Book review
9/10
I’m going to separate my thoughts on each character, and in the end I will write a short conclusion to sum my thoughts up. Let’s start!
Ron
The Ron-Lavender-Hermione Part annoyed the shit out of me. Even though Ron is a helpful rely when Hermione and Harry need knowledge about the Wizarding World, I was so pissed every time Ron rejected Hermione. I mean it is so obvious that Hermione wants to spend more time with him and that she likes him, but he’s such a jerk and he has done this also a couple times in the previous books. Then Hermione pissing Ron off to make him jealous was so satisfying, because he simply deserved.
Another thing I have to mention is that Ron is so much more than the goofy one, yes he really annoyed me, but he had a lot of smart lines, which in the movie were given to Hermione and that’s not fair. He deserves credit (I try to look pass the topic ‘Ron and Girls’). I can’t even blame him all his brothers and Ginny have a good reputation at Hogwarts, almost every one of the Weasleys was a great Quidditch Player (shout out to Harry who believed in him, that was so wholesome) or a Prefect/Student Representative and when Ron finally achieved to be a Prefect along with Hermione, and on the Quidditch Team, there was suddenly a new goal: The Slug Club. They all pretended as if they don’t care if they’re in this ‘stupid’ club, BUT if your sister and your best friends are all in this fucking club it isn’t a big surprise if you try to fill this ‘I’m not good enough’ hole with something else.
Harry
After the ending of Order of the Phoenix I thought Harry would sink into a great depression and couldn’t be happy for a long long time, but that wasn’t the case. Sure Harry was sad because of what happened in the ministry, but he wasn’t that depressed as I thought he would be. On the other hand I can’t really blame him, because there’s too much going on in his life, things change, people die and he has this huge burden on him to end this manic of a dark lord. He’s still just a boy. I also have to mention that I really liked Harry in the Halfblood Prince, in Goblet of Fire and Order of the Phoenix I was so annoyed by his one man show and his sassy comments were too often and too harsh and. It made him almost unbearable, but as I mentioned in my review for the Philosophers stone I can’t blame Harry for his attitude in the previous books.
In this one he was such a good friend, he seemed like the most calm character in the book (besides Dumbledore who even died *calmly*). He gave his Felix Felicis to his friends and he tricked Hermione and Ron just to make Ron feel better about himself. It’s not fair of people to say that Harry always wants to get credit and to stay in the spotlight, for example he’s maybe the only one who really wasn’t interested in the Slug Club. He didn’t seek attention from Slughorn he just tried to pass the class and he helped Ron and Hermione with their potions. Oh and I just remembered another thing I wanted to mention, Harry in the books is so much more human than in the movies (just like Hermione but I will later come to her). For example in the movies Harry is potrayed as a good student like he maybe went from a A to a A+ with the help of the Halfblood Prince, when in fact the book helped him to pass the class. When the got their grades we saw that Harry and Ron almost have identical grades and Ron is always potrayed as the goofy and dumb ‘third wheel’ which simply isn’t fair and I’m so glad that they are all equal in the books, when it comes to their clever answers and their helpfulness.
Hermione
At first I need to say I sometimes have my problems when it comes to Hermione. Yes she has this great sassy, rebellious, loyal and smart moments, I love that she has such a great heart and her ambition for the security of the elves is amazing. For example even though Kreacher mistreat her and other characters she still tries to see the good in people, she still tries to help Kreacher or she tries to ‘protect’ Draco from Harry’s accusations him being a Death Eater (well turns out he is one, BUT, we all saw Draco’s inner conflict, more about Draco later on). Or the way Hermione treats Ron, helping him with his school work, trying to give him confidence when it comes to Quidditch, just shows what a great character she actually is.
Well and on the other hand it annoyed the shit out of me, when she ALWAYS had to be the best in every fucking class. I mean come on, Harry’s only talent is to be good at flying on a broomstick and then he finds the book of the Halfblood Prince -which literally saved him because he needs that class for the job as a Auror- she’s so jealous and upset and she just can’t begrudge Harry his luck. I know she also just tries to warn him to not play with the spells the Halfblood Prince also wrote down in his book, because they seem dark and not trustworthy, but still no one can tell me that Hermione wasn’t extremely jealous of Harry during the potion lessons.
The last thing about Hermione I want to talk about is how mucg I loved it when she pissed Ron of as he messed it all up again to go with her to the Slug Club and instead of going with him, she asked McMillan. Just to piss Ron off lmao so satisfying, well done smart girl. At this moment I was so upset because of Ron, just like back then when he messed it up to go with her to the Yule Ball and she dated Viktor Krum instead. To be honest I would love to see more about their time alone, for example I believe they spent a lot time together alone while Harry was with Dumbledore or with Snape. I’m so curious how their bond will become at the Deathly Hollows.
Ginny
Okay let’s talk about Ginny. First things first: I’m not a fan of her, you know and I know that Ginny and Harry are going to be endgame and I always thought maybe I will like her in the last two books when the story gets more sirius, but sorry I still don’t like you Ginny. Firstly it was HORRIBLE the hear her, including Hermione and Molly talking shit about Fleur. Sorry but this girl was blessed with beauty it’s not her ‘fault’ duh. It was so childish and not fair to trash talk about her while she was in the other room. I think Ginny should instead reflect on herself. I mean, sorry, but at first you had this awkward crush on Harry when you were younger, then you suddenly became cool, good in Quidditch and famous at Hogwarts for actually no reason? Are you supposed to be funny? Cool? Sorry but the material I got from you just ain’t it.
You’re trash talking about Fleur while you are the one who had something with Michael and Dean. Then literally one day after breaking up with Dean you randomly kiss Harry after the Quidditch Match and now am I supposed to accept this? Oh hell no. At this point I have to defend Harry in my opinion he deserves so much better, but I know that he is happy with her so I think I just have to ignore it lol because I definitely won’t accept it.
Tom Riddle
What a complex, dark and psychopathic character. Sorry but obviously The Halfblood Prince and The Chamber of Secrets are my two favorites in the series just because of Tom Riddle. The amount of knowledge we got from Voldys past in this was freaking amazing. My favorite scenes were definitely each time Dumbledore and Harry looked into the pensieve to go a step deeper into Tom Riddles life before he was the dark lord. The way Tom Riddle charmed and manipulated everyone for his own benefit isn’t just narcissistic and psychopathic it’s as well very captivating, especially how gentle and clever he chose his words and actions to get exactly what he wanted. I simply loved everything about the idea of the Hocruxes. How he chose his trophies and where he decided to hide them (the locket).
He was so obsessed with getting deep into the dark magic that he would sacrifice everything to get it. The way he was described as this handsome, clever and well spoken student and his fall from grace was GREAT. As a teenager he was already such an interesting character. I mean killing his father, his grandparents and the woman (forgot her name sorry) who introduced him to his future Hocruxes in such a remarkable way without any traces towards him is mind blowing. I have to admit Tom Riddle is probably the most intriguing character in the series. His character is so well worked out it’s actually not possible to not be impressed (gosh I sound like a Death Eater lmao) by his ‘achievements’. Voldy is definitely with Dumbledore and Snape the most interesting character and I’m grateful we got so much information in the Halfblood Prince about Voldemort before he turned into the monster he is now.
After he got rejected for the second time for the position of the DADA teacher he already wasn’t this handsome guy anymore he looked distorted and fractured. He tried to lose and to deny his muggle blood, he looked like his father and he hated it, he even hated his name, because there were already too many ‘Toms’ he wanted to be special, because that’s how he always felt -special- and he knew he is more capable and more powerful than everybody else. Everybody adored him except Dumbledore and he knew he can’t fool him so he had to find other ways to get what he wante. Even though Dumbledore never mistreated him he knew the only equal opponent was Dumbledore so he tried to always be one stop ahead than Dumbledore (what he was in the end (because of the curse which laid on Gaunts Ring)).
Dumbledore
Now after giving so much cheers to Tom Riddle I have to talk about how freaking amazing Dumbledore as a character was. This man was INCREDIBLE. The Cave Scene? BREATHTAKING. The Dialogue between him and Draco? PERFECTION. I often had the feeling like people don’t like Dumbledore as much as Snape, because they think he used Harry to end Voldemort instead of actually protecting him. But I think Dumbledore tries his best to not involve Harry in his missions as much as he can, but due Dumbledore knew he’s going to die, he had to show Harry everything he’s working on, because Harry is the only person who can end Voldemort. Through the entire series we used to learn that Dumbledore is a trustworthy person, who’s good and ready to risk his own life for his students. He knew he had to make this sacrifice and he knew which burden he gives Harry after telling him about the Hocruxes and he felt sorry for it, but there wasn’t another way for the work to be done.
Before Dumbledore and Harry disapparated he made Harry swear to do exactly what he wants Harry to do in the cave no matter how much pain he’s about to get and how much he’s going to protest and beg. The struggle of Harry in this scene was so well worked out, it was amazing. No one had ever seen Dumbledore this weak and vulnerable, but Harry still pours the basin of potion down Dumbledores throat. This scene was so intense, I almost started crying, but then after Harry got attacked by an inferni and Dumbledore defended all of them with this power move fire I literally got goosebumps. This was my favorite scene in the book (next to the Draco scenes, I will talk about later). Dumbledore was always the most gentle and nonjudgmental character in the series and the amount of knowledge he had just shows what a great person he was, the most parts I annoted in the books are quotes by him. Everything he ever said or done makes you think about your beliefs and actions, he’s nonjudgmental and gives everyone a chance no matter who your parents are or which creature you might be. Dumbledore saw the beauty within and I think the diversity of wizards, witches and each creature which came to his funeral just proves what a great person Dumbledore was.
Snape
This might be the most difficult to talk about. I don’t even know where to start, uff…so pretty much at the beginning I knew what is going to happen (The Death Eater vibes were immaculate omg) after Narcissa made Snape vow. It was settled that Dumbledore (/*) has to die and that Snape has to kill him. So I won’t refuse that Snape is an interesting and one of the most complex characters in the franchise (the entire book was basically about him), but I have to say even if Snape is the most twisty character which makes him unreachable and kind of a mercenary. I still don’t like him as much as many others do. Yes I definitely appreciate the sacrifices he has made and the guilt he must feel must be unbearable, but that still doesn’t excuse his extremely mean character.
He doesn’t just dislike Harry, he dislikes everyone. He takes points from gryffindor like there’s no tomorrow and he constantly gives students detention like it’s his favorite hobby. I know Hogwarts isn’t an ordinary school where the focus lays on a good pedagogical approach yet the other teachers also managed it to give the students positive feedback right? I understand that he is a teacher at Hogwarts because he knows and Dumbledore knows that there isn’t anyone as great as him when it comes to potions and many other qualities yet I think as a 11-16 year old I would probably cry and hate going to school if I had a teacher like him.
And on the other hand he immediately helped Draco when Harry attacked him with Sectumsempra, yes we could say it might be only because of the unbreakable vow, to protect Draco, yet there were many other scenes where Snape alsp helped and prove he is reliable (the potion he always made for Remus, though he hated the marauders). I know a lot of things about Snape will come out in The Deathly Hollows and it’s quite difficult to gather my thoughts about him, because he isn’t just a morally gray character he’s so complex and on the one hand I can understand why he is the way he is and on the other hand that still doesn’t put him on my ‘favorite character’ list.
Draco
Oh sweet baby Jesus, what. was. that. Draco’s character arc is Halfblood Prince was AMAZING. The inner struggle he had with himslef, the way his mother cared for him, his dialogue with Dumbledore, Harry suspecting Draco, Hermione refusing to believe it. THE SECTUMSEMPRA SCENE. Oh my Lord… Draco had definitely the most dramatic role in here. It was the very first time we got a different view on his character, it was the very first time we even learned something about the Death Eaters. The dark vibes which I got from this book gave me CHILLS.
The moaning Myrtle talking about a boy who comes to the bathroom to cry, broke my fucking heart. I never sympathized with Draco, not even in the movies, I pitied him but here I truly sympathized with him. He was born into this traditional family with a specific reputation, where hidding secrets and manipulation was the daily agenda. After all he is just a boy. He was always in the shadow of his father. His family name already managed to give him a image. You could say now ‘duh, what about Sirius, he was also a member of the blacks yet he choose to not be like his family’ yeah BUT firstly, Sirius had friends who supported him and secondly he wasn’t the only son of the Blacks like Draco is for the Malfoys. The burden this boy has to carry is inconceivable.
Yes everyone had their package to carry but I believe everyone of them had someone to make life more bearable, Draco has no real friends, the only one who truly cares for him is Narcissa (and Dumbledore) and she was just as Draco completely suppressed by Bellatrix, Lucius and Voldemort. So yeah if I take a look at Draco it seems like he has (along with Harry) the most interesting character arc, when it comes to the younger characters in the franchise. I’m so excited for the Deathly Hollows, because I want to know more about him now.
Hagrid
There isn’t much to say I LOVE Hagrid, he owns my heart and always will. I swear if Hagrid dies in Deathly Hollows imma rate the book with one fucking star. Hagrid is the sweetest and most loveable character in the series, he was Harry’s first friend and there’s so much history with him. When Aragog died and Hagrid cried = my heart broke, I simply wanted to hug him. When Harry told Hagrid that Dumbledore died it took my breath away, I could feel his disbelief and hearing his heart break in the same moment.
There’s so much depth in his character which made him this great person he’s now, his mother didn’t care for him and his father died when he was new in Hogwarts. Then the scandal with the Chamber of Secrets, he was blamed, got expelled and lost his wand. Dumbledore believed in him and gave him a chance. I’m about to cry just thinking about it, he admired Dumbledore and losing the one person who made so much for him possible just breaks my heart. Hagrid didn’t had an easy life, just remember the humiliation of Umbridge in Order of The Phoenix…and still his heart is full of love.
Nothing but love for Hagrid!!
The Weasleys
The Weasleys are the only family which proved me having children and being married might be cool. I’m so used to the twins that I literally felt their absence in this book. I loved how much time we had with the Weasleys in the previous books and I really missed them in The Halfblood Prince. Sure at the very end we got them all together protecting Hogwarts and the part where Harry, Ron, Hermine, Ginny and Molly talked about Fleur in the beginning at the Burrow, but both scene weren’t as pleasant as other beautiful moments, for example the Quidditch Cup in Goblet of Fire or the simple hang out sessions at the Burrow without any tension between anyone. I really wished for more quality time with the Weasleys, they give me a comfort no other family has ever given me.
Lupin and Tonks
At first I have to say that I wished for more Lupin content, I mean he had such a huge role in The Prisoner of Azkaban and he is in the Order but in a lot of scene when I wished him to be there he wasn’t. I really like him as a character (as well as Tonks) and that’s why I was so sad that I didn’t had more moments with them, I hope this changes in The Deathly Hollows, because the ending of The Halfblood Prince really left me wanting to get to know them more. They both seem so genuine and loving, they are the couple I didn’t thought I needed.
Sirius
As I already said in the Harry section I was quite disappointed in the outcome of ‘The Life without Sirius’. Truth be told, I’m not a great fan of Sirius, but still this man was twelve(?) years in Azkaban, had major family issues and he lost his best friend, because of a huge betrayal by an other ‘friend’. He had to stay at Grimmgauld Place for months and when he came out he fucking died and now there was a sequel with 650 pages and all we get are 3-4 lines in which Harry thinks about Sirius or anyone mentions his name, just to talk about something else in the next line. Come on, for Sirius sake, I really hoped at least the golden trio would grief more about Sirius.
Sirius deserved better.
Conclusion
The main reason why I loved it so much was because of Tom Riddle, sorry but I’m more interested in tempted characters than in moral apostles. #sorrynotsorry
My christian mother would totally freak out after reading this review of me praising this greedy guy who’s in touch with dark magic, but sorry mom. I know you told me to not read this and yet I did and I totally can see why you told me not to, because you knew im going to be obsessed with it and I am. When I was younger my parents didn’t allow me to read HP and I totally can get why, it’s dark (the death eaters are basically a satanic cult lmao) and dramatic yet beautiful and a complete new world. I think if I read the books as a child I would probably be traumatized, but I would still have loved it lol
So yeah all in all this book had it’s ‘flaws’ but that still doesn’t stop me from calling this my favorite (next to Chamber of Secrets), because the Tom Riddle vibes gave me EVERYTHING and Draco’s character arc was chefs kiss.
- Goodreads rating – 4.58
- REVIEW – swan