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honeycoffeereads 's review for:
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
by J.K. Rowling
Check out Book vs Movie comparison of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince at my blog and share your opinion! http://www.pottertalk.net/2014/03/book-vs-movie-half-blood-prince.html
In the sixth installment of Harry Potter facing off against Lord Voldemort, Dumbledore becomes a stronger leader and grandfather figure to the boy who lived than ever before. Perhaps the most suspenseful mystery that brings them closest together comes from the most grueling and devastating circumstances. To understand how Tom Riddle came to the inexhaustible hatred that lingers where his soul would be (if he had one), the beloved Headmaster reveals to young Potter a series of important memories connected to Slytherin's heir. The prophecy stated "neither one can live while the other survives", and in Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, we finally figure out why.
Rating The Book
The violent and relentless mystique of Voldemort's motivations explored throughout the book comes to close without losing an ounce of oomph. The revelation of Tom Riddle's parents and childhood is a major page turner - perhaps the biggest story since Prisoner of Azkaban. After all the murders and manipulation Riddle commits in order to become the immortal heartless Lord Voldemort we've been hearing about in the past five books, the stakes are raised to its most pain-inducing loss so far.
Half Blood Prince may be Rowlings most sharp and balanced novel of the series. Her prose equally balances all the hormonal ranges of the characters without becoming redundant or exceptionally pervy. The story sustains mystery while revealing all of Lord Voldemort's skeletons in his closet. I would have preferred if some of Riddle's history hadn't been so restricted to Dumbledore's longwinded speeches and continuously jumping into the Penseive, but those are just nitpicky complaints.
Perhaps my biggest complaint for the book is how two-sided Ron Weasley is in both the books and films. It's no secret that his transformation to the big screen would be almost intolerable if it wasn't for the splendid subtle acting by Rupert Grint. However, on that note, I felt like Rowling really tried to keep Mr. Weasley in a box while the rest of the characters had ample opportunities to show different sides of themselves and evolve. Every brilliant choice or action Ron made, or could've made instead of dumbing down his personality and abilities, was usually swept under the rug or disregarded....
In what may be Rowling's best constructed novel of the series, her prose and focus of the storyline does not wander too aimlessly through side storylines or scenes that don't push the plot forward. The prolonged quarrels between the golden trio, or Hermione Granger's stubborn efforts to get S.P.E.W. off the ground doesn't infinitely absorb numerous chapters like in Order of the Phoenix or Goblet of Fire, respectively. While much of what Rowling provides is pitch-perfect for delving into her world-building, sometimes her plots lose focus. With Half Blood Prince, ninety-percent of the character interactions serve a purpose to either push the overall story forward, or their own. It's entertaining and engrossing without going all over the map (Order of the Phoenix finale, anyone?).
In the sixth installment of Harry Potter facing off against Lord Voldemort, Dumbledore becomes a stronger leader and grandfather figure to the boy who lived than ever before. Perhaps the most suspenseful mystery that brings them closest together comes from the most grueling and devastating circumstances. To understand how Tom Riddle came to the inexhaustible hatred that lingers where his soul would be (if he had one), the beloved Headmaster reveals to young Potter a series of important memories connected to Slytherin's heir. The prophecy stated "neither one can live while the other survives", and in Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, we finally figure out why.
Rating The Book
The violent and relentless mystique of Voldemort's motivations explored throughout the book comes to close without losing an ounce of oomph. The revelation of Tom Riddle's parents and childhood is a major page turner - perhaps the biggest story since Prisoner of Azkaban. After all the murders and manipulation Riddle commits in order to become the immortal heartless Lord Voldemort we've been hearing about in the past five books, the stakes are raised to its most pain-inducing loss so far.
Half Blood Prince may be Rowlings most sharp and balanced novel of the series. Her prose equally balances all the hormonal ranges of the characters without becoming redundant or exceptionally pervy. The story sustains mystery while revealing all of Lord Voldemort's skeletons in his closet. I would have preferred if some of Riddle's history hadn't been so restricted to Dumbledore's longwinded speeches and continuously jumping into the Penseive, but those are just nitpicky complaints.
Perhaps my biggest complaint for the book is how two-sided Ron Weasley is in both the books and films. It's no secret that his transformation to the big screen would be almost intolerable if it wasn't for the splendid subtle acting by Rupert Grint. However, on that note, I felt like Rowling really tried to keep Mr. Weasley in a box while the rest of the characters had ample opportunities to show different sides of themselves and evolve. Every brilliant choice or action Ron made, or could've made instead of dumbing down his personality and abilities, was usually swept under the rug or disregarded....
In what may be Rowling's best constructed novel of the series, her prose and focus of the storyline does not wander too aimlessly through side storylines or scenes that don't push the plot forward. The prolonged quarrels between the golden trio, or Hermione Granger's stubborn efforts to get S.P.E.W. off the ground doesn't infinitely absorb numerous chapters like in Order of the Phoenix or Goblet of Fire, respectively. While much of what Rowling provides is pitch-perfect for delving into her world-building, sometimes her plots lose focus. With Half Blood Prince, ninety-percent of the character interactions serve a purpose to either push the overall story forward, or their own. It's entertaining and engrossing without going all over the map (Order of the Phoenix finale, anyone?).