Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is the sixth book in the Harry Potter series and
is written by J.K. Rowling. In this entry, humanity (both the muggle and the wizard sides of it) is
in despair. The Ministry of Magic (led by a new minister) fully accepts that Voldemort is back for
good and are even informing some of the powerful muggle leaders about the danger that the
world faces. Tragedies and killings are daily occurrences now, and wizards and muggles alike
are preparing for what seems to be the end. The presence of Voldemort and his Death Eaters
ensure that no place, not even Hogwarts, is safe. However, this isn’t stopping the mighty Albus
Dumbledore, and he’s doing everything he can to prepare and play his most valuable card:
Harry Potter. Dumbledore and Potter find out that Voldemort has split his soul into different
parts and had them stored in artifacts (known as Horcruxes), and some of these Horcruxes had
even been destroyed in past events of the series. While finding and destroying these Horcruxes,
Potter must also deal with school and the load of work that comes from it. Romance is in every
teen’s mind at Hogwarts, but so is disaster and tragedy. If Dumbledore and Harry Potter aren’t
careful, then wizards and muggles around the world are doomed.
For me, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is where the books in this franchise start to show some cracks. The Horcrux plot in this book was only there to set up the story for the series finale, and while it still is
exciting, it doesn’t make sense to introduce such an important plot point in the second to last
book in a seven-book series. Furthermore, Ginny hasn’t been the most compelling character in
the series and that stays the same in this book, despite her being especially important to Harry
in this entry. Meanwhile, the two most developed and enjoyable characters in this series (Ron
and Hermione), aren’t that important and visible in this story and are very much an
afterthought. However, the most disappointing character in this book for me is Draco Malfoy.
The confident and sneering devil that was present in the beginning of the series has now been
reduced to a scared and miserable teenager. While he has been this way for a while, it’s sad to
see the path that J.K. Rowling went with his character, and this missed potential is amplified
because he’s one of the most important characters in this story. I believe that if Rowling had
made Malfoy to be a competent rival to Harry (maybe even his equal of sorts), then his
character would’ve been much better and much more satisfying.
This book isn’t the worst in the series, though it is one of the weakest. Still, it’s a great read and no one will have a bad experience with this book. Harry and Dumbledore were the best characters in this book, and
their bond was the best part. Still, it should be noted that the point where the shine of the
Harry Potter franchise starts to get dull somewhere around book 5 and 6. Get somewhere
comfortable, pop a De-Mento in your mouth (ha!), and enjoy Harry Potter and the Half-Blood
Prince!