This book is pretty much brilliant. Ben and Emerson weren't lying when they said that MuggleNet is famous for being opinionated. Being the Harry Potter nerd that I am, I rarely get to hash out Harry Potter topics anymore, but this book was both informative and controversial. I found myself nodding my head in agreement at times, and then shaking my head in frustration at others. I strongly disagreed with a lot of the verdicts, but that almost made reading the book more fun.

The book isn't perfect, however. The writing isn't stellar (nor is the editing), some of the opposing arguments were still very one-sided, and some of the arguments were just plain irrelevant. And, some of the topics they argue—such as the Harry/Ron/Hermione love interests and whether the Trio was responsible for Snape's death—seem to have been brought up simply for the sake of arguing and taking up more space. It would surprise me if either of those issues were actually debated among fans. And it also bugs me that Ben and Emerson are so against traditional values such as marriage and family. It is not stereotypical for a woman to get married and have children—it is normal. Tonks and Ginny didn't throw their lives away, and Mrs. Weasley certainly had a life outside the Burrow.

But all in all, I think Ben and Emerson accomplished their goal: I wholeheartedly agreed with some of their arguments, and I was disgusted with many of them. Some of their arguments were so well argued that I had almost changed my mind by the time I got to the verdict. This book was intellectually stimulating and quite entertaining. It is going in my Harry Potter trunk with my precious Harry Potter books. ( )

Love Harry Potter and Mugglenet and really enjoyed this book. Their arguments were really well backed up and really made me think about the issues being raised.
Great book for any Harry Potter fan but mainly die hard Potterheads. ( )

Fun debates on questions such as: Best movie scene, who was more helpful to Harry in finding horcruxes, Hermione or Ron, etc ( )

In their return book, Ben Schoen and Emerson Spartz decide to go for an interesting Q&A debate format. As they mention in the opening (which, by the way, incorrectly names the podcast 'MuggleSpace', which gets on my nerves), many of their views will get on your nerves, and I may be paraphrasing on that one. I found myself continually asking "Did they really have to go there?" and raging at the book. I almost felt like some of the debates, if not all, would have been better off if they'd been argued by fans, leaving the end result ambiguous and up to the reader to decide, as opposed to giving definite answers. The arguments are quick, concise, and compelling, sure to keep your attention in their fun, conversational tones. It really made me wonder what JK Rowling herself would think of some of these arguments, and I almost feel like there'd be some she'd certainly disagree with, although I won't pretend to know how she thinks. I think the one argument that bothered me most of all (and there were many) was the titular one, Should Harry Potter Have Died? I don't know, I kind of feel like if you're going to name your book Harry Potter Should Have Died, that should also be the conclusion you should reach in your debate, as opposed to "Harry should have lived." Maybe that's just me.

Rating: 4/5 ( )

The sequel to Mugglenet.com's What Will Happen in Harry Potter 7 is just as good as its prequel. The Mugglenet staff takes on a variety of Harry Potter-related questions, both serious ( Should Jo have kept Dumbledore's homosexuality a secret?) and not-so-serious (Would you rather kiss a dementor or Voldemort?), giving both sides of the argument and their verdict. ( )