I'm not one to absolutely obsess with a book and finish it with one setting - haven't been for years. So on the initial release date I acquired this book at half-past noon, and fourteen hours and 732 pages later, I had made a true exception!
Rowling had stated a few crux items about this book and the series in general. She'd mentioned how this was a keystone event in the series - I have to agree absolutely!
I have also rarely read a series of books that was intended as a series, where I could simply pick up and read each book and be satisfied with the story-line in each and every one on its own. The Harry Potter series has proved no exception for me; the first book left me craving more, the second had me screaming me for, and the third left a very clear emptiness in my gut as I knew the groundwork had been laid for much more later on. Well, this fourth book surprised me - after reading it, after knowing three books are yet to come, I found myself finishing it and realising it was completed with such excellence that I would have been happy if it were the end of the series on its own.
Two thumbs up? Only because I don't have more hands....
Now, on to some thoughts and analogies which keep popping into my head all unbidden....