Blog this item

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

By J. K. Rowling, Jason Cockcroft (Cover Design)

(3301)

| Hardcover | 9780747581086

Like Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince?
Join aNobii to see if your friends read it, and discover similar books!

Book Description

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the sixth book in J.K. Rowling's bestselling series, picks up shortly after we left Harry at the end of The Order of the Phoenix. Lord Voldemort is acting out in the open, continuing his reign of terror which was temporarily stopped almost 15 years beforehand. Harry is again at the Dursleys, where the events of the previous month continue to weigh on his mind, although not as much as the impending visit from his Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore. Given their last meeting, Harry is understandably confused as to why the old wizard would want to visit him at home.

Rowling opens with a chapter she had wanted to use for the first book, of The Philosopher's Stone--Lord Voldemort has been creating chaos in the Wizard and Muggle communities alike, the war is in full swing and the Wizarding community now lives in fear. The press have been questioning the events at the Ministry which led to the admission of Voldemort's return, and of course Harry's name is mentioned a number of times. Harry's got his problems, but his anxiety is nothing compared to Hermione's when the OWL results are delivered. There's a new Defence Against The Dark Arts teacher, an assortment of new characters and creatures, and startling revelations about past characters and events.

Gone is the rage-filled Harry of The Order of the Phoenix--he's not being kept in the dark any more, his unjustified Quidditch ban has been lifted and he has matured considerably in his short time out of school. Half-Blood Prince follows Harry into the world of late-teens, and his realisation that nobody is infallible has made his growth that much easier. Accepting his destiny, Harry continues to behave as teenagers do, enjoying his time with his friends, developing his relationships outside of his usual circle, and learning more about how he must, eventually, do what he is destined to do.

J.K. Rowling delivers another fantastic tale which will have the readers gasping for more, capturing the characters perfectly and continuing a tale which readers will enjoy over and over again.

Critics

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince By J. K. Rowling

If you live with anyone under the age of 20, you might have noticed them looking longingly at the calendar and marking off the days (indeed, you might be marking off the days yourself). School's already out, summer's well along, the final Star Wars m ... (read full critics)

bookpage published on Thu, 16 Sep 2010

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Coming in Paperback Share

U.S. Harry Potter publisher Scholastic will release the paperback edition of J.K. Rowling's sixth Potteriffic novel, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, on July 25, 2006. With a first printing of 2 million copies, the paperback version brings the ... (read full critics)

blogcritics published on Thu, 19 Jan 2006

40 Reviews

13 people find this helpful

I was frustrated with this book, although not as much as I was with the fifth. It seems that even as the themes mature and grow darker, the writing style remains the same. I also was highly frustrated that areas which could have been explored, and in some cases should have been explored, were shunte ... (continue)

I was frustrated with this book, although not as much as I was with the fifth. It seems that even as the themes mature and grow darker, the writing style remains the same. I also was highly frustrated that areas which could have been explored, and in some cases should have been explored, were shunted off to the side in favor of moving the story forward without too much complexity. The idea that Sirius' death had so little an impact when Harry was more than ready to have him as a guardian right after meeting him made no sense. At this point, I'm just reading the series so that I know what happens at the end. Even if it does fit the classical coming-of-age hero quest, there are variations. If I've come this far, I may as well finish the series out.

Is this helpful?

Miri said on Dec 21, 2006 | 1 feedback

2 people find this helpful

The Best so far!

I loved every single page of this book.
The characters (new and old) are perfectly written. A lot of action and a very good final!!

Is this helpful?

Fayd said on Dec 6, 2011 | Add your feedback

2 people find this helpful

FINALLY finished reading Harry Potter 6.
Can't recall how many times did I read the first 100 or so pages, then giving it up due to lack of concentration.
This time I've finally finished it, although it is obviously one year late.
Surprisingly, I do not find it as interesting as t ... (continue)

FINALLY finished reading Harry Potter 6.
Can't recall how many times did I read the first 100 or so pages, then giving it up due to lack of concentration.
This time I've finally finished it, although it is obviously one year late.
Surprisingly, I do not find it as interesting as the others described.
Nothing much amused me in the story, perhaps my brother has told me
that Dumbledore will die and Snape is evil anyway?
Everything was quite predictable. Nevertheless, I do find it a bit too
early to plot all the scene for the finale of the seven episodes?
Anyway, this is just my opion. I guess I will definitely be criticised
by all the HP fans

Is this helpful?

vivienwongwc said on Aug 18, 2006 | Add your feedback

El mejor libro de la saga.Es el libro que exhibe la gran evolucion que tuvo JK Rowling no solo respecto a la tecnica literaria,sino a la capacidad de creacion de historias y personajes.A su vez es de lectura ligera,y altamente entretenido.Recomendable para todas las edades.

Is this helpful?

Marce Picon said on Jan 31, 2012 | Add your feedback

1 person find this helpful

A mio parere, il più triste dei sette libri...sicura che rileggendolo, mi farà commuovere ancora...
Alla fine di quest nuova lettura, posso affermare che rimane il mio libro preferito della saga...

Is this helpful?

Fragola said on Jan 4, 2012 about the Others edition | Add your feedback

Addictive

This is, so far, the best novel in the series. Rowling left back the wrong and tedius path taken in the Order in the Phoenix to get back to the main track. The school life is gradually left behing to focus on the fighiting againt the Dark side. The last quarter of the book is a real turn-pager.

Is this helpful?

Tyrion said on Dec 15, 2011 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback