Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Ratings2,899
Average rating4.4
Update 2020: before I get hate because I read Harry Potter, let me tell you that I totally support EVERY LIFE, EVERY PERSON. I am a firm believer of people being themselves and I accept them. Even though J.K has turned out to be the most horrible person in the world, I find comfort reading about a place that has helped me so much when I was younger.
And I probably will still get hate for rereading this series ...
My heart is aching.
I don't think I could say anything that other people haven't, so I'll wait until I re read all of HPs and write a proper review. Until then, let's just make a deal: if you are reading reviews for the fifth volume, you either read all the other four (so, really? you are in doubt about reading the next? what is wrong with you?) or just fishing for what happens (don't bother: good stories are about storytelling, not about the plot, and JK Rowling is nothing if not a fantastic storyteller). So, just grab a copy, will you?
And to begin lightly (The other minister!), to have Harry and Ginny together, and then to haveDumbledore killed... not everyone could have come up eith that line and get away w it sobrilliantly.
Actually, it's really my favorite I think ! I don't know why but I really like how the feeling are treated in the book. I mean, of course, how the (love) relationships are explained. Everything is not black and white, and seeing the multiples jalousies add something more. Rowling managed to describe perfectly this “creature” of love inside everybody. And, of course, the main story is so great. For once, Harry had the right intuition, it's so funny to read how he wants to demonstrate he's right !
And every time I read it, I can't stand the secrecy behind Dumbledore. So much could be more simple if he talks and gives some explanations....
Reread: How could I forget such a major thing? I forgot most of this book since this is probably only my second read. But Dumbledore dying?! I forgot THAT! I cared too much for the characters that I blocked it? That is good writing.
De todos os que já li, este foi de longe o meu preferido. Para além do forte desenvolvimento das personagens e do desenrolar das ações, este volume é denso, amadurecido, prazeroso de se ler. Embora seja dos mais tristes também, isso não anula o facto de me ter feito sentir em casa, de coração a transbordar e com um vício enorme a cada página. Pena estar quase a acabar de ler esta série, mas garanto que está a ser das melhores experiências de uma vida!
Who said I'm crying?! I'm not crying! Just something fell in my eye! Really! Nothing to do with the ending...
What am I supposed to say...? How do you review this story and do it justice? I suppose, given the emotional hangover I'm currently experiencing, my thoughts will be a brief summary:
1) Holy Smokes.
2) I saw it coming, and I still couldn't handle it.
3) Whatver development we get had better be good. Also, the last shred of hope I have, rests on the belief that Dumbledore anticipated the whole affair and things went exactly according to plan.
4) This book was awesome. I love a good, devistating, gut wrenching, climax.
5) Now, leave me alone. I have to read book VII.
Very good writing, indeed. I enjoyed reading this book so much, the story of Harry and Voldemort. Discovering the whole magic world which Rowling created is amazing. Love it!
2005 - 4 stars
2015 - 5 stars
Can't believe I had only read this one once before and that was 10 years ago!
Blerg.
That was unexpected.
After such a lackluster last two outings with Potter & Co. I never thought that I would have as much fun with this book as I did. Of course, there were still a few slight issues I had, but all it all this book was actually pretty awesome.
Admittedly, I've always said that the sixth movie was my second favorite - but now I can totally agree with the people that said the book was so much better than the movie. This book has probably knocked Prisoner of Azkaban down as my favorite HP book so far. This book only missed getting five stars from me by a hair and it was totally worth slogging through the last two for this one.
this.. this ! omfg this!!!! ... I CAN'T
J.K. ROWLING YOU CAN'T !! YOU CAN'T DO THISSSS!!
SHE CAn”T DO THIS TO USSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
CRUEL CRUEL... WHY SHE SOOOOOOOOO CRUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEL
what did he do to you!! WHAT WHY WHY DID YOU DO THIS WHY OMFG WHYYYY!!! I thought Dumbledore is invincible! I thought he was the wizards' God or something... but no. when SNAPE THE ASS , said avada kedavra... I was incredulous SAYING THAT IT HAS TO BE IMPOSSIBLE... IT HAS TO BEEEE !!!!! HE CAN'T DIE! HE DOESN'T DIE! NO HE DOESN'T BUT THEN IT HIT ME!!! He can't... omfg no he can't!! I thought he would counter jinx the avada kedavra using badass wandless magic or something at the last second.. or it would turn out that he is made of rubber and therefore bounced off the ground towards his wand with a badass backflip and saved the world. but no... THIS IS .. OMFG THIS ... I can't... it feels to me that there has been a Dementors attack over our muggle world which robbed us of all hopes and dreams and everything :(THIS IS TOO MUCHHHHHHHHHH
I can't get on with my life now :(
¿Es que acaso todos van a morir? Ojalá que en el final no haya tantos funerales...
Short Review: I have not read this since it originally came out. And I don't think I have seen the movie in full since it came out. It has been a while and I this is a great reminder about how good an author Rowling really is.
My full review is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/half-blood-prince/
While I did enjoy this addition to Harry's story, it was probably my least favorite so far of all of the books. Felt like a lot of workup and a hectic ending. It did make me cry at the end though, so I guess there's something to be said about Rowling's ability to make you feel so connected to the characters.
Amazing that she was able to maintain this kind of consistency across so many books. Another amazing ride especially due to the Pensieve trips. This book is really the setup for the grand finale and boy does it deliver. Reading it the second time around also makes you appreciate how well thought out the books have been. Every comment made has some relation to the past or what is to come. I think the second reading was definitely better that the first. Onward!
Executive Summary: I've gone back and forth on bumping my rating up from 4 to 5. The ending of this book is one of the best in the series but as a whole, I find this book just isn't quite as good as [b:Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire 6 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Harry Potter, #4) J.K. Rowling https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1361482611s/6.jpg 3046572] or [b:Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban 5 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Harry Potter, #3) J.K. Rowling https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1499277281s/5.jpg 2402163]. It's very though, as it's another excellent book.Jim Dale Audio Book: I really want to try the Stephen Fry versions to compare, but Jim Dale has me firmly in his corner as THE way to enjoy these books.Stephen Fry Audio Book: Now that I have tried the Stephen Fry versions, I'm still torn. I'll simply revise my opinion at this point to be you can't really go wrong with either narrator in my opinion.Full ReviewI have to start with the end. Possibly one of the largest spoilers of all time. At least in terms of people being upset finding it out before reading it. I remember being at a convention the year this came out and people seemed to be making it a point of yelling Snape kills Dumbledore. I put that in tags on the very slim chance you either haven't read the book, or somehow avoided that. If you did, I'm impressed. Tell me what your secret is please!People got really creative about this too. I remember someone did a mashup with castaway where Tom Hanks was keeping a copy of the book in that unopened package and then someone flew by the island with the spoiler on a banner behind the plane.I also recall just before the final book came out, people who preordered from Walden books had their choice of bookmark one saying Trust Snape, and the other: Snape is a very bad man. I think I was more in the former camp, than the latter, but it's hard for me to remember anymore.Above all I think this division among readers during what felt like a very long waiting time until [b:Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 136251 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Harry Potter, #7) J.K. Rowling https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1474171184s/136251.jpg 2963218] came out, is what is best about this book. It is certainly THE cliffhanger of the series.Also, in this book, Ms. Rowling finally starts to reveal some of the deeper secrets of the series as Harry and Dumbledore explore memories of the past.As a grown adult, I find the descriptions of Harry's feelings toward Ginny both amusing and nostalgic. I remember having similar feelings when I was I was high school. I don't miss that “monster” as Harry calls it.
Another fine book in the collection.
In the words of Dumbledore: “It is important to fight, and fight again, and keep fighting, for only then can evil be kept at bay, though never quite eradicated. Beautiful book.