Film Review: Fantastic Beasts - The Crimes of Grindelwald

I loved Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them - it was a fresh and fun filled romp, in a way that the Potter films hadn't been allowed to be in some time. We got a sense of playfulness! We got to see more of the wizarding world! We got fantastic beasts! But most importantly we got Newt, and my love for Newt deserves its own epic post. (later)

So armed with a fresh re-watch the night before, I went into the cinema excited to see the second instalment. Unfortunately that didn't last long. Even now, several days after watching, I'm still reeling, and not in a good way.

I have a lot of feelings, and a good portion of them are spoiler filled, so be warned, spoilers galore beneath the cut.

Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish Merch I'd Love to Own

Top Ten Tuesday is a feature hosted by the fabulous Jana at The Artsy Reader Girl. You can join in with future topics here!

With the explosion of Bookstagram, bookish merch has become a whole new beast as people seek more items related to their favourite books. There are so many gorgeous items out there, but I've managed to narrow down ten that I would love to get my hands on.

This fabulous A Court of Mist and Fury Feyre mug was in one of the Illumicrate boxes, and I am gutted that I missed out on it. Maybe one day they'll release them again and I can get my mitts on one! Picture by the brilliant Kath Reads, original artwork on the mug by Merwild.


These are official merchandise, but DEAR LORD THEY ARE EXPENSIVE. That doesn't stop me wanting one. Or four. Basically these official Harry Potter house jumpers are everything to me, and even though I'm a Ravenclaw I want ALL OF THEM.
You can buy the jumpers here.

One day I will save up for this gorgeous "Throne of Glass" t-shirt. I adore these, so much, and the idea of having the book to wear is pretty awesome. I'm also pretty taken with the Outlander one as well Also Dragonfly in Amber. Also The Princess Bride. TAKE ALL MY MONEY.
You can buy the t-shirt here.

Keeping with the t-shirts for a moment, I absolutely adore this one for "The Raven Cycle" by Maggie Stiefvater. I've always been a fan of this style, and the boys and Blue seem to fit it perfectly.
The t-shirt is designed and sold by Blissfully Bookish on Etsy.
You can buy the t-shirt here.

I have a bit of an unhealthy obsession with mugs, and frequently have to have a clear out to make room for all the gorgeous new ones I want to get. This is one I've got my eye on and will eventually make room for. Designed and sold on Etsy by Verge of Wisteria.
You can buy the mug here.

I already have a few of Stella Bookish Art's designs - both in mug and print form - but there are still several I'd really like, because I adore her designs.

First up, this beautiful quote from Emily Bronte, in print format. I love this quote, and the design is so beautiful I want to have it on my walls to admire forevermore. 
You can buy the print here.

Next, this beautiful mug for The Night Circus. There are so few merchandise items out there for The Night Circus, so that alone was enough to get me excited that I'd finally found something for this book. However the design is beautiful and captures so much of the essence of the book - I adore it.
You can buy the mug here.

I think this might be my favourite of all her designs. It's so beautiful. The colours, the light, I love it, and I need it.
Possibly in multiple formats.
But for now you can buy the print here.

Now these last two are a little bit cheaty, but I REGRET NOTHING...
For my wedding my husband and I cut, folded, and dyed 3,300 paper cranes made from favourite book pages... Which has given me a bit of a taste for origami book pages! So my final two pieces of bookish merch are these.

A rainbow paper crane mobile, made with pages from "A Court of Mist and Fury" by Sarah J Maas.
I absolutely adore this, and whilst I've made a few for other people I've yet to make one for myself. I can't wait to start though!
You can buy one here!

And finally, with Christmas coming up, these gorgeous "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" origami crane baubles! The perfect way for any bookish fan to decorate their Christmas tree this year!
You can buy them here!

So there you have ten bookish merchandise items that I really need to save up for. Have any of these caught your eye?

Books that have shaped me

Today, it's my birthday. Not only that, it is my thirtieth birthday which calls for some serious celebrations. It's also caused a lot of introspection, so I thought I would share some of the books that have had a huge impact on me over the last thirty years in one way or another. 
Some you will have heard me gushing about lots already, some may be new to you, but I whole heartedly recommend each and every one of these.

Harry Potter by JK Rowling
Of course this series is on here. These books defined a lot of growing up years for a lot of people, and I am no exception. They shaped a lot about my values, my beliefs, and the all healing power of chocolate - thanks Professor Lupin!

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas
This book. I mean, all of Sarah's books have been important to me, but this one most of all. This was the first time that I had truly seen a character in a book that had been utterly broken, was trapped in an emotionally (and sometimes physically) abusive relationship, was suffering from depression, anxiety, PTSD, and was at times suicidal. And she was the heroine. This was mind blowing for me, and I was so so glad that I had held off reading this book for a while, because it meant that I ended up reading it when I needed Feyre and her story the most. This book is incredibly important to me, so much so that I ended up getting a tattoo to mark the impact that it had on me. I will always love Sarah's work, but this one will always hold a special place in my heart.

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
There is something so incredibly magical about this book. It is unlike anything else Maggie has written, and it resonated so deeply with me when I first read it, and maintains that hold on me even now. It is a book I return to every autumn, called by the lure of Thisby, of the capal, of Puck and Sean and this slice of the world that holds so much of my heart, even though it is entirely fictional.
"I am so, so alive."

The Song of Lioness Quartet by Tamora Pierce
Widely documented on here as the beginning of my love affair with bad ass ladies and fantasy books, this series, that wee eleven year old Rosy discovered in her school library, honestly shaped the reader I would become. I still adore these books and go back to them frequently, and when I have kids I will introduce them to Alanna and George and show them how magical the world can be. That's the lasting power of an excellent book.

Fire by Kristin Cashore
All three of the Seven Kingdoms books had an impact on me, but none more so than Fire. She was so different to Katsa, the heroine in the first book. She was softer, coming to terms with her femininity, but no less strong or powerful for that. She was incredible in whole new ways, without sacrificing her hardness and determination when needed. She showcases an amplified version of the attention women experience everyday, and that reflection is hard and necessary to see. It is a beautiful book, an important book, and I cannot fully express how much I love it.

Landline by Rainbow Rowell
Another book that sat on my shelves for far too long, and I ended up picking it up at just the right moment. Landline caught me at a tipping point in my life, and helped me to look at what was important, to focus on what I needed, and wrenched such visceral emotions from me that I hadn't experienced reading a book in some time. I'm both curious and afraid to go back to it again, because I wonder how I would experience it this time.

Paris in Love by Eloisa James
I had already read and loved Eloisa's historical romance novels, but when I moved to France for two and a half years, I was suddenly completely adrift and sought comfort in books. This non-fiction account of Eloisa and her family's own time in Paris gave me just that. The bite size snippets of daily life made me focus on the beautiful aspects, to really appreciate the wonderful things that I was suddenly living with, and it completely changed my outlook on an initially terrifying experience.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Poetic, lyrical, beautiful - this book was unlike anything I had ever read before, and something about that really resonated with me. It's still a favourite I like to sink into. The magic, the love, the characters, the sheer beauty of this world. It is a gorgeous book that means the world to me.

It's in His Kiss by Julia Quinn
This book changed my view on relationships and romance. Julia's books have all done that, but this one is where I started, so it seems fitting to mark it.
This was the first time I'd really seen adult relationships depicted where the shirtless hugging wasn't seen as some closeted dark thing to be hidden. These books celebrated it, they relished in it, and it opened young Rosy's eyes to all the possibilities in the world.

The Lynburn Legacy trilogy by Sarah Rees Brennan

It was really hard to choose just one book/series from Sarah, because all of them have had an impact on me in some way. My love affair with Sarah's work began around fifteen years ago (now that's a scary thought) when I first read her fan fiction. I eagerly followed her progress to publishing and buy multiple copies of every book she publishes (because they are guaranteed to be ones that I lend out to people saying READ THIS NOW). Her - her words, her story, had a huge impact on the shape of my life. It was because of her and her blog that I realised I might actually be able to write as part of my life instead of it being a pipe dream. It was because of her that I realised I could study Creative Writing at uni, and went on to do so. She inspires me, hugely. She is a truly incredible, wonderfully funny person, and her books have shaped me into the person I am today.

So there you have ten books that shaped me into the person I am today. Someone who has a house full of books and an unhealthy reading habit that results in too little sleep.

What books have helped shaped you?

Gorgeous Covers

Whilst you're never supposed to judge a book by its cover, I have a terrible tendency to do so, so whenever particularly gorgeous cover art comes along I'm even more eager to get a book into my hands.

Over the last few days there have been a slew of beautiful cover releases, to whet our appetites for when the books eventually grace our shelves later in the year.

First up is the second illustrated Harry Potter, due out on October 4th. I loved the illustrated version of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, and I think that Chamber of Secrets will more than keep up with the high standard its predecessor set. I can't wait to see more of Jim Kay's illustrations bringing Harry's world to life in this new and beautiful way. Apart from the spiders. I hate the spiders.

Next up, Laini Taylor's forthcoming novel "Strange the Dreamer" which, let's face it, is going to be gorgeous. Which makes the release of this stunning cover all the more exciting. Laini has a way of bringing stories to life, and twisting prose into its most stunning forms. I adored her Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy, and the short story in 'My True Love Gave to Me', and I cannot wait to read her next full novel due out this September. It's going to be beautiful.

And finally we have a cover reveal for Deanna Raybourn's next Veronica Speedwell mystery "A Perilous Undertaking", and a cover redesign for the series.

Cover redesign's tend to vex me, because they inevitably mean that series don't match and I end up with multiple copies of the same book on my shelf in an effort to make my covers match up properly. Not actually that terrible, but that involves waiting until the second book is out in paperback to match the first book only being released in paperback... Such are the trials of a book lover. 
Regardless, I'm so excited about the covers, they're gorgeous and a lot closer to the UK cover that was released originally for the first book.

So there you have some of my favourite cover releases from the last few days, and a few more books that I cannot wait to get on my shelves when they're released later in the year!

Now talk to me! How do you feel about cover redesigns mid series? Particularly when they end up being such beautiful new covers! 

Review: The Iron Trial by Holly Black & Cassandra Clare

Huge thanks to Netgalley for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review

Most kids would do anything to pass the Iron Trial.
Not Callum Hunt. He wants to fail.
All his life, Call has been warned by his father to stay away from magic. If he succeeds at the Iron Trial and is admitted into the Magisterium, he is sure it can only mean bad things for him.
So he tries his best to do his worst - and fails at failing.
Now the Magisterium awaits him. It's a place that's both sensational and sinister, with dark ties to his past and a twisty path to his future.
The Iron Trial is just the beginning, for the biggest test is still to come…

I was very curious to see how the book would turn out, coming from two such well known and prolific authors as Clare and Black, but also because of the comparisons being made to Harry Potter.

Yes there are a lot of comparisons, but there are also a lot of differences too which helps once you get into it. There’s the school for magic, the trio of friends who band together, the sneaking around and general hijinks happening behind people’s backs, the prophecy, the Dumbledore and Snape like teacher figures, but there’s an awful lot in there that sets it apart from the Potter series. The series is always going to divide opinion, and there will always be people who can’t get into it or don’t want to read it because of the comparisons. For me personally it was like looking into a slightly skewed mirror until I got far enough into the story that it stopped being quite so obvious.

It was a bit unsettling though because I did always have Potter in the back of my head. And whilst every effort was being made to make magic school cool and exciting, I couldn’t get beyond some aspects of it. It was underground and cold and dark and no one ever really saw the outside world and the food, no matter how delicious it was described to be, sounded weird… I missed Hogwarts.
And if it hadn’t been so similar in so many ways, that comparison wouldn’t have been there.

Comparisons aside, it is still a very good book. Black and Clare make a great writing team and I really enjoyed the story. There were some great twists, some wonderful characters, and some really intriguing elements. I would have liked to get to know some more of the secondary characters better, and to see more of the magic lessons. I loved the main trio and I loved how the immediate comparisons were squashed and turned upside down by the end of the book.

I’m really looking forward to the second book because it feels like the set up has been dealt with and we can now move in to broadening the world and getting to know the characters better. There’s a lot that I want to know about this world. I think that a lot of the Potter comparisons will have been dealt with and the second book will begin to peel away and show a more individual and unique world to the one we were seeing here.

It is a much younger book, aimed at middle grade readers rather than young adult, and I know that the comparisons will put off a lot of people. However I definitely recommend giving it a go. The writing is good and the lead characters are wonderful. There’s more to it once you get into the story and I think that the series has some really fantastic potential. Let’s hope it lives up to it!

Review: Harry, a History by Melissa Anelli

During the brief span of just one decade, hundreds of millions of perfectly ordinary people made history: they became the only ones who would remember what it was like when the Harry Potter saga was still unfinished. What is was like to seek out friends, families, online forums, fan fiction, and podcasts to get a fix between novels. When the potential death of a character was a hotter bet than the World Series. When the unfolding story of a boy wizard changed the way books are read for all time.
And a webmistress of the Leaky Cauldron, one of the most popular Harry Potter sites on the Internet, Melissa Anelli had a front row seat to it all. Whether it was helping Scholastic stop leaks and track down counterfeiters, hosting live PotterCasts at bookstores across the country, touring with the wizard rock band Harry and the Potters, or traveling to Edinburgh to interview J.K. Rowling personally, Melissa was at the center of the Harry Potter tornado, and nothing about her life would ever be the same.
The Harry Potter books are a triumph of the imagination that did far more than break sales records for all time. They restored the world's sense of wonder and took on a magical life of their own. Now the series has ended, but the story is not over. With remembrances from J.K. Rowling's editors, agents, publicists, fans and Rowling herself, Melissa Anelli takes us on a personal journey through every aspect of the Harry Potter phenomenon--from his very first spell to his lasting impact on the way we live the dream.

The Harry Potter books and the phenomenon that surrounded them and sparked so much has been something that I’ve always been fascinated with. When I studied Creative Writing at University I was startled at how much derision the books were met with – particularly when you can look at the effect that it spawned with reading and books and the development and shift we’ve experienced since their first release in 1997. So the idea of a fan’s account, one who was right in the centre of a lot of the storm around the later books and the films really appealed to me.

For someone who isn’t a fan of the books it’s pretty much a no-brainer to say you most likely won’t enjoy ‘Harry a History’ but for anyone who is looking for a bit of the history and the backstory the book is a perfect entry into that. Anelli’s writing is on the whole pretty good. This isn’t an amateur account, she knows what she’s doing how to draw you in and how to engage the reader. She has the enthusiasm for all things Potter that really shines through and re-engages all those feelings that Potter geeks felt during the hype and the release.

There are a few problems that niggle me, for example the narrative style. The idea is a good one, to take the reader on a journey from the announcement of the final book right up until its release, interspersing that narrative with the story of the Potter books from that fateful train journey right up until the Half Blood Prince, and Anelli’s own journey and discovery of the books and the fandom. However it doesn’t quite work. The narrative is jumpy, you end up having to really try and work to keep up with where you are in the timeline. Also because of this style, people that are referenced by name from the first chapter are not fully introduced in some cases until Anelli actually meets them two thirds of the way through the book. It makes the book a lot less engrossing when you’re constantly flipping back and forth to try and work out what’s going on and who people are.

My other problem is the bias of focus on some areas of fandom. Anelli makes her low opinion of fanfiction pretty clear from the start, which is fair enough not everyone was on board that particular wagon. However it was still a pretty huge area, and not just for the shipping wars, and I didn’t feel that it was looked at in the same detail as, for example Wizard Rock, an area that Anelli clearly loves. The chapter devoted to Wizard Rock is nearly forty pages and filled with more of a backstory on the Harry and the Potters than Jo Rowling, and bogged down in statistics about how MySpace revolutionised music, particularly in relation to Wizard Rock. All very interesting, but not enough for me to be fascinated through forty pages. My interest in the book took a definite dip at that point, whereas prior to that chapter I was utterly engrossed.

However on the whole the book is well written and provides a truly fascinating account of one person at the eye of the Potter storm. I loved finding out extra details that had passed me by before. It took me right back into the whirlwind, reminded me of some of the big events that blew up out of the fandom, some of the things I’d loved about it, and gave me new insights and view points on the phenomenon. The only thing I really wish had been included were the interviews with Rowling in greater detail. Yes I could probably go and dredge them up online, but I think it would have been a really nice touch to have included those in the text itself.

For fans of Potter who want to delve a little deeper into the fandom as it snowballed, and the backstory, this is a great read. There will always be bits that interest other people more, and I do think Anelli does a great job of trying to incorporate all the different facets of the fandom that emerged. She tackles the subject with a commendable passion and enthusiasm and made me want to get up and go and delve straight back into Harry’s world.

My Favourite Christmas Re-Reads

So it’s coming up to Christmas, and as well as new and exciting books that are hitting my door mat/accidentally dropping into my hands when I go book shopping, I love to go back and revisit some old favourites around Christmas time.  Some are just random re-reads of well-loved books, but I’ve picked a few that are particularly Christmassy for me.

Silent in the Sanctuary by Deanna Raybourn

Can you get any more Christmassy than a murder at a country home at Christmas time? No I didn’t think so. I love the Lady Julia Grey series anyway, but the second book in the series holds a special place in my heart at this time of year. There’s something about the dinners and intrigues, and presents and snow and hunts and Christmas pudding making that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I particularly recommend reading this book by an open fire.

The Further Observations of Lady Whistledown by Julia Quinn et al.

Julia Quinn is one of my favourite regency romance authors. I love her characters, I love her world, and I love the way she’s created such a host of characters that everything interweaves and overlaps between the books. I also love Lady Whistledown, a gossip columnist that documents the scandals and parties of the ton. So a book of short stories by a collection of my favourite authors, at Christmas time, interwoven by Lady Whistledown’s own gossip and musings – la! What more could one want? Apart from a handsome hero to sweep me off my feet…

From Notting Hill with Love… Actually by Ali McNamara

I read this one for the first time just before Christmas last year, and that combined with the title and fabulous rom-com references throughout make this one of my ultimate Christmas re-reads. After all, Christmas is the season for watching rom-coms. A lot.
So go grab a copy, curl up and make sure you’ve got those rom-coms ready for re-watching straight after.

Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling

Ok, the Christmas moments in every single Harry Potter book are fabulous. Even when Ron and Harry end up hating Hermione in book 3 – it’s still awesome! The Christmas trees! The decorating! The magical bubbles out of Professor Flitwick’s wand! Everything. Whether it’s just a handful of students, or pretty much the whole school in preparation for the ball – I love the atmosphere, the Weasley jumpers, and the insane crackers. Go re-read all the books – or just pick out the Christmas bits to get you in the festive mood!

Film Review: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

This was by far my favourite, and in my estimation, the best Harry Potter film in the entire series. Part 1 was a pretty close contest, but whilst the calm before the storm is good, there’s nothing like the actual battle.

I went along with the midnight crowd, I cried, I cheered, and I mourned when it was over.
I then went back the next day and watched it again, this time making notes. SO below you’ll find my review and thoughts on the film, each of the major scenes that stood out for me has been broken down with a rough track listing for those who want to know where the tracks come in the film.

BE WARNED THERE ARE SPOILERS FOR THE FILM AND THE BOOKS BELOW. DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T YET SEEN THE FILM AND DON’T WANT TO RUIN THE EXPERIENCE. I promise this will still be here when you’ve seen it.

Harry Potter Book Giveaway

THIS GIVE AWAY IS NOW CLOSED.


Entries were drawn randomly out of a hat and the winning entry is Anonymous - Goblet of Fire.


Please would the entrant email me with their address so I can get your copy posted to you.


Thank you to all who entered, and I'm sorry if you didn't win. I'll be having another give away soon!


So as some of you may have gathered, it all ends on Friday...
And to celebrate I'm in the mood to do a Harry Potter book give away.


All you need to do is comment below and tell me which of the books is your favourite and why. I'll draw at random and the winner gets a copy of their favourite Harry Potter book.


This give away is open to the UK and the USA.


You have until the clock strikes midnight on Friday and millions all over the UK ring in Friday 15th by watching the final film.


As always it's good if you're a follower of my blog but not essential - the winner will be picked at random.


Good luck!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part2 - Soundtrack Review/Ramblings

This is insane. It’s almost three in the morning, and I’m sat on my bed in floods of tears listening to the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 soundtrack. If I’m like this over the music heaven help me (and whoever I drag with me to see it) when I actually put the film to the music.

I started looking at all the promo posters for this whilst I listened (because let’s face it, I’m a sucker for punishment.) and tried to work out why this was upsetting me quite so much. Yes ok there’s the obvious ‘it’s the end of an era’ line of thought – and that’s particularly true for me and everyone in my year group. Everyone has grown up with Harry Potter to a certain extent, but I wear my badge proudly of being the same age as Harry when the books were released. I read him getting his letter for Hogwarts and spent day after day waiting for mine. I graduated just as he was busy defeating the dark lord. And I think that’s one of the reasons why I found the epilogue so upsetting – because suddenly Harry had gone on. He was grown up, he had a wife and children, and he’d left me behind.

But I digress – we were talking about the final film.
I think partly why I’m finding it so difficult to find the end so near, is because I, like so many others around the world, decided to give the books a last re-read before seeing the final film. And currently I’m at the beginning (well, second year) and there’s something about having baby Harry and co in the book and seeing these posters of them all looking devastated and broken and bloody and so completely exhausted, and it really reminds you that they are just children. They are the same age as when most people do A Levels, and they’re on the run, staging guerrilla attacks and trying to bring down the baddy of the century because the grown-ups seem incapable.

And there’s something so completely heart breaking putting these two together in a way that I haven’t truly appreciated before.
It started to get me in that fabulously awkward yet completely endearing scene in Part 1 where Harry pulls Hermione up to dance in the tent and the most fitting song is playing ‘Oh Children’ by Nick Cave. And I just want to cry because that song is just so perfect for them. So yeah, good choice people.

Desplat has brought something new and exciting to the table of HP soundtracks with his scores for parts one and two. There have been elements that I've loved of all of the soundtracks, but these final two are really taking it further for me. He's got the epic battles, but he's incorporated in a lot of previous themes - Hedwigs, elements of the Weasley's - but also included new ideas as well. There's a lot of battle music included, and he's really gone to town with the drums - just listen to 'Courtyard Apocolypse' and that fabulous beat to get it started. And actually this is a good track to talk about because it starts off so slow, so mournful and just builds until you feel as though it might break you apart inside. It's a slower version of the same theme you find in 'statues' and they both evoke such a fabulous mental image of them going off to fight - all the statues that McGonagall wakes up and sends off to defend Hogwarts. Ooo Shivers.


I want to break down a couple of the tracks in a little more detail, and they're ones that immediately stood out on the first listen.


Lily's Theme (track 1)
It's strange, I can hear a little bit of Billy Boyd's 'Through Mist and Shadow' from the Lord of The Rings: The Return of the King, and a little bit of some of Pirates of the Caribbean. (This motif is actually one that gets repeated later on in 'Snape's Demise' and I love the added layers to the Snape tracks that link it back to Lily.)
 This piece is really haunting, a lot more so than I've come to expect from Potter, so it really sets the tone for the whole soundtrack.
It also is a nice salute to 'Obliviate' the opener for the Part 1 soundtrack - which had me crying within the first five minutes of the film - although it has less of the urgency that came with that.
It's got a long slow strings opener, nice and dark, and then that beautiful voice coming in over the top. It doesn't build quickly, it takes its time, and uses very little else other than that voice. It does a beautiful job of being dark, haunting, and brings across the whole idea of her ghost, the young woman she was that Harry never knew and we see later through Snape's memories.
The strings come in and repeat the theme with a lot more energy, which is still very beautiful, but nothing quite compares to the voice opening. And then we finish with the strings bringing in that quick motif that was used in 'Obliviate' and again in many of the pieces throughout. It sets it up nicely for the rest of the soundtrack - it's a bit edgier, very mournful and really sets the tone.


Statues (track 9)
This is what I'm going to call the 'battle theme'. It's used in quite a few of the other tracks, either in full or just a few bars, and it's a really fab piece of music.
First off, the title gives us the clue where it's going to be used, and I cannot wait to see McGonagall's statues heading off to defend the castle.
It starts with the strings and the drums, a very insistent repetitive pattern that really gets into your head, and then layers everything over the top, the woodwind joining in, each section coming in one after the other until what started as a battle march has melded into this beautiful piece - almost as more people are drawn into it, and come to fight. 
At its peak we get a fabulous moment with the drums and a trumpet, everything about this soundtrack is mournful as well as being beautiful, and this captures that and brings it into this track. It then drops and we have the strings bring a darker element, a slight variation on the initial battle theme, quieter but no less insistent. Followed by a really beautiful, slightly slower repeat of the battle theme until the end.


Battlefield (track 12)
This one gets me because it uses the Weasley twins music to kick start the piece. A very exciting strings build to kick it off and then everything pauses for a moment for the drums and then everything just kicks off into this really urgent piece - far more so than anything else we've had so far. The strings set the tempo and the brass weave in around it and it really is just so exciting and fast paced that you can almost feel everything going on around you. It's a lot busier, where statues was quite focused this is all over the place whilst being quite contained if that makes any sense...
You get a lone trumpet calling out and then a lull before the strings really pick it up again. Everything just builds and builds and then it all goes quiet. It's quite a frustrating end to the piece, and I wonder how it ends in the film. This one just really carries on that momentum that was gained in statues and you feel as though you're right in the action - and as I said, the Weasley twins theme just makes me want to cry, but I love that it's there.


Courtyard Apocalypse (track 15)

This uses the battle theme again, and it's very similar at first to statues. The drum goes on a lot longer at the start, and the whole is very much slower - it feels like the scene is going to be a lot of slow motion, blood, curses, and tears as lots of people die...
It's a much heavier drum beat, and as I said much slower, and then the strings come in again and we have a repeat of statues but there's none of the vibrancy and excitement over the battle this time. It feels as though the true devastation is starting to creep in, and we get an overlay of strings instead of the woodwind to start with. The violins provide a haunting rendition of the main 'theme' and it isn't until almost two thirds through the track that the brass really comes in underneath to give that extra boost to the bass thrumming through the piece. It's a very sad solemn piece, but I love it because it takes that initial battle theme that was initiated in statues and changes it into this dark piece that is so devastating rather the energetic. 


There are some other really fabulous pieces, but if I went through all of them I'd most likely bore you to tears, so I've just picked out those as a few of my favourites.


Whilst you don't have the continuation that I like in CD's with something like this where they're taking out key elements and making them into individual tracks, you still get a nice build of emotion as the journey progresses from what I can only assume is the opener 'Lily's Theme' to the beautiful close 'A New Beginning' which is, quite frankly, perfect.
On a re-read of the book, I really hope this is used either in the epilogue or when the sun rises and Voldemort is finally defeated. Either suit this piece perfectly.


Desplat knows how to work his orchestra, and virtually every instrument gets its moment throughout. The strings in particular work exceptionally hard and create a lot of the more stirring or mournful moments. But you get woodwind coming in right behind, and the drums are just crazy.

There are some tracks that I'm not that fussed on, and given their titles I'm really upset that they're not better. I really don't like any of Neville's pieces, which is tragic because Matt Lewis/Neville are (you can tell) going to be epic in this finale, and I really wanted something epic to show him off. Although as I listen to 'Neville the Hero' again, there are elements that start to grow on me, and I can see it working, but I'm curious to see how the music works with the film.


However, the more I listen to the soundtrack as a whole, the more I come to like the pieces that I initially wasn't that fussed on. It's definitely something that grows on you. But some tracks immediately leap out at you as being truly exceptional - I've listed them with links below.

And you get a wide variety on show here, not just of Desplat's incredible prowess, but the incorporation of older themes - the quiet melancholy pieces in the soundtrack like ‘Lily’s Theme’ and ‘Harry’s Sacrifice’ where you get strains of his earlier themes, including in 'Snape's Demise' a slow moment of Hedwig's theme. And also some of the bigger ones like ‘Battlefield’ where you can hear slight elements of the various Weasley themes we’ve had over the years – and it just makes me think of all of them racing off to the end, no matter the consequences, and how fiercly they all fight. Some for love, some because it’s what they’ve been waiting for, and some laughing because it’s the best game in the world. And it breaks me.

So I guess what I’m trying to do in a round about sort of way is first off to say oh good lord this soundtrack is brilliant, and that’s without seeing the film, and I find that to be a mark of a really great soundtrack if I like it before the film. So if you haven’t had chance to listen to it, go forth. Pretty much all of it is good, but I highly recommend (because they make me cry and get goosebumps) ‘Lily’s Theme’, ‘Statues’,  ‘Battlefield’, ‘Courtyard Apocalypse’ , ‘Harry Surrenders’,  and ‘A New Beginning.’


It feels like a fitting send off and tribute to Harry but also to Hogwarts and the whole world. I've always loved Deathly Hallows because all this build up and tension and Harry refusing to let anyone else take some of the burden is broken down, and everyone gets a chance to fight for what they love and what they want to protect, and I think some of the tracks really reflect that beautifully.

But it’s not just about the soundtrack. I’ll do a later post  with a review of the film, and when I have finished re-reading the books I’ll do a review post of all of those as well. This is more of a warm up. A start to the goodbye which will actually be a really difficult one for a lot of people, including me, even though we have the films and the books to go back to. There is no more though, it’s a close of a chapter, and a lot of people are starting to feel that all over again now that the films are coming to an end.

So thank you for listening to my ramblings, my musings on the soundtrack and how many packets of tissues I may need to take to the film with me. How many packets are you taking? What are you most looking forward to seeing? And what do you think is going to make you cry the most?...