So I finished the book at around 1am last night.
I'm all excited that I get to post my thoughts in a thread I started. LOL.
I'm going to post what I think, then go read what everyone else thought.
First off, I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED the book!!!!!!!
I was absolutely shocked when it was told that Snape got the job of Defense Against the Dark Arts. Never saw that coming since he had been denied the job for the last five books (and technically longer than that).
I've always been so unsure about Snape, which is what I think JK wanted. Is he good? Is he evil? I knew from the end of OotP that he was supposed to be "undercover" with the Death Eaters. So when this book started I was "weary" of what he was doing and the fact that he gave an "unbreakable vow" to Malfoy's mom.
My next comment proves what an amazing writer JK is, if they had been real people I would have been screaming at Ron and Hermoine, "would you just kiss already". They were only characters in the book and I just wanted to scream that. LOL.
Maybe it's just me, but I'm kind of getting annoyed that she (JK) always writes that Ron and Hermoine don't really trust Harry's intuition throughtout the entire book(s) and then at the end when something happens, they trust him. He was saying throughout the entire book that something was up with Malfoy and Snape and NO ONE believed it. They just thought it was an obsession. And it turned out to be right in the end!
I wanna know who R.A.B. is. I spent a few minutes (in between tears of shock) wondering and trying to think who the heck it was.
I was shocked that Snape killed Dumbledore. Yes, I cheated and read page 606 in advance but there was no backstory, I didn't know what had happened. I never in my wildest dreams would have expected Snape to do that. But no matter what I knew Malfoy wouldn't. He basically stated that he had too otherwise Voldemort would kill him and his parents.
I also never expected Snape to be the "half blood prince", but once the background was given, it made perfect sense. I too would have been questioning Dumbledore's motives for trusting Snape (like Harry did).
I really liked the ending. I really liked how Ron and Hermoined stated, without backing down, that where ever Harry was going they were going with him. No if, ands or buts about it. That shows true friendship and courage for what they are about to embark on.
Obviously book 7 won't be about their last year at Hogwarts, it will be about Ron, Hermoine and Harry searching for the Horcruxes. I have a feeling that other members of the DA will end of joining them. The reason I say that is because those characters wouldn't be "involved" in the story if they didn't. I have a feeling that they (Neville, Luna and Ginny are the only ones I can think of off the top of my head) will be the "support" to Ron, Harry and Hermoine's endeavors. Like they (Neville, Luna and Ginny) will be behind someplace (perhaps Hogwarts) doing the research to help them locate and destroy the Horcruxes and then locate Voldemort and Snape.
I think there will be a lot more death in book 7 and it won't just happen at the end of the book. I say that because 7 is it. It is the culmination and let's face it what they are doing is extremely dangerous. Going after Voldemort and Snape and the other Death Eaters. I think there will be quite a few casualties along the path of the book until the end when it will be determined if Harry survives his attack on Voldemort.
So those are my thoughts. I shall now go back and read everyone elses. (I just didn't want to get too jumbled with what I thought and what everyone else thought, so that is why I decided to read after
)