Editorial Reviews The long-awaited, eagerly anticipated, arguably over-hyped Harry
Potter and the Half-Blood Prince has arrived, and the question on
the minds of kids, adults, fans, and skeptics alike is, "Is
it worth the hype?" The answer, luckily, is simple: yep. A
magnificent spectacle more than worth the price of admission, Harry
Potter and the Half-Blood Prince will blow you away. However, given
that so much has gone into protecting the secrets of the book (including
armored trucks and injunctions), don't expect any spoilers in this
review. It's much more fun not knowing what's coming--and in the
case of Rowling's delicious sixth book, you don't want to know.
Just sit tight, despite the earth-shattering revelations that will
have your head in your hands as you hope the words will rearrange
themselves into a different story. But take one warning to heart:
do not open Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince until you have
first found a secluded spot, safe from curious eyes, where you can
tuck in for a good long read. Because once you start, you won't
stop until you reach the very last page.
A darker book than any in the series thus far with a level of sophistication
belying its genre, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince moves
the series into murkier waters and marks the arrival of Rowling
onto the adult literary scene. While she has long been praised for
her cleverness and wit, the strength of Book 6 lies in her subtle
development of key characters, as well as her carefully nuanced
depiction of a community at war. In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood
Prince, no one and nothing is safe, including preconceived notions
of good and evil and of right and wrong. With each book in her increasingly
remarkable series, fans have nervously watched J.K. Rowling raise
the stakes; gone are the simple delights of butterbeer and enchanted
candy, and days when the worst ailment could be cured by a bite
of chocolate. A series that began as a colorful lark full of magic
and discovery has become a dark and deadly war zone. But this should
not come as a shock to loyal readers. Rowling readied fans with
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Harry
Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by killing off popular characters
and engaging the young students in battle. Still, there is an unexpected
bleakness from the start of Book 6 that casts a mean shadow over
Quidditch games, silly flirtations, and mountains of homework. Ready
or not, the tremendous ending of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood
Prince will leave stunned fans wondering what great and terrible
events await in Book 7 if this sinister darkness is meant to light
the way. --Daphne Durham