Series: Harry Potter #6
Published by Pottermore on December 8th, 2015
Genres: Action & Adventure, Boarding School & Prep School, Contemporary, Fantasy, Fantasy & Magic, Fiction, General, School & Education, Wizards & Witches, Young Adult, Young Adult Fiction
Pages: 652
"There it was, hanging in the sky above the school: the blazing green skull with a serpent tongue, the mark Death Eaters left behind whenever they had entered a building... wherever they had murdered..."
When Dumbledore arrives at Privet Drive one summer night to collect Harry Potter, his wand hand is blackened and shrivelled, but he does not reveal why. Secrets and suspicion are spreading through the wizarding world, and Hogwarts itself is not safe. Harry is convinced that Malfoy bears the Dark Mark: there is a Death Eater amongst them. Harry will need powerful magic and true friends as he explores Voldemort's darkest secrets, and Dumbledore prepares him to face his destiny...
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is currently the featured read in Pottermore’s Wizarding World Book Club. Sign up and join weekly Twitter discussions at WW Book Club.
Note: Kristin reads and reviews both Christian and secular fiction on A Simply Enchanted Life. Out of respect for my readers, I am including a content review. This content review will help you decide whether this book is suitable for you.
Christian or Secular: Secular (contains paranormal elements that some Christians may find offensive)
ASEL Rating: mild language, mild romantic, suggestive scenes but no descriptions or details, mild violence (though no detailed description), or other content to be aware of.
Content to be aware of: Magic, magical creatures, mild violence and mentions of “snogging”
Recommended for: Fans of Young Adult fiction with magical elements.
Suggested Age: 11+
Do I really have to write a review for this book? I mean, it has something like 1,892,468 ratings and 29,593 reviews on Goodreads. No joke…I copy/pasted that number! So, I mean, do I really HAVE to review this book?
Do I? Fine. Okay, here’s what I didn’t like…some of the scenes dragged on and on. That’s it. Nothing else wrong with the book and I can’t exactly put my finger on exact scenes that stuck out at me. I just know that quite a few times I wanted to get back to the action.
Having read this book AFTER seeing the movies first—this is my first read through, okay?—I also want to fangirl over someone. But, that’s only because I know spoilers. I can’t exactly fangirl over actions in this book until I get through the next. So, Y’all just wait because I WILL read the next book as soon as I can!
Anyway, though I felt this book was slow in parts, it’s still a fantastic book and I cannot wait to pick up the next.
I also want to say that you’ll appreciate this book more after you have finished the series. So, if this is the first time you’re reading it, go back and reread after you finish.
J.K. Rowling is truly an excellent storyteller. She’s created memorable characters that I love, a world that fascinates me and a network of families that provide richness and depth to the story. The book is rich in historical facts pertaining to Hogwarts which makes it feel like a legitimate place I could visit. It doesn’t feel unrealistic. It’s just magic. J.K. Rowling created magic with this series.
About J.K. Rowling
Joanne Rowling was born in July 1965 at Yate General Hospital in England and grew up in Chepstow, Gwent where she went to Wyedean Comprehensive.
Jo left Chepstow for Exeter University, where she earned a French and Classics degree, her course including one year in Paris. As a postgraduate she moved to London and worked as a researcher at Amnesty International among other jobs. She started writing the Harry Potter series during a delayed Manchester to London King’s Cross train journey, and during the next five years, outlined the plots for each book and began writing the first novel.
Jo then moved to northern Portugal, where she taught English as a foreign language. She married in October 1992 and gave birth to a daughter in 1993. When the marriage ended, she and Jessica returned to the UK to live in Edinburgh, where Harry Potter & the Sorcerer’s Stone was eventually completed. The book was first published by Bloomsbury Children’s Books in June 1997, under the name J.K. Rowling. The “K”, for Kathleen, her paternal grandmother’s name was added at her publisher’s request who thought that a woman’s name would not appeal to the target audience of young boys.
J.K. Rowling is currently writing the screen play, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, an original story set in the wizarding world, some of which will be familiar to Harry Potter fans. It marks her screenwriting debut and the start of a new film series with Warner Bros.
J.K. Rowling lives in Edinburgh with her husband and three children.
I know what you mean about rereading this one after finishing the series. This book sets some good foundations for later reveals… and well, perspective!
Yes!!! I love this person in question and feel the actions in this book proves how brave they were. I don’t want to reveal who that person is since a few friends of mine are finally reading this series and have not seen the movies. I dont want to spoil anything for them.
So juicy!!! ??
But yes. Absolutely agree with you.
One of my favorite parts of this book is the “fight” of Harry and Snape and how he after all this shit-storm that is going on, he still cares and tries to help Harry! Teaching him how to jinx without freaking yelling XD
He’s definitely a misunderstood character!
Totally! I even saw a post about he being some sort of misogynist… and If I could have done it, I would have burned that page XD
https://inkishkingdoms.wordpress.com/2017/10/15/the-scar-had-not-pained-harry-for-nineteen-years-all-was-well-%e2%80%95-j-k-rowling-harry-potter-and-the-deathly-hallows/