Harry Potter Reading Challenge: Books 5, 6, and 7

When I signed up for this challenge, I committed to FINALLY finishing the Harry Potter series. I re-read books 1-4 and then read books 5-7 for the first time. I knew the tone would get a lot darker, but WOW I was not prepared for how just how dark (and amazing!) the final 3 books would be. Here are my thoughts (spoilers included if you haven't read the books):

Let's start with Order of the Phoenix. From the very first chapter, danger is present, and no one is safe. I felt a sense of unease throughout the entire book, and I had to keep reading to see what would happen to my beloved characters. Harry's angst was somewhat annoying (although it's understandable that a teenage boy in his situation would act that way!). This book introduced one of my most hated characters (Umbridge) and one of my new favorites (Luna Lovegood, a breath of fresh air!). The death of Sirius devastated me. Poor Harry! :( While this book wasn't my favorite, I appreciated the story and understood why it was important to the development of the rest of the series.

Now, on to Half-Blood Prince. As sad as the ending of the last book was, I cried even harder at the loss of Dumbledore. And I even knew it was coming! However, I did NOT know how he would die or who would kill him, so that was a TOTAL shock for me. Even after I found out that it was Snape who did it, I refused to believe that he couldn't be trusted. I knew that J.K. Rowling would figure out a way to explain all of this in the final book! I liked that couples were starting to form in this book, but I had already encountered a spoiler about who ended up together. When I finished this book, I took a couple of days to let it all sink in before jumping into the final book. 

Ah, Deathly Hallows. What a rollercoaster of emotions! I enjoyed the revelations about Dumbledore's past and the reasons behind Snape's actions. Rowling writes such incredibly complex and interesting characters! I mourned the death of many beloved characters, and shed quite a few tears. I loved the epilogue (although I know many fans do not) because I was glad to see that Harry finally had the family he never had growing up. And I loved that Harry, Ron, and Hermione all got to be part of the same extended family. :) 

If I write any more I'll just start rambling about how awesome these books are, so I'll stop now. I loved the movie adaptations as well. I think it might be time for a re-read, this time on audio. I'm just not ready to say goodbye to these characters yet!