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Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
Cutting for major spoilers
I read it for the first time on Sunday afternoon/early evening. I think it took me about three and a half hours in total.
It was good. But the characters have had so long to grow in my mind that it feels wrong in places. Hermione is now 17 - she should be mature enough to not be making that very visible fuss over Harry's success at potions. The relationships between the teenagers don't feel right for them being 16-17 - they feel like they're much younger children/much less intelligent than their other actions show.
I'd guessed Snape was the Half Blood Prince very early on in the book - who else is so good at potions? But why would he allow a book containing such valuable information to fall into Harry's hands? Snape is not careless. He is methodical and thorough so I think that was entirely deliberate. I also tend to think that Snape is loyal to the Order - but he (a) had to kill Dumbledore because of the Oath and (b) has to conceal his loyalty from Harry because of Harry's lack of skill at Occlumency. Yet why give Harry a book containing dark magic that he uses? Dumbledore says that Harry is so special because despite everything he's not been attracted to the dark magic, but Harry *has* used/attempted to use Unforgivable Curses - ie. Crucio on Bellatix during book five.
Harry's lessons with Dumbledore were frustrating - Harry wanting to know why Dumbledore's hand was blackened and Dumbledore refusing to tell him.
I'm surprised at the lack of discussion of their lessons - I was expecting more about how horrible Snape was at teaching Defence (incidentally why allow Snape that job now?).
Why isn't Ginny a Prefect?
Why didn't Harry confide in McGonogall? Would Hermione really miss her last year at school (and thus top grade NEWTs) to help Harry?
I suspect book seven will open with Harry staying with the Dursleys until the day before his 17th birthday when he'll leave to go to the Burrow for the wedding(s). He'll take his Apparation test as soon as he can because Apparation might be useful to him even though he prefers a broomstick.
I read it for the first time on Sunday afternoon/early evening. I think it took me about three and a half hours in total.
It was good. But the characters have had so long to grow in my mind that it feels wrong in places. Hermione is now 17 - she should be mature enough to not be making that very visible fuss over Harry's success at potions. The relationships between the teenagers don't feel right for them being 16-17 - they feel like they're much younger children/much less intelligent than their other actions show.
I'd guessed Snape was the Half Blood Prince very early on in the book - who else is so good at potions? But why would he allow a book containing such valuable information to fall into Harry's hands? Snape is not careless. He is methodical and thorough so I think that was entirely deliberate. I also tend to think that Snape is loyal to the Order - but he (a) had to kill Dumbledore because of the Oath and (b) has to conceal his loyalty from Harry because of Harry's lack of skill at Occlumency. Yet why give Harry a book containing dark magic that he uses? Dumbledore says that Harry is so special because despite everything he's not been attracted to the dark magic, but Harry *has* used/attempted to use Unforgivable Curses - ie. Crucio on Bellatix during book five.
Harry's lessons with Dumbledore were frustrating - Harry wanting to know why Dumbledore's hand was blackened and Dumbledore refusing to tell him.
I'm surprised at the lack of discussion of their lessons - I was expecting more about how horrible Snape was at teaching Defence (incidentally why allow Snape that job now?).
Why isn't Ginny a Prefect?
Why didn't Harry confide in McGonogall? Would Hermione really miss her last year at school (and thus top grade NEWTs) to help Harry?
I suspect book seven will open with Harry staying with the Dursleys until the day before his 17th birthday when he'll leave to go to the Burrow for the wedding(s). He'll take his Apparation test as soon as he can because Apparation might be useful to him even though he prefers a broomstick.