I was disappointed that Snape turned out to be bad after all. It was kind of a let down because I think his character was more interesting when he was filled with hatred for Harry but ultimately on his side. Weak and evil is a bit too one-dimensional compared to weak, spite-filled, petty, but tortured with a grudging heart of gold.
I thought the romance and such was appropriate - maybe being closer in age to them I appreciated it more than some
. Though I'm glad she has resisted putting Ron and Hermione together just yet - though I'm sure there will be a climactic scene in the next one re that. Though I do hate the word 'snog' with a passion! There did seem to be a real romance theme, with the older characters as well - I guess to correspond with Dumbledore's 'love is the most powerful magic' thing.
I don't know about the next one! One thing I have loved about all the books is the way the schoolwork and such has been interspersed with the adventures. That is something that I think was not well brought across in the movies (well the one I saw anyway, the third one) because of the time pressures to get all the exciting stuff in. But if they're not going to be at school, then that will be missing.