Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, recently released on July 21, 2007, is undoubtedly the most widely-anticipated book of the year, completing Harry’s seven-year journey through the wizarding world to confront his nemesis Lord Voldemort, along with a host of other issues. With any finale of such a monumental and popular series, there are bound to be victories, disappointments, criticisms, and praise for nearly every plot decision made by the author. The final product, though, is a remarkable end to the Harry Potter series, and a fitting conclusion to the problems raised in the previous books.

After reading the previous book, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, numerous plot lines had been developed that left me worried about J. K. Rowling’s ability to wrap them all up neatly and provide a satisfying conclusion in one more book. The issue of Harry Potter finding the remaining Horcruxes in the space of one book, while it had taken the previous six to locate and destroy only two Horcruxes seemed the most pressing issue. Additionally, the fact that no one, including Harry and Dumbledore, were quite sure what the Horcruxes were and where they would be located presented an even more apparent problem. Furthermore, Rowling used the theme of the Deathly Hallows to further the plot, and spent much time examining Harry’s attempts to understand such universal themes as how to deal with death and the search for truth. more…