Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Product Details
- Reading level: Ages 9-12
- Hardcover: 672 pages
- Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.; 1st American edition (July 16, 2005)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0439784549
- ISBN-13: 978-0439784542
The long-awaited, eagerly anticipated, arguably over-hyped Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
has arrived, and the question on the minds of kids, adults, fans, and
skeptics alike is, “Is it worth the hype?” The answer, luckily, is
simple: yep. A magnificent spectacle more than worth the price of
admission, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince will blow you
away. However, given that so much has gone into protecting the secrets
of the book (including armored trucks and injunctions), don’t expect any
spoilers in this review. It’s much more fun not knowing what’s
coming–and in the case of Rowling’s delicious sixth book, you don’t want
to know. Just sit tight, despite the earth-shattering revelations that
will have your head in your hands as you hope the words will rearrange
themselves into a different story. But take one warning to heart: do not
open Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince until you have
first found a secluded spot, safe from curious eyes, where you can tuck
in for a good long read. Because once you start, you won’t stop until
you reach the very last page.
A darker book than any in the series thus far with a level of sophistication belying its genre, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
moves the series into murkier waters and marks the arrival of Rowling
onto the adult literary scene. While she has long been praised for her
cleverness and wit, the strength of Book 6 lies in her subtle
development of key characters, as well as her carefully nuanced
depiction of a community at war. In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,
no one and nothing is safe, including preconceived notions of good and
evil and of right and wrong. With each book in her increasingly
remarkable series,
fans have nervously watched J.K. Rowling raise the stakes; gone are the
simple delights of butterbeer and enchanted candy, and days when the
worst ailment could be cured by a bite of chocolate. A series that began
as a colorful lark full of magic and discovery has become a dark and
deadly war zone. But this should not come as a shock to loyal readers.
Rowling readied fans with Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
by killing off popular characters and engaging the young students in
battle. Still, there is an unexpected bleakness from the start of Book 6
that casts a mean shadow over Quidditch games, silly flirtations, and
mountains of homework. Ready or not, the tremendous ending of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
will leave stunned fans wondering what great and terrible events await
in Book 7 if this sinister darkness is meant to light the way. –Daphne Durham
No comments:
Post a Comment