Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Author: J. K. Rowling
Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books
Rating: 
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The sixth book in the much ballyhooed Harry Potter series is one of Rowling’s weakest efforts to date. Part of the problem is that with only one book left in the series, Rowling must cram in all the exposition and backstory that got cut out of previous books so that the series finale makes sense and is free to plow straight through to the finish.
While Order of the Phoenix had darker and better developed characters, Half-Blood Prince brings back the caricatures from the first four books of the series. At times I felt that the only indication that these characters had grown at all over their last five years at Hogwarts was the excess of romantic entanglements. Perhaps some readers enjoy the many couplings, triangles, and endless snogging, but I find them a bit tiresome. The major supporting characters from books past, including most of the extremely large cast of book five, are largely relegated to the background. I don’t think this helps the book any, as the flatness of the main characters becomes much more obvious when they’re the only ones to focus on.
The main plot, or the lack thereof, is also disappointing. I believe that a large part of the problem is that we never see our protagonists united against a common enemy until the very end. Instead, we see our heroes’ attentions divided between three different questions: Who is the Half-Blood Prince? What is Dumbledore doing? and What is Malfoy up to? As a result, the reader’s attention is scattered and it’s hard for any suspense to be maintained. I also feel that the main plots could have been tied together more effectively, and the plot regarding the Half-Blood Prince is woefully underdeveloped for being the titular plot of the book. This book felt to me more like an extremely drawn-out introduction to book seven, rather than a book that stands on its own.
Fans online have drawn many parallels between Half-Blood Prince and Chamber of Secrets; comments made by Rowling have indicated that the Half-Blood Prince subplot was originally intended for book two, but was cut for length and relocated to book six. However, I don’t think this comparison does Half-Blood Prince any favors, as Chamber of Secrets is one of the most tightly plotted, suspenseful, and well-written books of the series and book six just seems like a rehash of many of the same themes.
The action finally picks up in the last few chapters and does successfully leave the reader hankering for the next installment. Here’s to hoping, now that presumably we’ve been equipped with all the foreknowledge we need, that Rowling takes us through a satisfying finish.
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