(no subject)
This book felt so right to me. I didn't loathe OotP or anything, but I felt like it was a darkly necessary note in the series that wasn't very pleasant. It didn't have the charm or the spunk of the others, and even though HBP has darker events happen, it maintains that oomph that makes something like GoF such a delight to read, again and again. Every time I stopped while reading this one (I tried to pace myself, to make the experience last) I felt all giddy and pleased, which took me back to the feelings I had when I first read the series and fell in love with it and was anxious enough for more info that I took to the internet to find it.
I feel like all of the characters are visibly maturing, which is one of the greatest treats of all. Harry has come through his self-absorbed phase and realized what he's responsible for; Ron is no longer fixated on the disparities between himself and Harry and has become more comfortable with who he is and with the fact that Harry will always be famous and privy to opportunities he's not; Ginny has grown up enough to be her own person, and I have to say, I liked the fact that she brought up her old crush on Harry in the end, because that really brought her characterization (which at present is so different than it first was) back to the beginning, and demonstrated that at base she is still the same girl.
I am still not sure what I think of the Snape twist, except that I find it so fascinating. I don't believe anyone who says that him being the half-blood prince was totally obvious and they knew it right away. Or maybe I'm dumb as nails, I don't know -- I assumed the book was Riddle's (which I assume is what you're supposed to think?) since they kept underscoring that he was such a good student. I gaped at the page for a good three minutes when I got to the murder scene, though, because, WOW. That was just totally amazing and unexpected, and I really hope that it doesn't turn out to be anything less than Snape being an astonishingly sneaky, cold-hearted Death Eater. (On the other hand, it's interesting to note that despite everyone being very eye-rolly about Dumbledore always assuming the best about people and trusting them for no reason, he didn't act that way with Riddle at all. He never once gave him a second chance-- after he saw how snide and awful he was at the orphanage, he constantly kept an eye on him and was mistrustful. That says a lot, especially since, as Dumbledore said, his story was so charming and he was such an underdog that all the other staff members loved him.)
And, yes, Riddle. What more is there to say? He's just as we always thought he was, ridiculously good-looking and ridiculously evil. What really had me jumping up and down was the bit about the diary actually being a piece of his soul, because that just works so well with my thoughts on how it worked. It wasn't just a memory or an imprint of Riddle, it was really an extension of him, something that could work of its own free will. And I've always been more interested in the Riddle-through-time as opposed to the Riddle-back-then. Fascinating stuff.
What else? I loved the H/G and the hints of R/H. I kept grinning and snickering to myself, it was a rather delightful feeling. I'm not a foaming-at-the-mouth shipper, but it was nice to see some of that tension that we all know was there play out a little. As far as I'm concerned, people who think any of it is "out of character" is taking fanon way too seriously. Come on, like it wasn't obvious it was going in that direction. Predictable, maybe, and somewhat schmoopy, maybe, but HP isn't exactly an edgy, thinking-outside-the-box series. Virtually everything in it has traditional story roots and archetypes, so I don't think Harry and Snape were going to ride off into the sunset. Frankly, I was amazed Ron and Lavender even hooked up. (Although I loved it and found it hilarious. Won-Won was the greatest thing ever. Ever.)
Aside from all the actual plot developments, one of my favorite things about each book is the glimpses into the background-- the tidbits about the universe as a whole and how wizards live their lives. And this was chock full of it. Side-Along Apparation is the most interesting and coolest thing ever. How did it never come up before? Is it something that can only be done in emergency-type situations, or could, theoretically, your seventeen-year-old friend tow your sixteen-year-old self anywhere you wanted? Interesting! And the fact that underage magic can, in fact, be done in wizarding homes without anyone being the wiser. I am sure that Slytherin parents don't enforce those rules, so once again that is INTERSTING. And really, if there's no easy way to detect what magic someone has done, I'm certain that kids with wizarding parents cast all kinds of magic behind their backs. Ron and Harry certainly should've when Mrs. Weasley had them peeling potatoes (were they potatoes?) at Christmas. Come on!
Anyway, I am planning on re-reading pretty quickly. I am so pleased with it that I'm afraid to read very many people's reactions just yet. Especially the ones who, you know, didn't like it, or want to theorize about what's going to happen next. It's still all sinking in, and I like it. *_*