Harry Potter

Well, I feel Rowling has done really well with this book. After reading this, it feels like the last 2 were written only so as to build a platform for this one. Once one reads the last in this series, one realizes how much trouble she took to plan the entire story, because it is either that or she made it up as she wrote, which seems highly unlikely. Each and every character has a purpose, a significant role in themselves. Some people don't like this book, though I don't understand why. People are of the opinion that too much killing, so much so that it stops seeming tragic. Well in a war deaths are not unlikely. The tragedy is in the fact that so many people are dying making it seem almost mundane. It would be stupid to expect only the bad guys dying.
The most refreshing part of this book is that Harry makes his own decisions and uses his own head for a change. Luck plays a smaller part than in the other books. This is for hardcore Potter fans who really want to see some action instead of chance happenings in Potters favor, The detail of the planning done by both sides, and the ultimate confrontation between the Dark Lord and Harry are amazing.
The disappointment in the book is the last chapter, which though written with a purpose to give the note of finality, just acts as a dampener on the events prior to it. Ignore it and it won't do much harm. But read it anyway.

And then there is the movie of the fifth book. Although it lives up to the book in most aspects( ignoring the editing given that it is a huge book), the last part is not fun, the duel between Dumbledore and Voldemort is not half as spectacular as one expects. Other than that, the duels between Death Eaters and Aurors are awesome and not to be missed.