Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Don't click on the cut unless you want the whole book ruined for you. It's a rather disorganised, emotional review, but it is a review, and it gives pretty much everything away.
Oh, my God.
Dumbledore is dead. Snape is a bad guy. Ginny and Harry... well, no surprise there. Neville and Luna - I quite like that, actually. They're good for each other. I'm glad Neville finally got his own wand, and that McGonagall gave him that boost in the beginning about Charms and his grandmother. It's clear that he's finally being seen for himself, not just a hapless son of two famous parents. Tonks and Lupin - I couldn't be happier. I so hope Lupin can find happiness. Draco. Oh, Draco. Maybe there's still hope for you. His mother obviously cares about him a lot, even is she is rather evil and bitchy. So much depth to the characters in this novel that was missing in some of the other books.
I've just finished reading. My eyes are full of tears and my heart is heavy and I am so utterly overwhelmed.
I can't believe it was Snape. I can't believe he killed Dumbledore. I've never been more horrified, more in denial. I guess I shouldn't be surprised - he made a pact after all, and he couldn't have broken it, or he would have died.
The Pheonix song. So fitting.
I'm glad to finally know more about the boy who was Tom Riddle, who became this evil monster. Seeing him as a human gave him depth. Made him even more horrible to me, actually.
Zabini is black! Ha! What a random bit of insight. I'm sure plenty of fic-writers are flailing. I'm sure all of those who have tried to see Snape in a good light, as I have come to, are completely crushed. However. He didn't kill Harry at the end. He could have, but made the excuse that it was Voldemort's battle, and didn't.
I've gone through such a wide range of emotions. In the beginning, the hundred pages or so, I almost felt like I was reading a fan fic, what with Narcissa showing up, and Draco continuously popping up (I knew it was him as soon as he started whining at his mother in the robe shop). Harry was absolutely obsessed with Draco in this book. Even at the end, Harry's dislike of Draco was tinged with pity for what Voldemort was probably doing to him.
I can't believe Dumbledore is gone. I couldn't believe Sirius was gone, either, but Dumbledore's death at the end of this book completely shattered me. I finally felt like J.K. Rowling was letting us get to know him - he wasn't fluffy, he didn't offer anyone lemon drops - he was human. He was strong. And, God, when Harry kept making him drink that horrible stuff, and he was screaming in agony - that was heartbreaking. And when he said he wasn't afraid, because he was with Harry - that was so important, I think. Just as when Harry told him what he'd told the minister - he was Dumbledore's man. And the way they argued and interacted, as equals. That was new. I think we were meant to see that Harry was finally an adult. He didn't make rash decisions, he thought things through - he gave his friends that potion and probably saved their lives.
The Harry/Ginny moment at the end brought flashbacks to Spiderman, which I didn't think was a terribly good thing. I think if Ron and Hermione are going to stand with him, Ginny ought to as well. She's always loved him and always will. And, yeah, in fandom, I'm certainly no H/G shipper, but in the books, I know they're as meant to be as Ron and Hermione.
Now, I definitely screamed when I found out Snape was the Prince. After I thought about it for a moment, it made sense. He's an incredibly gifted potions master. And the book was of course always suspicious to me. *sighs*
This book rocked my face off. I read for about 03 hours last night, before I slept, exhausted, and woke up around 7.30 this morning to keep reading. I stopped a few times, to eat and whatnot, but I've only just finished in the last 30 minutes. I really think this book was everything it could and should have been. It's proof to me that J.K. Rowling knows what the hell she's doing and that canon is nothing to take lightly. I'm excited about the next book, because it will be a magical world without the barriers of Hogwart's.
I was so proud of Harry in this book. He's figuring himself out, he's growing up. He's not bitching and complaining so much as he's out there fighting the good fight. He's not letting things happen to him anymore.
One thing I'd like to mention is the random asshole known as McLaggen - where the hell did he come from? And why didn't Harry know who he was if he was a 7th year Gryffindor? The school isn't that big. But whatever, he was just a tool to show how much Hermione cared for Ron.
I'm glad that my suspicions that Tonks was up to something bad turned out to be fruitless. I'm also glad that Grawp really was the brother Hagrid needed. I'm glad that all of the Weasleys survived. I'm sad that Seamus and Dean seem to have grown apart from Harry. They're not really involved in his life anymore at all. I am glad that Neville is still around, and that Harry appreciates their friendship. I love how Ron is now amused by Luna and her randomness, especially her Quidditch commentary. He's growing up, too, did you notice? He doesn't always jump to conclusions and is much more sensible. Well, the whole Lavender thing wasn't exactly sensible, but kind of typical and expected. And the way Hermione played his jealousy! That was super-classy. I also appreciated how much Fleur really loved Bill, that she was more worried about him not loving her because of his werewolfness than she was about how he looked, "I'm good looking enough for the both of us!" Ha.
Dumbledore's funeral was so Muggle-like, what with the guy bullshitting about his life, and the tomb. The mermaids and the centaurs made it a bit different, but still. I kind of wish it had been different. I read a fic once about how when a wizard dies, a tree is planted, and the more a wizard is loved, the bigger the tree grows. I always thought that was terribly fitting. At least Hagrid was the one to carry him.
Anyway, I just wanted to get all of that out before I find out what all of you think. I hope you liked the book as much as I did.
Oh, my God.
Dumbledore is dead. Snape is a bad guy. Ginny and Harry... well, no surprise there. Neville and Luna - I quite like that, actually. They're good for each other. I'm glad Neville finally got his own wand, and that McGonagall gave him that boost in the beginning about Charms and his grandmother. It's clear that he's finally being seen for himself, not just a hapless son of two famous parents. Tonks and Lupin - I couldn't be happier. I so hope Lupin can find happiness. Draco. Oh, Draco. Maybe there's still hope for you. His mother obviously cares about him a lot, even is she is rather evil and bitchy. So much depth to the characters in this novel that was missing in some of the other books.
I've just finished reading. My eyes are full of tears and my heart is heavy and I am so utterly overwhelmed.
I can't believe it was Snape. I can't believe he killed Dumbledore. I've never been more horrified, more in denial. I guess I shouldn't be surprised - he made a pact after all, and he couldn't have broken it, or he would have died.
The Pheonix song. So fitting.
I'm glad to finally know more about the boy who was Tom Riddle, who became this evil monster. Seeing him as a human gave him depth. Made him even more horrible to me, actually.
Zabini is black! Ha! What a random bit of insight. I'm sure plenty of fic-writers are flailing. I'm sure all of those who have tried to see Snape in a good light, as I have come to, are completely crushed. However. He didn't kill Harry at the end. He could have, but made the excuse that it was Voldemort's battle, and didn't.
I've gone through such a wide range of emotions. In the beginning, the hundred pages or so, I almost felt like I was reading a fan fic, what with Narcissa showing up, and Draco continuously popping up (I knew it was him as soon as he started whining at his mother in the robe shop). Harry was absolutely obsessed with Draco in this book. Even at the end, Harry's dislike of Draco was tinged with pity for what Voldemort was probably doing to him.
I can't believe Dumbledore is gone. I couldn't believe Sirius was gone, either, but Dumbledore's death at the end of this book completely shattered me. I finally felt like J.K. Rowling was letting us get to know him - he wasn't fluffy, he didn't offer anyone lemon drops - he was human. He was strong. And, God, when Harry kept making him drink that horrible stuff, and he was screaming in agony - that was heartbreaking. And when he said he wasn't afraid, because he was with Harry - that was so important, I think. Just as when Harry told him what he'd told the minister - he was Dumbledore's man. And the way they argued and interacted, as equals. That was new. I think we were meant to see that Harry was finally an adult. He didn't make rash decisions, he thought things through - he gave his friends that potion and probably saved their lives.
The Harry/Ginny moment at the end brought flashbacks to Spiderman, which I didn't think was a terribly good thing. I think if Ron and Hermione are going to stand with him, Ginny ought to as well. She's always loved him and always will. And, yeah, in fandom, I'm certainly no H/G shipper, but in the books, I know they're as meant to be as Ron and Hermione.
Now, I definitely screamed when I found out Snape was the Prince. After I thought about it for a moment, it made sense. He's an incredibly gifted potions master. And the book was of course always suspicious to me. *sighs*
This book rocked my face off. I read for about 03 hours last night, before I slept, exhausted, and woke up around 7.30 this morning to keep reading. I stopped a few times, to eat and whatnot, but I've only just finished in the last 30 minutes. I really think this book was everything it could and should have been. It's proof to me that J.K. Rowling knows what the hell she's doing and that canon is nothing to take lightly. I'm excited about the next book, because it will be a magical world without the barriers of Hogwart's.
I was so proud of Harry in this book. He's figuring himself out, he's growing up. He's not bitching and complaining so much as he's out there fighting the good fight. He's not letting things happen to him anymore.
One thing I'd like to mention is the random asshole known as McLaggen - where the hell did he come from? And why didn't Harry know who he was if he was a 7th year Gryffindor? The school isn't that big. But whatever, he was just a tool to show how much Hermione cared for Ron.
I'm glad that my suspicions that Tonks was up to something bad turned out to be fruitless. I'm also glad that Grawp really was the brother Hagrid needed. I'm glad that all of the Weasleys survived. I'm sad that Seamus and Dean seem to have grown apart from Harry. They're not really involved in his life anymore at all. I am glad that Neville is still around, and that Harry appreciates their friendship. I love how Ron is now amused by Luna and her randomness, especially her Quidditch commentary. He's growing up, too, did you notice? He doesn't always jump to conclusions and is much more sensible. Well, the whole Lavender thing wasn't exactly sensible, but kind of typical and expected. And the way Hermione played his jealousy! That was super-classy. I also appreciated how much Fleur really loved Bill, that she was more worried about him not loving her because of his werewolfness than she was about how he looked, "I'm good looking enough for the both of us!" Ha.
Dumbledore's funeral was so Muggle-like, what with the guy bullshitting about his life, and the tomb. The mermaids and the centaurs made it a bit different, but still. I kind of wish it had been different. I read a fic once about how when a wizard dies, a tree is planted, and the more a wizard is loved, the bigger the tree grows. I always thought that was terribly fitting. At least Hagrid was the one to carry him.
Anyway, I just wanted to get all of that out before I find out what all of you think. I hope you liked the book as much as I did.