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Half-Blood Prince
Fan Submitted Reviews
By Katie Locke
Positive/Negative: Positive
Prior to opening to the first page of Book Six, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, I always considered the third book my favorite book. It had enough plot twists to keep me happy, and Harry was far more lovable than he was in the very twisty Book 5 However, Book Six takes the cake as my favorite book of the series. The book lifts the entire series to a new level. Harry’s an adult now, or at least he’s calmed down and accepted that in all scenarios, he ought to act like one. The book is twisted, shadowy, light-hearted at points, and above all, it questions what separates good people from bad people.
From the beginning, HBP captivates the reader with several different scenes. The war between good wizards and bad wizards spreads and begins to affect the Muggles —no one is safe from the evilness spread by Voldemort and his Death Eaters. J.K. Rowling emphasizes the importance of family heavily throughout the book from the scenes at the Burrow to Ron’s protectiveness of Ginny and Fred and George’s questioning of their sister at their shop. With reconciliation, love and friendly banter, a reader can never get enough of the Weasley family.
But as the book moves from the opening scenes that boggle the reader’s perceptions of loyalty, secrecy, and the roles of individual characters into the somewhat comforting and relaxing atmosphere at Hogwarts, Harry stands out from the rest of the characters. Gone are the outbursts of anger, the building resentment and the shunning of friendly faces. All the ranting readers had to endure through Order of the Phoenix is over and it actually helped Harry grow up (surprise, surprise!). “The Chosen One” stands up to adults, refuses to be manipulated by anyone, and insists that his instincts tell him that a plot is brewing in Hogwarts. Now, Harry may have a problem listening to people of authority, but this was one time that people of authority should have listened to him.
To me, it appeared that the author (whom I give my most humble bow for incredible characterization and brilliant plot twists) wanted Harry, and her readers, to understand why everything was happening. He needed to understand why Tom Riddle became Voldemort and why Voldemort was not Tom Riddle. He—we—needed to understand the importance (or lack thereof) of the prophecy. We needed to understand how important some people are, and we needed to understand how loss and loyalty can build people.
In the end of the book, the reader understands that life is not based on what was right and what was wrong and who said what to whom. Harry understands that he needs his friends, his love, his loyalty, and the memories of those lost to do what is right. Like I said, this book took the series to a whole new level, and I can’t say I didn’t enjoy it. For the first time, the subtle lessons of Harry’s life are not spelled out in black and white but are woven intricately through actions, thoughts and words (spoken and unspoken). In times of war, nothing can be spelled out in black and white---it’s all gray from here on out.
 
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