Mark Reads Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Mark Reads Harry Potter #7

by Mark Oshiro

After many all-caps rants, GIF parties, and nights spent sobbing into his keyboard over fictional characters, it's time for the Mark Reads Harry Potter journey to come to an end. Join series writer Mark Oshiro as he chronicles his unspoiled experience of reading through the final Harry Potter book. Expect tears. Lots of them. Oh, and a few plays. Oh, and the best dedication to Hedwig one could give her. Then expect to cry some more.

Genres: Harry Potter, Nonfiction, Ebooks

ebook

First published February 23, 2013

About the author

MARK OSHIRO is the queer Latinx, Hugo-nominated writer of the online Mark Does Stuff universe (Mark Reads and Mark Watches), where he analyzes book and TV series. He was the nonfiction editor of Queers Destroy Science Fiction! and the co-editor of Speculative Fiction 2015, and is the President of the Con or Bust Board of Directors. When not writing/recording reviews or editing, Oshiro engages in social activism online and offline. Anger is a Gift is his debut YA contemporary fiction novel.

Reviews

[Rita · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed his first reactions with all the unpreparedness and flailing. I also enjoyed his thoughtful reviews from his re-read when he gives overviews of the themes he sees throughout.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh Mark, you are never prepared, especially not for Deathly Hallows. Some of the things that Mark says are just annoying to me by this point while others are simply precious. And the fact that he insists on making all of these reviews so personal... I'm glad that this is the last one. I am glad that Mark found Harry but I don't think I will revisit his reviews again.

[Ivia · Rating 5 out of 5]

These books are perfect companions to Harry Potter, and nothing about that has changed with the last one.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

To quote Mark: "Ok, so, I have to stop with the extreme keysmashes and caps lock freak outs because so much is happening right now." (Chapter 7, pg. 50 in the paperback). That pretty much sums up this entire experience. New characters and plot threads are introduced even as previous ones fall into their final places. Poor Mark.

I've said it before, but it bears repeating: experiencing the Harry Potter books along with Mark has been a joy. The reviews vary between critical analysis and the aforementioned "extreme keysmashes", often both on the same page. I enjoyed reliving the joys and tragedies of the series from a slightly different angle.

The Mark Re-Reads section is very slim and several reviews are for two or three chapters combined. I was slightly disappointed by this because here, at the end of all things, I wanted more of Mark's excellent analysis and exuberant fannish squee. However, it's also completely understandable. Mark got most of his analysis out in the initial read of book 7 (and subsequent re-reads of books 1-6). The book 7 re-reads are still very worth reading, I just (selfishly) wish they were longer.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seriously, if you are a fan of the Harry Potter series, this is an absolute must read. I accidentally stumbled across it last summer and have read it 4 times in under a year!

Mark is a wonderful, insightful human being and his reviews still make me laugh and cry. Unfortunately I can't buy the physical or ebooks as they are unavailable in the UK but I think the blog has lmost everything on it anyway.

I love this and I doubt it will be long before I'm back.

[Eefje · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went through this in one day, secretly crying at all the emotional points (so that my friends who I was on a skitrip with didn't see). It has been a beautiful journey and I'm glad that I got to relive my experience by reading Marks.

[Tiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant!