Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince Reviews and *SPOILERS*

Cause in the other thread there were some spoiler warnings. If you have not read or finished the book, don't look. If you don't want spoilers, don't look.

Review and Spoil Away.

OMG this is THE best Harry Potter book yet!

It's so suspenseful (sp?) and we get so many answers to many, many questions.

Romance is in the air this year! Ginny and Dean, Bill and Phlegm, Ron and Lavender, Ginny and HARRY, Tonks and Lupin, aaaaannnnndddd (maybe, it wasn't very clear during "The White Tomb") RON AND HERMIONE!

I'm so happy Harry doesn't have that awful attitude he had in OotP.

I don't believe Dumbledore died! Hogwarts will not be the same.

I hope Harry goes back to Hogwarts in the next book. However, it would be good to finally see Godric's Hollow.

I want Harry to go back to the Ministry and finally see what's behind the veil in the Department of Mysteries.

I didn't like how short it was, but oh well...

More to come later.

The fact that Ron and Hermione spent half the book trying to make each other jealous was just funny. But some of my favorite scenes were ones with Luna. She's one of my favorite characters and I don't think she was used enough, but some of her comments were just classic. Especially at the party and when she was commentator for the second Quidditch match. :lol:

I don't know why but I get the feeling that this won't be the last time we see Dumbledore. I think he is either not dead and Snape is still on his side(we don't actually see the body at the end being buried if I remember he was covered in a thing) or he is dead but there will be some way thay he will be able to contact Harry.

Overall it was a great book, but as stated earlier could have been longer.

Oh and who do you think R. A. B. is?

Well, maybe Harry can contact him through his portrait in Professor McGonnagal's office?

RAB absolutely has to be Sirius's brother, Regulus.

ImaginEAR said:

Well, maybe Harry can contact him through his portrait in Professor McGonnagal's office?

RAB absolutely has to be Sirius's brother, Regulus.

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I forgot about him getting a portrait but Harry can only see him if he goes back to school.

I totally agree with you about Regulus. Only other person I can think of is that he or she hasn't been introduced yet.

Unlike Sirius' death, Dumbledore's has definite finality. There is no question that he is dead. His death impacted me hard. It reminded a LOT of Obi-Wan Kenobi's death in Star Wars: A New Hope. I think Dumbledore had to die just like Kenobi.

It looks as if Harry has always been right about Snape and Malfoy. It is a shame no one bothered to believe him. How many times did Harry say that Malfoy was up to something????

All we saw of Voldemort in this book was in memories.

Though this doesn't matter, I never would have imagined reading the word "s l u t" in a Harry Potter book.

O btw I assume "snog" means kiss, but what does "Wotcher" mean like when Tonks says "Wotcher Harry." I've never heard this term and I assume it is British but is it the equivalent to What's up?

MCBRIZZ5 said:

O btw I assume "snog" means kiss, but what does "Wotcher" mean like when Tonks says "Wotcher Harry." I've never heard this term and I assume it is British but is it the equivalent to What's up?

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Yes, it's a compression of the greeting "What cheer?" which is pretty much the same thing.

As far as Snape being evil goes, there is alot of evidence that points to it being all part of the plan, strangely enough. That he is not evil, but had to do it to continue the fight. Snape took the Unbreakable Vow to finish Malfoy's job, but if he had refused, then Bellatrix probably would have taken that as her proof that he is working against Voldemort. Later, there was a point with Snape and Dumbledore arguing about something, but you never find out what, only Dumbledore telling Snape that if didn't want to do the job, he shouldn't have taken it. This could very well be that Snape informed Dumbledore that there was a plan against him involving Draco trying to kill him and that he took the vow to finish the job and protect Draco. Snape may have been refusing to kill Dumbledore and try to stop Draco and Dumbledore may have told him that Snape is more important to the Order as a Spy than Dumbledore is right now. Dumbledore later tells Harry that if he wants to help with the Horcruxes, that he has to swear to do whatever Dumbledore orders him, no matter how much he disagrees. Even if the order is to "Go run and save yourself." Dumbledores words were something to the effect of "I am much older, much cleverer and far less important to the Order than you are." When returning to Hogwarts and confronting Draco, Dumbledore said that Snape protected Draco under his orders and that he knew all along that Draco was trying to kill him. He also knew that Draco didn't have it in him. Draco thinks that Dumbledore is a fool, of course and that Snape only did it because he took the Vow, but Dumbledore seemed to accept that he was likely going to die one way or the other. When Snape finally arrived, Dumbledore pleaded with Snape, but never did he actually use the words "Don't kill me." He said "Please, Severus." Snape's face filled with hatred and revulsion, but it may have been more for having to be put in the situation of killing Dumbledore, the only man that ever gave him a fair chance at redemption and stood up for him all these years. My final clue is that when Harry is chasing him down, trying to curse him, he is using a bunch of defensive spells, but nothing harmful. He keeps trying to get Harry to cast wordlessly as he was teaching them this year in DADA and pointing that if he doesn't do it, then he won't stand a chance. From Harry's point of view, this would seem like taunting, especially with Harry being enraged at the time. But from Snape's point of view, it could have been one final lesson he could try to teach Harry to prepare him for his final battle with Voldemort, knowing that it might just be the only edge he will have. Obviously, this is alot of conjecture, but if Dumbledore trusted Snape, then I will too. Besides, it's just the kind of twist that JKR would put into the story. Any thoughts?

STR8FAN2005 said:

Though this doesn't matter, I never would have imagined reading the word "s l u t" in a Harry Potter book.

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Ooo.. I know! Never would've imagined that in a HP book!

BTW, Katie Couric is interviewing JKR on Dateline NBC tonight at 8:00 PM EST.

Number_6 said:

Any thoughts?

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Yes, Shape is evil and I've hated him ever since the chapter title called "The Potions Master" in Book 1. The only reason he did not use anything harmful against Harry is because he is for the "Dark Lord" to handle.

I just can't imagine why Dumbledore wouldn't consider himself valuable to the Order. There is so much more Harry needs to learn, ie: powerful spells to use against Voldemort. Dumbledore always seemed to have all the answers. Now Harry has no Dumbledore to go to for help.

I have no idea what Harry is going to do when he must finally face Voldemort. Sure Voldemort will be down to a piece of a soul, but what can Harry possibly use against him???? Love? How so?

Are Harry's eyes ever come into importance?? I thought we were supposed to learn more about Harry's parents. The only new news is that she was good at potions.

I think Harry will make it back to Hogwarts next year, and him and Ginny will continue their relationship. He seems to have a thing for redheads just like his dad.

Number_6 said:

Any thoughts?

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This makes a lot of sense and now that I think about it could be true. Two major points in addition to what you said. First, when they arrive Dumbledore parlyzes Harry which originally I would have thought was to protect Harry. It is possible that he actually did this so he could not interfere with the plan and get himself killed while doing so. Secondly and I think the most convincing point is when Harry finally does catch Snape, Snape actually never attacks him but only deflects the curses. He actually protects him by telling the other death eaters not to kill him and saying he is the Voldemort's. This is the biggest evidence IMO that he is still good.

Snape had to kill Dumbledore but did not want to, from what I get. Maybe he was doing it for the Order and for Snape.

The book steams ahead with quickness to Dumbledore's end. However, for a great wizard, I thought there could have been a better funural.


The books leaves you wondering if Hogwarts is going to open next year? Where are the other Horcruxes and how is Harry going to get them? Will Harry gain even more powers and become the greatest wizard of his time, if he lives to tell the tale?

HBP sold 6.9 million copies in the US in 24 hours and the next book might come out in 2 years

Number_6 said:

As far as Snape being evil goes, there is alot of evidence that points to it being all part of the plan, strangely enough... Obviously, this is alot of conjecture, but if Dumbledore trusted Snape, then I will too.

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Number 6, I think I love you! haha These were exactly the points I made to my husband. (We got two copies at midnight and raced through them together!) He's not convinced, but to me it's fairly plain.
Some other thoughts:
~Isn't there a kind of cool parallel between Snape/Dumbledore and Draco/Harry? At the end, Harry doesn't have animosity toward Draco. He understands him, has compassion for him and would probably try to help him -while most people will assume he's evil and hate him. Kind of like Snape, eh?
~Harry's protections at his Uncle Vernon's house wouldn't be in effect anymore, would they?
~ Did anyone else notice how much more"British" this installment was than any of the previous?
~ I CAN'T BELIEVE I HAVE TO WAIT TWO YEARS TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS NEXT!!! HOW AWFUL!!!!

Wow, I just finnished. Talk about surprise endings. Hopefully Harry will be at Hogwarts some time in the next book, because it just won't be a Harry Potter book if he doesn't go to Hogwarts! But surely he will. Maybe he'll stop at Godric's Hollow like he said he would, and they go back to Hogwarts some time again.

Who reading the book again just to make sure you can comprehend the novel. I am. I am still shocked over Dumbledore's death.

FutureCEO said:

Who reading the book again just to make sure you can comprehend the novel. I am. I am still shocked over Dumbledore's death.

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I will after my mother reads it. I am not as much shocked that Dumbledore died, as I am how he died. I always assumed that Voldemort would be the one finish him off.

I always new Snape was evil. Seems that Harry, Ron, Lupin, Sirius, and James had the right idea about old Snivellus. It is a shame Dumbledore is such a trusting man.

I'm sorry to see Dumbledore go. I think I cried about a gallon of tears. I'm guessing Harry will have to turn to Lupin for advice, or maybe he is past the point where he needs a mentor.

To those that think Snape was acting on Dumbledore's orders. Why didn't Dumbledore tell anyone else in the Order or Harry???? No one, I mean no one will believe Snape if he tries to show his face again. That is why I am confident that Snape cannot still be on the good side. I don't believe anyone in the Order would give Snape a chance to talk before dishing out justice. I for one, cannot wait to see Harry avenge Dumbledore's death and punish Severus for all that he has done to mess up Harry's life!

All of Harry's misfortunes in life have all stemed from one man: Severus Snape! If JKR makes him out to be some sort of hero, I will be EXTREMELY upset!!!





And yes, Harry must return to Hogwarts to finish his education because I want to know if there is a graduation ceremony or not...I also think that Harry has lots of more magic to learn before the final confrontation!

FutureCEO said:

Who reading the book again just to make sure you can comprehend the novel. I am. I am still shocked over Dumbledore's death.

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Yes. my husband I started re-reading it a few hours after digesting the first time around.

I forgot to mention: Did anyone else hear that JK said the first chapter of this book has been written for years and that she's been anxious to use it as a first chapter for a long time now? She said that she just couldn't use it until now.

A friend and i have a theory about snape we think if snap is truly evil that in the end he will repent for killing albus before he dies. As for hogwarts i can see it playing a big part in the next book there is still so much of the castle that is a mystry and hopefully all will become clear in the next book. As for other stuff what do you all think of the new potions master also was i the only one to see that mr ovilnder has disappered ok i know he was never a major person in the books but in the first one he always struck me as a man of much more than selling wands