RSCR:Respond

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince:
A rambling review by Kate Noyes

The anticipation for the sixth installment of our beloved Potter series was even more intense than in previous years. As I waited impatiently in line with Martha at our local Borders, chatting it up with other insane Potterites, I couldn’t help but mull over the events of the last book. I hoped that Rowling would live up to her promise and deliver her fan base a novel that answered all our questions: Who was the Half-Blood Prince? Who is the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher? Why does Dumbledore trust Snape? Will Ron ever hook up with Hermione? What were Harry, Ron, and Hermione’s OWL grades? How will Hogwarts withstand all the turmoil present in the wizarding world? Is Fudge still the Minister of Magic? Will Percy ever stop being the “biggest git ever”? Whatever happened to that hag Umbridge?

Rowling delivers as per usual, but not in her usual irritatingly suspenseful fashion.

What sets of J.K. Rowling’s sixth evil lovechild apart from the other five is its layering. Instead of imbuing the Half Bloof Prince with excess suspense and intrigue, like The Chamber of Secrets or The Order of the Phoenix, she uses her 652 pages to let the characters she’s so carefully fostered to run amok and build the relationships that have been budding for the past five years. As readers we gain insight into the feelings and motivations of Dumbledore, Harry, Hermione, Snape, Ron, Ginny, and even Voldemort we begin to make the essential connections necessary for understanding of all the events in previous books. By the end of the novel you find yourself endowed with a complete comprehension of the newly fleshed-out characters, and even feel a twinge of sympathy for Draco Malfoy burgeoning within the depths of your heart. This is what Potter fans have been craving since day one. Finally, we get to witness the maturation of the characters who have managed to endear themselves to us. It almost feels like a reward for waiting.

I admit, I closed the Half-Blood Prince in a grief-induced rage. As you may have already guessed (just by reading the other five books and taking note of Rowling’s tendency to kill everything I love and cherish) another beloved character faces his untimely death. Though Sirius Black’s death was tragic, it was rushed and surreal. Compared to the passing of the newly fallen member of the HP Universe, Sirius’ demise was nothing. After I rationalized the tragedy and put it in perspective, I recognized that this was exactly what I knew had to happen at the end of OOtP. In this sense, Rowling did her series justice and deftly set the stage for an epic and emotional battle between He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and Harry in the seventh installment.

However, I do have a series of gripes and complaints about the manner in which this book unfurled. I spoke of a difference in tone earlier, and while this in some small way was a welcomed change, it didn’t always feel like an improvement. I initially feared that the tone of the Half-Blood Prince would be ridiculously dark and dismal, but I was surprised to find that (for the most part) it was quite the opposite. Rowling kept the book lighthearted a majority of the time, and occasionally threw in some dark and foreboding scenes to temper the evident whimsical atmosphere, but these aforementioned scenes are few and far in-between. Though some may rejoice in hearing that Harry Potter has once again returned to its more playful rules, I believe this to be a cause for mourning. Throughout most of the novel, nothing of significance happened. Usually, Rowling builds and builds and builds until the final cataclysmic climax. Such is not the case here.I immediately delved into the pages of THBP, but I didn’t feel as if the first half had the usual ‘I couldn’t put this book down, even if I wanted to’ vibe. Of course, I was immediately sucked in by the potions lessons and other daily facets of Hogwarts life.

Simply put: The first half of HBP is sort of like a four hundred page chronicle of Harry Potter’s day to day adventures, sprinkled with tidbits of importance and seasoned with a flood of background information. Despite said complaints, the ending more than compensates for the lackluster mid-section, and leaves the reader breathless.

Again, I realize that this book couldn’t have been drafted any other way. In order for the seventh book to be the ending we all hope for, an entire book needed to be written in order to construct an ideal setting. This novel was like Rowling’s clean up project: She tied her loose ends, developed her characters, and prepped her universe for the final confrontation between good and evil.

Though don’t let any complaints I aired here fool you: I loved this book. I ate the entire thing up and then was prepared for more Hogwarts-y goodness. I’d say the Half-Blood Prince was the most moving of all six books, but is merely second or third best (ending excluded, of course).

Stay Tuned, Vader assures me her proper review is on the way.