Go away if you're still reading it! We're going to dish on it now.

y impression: I liked it! I think it was one of the best ones so far... maybe even THE best one. Some things I thought she did well with was displaying a lot of the angst of being a teenager. How Harry was in hell at the thought of having to hold Cho's hand or kiss her. It wasn't that he wanted to, it's that he figured it was expected of him!

But I must say the Wizardling community is really screwed up. How could the Ministry get so powerful and corrupt?

And it was nice to see Malfoy's dad get busted.

I like how Neville is getting more interesting.

Sad that Sirius got killed though. :( Harry's only real parent figure. Sirius did have his immature, self-centered side. Maybe he's not really dead though.

It did seem a little strange that no one thought to warn Harry that his dreams weren't real.

I still think Azkaban is the best, tho I liked 5.

I thought Harry's angst seemed a little pressed or fake; just my impression.

I also thought there was no point for Sirius to die - she built it up, the arch or whatever it was and then "oh...Sirius is dead. The End". Waitaminute?! huh?! Perhaps it leads to something else in the next book, but it felt very tacked on.

And Dumbledore's long confession at the end also seemed just a little weird as well...

Anyway, I like the book - I just thought the end was weird and tacked on in many ways.

Yeah, the way that she killed off Sirius makes me think he isn't dead. I'll have to reread that. Didn't he just sort of disappear? Or perhaps, it's just our expectation. Will we be disappointed if authors don't do the obvious and make sure the good guys we're attached to don't really die.

Yeah, Dumbledore's confession was weird. But then again, he did think Harry would be used against him by u-no-who ;P

And I really think Dumble is being WAY too lenient on Snape. You'd think he'd take Snape aside and have a little chat with him at least.

<blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>How Harry was in hell at the thought of having to hold Cho's hand or kiss her. It wasn't that he wanted to, it's that he figured it was expected of him![/quote]

Wrong.
Im sorry but i was a 15 year old innocent boy myself once (yes i am a guy) and once when all i wanted was to hold a girls hand with whom we both shared interest. I was such a wimp back then and that passageway perfectly resembled what i felt the first time that happend. Also made me remember how stupid it was, but its what goes through a 15 year olds mind, if they arent thinking about sex, etc.

imo ron and hermione will get together
harry and luna would just kickass
cho was a friggin female dog
harry wasnt much better to her

ah young love....bleh

Well, maybe Harry is developmentally stunted in that area. ;) I swear, I know men in their 30's and up like that...

<blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>harry and luna would just kickass[/quote]
in a freakwish way, I totally agree you...both are freaks by their own right...yeah, I can totally see it

I was pretty sure Arthur Weasley, the dad, was gonna die. Then I figured the way Sirius and Molly were ranting at one another there was some kind of hidden affection there and they'd get together. That would get Harry kind of more of a family. Except, you know the book is really about his lack of any close family so that'd kind of ruin that plot element.

But that idea was dashed to hell and back when Sirius died and Arthur recovered!

I have to say that this statement by Firemynd made me think of Umbridge's detention.

^--Would that we could engrave this message onto a paddle and spank the game producers until it's clearly legible on their asses... maybe the designers and dev team would get chance to read it while they're down there.


Wow, that woman was a sadist! She makes the whippy lady look downright playful.

Finally read it this weekend. I liked it I always like the books and I'm glad I got hooked on them while reading my nephew his bedtime story :)

Seems to be alot of unresolved issues in this one that kinda left me going hmmm

Harry's Aunt seemed to show some life and some caring but in the end when it was explained why it kinda left me blah, I thought that from her initial reaction the unresolved feelings between her and her sister would be deeper somehow.

Ditto on Snape and Harry. I'm always expecting some type of revelation that makes Harry see Snape as a decent guy. I don't see Snape as ever being Harry's biggest fan but I would like to see Harry grow up and stop accusing Snape as a bad guy. After Harry saw the scene with his parents and Snape he got into a whole questioning mode that I thought would give him some insight, in truth his father seems to have been more like Draco at 15 than Harry at 15. But James's buds just whiped away all Harry's doubts by saying nah he was a good guy trust us. I know that for Harry his belief in the goodness of his parents is very important but I would have hopped for there to be some attempt on Harry's part to understand Snape yet in the end he's still accusing Snape of being a traitor ect..

I never quite understood why Hermoine was with the Weasley's for the summer. It may have been talked about in book 4 though I'll have to reread that at some point.

And while I now understand why Harry is forced to go to his Uncles every summer I don't understand why it's always a battle to get him away from them. He only has to be there long enough to call it home he doesn't have to be there for all his free time. He's got money of his own he doesn't need to remain with them for more than the minimum amount of time and he would be safer at the burrow or among wizards than stalked by wizard guards (bungling ones at that).

That being said why doesn't he just pay room and board to the Weasleys and help them finacially and give him the homelife he wants. He always feels guilty about being rich when he's around them but other than the money given to the twins he's never made a gesture to help out.

As always I look forward to the next one!

Good points. I agree, I was looking for more resolution or insight into the "Snape is a bad guy / my Dad was a good guy...but man does it seem the other way when I look into the past".

***
y honest guess into all these loose ends is less editing. Rowling is queen of the literary world - and I'm guessing less open to editorial remarks to her story.

I also think she was probably rushed to get a book out.

Another friend made the comment that Harry's teen angst is overdone. Ron and Hermoine aren't going through it and it just makes Harry hard to sympathize with when he's losing his temper all over the place.

Yeah, definitely - he gets so prissy and drama queen...

...

aybe Harry is gay! Next book he's going to start wearing some of Hermione's under-things.

I'm sure Serius is indeed dead, I read about how Rowling cryed because she had to kill off a character, I don't think she would go back on that. I heard somewhere that she has the plots for all 7(is it 8?) books already worked out, so she wouldn't go back on it anyway.

<blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>That being said why doesn't he just pay room and board to the Weasleys and help them finacially and give him the homelife he wants. He always feels guilty about being rich when he's around them but other than the money given to the twins he's never made a gesture to help out.[/quote]

He has wizard money, I dunno if there'd be an exchange place =p.

<blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>He has wizard money, I dunno if there'd be an exchange place =p. [/quote]

The Weasley's are wizards though...

lol, misread that. must have been very tired when I posted. Thought Ndainye meant pay room and board to his aunt/uncle for some reason. that being clarified:

<blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>And while I now understand why Harry is forced to go to his Uncles every summer I don't understand why it's always a battle to get him away from them. He only has to be there long enough to call it home he doesn't have to be there for all his free time. He's got money of his own he doesn't need to remain with them for more than the minimum amount of time and he would be safer at the burrow or among wizards than stalked by wizard guards (bungling ones at that).[/quote]

the way I read it, he has to be at his aunt's any time he's not at hogwarts (hogwarts being the safest place to be). And also, I remember reading that the burrow wasn't safe so they weren't bringing him there. /shrug.

Yeah, that whole connection thing between Harry's mom and Aunt Petunia...

That was pretty weird too though. A little far-fetched, imho.

just not developed enough =P

I can just see Stormhaven as Umbridge making me write lines with that nasty pen:

I will not confuse Stormhaven and Stormfront.
"ow"
I will not confuse Stormhaven and Stormfront.
"ow"
I will not confuse Stormhaven and Stormfront.
"ow"
I will not confuse Stormhaven and Stormfront.
"ow"