoy, still. Full circle.
Even if the poor kid is called Scorpius.
:D!
EDIT: I MISSED STUFF.
I loved Potterwatch. I nearly cried at Lunas bedroom. Friends... I understand, they mean so much to her, and she's the one character in the whole book to whom I can truly credit emotions and feeling. Friends, friends, friends. That lonely, lovely girl. I have friends.
...I'm sorry, I need a tissue.
*grins* Chat in comments? I'm going away for a week tomorrow, but I'm very curious to hear your opinions.
There will also, some time, be a Millicon report. But be assured that it rocked hardcore, and I was utterly delighted to see so many people, and have them be as - if not more! - awesome than I had imagined.
Now I must go and dye my little sister's hair.
Oh. Oh, I liked that a lot. I wish to get that out of the way in case all the moaning I am about to do gives anyone the wrong idea. I loved it, and not just because of the events, although for the most part, those were pleasing in the extreme; but because JKR writes in a way that I find enjoyable. Say what you like: JK got skillz. The setups all through the whole bloody series, forget just this one book, were incredible, and very well done, too. The whole Dumbledore-Draco-Snape-Voldemort wand switcheroo was awesome and made me squeal like a madwoman. Of course Draco owned the wand! I didn't even think about it when Harry disarmed him at the time!
Okay. Let's start at the beginning, which admittedly I did while still overtired from con. Oh, Harry. Man, I grew to like that boy so much more than in the mid-series books. The Dursleys leaving was brilliantly organised, and I loved the awkwardness of Dudley's changing respect for Harry, because yes. At the time, he was in shock, but he'd know that Harry had saved his life, and gradually realising he was fighting a war altered his perception, even though the prejudice.
And we saw that, slightly, with Petunia, too, a little later in the book, and oh yes. It's been done in fandom, duh, but the jealousy of the siblings works so well to explain how she hated Lily, and Snape's involvement? Well... why not? Frankly, it worked better having him form an emotional attachment so young for a pretty, happy girl from the same village that showed signs of magic when he was too young to be aware of the stigma against muggleborn witches and wizards, than if he had met her at Hogwarts and fallen in with the more assertive Slytherin crowd. Friendships formed at young ages can grow apart, but they do linger in the mind. (Yes, hello personal experience, whatever.) We get hints his homelife was unhappy. And outside there he finds another magical person to talk to, and is so eager for that friendship and happiness, but doesn't know how to go about it without hurting her through repelling her sister, a lowly muggle, after all, which he would have been told was less than a witch or wizard. And then she was sorted into Gryffindor, and he into Slytherin, and we know the rest, more or less.
Yes, I like how that fits.
Let's move on. The escape plan. Masterminded by Dumbledore, set in place by Snape, carried off by the Order. Excuse me. HEE! I love that. Voldie's looking for one Harry - they give him seven. Rock on.
And then the wedding, and oh my god I was so convined that the tiara Fleur wore was going to be a Horcrux. (I bet JK was torn between using that right up until she casually mentioned one in HBP.) And eeee, Trio on the run! That was great, although tense, but sadly it brings me to the one thing I really viscerally hated.
It was this:
LUPIN: Hi, here to help! Er, also Tonksispregnant.
TRIO: Oh, wow, yay! Congrats! When's it due? Need bootees? Etc.
LUPIN: Um. Yeah. So, where are we going?
HARRY: ...Uh. Well, we can't tell you, and you're... going back to your newlywed, pregnant young wife?
LUPIN: ...She's okay without me. *Radiates angst*
HARRY: *Casually bitches out due to own parental issues*
LUPIN: YOU'RE NOT THE BOSS OF MY SELFISH MANPAIN!
Remember that? Oh. God. The issues I have with that. Right off there's the first thing I hate in all and every book and film it occurs in. It's the marriage = pregnancy syndrome.
Yes. Of course. Tonks is married so she automatically gets herself get knocked up. Lupin, the lycanthropic angstmeister, lets her get knocked up. When she is an Auror. Trying to hide her husband's status. Trying to work for a shady subgovernment organisation. When he is a FUCKING WEREWOLF. Whiny about his status and the dangers thereof anyway.
LUPIN: Oh, I could have infected my child!
YES. YES, INDEED YOU COULD HAVE. What a pity no way exists to have sex without potentially creating a child- OH WAIT. There does. It's called contraception, and even if (for some absurd reason) the wizarding world doesn't have such a thing, Tonks' father is a muggle. Hi.
God. Frankly, I'm not even surprised they died, if they were truly that stupid.
*Breathes*
Okay. Sorry. Obviously, I'm sad they died, since I liked them both before... oh, book six. But what? Thank god for Milliways, and for AU.
On that note, JKR still fails at writing romance. All in all, she gives the impression that Harry, our perspective character, was mildly fond of Ginny Weasley, and fell into a moderately friendly marriage with her a little while after the events, and fathered three children apparently by artificial insemination. Given that, it's not surprising that the Tonks/Lupin star-crossed love came across as a cowardly moron of a Lupin not being able to shake off a just-out-of-school fangirl then both getting killed.
Oh, JK. No, no, no.
Ahem. Virulent bile over, you can remove the protective screens now.
The sword! Yay Snape, and yay nice idea that explains how they find it so easily and randomly!
KREACHER! Vindication of Hermione's ElfQuest, hello! Oh, the speed of the turnaround was maybe a bit much, but it still made me oh so happy. The Marauders being kind of bastards to people who are Evil makes so much sense from both sides - they saw things very much in black and white terms, especially as they were so young at the time, and yes, they were popular, and talented, and handsome, of course they were also a bit cocky. They were victims of circumstance at Hogwarts in the Slytherin = bad conclusion they came to, but my god, did they come out the better for it, and push those that could have helped them further away. Because of course a Slytherin or your family's slavish House Elf could never be on the side of Good, and naturally, no-one from Gryffindor, no-one they deemed a friend could ever be Evil. It was foolish, and arrogant, but it makes sense, because we saw Harry leap to the same conclusions. Poor boys. Poor, clever, arrogant boys, James and Sirius. James dead because he trusted Peter, Sirius dead because he mistreated Kreacher. I need to stop dwelling on the, um, fictional characters making me cry.
Ministryyyyyyy. Oh, fuck. This is all kinds of messed up, and yet all kinds of predictable, what with the massive Nazi likenesses.
areyoumymemmy? Looks like you need to bring Hitler back and show them all how to do it. You don't question the Muggleborns, Ministry! Just send them all off in case they use logic at you! Logic is the mindkiller! Because Muggles can't cast magic even with wands, fools! I can't believe no-one pointed that out. Anyway. This arc kind of rocked. Because anything where Umbridge gets smacked down is awesome. (Off hand: totally creepy moment where we see she has marked the poster of Harry, 'To be punished.' *Shivers.*) And yay for rescuing Muggleborns!Anyhow. Ron: Failed apparition. Owie. I was so sure they were going to kill him here. So glad they didn't. And, um. Then he fucked off. Yeeeeees. Well, I'm not sure. I like the idea that he was more susceptible to the influence of the locket more than the idea that he got pissy because there was never anything to eat. And thinking Harry had a plan... um, Ron, has Harry ever really had a plan? A good one? It's always been 'we have to go get this thing/person CHARGE under invisibility cloak RAAAAAAAAAAH quietly.'
Then we get to the very clever idea of Taboo-ing the name 'Voldemort' - now really dangerous to say! That was a great idea, and very realistic to have Harry - who has being saying it casually for years - slip up and lead a group straight to them. And oh, when they get there. Hermione. They tortured Hermione. And yet... in spite of the many many fics that would have it be Ron, no, it makes sense that they spare the Purebloods (and Harry counts, or close enough) and torture the Muggleborn. Owie. And yet, you go girl. *Hugs her hard* Good girl. Good, clever girl. And as I've already said, nicely understated addition of Harry vitally disarming Draco and taking his wand. Very nice indeed.
Oh. What? The Deathly Hallows? Pffft. You think I'm going to review the actual plot? Get out!
Escape from Malfoy Manor! I love to think of them hanging out at Bill and Fleur's, and all because of Dobby's intervention. Oh, Dobby. Don't get me wrong, me annoyed the hell out of me, but was also believable in so many ways, considering Harry's actions, and the devotion spanning all the way back to book two. Oh, Dobby. Oh, Harry. Oh, JKR.
Yay plan! I love the breaking-into-Gringotts bit. Even more, I love the idea of Hermione pretending to be Bellatrix.
HERMIONE!BELLATRIX: Oh, er... Open the vault! I command it as, um, the Dark Lord's one true
Yes. Hoorays for getting the Horcrux. But more to the point, YAY DRAGONS!
Even even more?
YAY HOGWARTS!!!
Snape! McGonagall! EVERYONE IS TOTALLY AWESOME, OMG.
PERCY. THE REST OF THIS REVIEW WILL NOW TAKE PLACE IN CAPSLOCK.
FRED. FRED WEASLEY, GUYS. DIES LAUGHING, HELLO MISTERS ALLGOOD AND KING, HOW ARE YOU?
BATTLE! STUDENTS FIGHTING DEATH EATERS AND KICKING ARSE BECAUSE HOGWARTS ROCKS!
MALFOYS ONLY CARING FOR WHAT THEY LOVE, WHAT THE FUCK EVER, <3.
SNAPE!!!!!! *CRIES* ...OH, SNAPE.
SNAPE'S MEMORIES HAVE ALREADY BEEN ACCOUNTED FOR, BUT THEY STILL MERIT CAPSLOCK. ONWARD.
REMUS AND TONKS. WHAT THE FUCK EVER. IN THIS BOOK THEY WERE SO DUMB THE KID WILL PROBABLY BE BETTER OFF WITH ANDROMEDA. MILLIWAYS SAVES ALL.
OH, HARRY.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA NARCISSA RULES ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING FANFIC WAS SO RIGHT ALL SHE CARES ABOUT IS HER SON <3 <3 <3.
NEVILLE AND THE HOUSE ELVES! BEST BAND EVAR, FOR MY BOOK.
WHEEEEEEEEEEE!
Ahem. Okay, that last 'whee!' was both Neville killing Nagini, and Harry showing up from both death and under the cloak, and Mrs. Weasley beating the fuck out of Bellatrix. If that isn't in the movie there will be a revolt.
YAY RATIONALE. That wins so hard. I believe I have already mentioned so. I love detective novels, have I mentioned? I always read Agatha Christies when I get my grubby little hands on them, so the Draco twist at the end warmed my heart. Beautiful. And that Voldemort got to hear it all before he killed himself on accident? (Ahehehehehe.) Perfect.
Ah. Epilogue. Reads like a fanfic, but in a way that makes me giggle. Hee. I am so very fond of all the characters by now that it doesn't bring it down. Everybody lives. (Apart from those that didn't.) Kiddies are kiddies, and Albus Severus shows... acknowledgement, if nothing else. I don't think either Harry or Ginny named him that for sentimental reasons, but Severus Snape was a part of their past just as much as Albus Dumbledore was, and that they didn't name their first or last child after them says something. Dumbledore and Snape were a part of their lives, and worthy of remembrance and recognition for that - but neither the be-all or end-all of life and living.
It's a sucky name for a kid... but then most wizarding kids have to live with the most awful names, and being Harry Potter's child should help him with that. It's full circle, as Albus is the quiet, self-absorbed one that's going into a new world as his father did, not James - the brash, confident child who took after his mother - but a quiet, thoughtful boy, a little unsure, but with more options - if he ends up in Slytherin now, why not? With Rose, the clever girl, his cheerful brother, a sister to come after him, and even a Malfoy, still. Full circle.
Even if the poor kid is called Scorpius.
:D!
EDIT: I MISSED STUFF.
I loved Potterwatch. I nearly cried at Lunas bedroom. Friends... I understand, they mean so much to her, and she's the one character in the whole book to whom I can truly credit emotions and feeling. Friends, friends, friends. That lonely, lovely girl. I have friends.
...I'm sorry, I need a tissue.
*grins* Chat in comments? I'm going away for a week tomorrow, but I'm very curious to hear your opinions.
There will also, some time, be a Millicon report. But be assured that it rocked hardcore, and I was utterly delighted to see so many people, and have them be as - if not more! - awesome than I had imagined.
Now I must go and dye my little sister's hair.
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no subject
Date: 2007-07-25 05:02 am (UTC)