half-blood prince reviews...
I have just finished reading the new Harry Potter book; still reeling from the shock over the death of one of the characters. My opinion about the book could be summed up in the following statement: I am upset that the person who dies has to die; I am upset that the murderer had to kill.
Read the New York Time's well-written review about the book here.
Here are some personal comments from those who have finished reading the book:
I received the book this morning and I've finished it. All I can say is that it has left me feeling very upset. I usually end on an upbeat note after Ms Rowling's books. This time I was left with a despairing, defeated feeling. The magic is wonderful, as always. It is well written, however the realistic real life events are a bit too sad, and the twist, a little too twisted.
Chandni Rosser, London
Rowling just spins it all up, the intricacy and touch of the arising plot lead up to a climax that will keep your nose buried in the book till the very last word. Plenty is revealed as the author so cunningly kept the last few bits of the jigsaw. It also teaches us not to extend the hand of trust too far, and to bear in mind that death could be waiting just around the corner.
Kalon Tsang, Hong Kong, China
I thought this book was one of the best. A lot of back-story on Voldemort and a good set-up for book seven. The first part of the book did move slowly, but once the pace picked up I couldn't put it down. I can't wait for the last book!
David, Perth, Scotland
Credibility is a bit of an issue. Whereas before things seemed feasible, here that doesn't always feel the case. It did seem to be more preparation for the final instalment. Despite that it was fairly enjoyable, and staying up reading until 9am - an adventure in itself.
Jay, Staffordshire, England
In addition, here are excerpts from several reviews of the book:
What J.K. Rowling does doesn't look that hard either. She's not a showy stylist or a Big Thinker, but in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Scholastic; 652 pages), the sixth novel in the Potter series, she weaves a remarkable number of narrative threads into a complex, moving and elegantly balanced whole, without any apparent effort. Rowling loves to wrong-foot readers, and the previous book, Order of the Phoenix, reads like the loins-girding preamble to an all-out, good-vs.-evil, wand-on-wand wizard war. But Half-Blood Prince turns out to be something else: an elegant, fugal tapestry in the mode of Prisoner of Azkaban.
Time Magazine
What's suddenly made clear in "Half-Blood Prince," however, whose 652 pages easily constitute the most eloquent and substantial addition to the series thus far, is that the Potter saga works because of its deep, illuminating humor. Yes, the books are dark and scary in places--"Half-Blood Prince" has its creepy corners and moments of soul-furrowing sadness--but the real emotion driving the "Harry Potter" phenomenon is not a shudder, but a chuckle.
Hence, no darkness in "Half-Blood Prince"--the identity of which is crucial to the book's plot and revealed through Rowling's typically impeccable pacing--is so immense that it cannot be rescued by a snicker or a smirk. It's as if she means to suggest that even the most agonizingly difficult times, even the real world that lives beyond the land of Harry Potter, even a world currently enduring an insane spasm of terrorist-induced violence--analogies to terrorism speckle "Half-Blood Prince"--the world might be restored to itself through imagination. Through hope--and through hope's giddy sibling, humor.
Times Online
The wonderful news is on page 533. The devastating news is on page 608. Part of the pleasure of "The Half-Blood Prince" is watching threads of plots from the first five books come together with astonishing neatness. There are some boring passages, to be sure, in which characters rehash the past, but they're remarkably few, given the scope of Rowling's saga.
Rowling manages, this time, to put together the story with none of the flab that marred the nearly-900 page Book 5. "The Half-Blood Prince" is 652 lean pages, in which the essential plot -- Harry gets prepared for a final battle with the Dark Lord -- has just the right amount of side stories.
Detroit Free Press
So what does J.K. Rowling do in the sixth and next-to-last book, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” which was released today? She creates more secrets. This is praise, not criticism. The appeal of the Harry Potter series lies not only in the richly detailed fantasy world Rowling has created but also in the mystery in which she has shrouded it.
At the same time, both the Wizarding and Muggle worlds are being rocked by what seems to the Muggles just a string of unrelated tragedies: a bridge collapsing, an freak hurricane, a few gruesome, inexplicable murders. The Ministry of Magic knows the truth, though: The Death Eaters are on the move. Rowling skillfully brings these two plot points to a convergence while also providing a commentary on modern times. Harry decries the callous terrorism of the Death Eaters but he is also appalled by the careless disregard for the truth shown by the Minister of Magic, who is determined to come across to the public as strong and decisive, even if it means arresting eccentric, but innocent, people.
It’s Harry’s enemies, though, who keep readers turning pages. Voldemort is more of a shadowy presence in “The Half-Blood Prince” than he was in “The Order of the Phoenix” but Professor Snape is back in full-sneer, taunting Harry with glimpses of his past and raising new suspicions as to where his true allegiance lies.
In the end, “The Half-Blood Prince” leads almost everyone at Hogwarts – and probably most readers -- down a road they hoped never to travel.
Des Moines Register
This one is too true to be merely good. J.K. Rowling gets almost everything right in "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince'': A bubbling cauldron of a plot, bewitching images of a dark past, a brooding atmosphere, characters that ache with hope and disenchantment. The result: This sixth book is the best of the Potter series.
And yes, the rumors were true: There is a death in these pages. Rowling has done this before, but never convincingly. A warning to the curious: If you care about Harry Potter and his magical companions at all, this loss is going to tear your soul in two.
The best thing about this novel, though, is that Rowling has gone to greater pains to humanize villains and demystify heroes. Draco Malfoy, a bad-egg classmate of Harry's gang, will evoke pity from young Potter in these pages, and the reader will feel it, too.
This sixth book is the tautest narrative Rowling has produced since "Prisoner of Azkaban,'' yet the added richness of characterization makes "Half-Blood Prince'' a far superior book.
Herald Today
Chandni Rosser, London
Rowling just spins it all up, the intricacy and touch of the arising plot lead up to a climax that will keep your nose buried in the book till the very last word. Plenty is revealed as the author so cunningly kept the last few bits of the jigsaw. It also teaches us not to extend the hand of trust too far, and to bear in mind that death could be waiting just around the corner.
Kalon Tsang, Hong Kong, China
I thought this book was one of the best. A lot of back-story on Voldemort and a good set-up for book seven. The first part of the book did move slowly, but once the pace picked up I couldn't put it down. I can't wait for the last book!
David, Perth, Scotland
Credibility is a bit of an issue. Whereas before things seemed feasible, here that doesn't always feel the case. It did seem to be more preparation for the final instalment. Despite that it was fairly enjoyable, and staying up reading until 9am - an adventure in itself.
Jay, Staffordshire, England
In addition, here are excerpts from several reviews of the book:
What J.K. Rowling does doesn't look that hard either. She's not a showy stylist or a Big Thinker, but in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Scholastic; 652 pages), the sixth novel in the Potter series, she weaves a remarkable number of narrative threads into a complex, moving and elegantly balanced whole, without any apparent effort. Rowling loves to wrong-foot readers, and the previous book, Order of the Phoenix, reads like the loins-girding preamble to an all-out, good-vs.-evil, wand-on-wand wizard war. But Half-Blood Prince turns out to be something else: an elegant, fugal tapestry in the mode of Prisoner of Azkaban.
Time Magazine
This installment - Book Six - while still salted with patches of humor and romance, is the most harrowing yet in the long tale, which has evolved in true epic form: A journey that tests the courage and ability of all, in which some beloved heroes must die, to be replaced by younger heroes - if, indeed, any survive. The key death of "The Half-Blood Prince'' will put sufficient tears in the eyes of Potter fans worldwide to affect global humidity
San Jose Mercury NewsWhat's suddenly made clear in "Half-Blood Prince," however, whose 652 pages easily constitute the most eloquent and substantial addition to the series thus far, is that the Potter saga works because of its deep, illuminating humor. Yes, the books are dark and scary in places--"Half-Blood Prince" has its creepy corners and moments of soul-furrowing sadness--but the real emotion driving the "Harry Potter" phenomenon is not a shudder, but a chuckle.
Hence, no darkness in "Half-Blood Prince"--the identity of which is crucial to the book's plot and revealed through Rowling's typically impeccable pacing--is so immense that it cannot be rescued by a snicker or a smirk. It's as if she means to suggest that even the most agonizingly difficult times, even the real world that lives beyond the land of Harry Potter, even a world currently enduring an insane spasm of terrorist-induced violence--analogies to terrorism speckle "Half-Blood Prince"--the world might be restored to itself through imagination. Through hope--and through hope's giddy sibling, humor.
Times Online
The wonderful news is on page 533. The devastating news is on page 608. Part of the pleasure of "The Half-Blood Prince" is watching threads of plots from the first five books come together with astonishing neatness. There are some boring passages, to be sure, in which characters rehash the past, but they're remarkably few, given the scope of Rowling's saga.
Rowling manages, this time, to put together the story with none of the flab that marred the nearly-900 page Book 5. "The Half-Blood Prince" is 652 lean pages, in which the essential plot -- Harry gets prepared for a final battle with the Dark Lord -- has just the right amount of side stories.
Detroit Free Press
So what does J.K. Rowling do in the sixth and next-to-last book, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” which was released today? She creates more secrets. This is praise, not criticism. The appeal of the Harry Potter series lies not only in the richly detailed fantasy world Rowling has created but also in the mystery in which she has shrouded it.
At the same time, both the Wizarding and Muggle worlds are being rocked by what seems to the Muggles just a string of unrelated tragedies: a bridge collapsing, an freak hurricane, a few gruesome, inexplicable murders. The Ministry of Magic knows the truth, though: The Death Eaters are on the move. Rowling skillfully brings these two plot points to a convergence while also providing a commentary on modern times. Harry decries the callous terrorism of the Death Eaters but he is also appalled by the careless disregard for the truth shown by the Minister of Magic, who is determined to come across to the public as strong and decisive, even if it means arresting eccentric, but innocent, people.
It’s Harry’s enemies, though, who keep readers turning pages. Voldemort is more of a shadowy presence in “The Half-Blood Prince” than he was in “The Order of the Phoenix” but Professor Snape is back in full-sneer, taunting Harry with glimpses of his past and raising new suspicions as to where his true allegiance lies.
In the end, “The Half-Blood Prince” leads almost everyone at Hogwarts – and probably most readers -- down a road they hoped never to travel.
Des Moines Register
This one is too true to be merely good. J.K. Rowling gets almost everything right in "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince'': A bubbling cauldron of a plot, bewitching images of a dark past, a brooding atmosphere, characters that ache with hope and disenchantment. The result: This sixth book is the best of the Potter series.
And yes, the rumors were true: There is a death in these pages. Rowling has done this before, but never convincingly. A warning to the curious: If you care about Harry Potter and his magical companions at all, this loss is going to tear your soul in two.
The best thing about this novel, though, is that Rowling has gone to greater pains to humanize villains and demystify heroes. Draco Malfoy, a bad-egg classmate of Harry's gang, will evoke pity from young Potter in these pages, and the reader will feel it, too.
This sixth book is the tautest narrative Rowling has produced since "Prisoner of Azkaban,'' yet the added richness of characterization makes "Half-Blood Prince'' a far superior book.
Herald Today
posted by wanaimran at
12:09 PM
2 Comments:
wow-you really did do your research!Well, she did humanize draco but I still dont like him much. There's quite a bit on teenage relationships in this book as well. Unlike its predecessors, this book feels incomplete. I cant wait for the next book, the last of its series.
Just only finished the half blood prince over the weekend.
I was warned that it wasn't up to expectations, so I was actually pleasantly surprised that it wasn't too bad. The Harry Potter series have been written in such a way that the plot and build up to the climax has always been very good. However, I'm often disappointed by the 'climax' which is often written in a rushed, contrived and often convoluted fashion (particularly the Order of Phoenix).
Hence after completing the book, I actually thought it was quite good - no spectacular attempts which tend to fall flat.
My only "disappointment" was the final portrayal of Snape and the "ease" in which the death to the major character occured. But then, if you think hard enough and read the relevant clues, I believe the disappointment in this book is meant to be exactly the backdrop to the redemption in the next. Things are never going to be that "obvious". :)
Tony P
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