I read the final book and, well, it was okay. It did conclude the story in a generally satisfactory fashion, tying up most of the loose ends and providing a happy ending. But I was a bit disappointed, and a bit perturbed. Here be spoilers:<\/p>\n
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Harry freely uses two of the “unforgivable” curses, apparently without violating his conscience, and receives praise rather than blame. I suppose we’re to understand that desperate times call for extreme measures, but what exactly does “unforgivable” mean? As Eve Tushnet asks, “Who would<\/em> Jesus torture?”<\/a><\/p>\n Dolores Umbridge returns, and she’s very much her kawaii<\/em>-loving old self. A glimpse of a poster of “Undesirable #1” (i.e., Harry) in her office:<\/p>\n A little pink note was stuck to it with a picture of a kitten in the corner. Harry moved across to read it and saw that Umbridge had written, “To be punished.”<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Bellatrix Lestrange may be Voldemort’s most powerful ally, but it’s Umbridge who raises my hackles. I put a little poll in the sidebar asking who is the more evil of the pair. (I also put the poll, phrased a little differently, on my other weblog<\/a>. I’m curious to see if the difference in wording makes a difference in the voting.)<\/p>\n I was a bit irritated when Lestrange was finally killed. Mrs. Weasley is an admirable character, but Neville should have had the honor.<\/p>\n\n