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Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince [Book 6]
by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince [Book 6] reviews


8.4

based on 23 reviews
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based on 264 votes
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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows [Book 7]

FILM:

Book number six in the ever-popular series finds our young hero in his sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Arthur A. Levine Books, 672 pages
07/16/2005
$29.99

ISBN: 0439784549

Fiction
Science Fiction & Fantasy
Teen

All reviews are classified as one of five grades: Outstanding (4 points), Favorable (3), Mixed (2), Unfavorable (1) and Terrible (0). To calculate the Metascore, we divide total points achieved by the total points possible (i.e., 4 x the number of reviews), with the resulting percentage (multiplied by 100) being the Metascore. Learn more...

Boston Globe Liz Rosenberg

As usual, Rowling's powers are startling, beautiful, original, wholly inimitable. The book bears the mark of genius on every page.

Chicago Sun-Times Deepti Hajela

Rowling's latest has lost none of the charm, intelligence and hilarity that have catapulted her series into publishing history. But this book also has a poignancy, complexity and sadness. There's an emotional punch you won't believe.

Publishers Weekly

She [Rowling] spends a bit more time in the set-up but she accomplishes a great deal in this book, pulling together threads from all the previous books and expertly poising readers for the planned finale.

Wall Street Journal Meghan Cox Gurdon

What leaps out from the intricate storyline and wonderfully fresh prose -- still, after six books! -- of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is the jaw-dropping scope of J.K. Rowling's achievement even before she publishes the last in the series.

The New York Times Book Review Liesl Schillinger

At a time when everyday life is increasingly charged with dark and deadly deeds, the temptation to believe that a good wizard is coming of age, a wizard who may vanquish the greatest evildoer, holds even more attraction. Give 'em hell, Harry! And now the wait for Volume 7 begins.

Sydney Morning Herald Angie Schiavone

After the catastrophic events of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the new book eases off on the doom and gloom. Granted, there's a devastating incident towards the end, but the overall tone is less intense and, as a result, it's much more enjoyable.

Entertainment Weekly Christopher Paolini

One of the great pleasures of these novels has been watching Rowling's storytelling skills develop. And she certainly spreads her wings in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

The Globe And Mail [Toronto] André Alexis

It is a book that, as with all the books in the series, adults will find flawed. Children are unlikely to notice, or care about, Rowling's shortcomings. And that's the truest testament to her talent.

USA Today Deirdre Donahue

It has clearly evolved from a charming tale of a mistreated orphan making his way through the world's coolest boarding school to the serious saga of a knight going forth to battle evil in the fascinating form of Lord Voldemort.

Sydney Morning Herald Kerryn Goldsworthy

The previous book was damned by critics who insisted it sagged and "needed editing" - ah, well, don't we all - and, whether or not in response, Rowling has streaked out of the blocks this time.

The Independent Frank Cottrell Boyce

The atmosphere of this book is as sweaty and paranoid as any thriller, but the characters behave like we do.

Christian Science Monitor Yvonne Zipp

As always, Rowling excels at propelling the action forward, and her creativity is undiminished.

Washington Post Jabari Asim

Rowling shepherds her hero's arduous trek to maturity with her customary grace and good humor, though she has infused her story with more bone-cracking and blood-spattering than may be tolerable for many of the young readers who have followed Harry's adventures so far.

Salon Laura Miller

What finally makes "Half-Blood Prince" work is Rowling's commitment to going beyond all the wildly popular and genuinely charming trademarks that no doubt make her feel safe as an author.

Los Angeles Times Emily Green

This is a book for children of mettle. It will reward them richly, but they must not whine, they must be sunny and true and above all brave. The ending is almost too much to bear. I haven't cried so hard since Charlotte the Spider died.

The Globe And Mail [Toronto] Elizabeth Renzetti and Doug Saunders

Ms. Rowling's novel may contain magical potions that shift time and mess with minds, but from the very first sentence it feels firmly placed in contemporary events.

The New York Times Michiko Kakutani

In addition to being a bildungsroman, of course, the Harry Potter books are also detective stories, quest narratives, moral fables, boarding school tales and action-adventure thrill rides, and Ms. Rowling uses her tireless gift for invention to thread these genres together, while at the same time taking myriad references and tropes (borrowed from such disparate sources as Shakespeare, Dickens, fairy tales, Greek myths and more recent works like "Star Wars") and making them her own.

Kirkus Reviews

This newest excursion into the Potterverse will leave readers pleased, amused, excited, scared, infuriated, delighted, sad, surprised, thoughtful.

PopMatters Shandy Casteel

While heartbreak will surely affect anyone emotionally invested in these books, Rowling has laid her tracks with precise reason, something that has been the most addicting facet of Harry Potter, the slow unraveling of a tale where all the parts are now coming back around and taking their rightful place in the puzzle.

The Onion A.V. Club Tasha Robinson

Longtime fans who fixate on anyone but Harry himself may be disappointed that their favorite character doesn't get more face time, but in the end, the only way Half-Blood Prince really disappoints is in how quickly it reads and how fast it's over.

The New Republic Sacha Zimmerman

All of which is perfectly thrilling--for an eight-year-old. But J.K. Rowling is not C.S. Lewis nor Madeline L'Engle, and her novels do not carry into adulthood--unless your idea of excitement is meeting Hagrid's beast du jour.

San Francisco Chronicle David Kipen

It's not that Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is dull, exactly. In places, it rises to a pitch resembling suspense, or at least a passing curiosity about what might happen next. No, the main problem is that J.K. Rowling has now written six of these bricks. Even if they were getting better, they're certainly not getting any fresher.

The Observer John Mullan

It is difficult not to think that, rich and adored, JK Rowling's gusto has gone. Now she is just, like her hero, set on completing the grand scheme. Into the gloom she is determined to take all those devoted readers.

The average user rating for this book is 8.4 (out of 10) based on 264 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Hunter gave it a10:
Outstanding book every book jkr makes is unbelievable a little advice for ken if you dont like the book why read it? why comment it? just trying to make some sense...

Gray D. gave it a9:
Should be called Harry Potter and the emotional roller coster. It loses a point because you get the feeling it is just preamble for the last book. As such the story is much less self contained than the earlier novels. It seemed strange that Ken claims the story to be derivative and then runs off a list of authors who are supposedly 'spewed' into the Potter series. This is really just a list famous fantasy writers(or rather writers well known for a particular fantasy book or series). C.S Lewis used the new testament as a blueprint. Tolkien had Beowulf, not to mention the cliches he borrows( I mean Elves and Dwarves and Dragons and Orcs-C'mon those were hardly original ideas). Rowling had there entire story layed out years before the 'his dark materials' was even released so I'm not sure how that could have had any major influence on the series. I didn't think it was necessary to critisize the fans either. You seem to have put yourself into the role of being some sort of arbiter of great taste, whatever. In fact Ken I am quite sure you were just trying to act cool. Because a rating of 0 would suggest you thought the book was devoid of any entertainment or enjoyment at all. This is something I am quite sure you did not think as you implied you have read more than one of the Potter novels. Anyone who is moronic enough to read multiple novels in a series they claim to think is "poorly written" should have their opinion taken with a grain of salt.

Eman E. gave it a10:
An amazing book the best so far even though dumbledore died.

Jacob A. gave it a10:
Ken, you must of never in your lifetime read even a sentence of a Harry Potter book, because they are some of the best books ever written. They give kids imagination and fun like never before. If you start to read a harry potter book then you can't put it down. Books like that DO change peoples lives.

Omar F. gave it a10:
As a Harry Potter fan for the past 6 years I must say that this book still managed to amaze me and exceed all my expectations. J.K. Rowling manages to keep her story exciting and interesting after 6 books and this is a feat not many can achieve, in fact, she continues to add new dimensions to her story that make each book more intriguing and mature. Read it, it's a great book.

aditya k gave it a10:
i ws totally thrilled by d book.its amazing,enjoying n quite funny at times.........

guy ! gave it a10:
Best Harry Potter Book yet! Can't wait for the seventh!!

Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince [Book 6] by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince [Book 6]
by J.K. Rowling