Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Harry Potter, #6)

by J.K. Rowling

[Amber (The Literary Phoenix)]

So many things have changed at Hogwarts.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is a complete turnaround from the angsty nightmare that was Order of the Phoenix.  There are EMOTIONS and it is BEAUTIFUL and character development happens and I LOVE IT.

Half-Blood Prince is my favorite book after Prisoner of Azkaban.  There is so much going on, and a BIG adventure is starting, and THINGS ARE GETTING REALLY REALLY REAL.  I could go on and on about how this book is delicious and how Rowling is my Queen.  How the writing is perfect, the characters are perfect, the story is perfect, I miss getting new Harry Potter books gahhh.  Instead of doing all that, I'm going to talk about the moments that made this book SHINE.  Because you're not going to randomly pick up the sixth book in the series, right?  By now you've read five other books and are in love.  So here's what you have to look forward to:

- Ron getting drunk on love potion (ROMILDA VANE!)
- Aragog is dead.
- But this is good because 1.) he's a BLOODY HUGE SPIDER; and 2.) the scene at his funeral with Slughorn and Hagrid is perfectly hilarious.
- Weasley Wizard Wheezes!  Fred and George are rolling in the dough in their joke shop and it's well-deserved and I love it.
- DUMBLEDORE IS BEING ALL MYSTERIOUS.
- Moaning Myrtle and Draco Malfoy are friends now.
- CHRISTMAS AT THE BURROW!  We've been waiting for this forever and it's not as wonderful as one would hope.  Dark times and all.
- Adventures with Dumbledore.  Including both dead bodies and a sofa, but not at the same time.
- Hermione jinxes Cormack McLaggen, as if we didn't love her enough.
- Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour are getting married and Molly is NOT amused.  Nor is Ginny.
- Harry Potter's got a girlfriend.
- He also thinks Draco Malfoy is up to no good.  DOESN'T HE ALWAYS?
- Really, though, Harry's growth in this book is really great.  Such a turnaround between pages 1 & the end.
- THE ENDING WILL LEAVE YOU WEEPING.
- SERIOUSLY HAVE TISSUES READY.

This book never gets boring.  There is so much going on, inside and outside the castle, that you are absolutely wrapped up in it.  Slughorn is an excellent edition to the staff at Hogwarts and Dumbledore's inclusion of Harry FINALLY gives us a little more insight into what's going on.

The end is really rough, and we have to deal with Snape doing Snape things and some VOLDEMORT THINGS.  Most readers will hate Snape by the end of this book, if they haven't already had the entire series spoiled by them but hardcore Harry Potter fans like me or worse.

Read more reviews at The Literary Phoenix.