Harry's fifth year at Hogwarts ended with an event so dramatic that it woke the entire wizarding world to the fact that Voldemort is alive. Now the wizarding world is at war with Voldemort. But as Harry enters his sixth year at Hogwarts, life continues to go on. Harry accidentally impresses the new potions professor by following the handwritten directions in his secondhand textbook—a book marked up by the brilliant and enigmatic "half-blood prince." His best friend Ron falls in (and out) of love with the gushy Lavender Brown. And something is definitely up with Harry's classmate and old nemesis, Draco Malfoy. But meanwhile Harry and Dumbledore sift through Voldemort's past to discover the secret of his return—and learn how to defeat him, once and for all.
This sixth book in the series introduces one of the most terrifying concepts yet—the unspeakably evil Horcruxes. The creation of a Horcrux is a horribly gruesome way in which one obtains immortality. In the wizarding world most people don't even know about them, and those who do refuse to talk about them. They are black magic, and our heroes are quick to condemn them for what they are—simply evil. Likewise, the book severely condemns Voldemort, a man so greedy for power that he is willing to go to perverse lengths to prevent his own demise.
On the other hand the book does little more than cast a disapproving eye on things like Ron's short-lived relationship with Lavender Brown, which involves....a lot of snogging. Okay, to be honest, nothing but snogging. The book is clear, however, on the fact that a relationship founded on nothing more than physical attraction instead of mutual respect has little chance of survival. Another thing it is clear on is the fact that evil is not something chosen only by the sickest and most terrible among us. Evil resides in the human heart.
The difference between Voldemort and Harry, the book points out, is that Voldemort chose to give in to evil, to live a life of greed, whereas Harry fights against evil, and fights for love. As Harry prepares to face his destiny at the end of the book he understands this, and thus knows what he's fighting for.
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Review by Lauren Shearer
Lauren Shearer writes words for fun and profit. She also makes films, but everyone knows you can't make a profit doing that. Her other hobby is consistently volunteering way too much of her time. You can read more of her reviews here.
|
Review by Lauren Shearer
Lauren Shearer writes words for fun and profit. She also makes films, but everyone knows you can't make a profit doing that. Her other hobby is consistently volunteering way too much of her time. You can read more of her reviews
here.
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