{ it's dark in here }

[delga]

Edit: Day of Mourning has been postponed a week. Yay :) Instead, we get to watch the Miami/NY cross-over! *much squeeage*

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Cut because I'm a bitch about this fandom in general and because there's quite a bit to it. Note: if you disagree with what I've said, fine. But don't go crazy on me. It's no secret that I'm not Rowling's biggest fan and I also hate fandom crazies because they are quite obviously fully out of their frakking minds, whichever fandom they belong to.

Well, I give Rowling kudos for having the guts to knock Dumbledore off. I also think that, as ever, her writing gets better the closer the novel meets its climax. The ending of the last three books have been, undoubtedly, well-constructed and executed. I can't shake my irritancy at her narrative voice, though, because she needs to decide whether she's writing for adults or children. I don't mind cross-over fiction but Rowling can't play it. No, she just can't.

I miss the politics of the fifth novel but the sixth book has its own highlights and, again, they're all in the last few chapters of the book. I hope Rowling knows where she's going with the seventh book, I really truly do because there is so much potential for Harry's character - he's so raw, so ready to be the hero that Rowling desperately tries to make him. Now that he has no-one to enshroud him (but for Hermione and Ron et al), he can step up and be the wizard he's been training to be. Let's have that happen. I'm still convinced he's going to die. I don't, however, think Rowling can use Neville Longbottom as a get out of jail card anymore; not when there's been so much emphasis on Harry being it. But I wouldn't be surprised if she doubled back like that. I mean, look at Snape.

Oddly, I quite feel for Draco this time around. Normally, I don't give a toss but this time - can you imagine the enormity of the burden placed on him? It's just madness.

My big hate of the book was all the ships that came out of the woodwork because I feel like Rowling did every fucing thing she could to kill fandom. No, seriously. I know she hates all the slash work out there. But it was so forced! Why couldn't it have been more subtle? And why was it such a fixative point? Gah.

Back to Dumbledore - I still thing this was a great move on her part and the funeral was brilliantly executed. I loved the line when Harry realises that the Phoenix has left for good; that was a deft touch. Oh gods, Minerva's headmistress! Brilliant. Minerva has always been a dependable, stable character, consistent throughout. The flashbacks were... well, I thought they were cheap but they're actually a pretty nifty way of doing things. They were interesting, too. The idea of the horcruxes has made this into Harry Potter and The Greatest Quest but, again, is clever. At first, I thought maybe Harry was a horcruxe and that was the reason for the prophecy except the prophecy came before Harry was born...but it's a precognition so maybe that still applies. Hmm.

Slughorn, oh dear. Lupin! Oh, that was a fantastic bit of backstory, that was. And now Bill, too. I wonder what shoebox_project will do with the information? Tonks has failed my expectations, moping school girl that she is. Next time, let's hope there's more Luna and Neville (although I loved Luna at the Quidditch match). Oh and the fake horcrux! That's a bitter blow, isn't it? That was a damn good move on Rowling's part and I'm not ashamed to say so. And who else thinks that R.A.B. is Regulus Black? Uhuh.

My contention with the author has always been that I don't think she can write to fit the stories. She has definitely improved over the years and the ideas are fantastic. She does have moments of brilliance. But I also think she finds writing the first half of every book very difficult because they always come out wrong. The writing is just bad. I'm not claiming that I can do better so don't get on your high horse - I am saying thank fucking god for fandom and the good fic writers out there who can do something with all the ideas Rowling throws about. Rowling obviously has something to her and I can't deny that anymore but - but, but! Her strength in the climactic scenes. All her exposition is clumsy and haphazard. I like that she has the guts to do what needs to be done in terms of the plot (Dumbledore, Sirius &c. &c. - Dumbledore's death reminds me of Tara's death in BtVS and how necessary that deathw as for Willow to ake the move to evil; that's how I see it. Dumbledore had to die or Harry would never have matured); I just wish the writing was a little tighter. AND STOP SHIPPING PEOPLE TOGETHER. Gods!

Overall, yes, I will read the next book when it comes out. That being said, glad this is over. Now I can go back and be a fandom whore in fandoms I actually give a shit about. Can you believe I'm only reading the series for shoebox? Because that's the only reaosn why.

I am also safe from wliberation's dare *evil laugh*