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Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by JK Rowling

9.5-stars

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Summary Excellent book, in fact I may just start reading it again!

Voldemort is and growing stronger as is his following and dangerous times are ahead for our hero and his friends. Dumbledore enlists Harry’s help, to convince his old friend and retired professor Horace Slughorn to return to his old teaching post at Hogwarts. He succeeds and Professor Slughorn begins the term at Hogwarts teaching potions, with Severus Snape now the Defence of Dark Arts teacher, the job he has so long hankered after. Harry is lent a potions book by Professor Slughorn, which Harry finds a number of notes from it's previous owner, which allow Harry to excel in a subject he has never been more than average at. The book is marked "Property of the Half-Blood Prince". Things do not appear to be as they should to Harry; he overhears Malfoy, who he sees entering a shop dealing in dark arts artefacts and then threatening the shop keeper about an item he wants repairing and another that needs to be kept safe. Snape also seems up to no good but Harry is frustrated at Dumbledore’s seemingly disinterest in Harry’s fears that they both maybe in league with the Death Eaters. As Voldemort gathers strength Dumbledore must prepare Harry for what is to come and looks to past to help find clues that may help them in the fight against the Dark Lord. Not only must Harry now conquer his fear but also his feelings for someone very close to him. The battle against Voldemort continues but can it be a happy ending?

This is my absolute favourite book of the entire series. It’s so dark in places, in fact quite creepy, but the flashbacks to the past in which we learn so much about Voldemort or should I say Tom Riddle are absolute absorbing. Everything seems to be at risk here and you just don’t know what will happen next, nothing and no one seems to be safe anymore. There is also a touch of romance, and not just for Harry, which helps to lighten things, but the tension in this book is palpable and it really isn’t one you can put down. It’s a hefty book but I managed it over a weekend and was left wanting more. There are so many plot lines in this one and the thumping pace does not let up from first page to last. As for new twists and turns and complete revelations, well there are more than you can shake a stick at. Excellent book, in fact I may just start reading it again!

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Harry Potter 6)[Children's Edition] (Amazon.co.uk)

Author: J.K. Rowling
Binding: Paperback
Number of pages: 608
Publication date: 2006-06-23
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

RRP: ~~£8.99~~
Lowest new price: £2.88
Lowest used price: £0.92

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the sixth book in J.K. Rowling's bestselling series, picks up shortly after we left Harry at the end of The Order of the Phoenix. Lord Voldemort is acting out in the open, continuing his reign of terror which was temporarily stopped almost 15 years beforehand. Harry is again at the Dursleys, where the events of the previous month continue to weigh on his mind, although not as much as the impending visit from his Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore. Given their last meeting, Harry is understandably confused as to why the old wizard would want to visit him at home.

Rowling opens with a chapter she had wanted to use for the first book, of The Philosopher's Stone--Lord Voldemort has been creating chaos in the Wizard and Muggle communities alike, the war is in full swing and the Wizarding community now lives in fear. The press have been questioning the events at the Ministry which led to the admission of Voldemort's return, and of course Harry's name is mentioned a number of times. Harry's got his problems, but his anxiety is nothing compared to Hermione's when the OWL results are delivered. There's a new Defence Against The Dark Arts teacher, an assortment of new characters and creatures, and startling revelations about past characters and events.

Gone is the rage-filled Harry of The Order of the Phoenix--he's not being kept in the dark any more, his unjustified Quidditch ban has been lifted and he has matured considerably in his short time out of school. Half-Blood Prince follows Harry into the world of late-teens, and his realisation that nobody is infallible has made his growth that much easier. Accepting his destiny, Harry continues to behave as teenagers do, enjoying his time with his friends, developing his relationships outside of his usual circle, and learning more about how he must, eventually, do what he is destined to do.

J.K. Rowling delivers another fantastic tale which will have the readers gasping for more, capturing the characters perfectly and continuing a tale which readers will enjoy over and over again. --Ziggy Morbi
Amazon.co.uk Review

Harry Potter 6 and the Half-Blood Prince. Childrens Edition (Amazon.com)

Author: Joanne K. Rowling
Binding: Paperback
Number of pages: 608
Publication date: 2006-07-31
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Inc

RRP:
Lowest new price:
Lowest used price: $0.91

Kate from Leicester
"This is JK Rowling's best book. The pace of the book is subtly slower and builds suspense gradually but to better effect. We are also allowed to peer into Voldemort's past, these are the bits I loved most. A thrilling book, the best in the Harry Potter series."

Ollie from Nottingham
"Easily Rowling's best book. The way that she uses such subtlety in her approach to revealing Voldemort's past is astounding."

Anon from Thereabouts
"I am astounded that this book even made the top 10,000. It has to be the worst book (along with HPDH in the entire series). There is no plot to speak of in this book. It takes an entire year for Dumbledore to show HP 5 or so memories. Meanwhile, Harry doesn't seem to care at all that there is an evil dark lord after him. He neither studies more to learn how to defend himself, no does he even try very hard to fulfill the task that Dumbledore gave him. Truly, the HP series is not worth reading after book five."

Angie
"A good book, letting the reader know what the series is all about. "

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