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

adventurous dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This has been, by far, my favorite book of the series. Everything about it just felt... better; the characters, the writing, the world building, all of it.

The further I get into the series the more I find that it's not the characters that I'm drawn to, it's the world. Getting a look into
Voldemort's background + family history
is really cool and makes the world around Hogwarts feel more storied and realistic. 

That being said, I did really enjoy the arcs that each of the main characters went on over the course of the book. Everyone felt a bit more mature in this book which was much appreciated after five straight books of childish arguments between the trio. 

The last few chapters were
heartbreaking, especially the last chapter with Dumbledore's funeral and Harry coming to terms with the fact that he is now responsible for defeating the Dark Lord.
 

On a sillier note, Professor Slughorn is one of my favorite teachers so I'm always happy to see more of him. I think that his character does a great job of adding a bit of the, now classic, "silly wizard stuff" to this book's rather dark plot. 

Overall this book was an excellent read and I can't wait to finish off the series. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings