Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J. K. Rowling

As we are slowly approaching the conclusion to the Harry Potter sequence, Luke Reviews reaches the penultimate volume in the series: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. For those of you new to the series (or who want to read the review for a particular Harry Potter novel), simply follow the links:

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

starts up right where the previous volume left off. Voldemort’s return is in full swing, and everyone, muggle or otherwise, is in danger. However, life must go on, and it does so with a vengeance, as Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny (who, starting last book, begins to have a far more important role) return to Hogwarts, struggling through classes, a surprise Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, learning to Apparate, struggling to maintain friendships, budding love, and the continual threat to stop those who appear to be up to no good.

The book reads quite quickly for the most part, although some moments seemed to bog down a tiny bit, but its delving into the past of the series’ over-arching villain truly adds to the build-up for the final book. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince has what is so far the most shocking ending of any of the books, and it leaves things wide open for Rowling’s conclusion, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

The sixth book sees Rowling playing the characters off of each other to great effect, especially with Dumbledore’s largest appearance yet, and each detail we are given shows the Rowling had planned the puzzle since the first book, with elements finally appearing that mean far more now than they ever did before. As the final book looms, Rowling is showing some of her best work.

8/10