The final book in the “Harry Potter” series has been released and MSNBC.com readers are pouring through their copies.

Below is a collection of some of their reactions to “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” and the frenzy surrounding the release. Beware — spoilers lurk.

I thought that the book was wonderful. It tied up all of the loose ends and was incredibly entertaining along the way. Everyone knew that Snape was good and I'm so glad that J.K. Rowling made him into a hero, he always deserved to be one. I do wish that Sirius would have made more of a return than he did, but in the case of Dumbledore's history, Rowling made up for his loss entirely. I'm so happy that Harry was in turn a horcrux, I thought that that might be the road that she would take and it really made it that much more great when Harry overtook Voldemort. This book was just so incredibly creative! It took me all of my Saturday (almost the true 24 hours) to finish and to really soak everything in, and it was well worth the wait for such a spectacular ending. It really lives up to the hype, plus some.
— Anastacia, Pinellas Park, Fla.

I guess you could call me the Simon Cowell of Harry Potter books, but I actually did not enjoy the last book. I feel it lacked true, deep composition and it lacked valuable literary devices which can be used to illuminate the reader's imagination. Further more, I felt like Rowling led us on to believe Harry was going to die and then gave the finale an unsatisfying ending. I feel the epilogue was too sugary & sweet and not well thought-out by Rowling. So yes, I do criticize Harry Potter #7. I apologize to all the MSNBC readers who disagree with me!
— TJ Volcheck, Bakers Mill, NY

It was terribly sad that the series had to end. In fact when Harry thought he was dead I almost threw up. It was awful to see all thoughts people die. I did love the ending! It was exactly how I thought it would end. I had a hunch that Ron and Hermione would get married and Harry and Ginny too. They are perfect for each other. The part I was really amazed by is that Harry and Ginny had 3 kids (which I thought was going to happen!) And I thought they were going to name one of them Lily and another James, which was kind of creepy to have a hunch that actually came true because that never happens to me. Anyways I cried after I finished because I didn't want the series to end. I hope the magic will live forever. J.K. Rowling has changed the world and made my life worth living. I feel so close to Harry Potter, and I love the series and character and the ending it was wonderful!
— Virginia Ellis

The book, in my opinion, wasn't so great, up until about page 350. It was a little bit boring, but that might just be due to my disappointment about them not returning to Hogwarts. However, the ending was absolutely fantastic, and although I had part of the twist figured out already, Rowling threw in a few other things that totally threw me off guard. Snape's memories were, by far, the best part of the book. So much was uncovered in this book. However, the "Nineteen Years Later" part was a bit sugary and unrealistic...I was hoping it would end with another conflict that would keep you guessing after you put the book down. However, Rowling never fails at writing an amazingly intriguing book, especially not this time. Thanks.
— Hailey, Olympia, Wash.

I thought the ending was weak for a Harry Potter book and especially for the end of the series. There really was only a few ways it could have ended conclusively and even Rowling was too predictable in how she intended to end it any how. That and it ended abruptly with no recourse or explanation of the previous 19 years in the epilogue was disappointing. Draco's animosity toward Harry Potter seems to have abated quite a bit. Whoop-de-doo. He was never that important of a character compared to the others that readers have come to know and love — i.e., the Weasleys, the Order of the Phoenix, Harry himself, etc. I mean, had it not seemed as if Rowling just wanted to end the series I would've been fine, but the lack of history and following up on what happened to her characters was pretty inconsistent. Harry obviously got married and knocked up Ginny. Whatever happened to Severus? Was he finally exonerated in the wizarding world? What about Voldemort's body? These really aren't unreasonable complaints. The book is already closing in 800 pages by itself, I really don't think another 25-40 dedicated to a better epilogue would have killed Rowling.
— Sean, Princeton, Ind.

Sales for final Potter book now top 11 million Living, breathing Harry Potter weathers storm Rowling: I wanted to kill parents Stop your sobbing! More Potter to come No more happiness after ‘Deathly Hallows’ Readers rave about ‘Deathly Hallows’ Potter spell broken for fans with missing pages Review: ‘Deathly Hallows’ packs a punch

I liked the book in whole. Rowling pieced a lot together nicely. I didn't like the fact that Harry, in the end, didn't kill Voldemort! Voldemort killed himself with his own curse that was intended for Harry. The ending ("19 years later") left a lot of open questions for me as far as their lives on a personal level. What are Ron, Hermione and Harry doing for a living now? Who is running Hogwarts? She pleased a lot of fan with having Ron and Hermione marry as well as Harry and Ginny but ... I would have liked to know more about their lives other than the fact that they all have kids who are off to Hogwarts now. I felt that a lot more of the past 19 years could have been explained better.
— Jenny, Wentzville, Mo.

I very much love the way J.K. Rowling ended this series. It was a great book. I actually prefer books that leave a bit of room at the end for imagination. I was a bit disappointed about the whole Dudley/Aunt Petunia thing, though. In books 5 and 6, she hinted that there was much, much more to Dudley than we had previously been shown. And Aunt Petunia seemed to know a lot about a world she usually pretended to ignore. Rowling gave us yet more of the Dudley/Aunt Petunia twist in this last one. We now know why Aunt Petunia hated her sister. But as this was supposed to be the last book in the series, she should have done more with it, let us know what Dumbledore meant when he said Petunia had done things to Dudley. Maybe we will see an off-shoot of this series focusing on Harry's family, either past, present, or future? I hope so.
— Rebecca, Denver

If it sold millions of copies, who really cares if it lived up to the hype? She has the money in her account, and I don't think the dissatisfied are going to get much of a refund. I wouldn't pay a nickel for the book myself, but what do I know?
— Ron Yageman, Wyandotte, Mich.

I enjoyed the book immensely and thought it closed the series well. I read it in one day, slept on it, and went back to read the last few chapters — especially "King's Cross" again to truly understand it. I am impressed by the complexity of the level of magic that Rowling delved into and the bravery and selflessness Harry showed when facing Voldemort. Like the others, I also feel that the "19 years later" bit was disappointing. Something like 5 years in the future such as dropping in at the wedding of Harry and Ginny and given us an update on the Weasleys, Teddy Tonks, and everyone else and what they were doing would have been much more satisfactory than what was presented. But perhaps Ms. Rowling intends for us to use our imaginations. All in all, it was well done. Thank you for the wonderful ride Ms. Rowling, it has been magical.
— Elissa Blabac, Phoenix

I read it quickly because I wanted to know whether or not Harry survives, but I wasn't about to read the end first! Now, I am reading it again — more slowly, to savor the details. But while I am pleased with the way it ended, I do have a few bones to pick. First, I found I really missed the folks at Hogwarts — especially Neville, whose voice (once we heard it) sounded so much more confident and mature than the last time we saw him. Obviously a LOT went on at Hogwarts while Harry, Ron and Hermione were in hiding, and I'd have liked for Rowling to "check in" with the Hogwarts kids from time to time to see their evolution into a committed fighting force. I wonder if she remembers that we fans love more characters than just the Big Three. Also, the epilogue raised more questions than it answered — we knew who would end up with whom, the question is what are they DOING? Where do they work? How's Luna, how's Neville, how are the rest of the Weasleys? I really would like to know what a wizarding world looks like 19 years after the fall of Voldemort, and the epilogue just didn't do it.
— Valerie Lynn, Nashville, Tenn.

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