the reading chronicles

Harry is waiting in Privet Drive. The Order of the Phoenix is coming to escort him safely away without Voldemort and his supporters knowing - if they can. But what will Harry do then? How can he fulfil the momentous and seemingly impossible task that Professor Dumbledore has left him? [ synopsis from goodreads ]

Welp, here I am at the beginning of the end yet again. There's not much I can say that hasn't already been said about this book. I think it's fantastic and a great end to the series. I'm always and forever SUPER UPSET about some of the deaths that happen. I mean, I understand them and at this point I have accepted them. But I will always hurt when I reread this book. Which is probably why I reread it the least. (Honestly, my copy of this book still looks brand new. The others look like I threw them out in the driveway and ran over them with my car.)

I do really, really love how this book tied everything together. On this reread of the whole series, I picked up on a lot of clues we see early on in the series that will be important here. And that's just such fantastic writing to me that some things that are going to be SO IMPORTANT later are in throwaway lines all throughout the rest of the series. But I think that's also what makes this series so great?? Because it was so well planned and so well executed.

I also can't talk about this last book without talking about what this whole series has meant to me. When I first started reading it all those years ago, I didn't read a lot. And I didn't read many different things. I stuck with the same kinds of things and this definitely wasn't the kind of thing I usually read. But I connected with this story and with these characters and reading these books felt like going home. These characters became family and that's how I will always see them. This series is one of those that I can reread over and over again because it's like going home for a visit. Even though you know what's going to happen and who you're going to see, you still go. Because you enjoy being with these people. And that's how I've always felt about these books. And that's why I will continue to reread them over again over again forever. Because after all this time, this series is still my favorite.

I can't even begin to tell you how many connections I've made or how many friends I've gained because of this series. And for that I will always be grateful. I can truly say this series changed my life. And now, here at the end once again, I'm always sad to see it end but I can't wait to start over next year and take this journey again. And I'm especially excited for the new book so there will be even more to love. So thanks, as always, Harry. I'm glad I could be with you until the end <33

(Still not pleased with the epilogue though. Sometimes I pretend it's fanfic that's not even part of the book. But that's a whole different can of worms!)

review originally posted on goodreads