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Half-Blood Prince
Fan Submitted Reviews
By Josh Warren
Positive/Negative: Positive & Negative
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was simultaneously the best and worst yet of the Potter series. While a seeming contradiction, the conflicting opinions reflect different parts of the book.
Bad news first... HBP was the first of the series I've read after being immersed in fandom and fanfiction. While such is expected to influence the opinions of the fans, my impression was that Rowling herself was affected--not in the overall plot, but in the insignificant details. The
Tonks/Lupin microplot could only have come from fandom, Hermione's role was drastically reduced relative to the previous pattern. Sirius' estate was handled a bit too quickly, as were other things... such as Harry's feelings
for Ginny. It's like Rowling was reacting to both the wishes, assumptions and questions of fans, but without seamlessly burying them in the overall storyline. Then again, other things were still missing... what happened to
Luna's seeming crush? Did Harry learn anything useful in class? While it's obvious to us, why didn't she wrap up at least the identity of R.A.B.? How dumb (and risky for Harry, too!) was it of Dumbledore to immobilize Harry at
the end? I can see the whys, but like in previous books, it's a little too faked.
However, when it comes to the main plot direction... wow. Unlike some reviewers, I won't bash Riddle's background story... Rowling has said she wants us to understand her evil, much like Lucas wanted us to understand
Vader... and she managed to tie it in to show that Riddle is already two to three-sevenths defeated, though I think the Slytherin pendant may be intact at Grimmauld Place. Maybe no more Hogwarts? Harry's 7th book being a
non-stop adventure seeking 4 items, then Voldemort himself? Is Snape, and not Malfoy Sr., the dark horse waiting in the corner to take Riddle's place? It is fair to say that we are where no one but Rowling envisioned,
and however disappointed we may be with some things, she has blown the possibilities for the last book wide open, and made the likely two-year wait seem like an eternity.
 
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