HBP

[msmemory_archive]

I suppose it goes without saying that I finished reading Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

Thoroughly enjoyed it. I do wish we didn't have to wait so long between books, but with JKR consulting on the films and actually having a Life outside of Hogwarts, it's no surprise that the volumes are years apart.

Without spoilers - the much-touted death was handled satisfactorily, though I would rather have been wrong about who it would be (I had several candidates in mind, in fact.). And I was disappointed to find out who the Half-Blood Prince was. Several scenes did seem to have been written particularly for the cinema; I think they'd have been different if the movies were not going to be made.

Probably I should reread the book again in a few months, at a less breakneck speed, and see if my opinions change.

Comments

Finished it on the way home from SRWC...

[nazrynn.livejournal.com]

I realized, partway through reading it, that the storyline was VERY slow-moving, which was unusual for Rowling's style. "Just wait, something will happen soon", was all Ryan could tell me. Sure enough, something did happen, but it was so flash in the pan, that I began to wonder if this wasn't just written to keep the reader moving along. The book really wraps up within the last 5-7 chapters, with what I saw as a bit of Q&A on some previously unanswered questions...

Someone, and I don't know who, rumored at the death that was to take place. And I'd honestly like to throw something at them for saying it publicly, mostly because they were right (even if I suspected from the beginning). I was pleased at the bait-and-switch toward the end of the book (unrelated to identities), and look forward to the next one...

...but I can't say that I enjoyed this particular one more than Books 3 and 4. Book 5 left me with mingled feelings, but that's only because one of my favorite characters left the scene.