Day 30 – Your favorite book of all time

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling

Please do forgive the state of this book. I know that the spine is already cracked and the jacket is wrinkled and slightly tattered. But this is due to the fact that I have read this book a lot of times. And yes, it is my all time favorite book.

Of all the books I own and read, the Harry Potter series have been the closest to my heart since I grew up with it. Every year, I would eagerly wait for the release of the next book in the series. And the moment that this final book came out, I was in our school’s library at 6am to claim my reserved copy. The time that the book was handed to me, it felt like I was holding the most precious treasure in the world. I was so excited yet so afraid to finish it that I hesitated in turning the last few pages. I don’t ever want it to end. And like many other, I would give anything just to repeat the whole experience, wipe away all my knowledge of the whole series and reread the books all over again. 

As to why I consider this as my favorite book of all time, I have a few reasons. First is that everything I had ever known from the first 6 books were changed because of the twists in this one. There were so many secrets unveiled and we see how much foreshadowing there was in the past books. It just feels so great to know the whole truth and the revelations about how the events from the very first book were connected to the end. All the mysteries were so systematically written and was very much the reason why I love the book.

Second is that this book is way more different the the former 6 because in here, we finally see our beloved characters are grown and mature people. They are not just kids hungry for magical adventures, but adults ready to give everything, even their lives, in order to save their whole community.

Third is that despite the almost very obvious and predictable fact that Harry must win and survive the battle with the Dark Lord, Rowling isn’t one to give an ordinary victory. The way it ended is not simple and certainly not a cliché or some sort. Harry’s victory is definitely action-packed yet hair-raisingly brilliant.

Fourth is that even when Rowling caught us off guard with all the tragic death of our most beloved characters in the book, she never denied us the happy ending for everyone. We all know that in every war, there would always be victims, innocent or not, and that’s what the author gave us. She didn’t stir away from the truth just to satisfy her readers. She knew that a lot of us would be disappointed but she still did what she imagined how the story would go. I commend her for that. And like I said, she regained our approval by giving the story a very great and blissful ending.

And lastly, I loved this book because of the strongest most powerful message it held out for the readers: love brings out the light even in the darkest of hearts. For those who have read the book, I guess you already know that Severus Snape is the best proof of that in this book. It shows that no matter how evil a person is, love, no matter what form, requited or not, will always flush out the rotting parts of our soul. It would bring out the very best in us.

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And that’s it! I FINALLY FINISHED THE MONTH-LONG BOOK CHALLENGE! Hooray! I feel satisfied with myself. :)