Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Harry Potter, #6)

Title: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Harry Potter, #6)

Author: J.K. Rowling

Published in: 2005

Date read: 8th November 2006

Score: 5/5

Genre: Fantasy, Mystery, Childrens' fiction, Thriller

Plot: (Warning, may contain spoilers):
"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling is the sixth book in the Harry Potter series. It delves deeper into Lord Voldemort's past, revealing the secrets to his immortality, and sets the stage for the final confrontation.

The wizarding world is now fully aware of Voldemort's return, and the war is escalating. Harry Potter begins his sixth year at Hogwarts, feeling the weight of the prophecy and the losses from the previous year. Albus Dumbledore, instead of taking Harry to the Weasleys immediately, takes him to persuade Horace Slughorn, a former Potions Master, to return to Hogwarts. Slughorn is known for collecting talented students and influential connections.

At Hogwarts, Harry unexpectedly excels in Potions class, thanks to an old, heavily annotated textbook he finds, once owned by someone calling themselves the "Half-Blood Prince." This mysterious book contains incredibly useful (and sometimes dangerous) spells and improved potion instructions. Meanwhile, Dumbledore begins private lessons with Harry, taking him through a series of memories using the Pensieve. These memories, often manipulated, slowly reveal key insights into Lord Voldemort's (born Tom Riddle) past, his family history, and his obsessive quest for immortality.

The central mystery Dumbledore and Harry are trying to solve is the nature of Horcruxes: dark magical objects in which a wizard has hidden fragments of their soul to achieve immortality. Dumbledore suspects Voldemort has created multiple Horcruxes, and destroying them is the only way to truly defeat him.

Adding to the tension, Harry grows increasingly suspicious of Draco Malfoy, believing he has replaced his father as a Death Eater and is plotting something sinister for Voldemort. Harry spends much of the year trying to uncover Malfoy's intentions, often clashing with Ron and Hermione, who dismiss his suspicions as paranoia.

Romance also blossoms among the trio and their friends: Ron begins dating Lavender Brown, making Hermione intensely jealous, while Harry finally realizes his feelings for Ginny Weasley.

The climax of the novel is one of the most devastating in the series. Dumbledore believes he has found one of Voldemort's Horcruxes in a heavily protected cave. He takes Harry with him on a perilous journey to retrieve it, where Dumbledore is severely weakened by a powerful magical defense. Upon their return to Hogwarts, they find the school under attack by Death Eaters, led by Draco Malfoy, who has indeed been tasked by Voldemort to kill Dumbledore.

On the Astronomy Tower, a gravely weakened Dumbledore is confronted by Malfoy, who struggles to complete his mission. However, it is Professor Severus Snape who finally arrives and, to Harry's horror, casts the Avada Kedavra curse, killing Dumbledore. Snape then flees with Malfoy and the other Death Eaters.

Harry, heartbroken and enraged by Dumbledore's death and Snape's betrayal, vows to dedicate himself to finding and destroying the remaining Horcruxes. The wizarding world mourns Dumbledore's loss, and the future looks bleaker than ever as Harry prepares for the final battle, now without his greatest mentor.

Comments:
My favourite of the books. I don't need to say much more. Slughorn is genius.

Books that we've read by J.K. Rowling (7):
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Harry Potter, #1) (1997), Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter, #2) (1998), Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Harry Potter, #3) (1999), Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Harry Potter, #4) (2000), Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter, #5) (2003), Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Harry Potter, #6) (2005), Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Harry Potter, #7) (2007)