A Brilliant read but more of a prologue to the final book than a book in it's own right! (Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince - J.K. Rowling)

Member Name: candyfloss89

Product:	Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince - J.K. Rowling
Date:	14/08/09 (35 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: well written, mixture of sadness and humour, the Hermione and Ron relationship is very funny

Disadvantages: I HATE Ginny/Harry together, frequent flashbacks to the past become quite annoying

Recently I went to see the film Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. I decided to read the book again to see how it compared.

THE PLOT
Having recently returned to power, evil dark wizard Lord Voldemort and his followers are terrorising both the Muggle and Wizarding worlds. Even Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is no longer the safe haven it once was. With the knowledge that Harry Potter is the only one capable of defeating Voldermort, Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore is intent upon preparing Harry for the final battle that he knows is approaching. Together they delve into Voldermort's past in order to find the key to unlocking Voldermort's defences to finally destroy him. But as Harry battles to equip himself with enough knowledge to finally be able to destroy his greatest enemy, he also has many secrets to discover. Like what is fellow student and enemy Draco Malfoy's up to? And why is Professor Snape helping him? And who is the mysterious Half Blood Prince?

GOOD POINTS
Malfoy is given a more prominent role to play than in the other books. This is a good thing because Malfoy is a brilliant character but he is often portrayed as being a one dimensional bad guy who despises Harry. In this book we learn more about him and his motivations and in some places you even feel sorry for him. I think this is much needed character development.

The Harry/Dumbledore relationship is also given a more central role in this book. It's a fascinating and complex relationship and it provides some of the best and most moving moments in the entire series, not just this one book. Having lost his parents and godfather Sirius, Dumbledore has become not just a hero to Harry but also, he is almost like a father figure. It means we see more of the brilliant Dumbledore who is a favourite of mine and also seems to get all the best quotes!
It's this pairing of Harry and Dumbledore that give us one of the saddest scenes in the entire book. As always, Beautifully written but heartbreaking (although if you're clever you will have already guessed it was going to happen before it did) I cried more at that scene than I did over any other event in the entire Harry Potter series.

The themes of love, lust and relationships are a pleasant subplot running alongside all the depressing events. It's light relief and it's needed in a book so focussed on such dark themes. I hate the Harry/Ginny pairing and always have, so I wasn't to keen on that plot. However, Hermione's jealousy over Ron's new relationship with Lavender Brown is touching and also provides some hilarious moments and much needed laughs. I find them to be a much more believable pairing than Ginny/Harry and as Hermione/Ron waste so much time arguing rather than just admitting their feelings, we are thankfully spared any soppy or cheesy romantic moments! It brings the previously underused character of Lavender Brown to the forefront who turns out to be a hilarious bunny boiler type girlfriend!

BAD POINTS
My main problem with the book is that it seems as though a solid plot has been sacrificed in favour of building up to and setting the scene for the final book. This is why we get a ropey plot which mainly focuses on Harry learning more about Voldermort. Harry needs this knowledge in order to defeat Voldermort in the final book. And whilst Voldermort is a fascinating Character and it's good to find out more about him, it can get a bit boring to read about Harry's endless trips into the penesieve and a little bit disorientating. It also becomes quite confusing and I doubt younger readers will really understand what's going on. They are much more likely to enjoy the action and adventure scenes but a lot of this is sacrificed in favour of endless trips into the past.

Equally as frustrating is "The Half Blood Prince" plot which not only did I find predictable but quite pointless. I have no idea why the book was named "The Half Blood Prince" when this is more of a subplot than a main plot and it doesn't seem to have much consequence to the ending of the story. I assume that the reveal of who the Half Blood Prince was, was intended to be shocking and dramatic. Instead it was predictable and you're left thinking "what's the point?".

The big twist which is set up in this book but revealed in final book is equally predictable. I wont say what it is but it involves Snape and I guessed straight away.

OVERALL
So the plot may not live up to previous books and you may get annoyed with Harry's endless trips into the past but there is no such thing as a bad Harry Potter book. Even though I feel this book is one of the weakest in the series, it is still a well written, well balanced mixture of laughter, sadness and suspense that is impossible to put down. And it sets the scene perfectly for the final book which you will be desperate to read after finishing this one.

Summary: Brilliant but more of a prologue to the final book