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A review by dullshimmer
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
5.0
In many ways this installment of the Harry Potter series is a bit more subtle and layered than previous books. In many ways there is a lack of a foe to face or grand quest to undertake. This book is more about giving us information and preparing us for the final book. Due to this there isn't quite as much action in the book as some of the others, particularly the previous two books.
This doesn't necessarily mean that it's not enjoyable, it just maybe isn't quite as good as some of the other books. Not enough to dock it a star in my mind, but just a bit slower, more about exploring the past of Tom Riddle and in developing the characters themselves. Harry's main task in this novel isn't to protect a stone, kill a basilisk, or some other amazing feat, it is information gathering. To be given a memory from one of the professors at Hogwarts. It's not the same kind of goal as we've seen so far.
That's not to say that there isn't plenty of memorable moments in the book, just that overall it is slower, except for the very end of the book. At that point things get a bit more exciting, but again like the last couple of books, evil seems to gain more of a victory than the good guys.
So all this to say that Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is still a good book. It's just a bit different than the rest in my mind. It's a little slower and in my opinion focused on setting us up for the grand finale rather than presenting a more action oriented goal.
This doesn't necessarily mean that it's not enjoyable, it just maybe isn't quite as good as some of the other books. Not enough to dock it a star in my mind, but just a bit slower, more about exploring the past of Tom Riddle and in developing the characters themselves. Harry's main task in this novel isn't to protect a stone, kill a basilisk, or some other amazing feat, it is information gathering. To be given a memory from one of the professors at Hogwarts. It's not the same kind of goal as we've seen so far.
That's not to say that there isn't plenty of memorable moments in the book, just that overall it is slower, except for the very end of the book. At that point things get a bit more exciting, but again like the last couple of books, evil seems to gain more of a victory than the good guys.
So all this to say that Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is still a good book. It's just a bit different than the rest in my mind. It's a little slower and in my opinion focused on setting us up for the grand finale rather than presenting a more action oriented goal.