“THE WAR AGAINST VOLDEMORT is not going well; even Muggle governors are noticing. Ron scans the obituary pages of the Daily Prophet, looking for familiar names. Dumbledore is absent from Hogwarts for long stretches of time, and the Order of the Phoenix has already suffered losses.
“And yet...
“As in all wars, life goes on. Sixth-year students learn to Apparate--and lose a few eyebrows in the process. The Weasley twins expand their business. Teenagers flirt and fight and fall in love. Classes are never straightforward, though Harry receives some extraordinary help from the mysterious Half-Blood Prince.
“So it’s the home front that takes center stage in the multilayered sixth installment of the story of Harry Potter. Here at Hogwarts, Harry will search for the full and complex story of the boy who became Lord Voldemort--and thereby find what may be his only vulnerability.”
Unfortunately, this is another Harry Potter book that I failed to RAIR. I’ve failed yet again, but this should be some indication of how much I wanted to finish this book. There was a lot of plot progression and character development, which made for an interesting read. Harry has grown up a great deal over the series and this is probably the book where I felt the realistic mentality and attitudes of a teenager blended most seamlessly with the story. The bits of romance were fun and brought much more life to the characters. I like where everything is going in this book and look forward to reading the final book. To go along with the maturing characters, the subject matter has become much weightier as well. The cursing and violence and extremely dark themes are not what I would deem appropriate for the same child who first picked up The Sorcerer’s Stone. This progression would have suited me perfectly had I read the books as they came out in the States because I would have aged nearly exactly with Harry Potter. My maturity level would have been on par with his. However, my little cousin has a friend who is reading the Goblet of Fire now. This is fine, but I really think it’s the Order of the Phoenix where the matter would get a little bit questionable for a recently turned nine-year-old. Not only will her comprehension just not be up to scratch, but I really don’t think she or her mother have any idea at how dark the plot is about to turn. I’m really NOT one for censorship, but I urge parents to be smart about when they hand their children certain books. I genuinely think this installment in the Harry Potter series should not be read until the reader’s comprehension is at the appropriate level. This book deserves to be appreciated and it isn’t fair to have an unknowing parent hand this to his/her child, then freak out and write angry letters when the child asks some difficult questions or is terrified with nightmares. Parents, please be smart. These Harry Potter books are brilliant when used correctly. I encourage reading this series (which is huge coming from someone who absolutely hated the series less than a year ago) because it is filled with beautiful language, scenery and descriptions, and some of the most memorable characters I have ever read. Everyone should have a little Harry Potter magic in their lives.
(Side note: I definitely understand the movies better after reading the books. There is a lot that they don’t elaborate on in the movies because they geared them toward the readers of the books. This is understandable, but I cannot tell if it was intentional or not. I definitely appreciate the films more now, but it’s unfortunate to think how many people still do not. I noticed this a lot in the movie version of the Half-Blood Prince. I won’t give anything away, but there is a major development toward the end that has a very different feel in the book. I’m back to being caught in the middle of my opinions because of it. I suppose I’ll just have to wait and see what happens!)
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