Hopefully seeing this later. One of the things I felt the book could have done with was a serious cull by an editor, but I guess by that time JK had to write big books.

BEWARE *SPOILERS*:

The first half of the story lacks any sense of plot direction and meanders aimlessly through wadges of pages. I suppose it does create a bleak empty feeling which differs from the typical drive of the other adventures, which may have been intended to help add a note of seriousness to the final installment, but I just found it a dull waste of words.

Also deeply annoying was the complete irrationality of that entire sequence: the characters have one lead and one lead only in their hunt for horcruxes, but despite Harry's protestations, the group simply refuse to pursue their lone lead in favour of drifting aimlessly around the UK all Summer long in a tent (all the while becoming increasingly frustrated by their own aimlessness) *until* they then randomly change their minds and decide to follow their lone lead - enter part II of the story where stuff actually happens. (OK SOME stuff happens, Ron gets annoyed and effs off and the comes back again and Harry gets the sword mysteriously delivered to him, but that's entirely beside the point.)

Ironic therefore somewhat that they decided to make two films from this work, when in my mind it could easily have been one film like the rest, without compromising any of the plot.