review hbp
Well, I suppose everybody discussed this endlessly already, but I'm still going to say something about the Halfblood-Prince.
I enjoyed this book a lot, even though the one review I read in the FAZ seemed quite disappointed and I can see what they meant. It had definitely less of the "this is a magical world full of miracles"-stuff. Buckbeak moves to Hagrid and is forgotten, all these things that made Hogwarts what we love, Qudditch, Haloween, the Sorting Hat, are kind of negelected. Because of this Felicitas von Lovenberg called it a halfhearted book. However, unlike most fantasy books which I normally dislike, Harry Potter isn't just about magic itself. Rather, the characters happen to be able to perform magic and apart from that they live just as we do, with a corrupted Minister and so on. I think all this magical-miracles-stuff isn't relevant to Harry anymore. We had a major character development which prepares the last book. Harry gets desillusioned and thus enabled to do the last battle. This is probably the major point of the book: summing up the first books and preparing the last one on the one hand, and, more importantly, putting Harry into the right state of mind. Dumbledore's explainations about the prophecy belong to this and I was over the moon when I read it. Obviously, JKR told us enough about Divination and its reliability for us to know that it wasn't some kind of law. One of the reasons I love HP is that the story's point isn't magic itself but that the plot is developed out of the characters. I was vastly displeased when I first read about that prophecy and felt kinda let down by JKR. I had to consider and reason until I found that she was going to put it right again. Well, she did in HBP.
Characters
Harry - I liked him a lot, especially when he forcefed Dumbledore the potion. I enjoyed their arguments, too.
Ron and Hermione - priceless. I loved Hermione's birds, I loved when they argued about the Christmas party of the Slug Club and Ron's reaction to Hermione's invitation (even when asking each other out for the first date they have to argue). I think the Lavender episode was a very good thing for Ron, and its end was a good thing for the reader. Hermione seems to be established as the great jealousy target of Ron and Harry's girlfriends, first Cho, now Lavender.
Ginny - if that's all that is to her, I'm afraid I'm quite disappointed at the job JKR is doing. It looks like it in this book, but then it looked differently in the other books, especially when she nearly fainted at the beginning of PoA.
Dumbledore - I guess there has been a big discussion, but I haven't read it. I only read some of
themanynamed 's points about him acting irresponsibly. I can't agree to that. Of course he made mistakes, but we have to consider what lies on his shoulders.
The better part of the Wizarding World expects him to solve the Voldemort and any other problem, while they don't hesitate to drag him throught he mud. Others act far more irresponsible and I feel Dumbledore deserves
some appreciation and even sympathy. In the end his point mosty proved right. As for Snape, I suppose his "redemption" seemed too good an opportunity to prove himself right.
Snape - I was over the moon when I found three of the series' most interesting characters in one chapter - Snape, Bellatrix and Narcissa (which hopefully will put an end to these dreadfull Narcissa characterizations in fanon)
I refuse to believe every word he told Bellatrix. I can't believe in some people's theories about an arangement between Dumbledore and Snape.
I rather think he doesn't belong to either party, that he hesitated to agree to the Unbreakable Vow because it would force him to move into the open. The parallels between Voldemort and the Halfblood Prince indicate that he wouldn't appreciate the position of a servant.
Narcissa - I was delighted at the difference between the woman pleading for Snape's help and the woman sneering at Harry in Diagon Alley.
Draco - I loved him. I never was a fan of him, I despised him for his big mouth when it came to torturing helpless children and his cowardice when he was without the support of Crabbe and Goyle.
The boy was a mess when "the little mudblood" attacked him. Well, he was a ferret. But he was amazing in this book. He is truly redeemed to me.
the Gaunts - I always pictured Voldemort's mother to be pretty, but I was content. As Rene already said, it is great to see the greatest pureblood maniacs to be, well, this.
Tom - It would take weeks to do him justice. I'm just really really glad these horrible orphanage describtions in fandom will stop now. Like Tom would have allowed himself to be bullied by Muggles.
Pairings and so on - I liked them making out all the time. I was wondering how JKR would handle this topic and she did well. Mollywobbles!
Other than that I was more than once under the impression that JKR was working through a pile of the fans' assumptions, questions and wishes. She had Pansy look for Draco's reaction to "pretty Ginny",
she had Lupin get together with Tonks, who was kinda weak, and some more things I can't remember right now.
I enjoyed this book a lot, even though the one review I read in the FAZ seemed quite disappointed and I can see what they meant. It had definitely less of the "this is a magical world full of miracles"-stuff. Buckbeak moves to Hagrid and is forgotten, all these things that made Hogwarts what we love, Qudditch, Haloween, the Sorting Hat, are kind of negelected. Because of this Felicitas von Lovenberg called it a halfhearted book. However, unlike most fantasy books which I normally dislike, Harry Potter isn't just about magic itself. Rather, the characters happen to be able to perform magic and apart from that they live just as we do, with a corrupted Minister and so on. I think all this magical-miracles-stuff isn't relevant to Harry anymore. We had a major character development which prepares the last book. Harry gets desillusioned and thus enabled to do the last battle. This is probably the major point of the book: summing up the first books and preparing the last one on the one hand, and, more importantly, putting Harry into the right state of mind. Dumbledore's explainations about the prophecy belong to this and I was over the moon when I read it. Obviously, JKR told us enough about Divination and its reliability for us to know that it wasn't some kind of law. One of the reasons I love HP is that the story's point isn't magic itself but that the plot is developed out of the characters. I was vastly displeased when I first read about that prophecy and felt kinda let down by JKR. I had to consider and reason until I found that she was going to put it right again. Well, she did in HBP.
Characters
Harry - I liked him a lot, especially when he forcefed Dumbledore the potion. I enjoyed their arguments, too.
Ron and Hermione - priceless. I loved Hermione's birds, I loved when they argued about the Christmas party of the Slug Club and Ron's reaction to Hermione's invitation (even when asking each other out for the first date they have to argue). I think the Lavender episode was a very good thing for Ron, and its end was a good thing for the reader. Hermione seems to be established as the great jealousy target of Ron and Harry's girlfriends, first Cho, now Lavender.
Ginny - if that's all that is to her, I'm afraid I'm quite disappointed at the job JKR is doing. It looks like it in this book, but then it looked differently in the other books, especially when she nearly fainted at the beginning of PoA.
Dumbledore - I guess there has been a big discussion, but I haven't read it. I only read some of
themanynamed 's points about him acting irresponsibly. I can't agree to that. Of course he made mistakes, but we have to consider what lies on his shoulders.
The better part of the Wizarding World expects him to solve the Voldemort and any other problem, while they don't hesitate to drag him throught he mud. Others act far more irresponsible and I feel Dumbledore deserves
some appreciation and even sympathy. In the end his point mosty proved right. As for Snape, I suppose his "redemption" seemed too good an opportunity to prove himself right.
Snape - I was over the moon when I found three of the series' most interesting characters in one chapter - Snape, Bellatrix and Narcissa (which hopefully will put an end to these dreadfull Narcissa characterizations in fanon)
I refuse to believe every word he told Bellatrix. I can't believe in some people's theories about an arangement between Dumbledore and Snape.
I rather think he doesn't belong to either party, that he hesitated to agree to the Unbreakable Vow because it would force him to move into the open. The parallels between Voldemort and the Halfblood Prince indicate that he wouldn't appreciate the position of a servant.
Narcissa - I was delighted at the difference between the woman pleading for Snape's help and the woman sneering at Harry in Diagon Alley.
Draco - I loved him. I never was a fan of him, I despised him for his big mouth when it came to torturing helpless children and his cowardice when he was without the support of Crabbe and Goyle.
The boy was a mess when "the little mudblood" attacked him. Well, he was a ferret. But he was amazing in this book. He is truly redeemed to me.
the Gaunts - I always pictured Voldemort's mother to be pretty, but I was content. As Rene already said, it is great to see the greatest pureblood maniacs to be, well, this.
Tom - It would take weeks to do him justice. I'm just really really glad these horrible orphanage describtions in fandom will stop now. Like Tom would have allowed himself to be bullied by Muggles.
Pairings and so on - I liked them making out all the time. I was wondering how JKR would handle this topic and she did well. Mollywobbles!
Other than that I was more than once under the impression that JKR was working through a pile of the fans' assumptions, questions and wishes. She had Pansy look for Draco's reaction to "pretty Ginny",
she had Lupin get together with Tonks, who was kinda weak, and some more things I can't remember right now.