Book Review: Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince

Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince by J. K. Rowling

Released: July 16, 2005

Read: First time in 2014

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Format: Paperback, 608 pages

Series: Harry Potter #6

Description on Goodreads:

   It is Harry Potter's sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. As Voldemort's sinister forces amass and a spirit of gloom and fear sweeps the land, it becomes more and more clear to Harry that he will soon have to confront his destiny. But is he up to the challenges ahead of him?

   In her darkest and most breathtaking adventure yet, J.K. Rowling skilfully begins to unravel the complex web she has woven, as we discover more of the truth about Harry, Dumbledore, Snape and, of course, He Who Must Not Be Named ...

   

Review: 
    As with all the other Harry Potter novels, Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince is filled with magic, mystery and mischief. This book is my favourite, if I had to pick one, because it still takes place in Hogwarts, but has a major part of the overall series plot. By this I mean, we finally get to know how to defeat Voldemort, and we get to understand how he's survived for so long without a body. J. K. Rowling's ideas are pure genius and have a way of making you feel like every small detail matters in the end.
    The Half-blood Prince is the last novel in the series that has scenes where Ron and Harry goof off like they used to. They fool around in class, can still laugh and make jokes. It's also the last with quidditch, a sport I've come to love over the years. Sirius-ly (sorry I had to), if we had quidditch leagues or learned how to play quidditch in school, I'd definitely be in on that. Talk about a dangerous and nerve-racking game.
    Half-blood Prince is the end to Harry, Ron and Hermione's childish ways. It's depressing, and sad, but true.

Favourite Quotes:

• "It is the unknown we fear when we look upon death and darkness, nothing more." -Albus Dumbledore
• "The thing about growing up with Fred and George, is that you sort of start thinking anything's possible if you've got enough nerve." -Ginny Weasley
• "It was, he thought, the difference between being dragged into the arena to face a battle to the death and walking to the arena with your head held high. Some people, perhaps, would say there was little to choose between the two ways, but Dumbledore knew- and so do I, thought Harry, with a rush of fierce pride, and so did my parents- that there was all the difference in the world." -Harry Potter

Rating: 10/10 (Of course)

Recommended if you like: Fantasy, any of the other Harry Potter books, witchcraft, a world hidden within our own, quidditch, suspense, adventure, wizarding school drama, war, taking life into your own hands. 

Keep flipping pages,

Lauren

Book Review: The Prisoner of Azkaban

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

Released: August 1999
Read: First time in 2007/08

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Format: Paperback, 317 pages

Series: Harry Potter #3

Description from GoodReads: Harry Potter, along with his best friends, Ron and Hermione, is about to start his third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry can't wait to get back to school after the summer holidays. (Who wouldn't if they lived with the horrible Dursleys?) But when Harry gets to Hogwarts, the atmosphere is tense. There's an escaped mass murderer on the loose, and the sinister prison guards of Azkaban have been called in to guard the school...

Review: Okay so this review is going to have a ton of spoilers, but honestly why haven't you read it yet. This book is by far my favourite out of all the HP books. The whole Aunt Marge beginning always creeped me out as a kid, and it sorta still does. But boy does the book just get better and better from there.
  A big part of my interest in this book comes from the focus on the magical animals in the wizarding world. Like the beautiful hippogriff on the cover, or the Animagus and werewolves. Even the boggart was cool. Don't even get me started on the patronuses (patronus'? patroni?)!
  The other amazing part to this book was the time-turner. The whole time-traveling sequence in this book is great and beautifully simple. While there are some obvious questions, like why didn't they go back in time and kill Voldemort, effectively saving Harry's parents and thousands of other people? Why did Dumbledore not think of these ideas before giving Hermione a time-turner to do homework? Are there other magical teenagers who got time-turners to help with their homework? What happened to them???
   Oh and Hermione punching Draco in the face was a blessing.

Quotable Quotes:
"I want to commit the murder I was imprisoned for."
"Why, dear boy, we don't send wizards to Azkaban just for blowing up their aunts."
"Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light."

Rating: 10/10

Read if You Liked: Carry On, School For Good And Evil, Narnia?

Optimistically yours, Ola