Book Reviews and Thoughts :: The world of Books and Literature

People all over the world had been waiting for this book for what seemed like an eternity. Now that it is here, I think the wait has been worthwhile. If you are a Harry Potter fan, read on. Else, don’t waste your precious bandwidth. Because The Half-Blood Prince is an entertaining book, but it is still a Harry Potter!

Rowling learnt from her mistake. She ensured that this book mended what the last one had ruined – a cheery thrill that keeps you turning the pages. Don’t get me wrong, The Order of the Phoenix was also a page-turner, it had its twists and turns, but it was gloomy. However, the Half-Blood Prince has it all: thrill, mystery (and this is not about who dies), twists, funnies, adolescent romance, and fascinating fantasies!

In keeping with her usual style, Rowling helps you warm up for the characters she is going to use in the climax. Half way through the book you can guess who’ll date who, who’ll win the quidditch match, who’ll help death eaters but that is okay, because this isn’t the mystery. Nope, the mystery is not even who’ll die this time. And, that is the best part of the book. The author has done an amazing job of underplaying the real thing until the very end. She unveils the thing so casually, that the reader has to do a double take. Awesome!

However, she hurried the end. For reasons better known to Rowling, she just got over with the book after a few things happened. The last thirty pages or so are drab and don’t add anything to the story. It just provides a reasonable closure for readers so that they can wait patiently for the next book. Nope, there is no to-be-continued thrill either; one just loses interest.

All the same, an interesting book. If you have read the previous ones, you will read this one as well. Do that, it is my second favorite in the series. (The Prisoner of Azkaban being at the top of my list)