That took a little longer to read than I expected. I'm just glad today was one of those "free" days. We had no plans, so I got to spend the morning and afternoon reading.
Rapid Review: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Spoiler-Free thoughts: WAY better than the last book. While I still have issues with the events in the last book that were not addressed in this one, this book was so much better that I find myself being very forgiving.
That's not to say that it's perfect. It's standard Harry Potter fare, which means that the writing could use some polishing. But the storytelling is as strong as ever, and it draws you along despite yourself. 
Spoiler Review Below (highlight/select to read):
I wonder how many people got shivers up their spines when the book starts out focusing on the Muggle Prime Minister dealing with disasters? I know I felt chills that had nothing to do with Harry Potter itself.
Perhaps my favorite bit of the book would be Dumbledore's explanation that prophecies are given power by the people who believe in them, and that if the target of a prophecy never hears it, then the prophecy is meaningless. It re-emphasizes the point that people are responsible for themselves, and that destiny isn't as all-powerful as some folks would like to believe. It also makes up a bit for Voldy's determination to get the prophecy in the last book: he firmly believes it.
I expected the explanation of Voldy's survival to be something like what we finally hear... I just didn't expect the quantity. It does turn the final book of the series into more of a "quest" format, though, as Harry now has items he has to hunt down.
Plot Hole: If the "lucky" potion takes six months to brew, and Sluggy didn't agree to teach until right before term started, then how did he get the potion ready in time for the start of school?
I suppose the death in this book wasn't nearly as anti-climatic as someone falling through a curtain, but it was still shocking. I'm very curious about the note that Harry found, though, which I'm sure was the point of throwing that bit into the book. There seems to be an important player that we haven't yet met.
End Spoilers. If the above stuff shows up on your computer without you highlighting it, please let me know what kind of browser and computer you are using so I can try to fix it. Thanks.
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