Oh Harry, what has come over you?
Written: Jul 26 '05
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Still fun as ever...and hello...600 more pages with Harry, Ron and Hermione!!
Cons: kind of sluggish in the beginning.
The Bottom Line: I love Harry Potter, but I'll admit this isn't the best installment. Actually I would call it the worst book out of all six. But it's still a great read.
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| thecoloursinme's Full Review: J. K. Rowling - Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Pr... |
*First off I would like to warn readers that this review contains spoilers of previous books, but nothing extraordinary is revealed about book six.
You know, I almost didn’t write this review because I figured I wouldn’t be able to pull it off without my outstanding bias. Alas, I shall try.
You see, when it comes to literature I am very critical, hence my tendency to frequent the books section of epinions.com. I read on someone else’s review of the Order of the Phoenix the perfect line to describe J.K. Rowling’s work. She is indeed “the world’s most celebrated average author.” And it struck a cord with me (mostly because I couldn’t deny it). Then it got me thinking. Why do I like Harry Potter so much? I think he is popular not because of his writer’s technique, but in her imaginative story-telling ability. Of course she has a wonderful imagination, and it’s such a great escape. We get to watch this character grow up and metamorphosis into a teenager. He is growing up.
Rowling’s latest addition to the series proves to be lukewarm when compared its predecessors though. In the end of the Order of the Phoenix, we are left with Harry going back yet again to the Dursley’s for another summer away from his beloved home of Hogwart’s School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry has just lot his godfather, and must come to terms with this grief. The beginning of the sixth book is sluggish. Don’t get me wrong it’s still full of wonderful Potterisms and I enjoyed every bit of it, but I found myself wondering what the actual point of this book was. As usual we start off the book the summer before another year at Hogwarts, Harry is rescued (this time from Dumbledore) and swept off to stay with the Dursley’s at the Burrow. The overall ambiance of the book may be a bit darker, due to that fact that it now well-known that Lord Voldemort is “back.” For example, the Ministry of Magic has publicized various defensive techniques and precautionary measures.
As you continue to read the book, you find that the plot of Harry Potter isn’t really advancing much. Oh it is still a delight to read, don’t get me wrong, and you will meet a couple of new characters. But basically the book is about two little mysteries: who is the Half-Blood Prince? And what is Draco Malfoy up to this year? Oh, don’t worry you will find out everything in due time, as usual whatever Harry doesn’t overhear with extendible ears or donning his invisibility cloak, he finds out at the very end on the last pages. If nothing else, the secrets of these mysteries will keep you turning those pages. Another thing to look for however is Harry’s private lesson’s with Dumbledore. As usual Rowling has her new installments and additions to our background info on Lord Voldemort.
How does this book leave me feeling? It’s very frustrating to me because it seems as if Rowling has lost some quality to gain quantity. I don’t want to sound like a broken record of clichés, but honestly I feel like the Prisoner of Azkaban was her last EXTRAORDINARY children’s book. I recognize that an author who is writing for children ought to be afforded certain luxuries…for example the predictability or formulaic plots. HOWEVER, due to the fact that her main characters seem to be maturing quite a bit (as you will notice with her blatant attempts at growing them up in this year by referring to things like “kissing” and “making out like a couple of eels”…even using words like “damn,” “Hell,” and yes…”slut.”), I believe her stories should now be afforded less luxuries. The plot is still as predictable as ever. For example, as usual we have the age old tale: “is Snape going to be the bad guy THIS time?” After reading about it in five other books, it gets a bit old, not to mention disappointing because you’d hope she would have come up with something new.
So there you have it, my main vices with the newest book in the series. You can make note, however, that this still didn’t stop me from completing the book. I still enjoyed the read, and obviously it’s a given that this book is a must-have for any Harry Potter fan.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
thecoloursinme
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Location: Brooklyn, NY
Reviews written: 23
Trusted by: 4 members
About Me:
Freethinker, and book reviewer....
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