Darth Schmoe
07-17-2005, 04:12 AM
SECOND WARNING! THERE'RE GOING TO BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW SO IF YOU DON'T WANT THIS BOOK SPOILED FOR YOU, DO NOT READ ON!
Right, still with me? Don't say I didn't warn you!
Alright, on with the review.
Just finished Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and... WOW! Holy fucking shit, if you thought Book 5 was dark, then you're going to be knocked off your feet once you read this! Where to start, where to start... Well, the first thing I dug about this book that we leave the Dursleys in like, no time at all. We barely waste any time in there and head straight back to the Weasleys and the rest of the wizarding world, where all kinds of shit is hitting the fan: as people who have read the other books know, Lord Voldemort (most evil motherfucker on the block) has risen again and in the last book, his cover was finally blown when he tried to obtain the record of a prophecy, that told him that Harry is the One, and only one, with the power to destroy him. So, in Book 6, Voldemort decides to forget about Harry for the moment and gets in a conquering mood. The wizarding world is at full-blown war and, though there's not a lot of action inside the walls of Hogwarts, news of Dementors sucking a load of souls, people enchanted to kill and the dead kinda rising and all that good stuff is rampant. However, even at school (the only place Voldemort didn't dare to attack) it's not safe anymore as assassination attempts occur throughout the year. Voldemort himself gets a surprisingly few amount of screentime, in fact, none at all (in person, that is, as we do find out a lot about his past)! The book's also a little bit more gruesome with Draco kicking Harry in the face when he's down (broken nose and all that), Harry, in return, using a spell that cuts Draco to shit (if people still call this a kid's book after reading that, then I'll smack you: there is blood all over the fucking place in that particular scene!) and Bill (one of Ron's brothers) getting his face completely mutulated by a werewolf (not in werewolf-form! Yes, a man fucking bites him in the face, Hannibal-style!). Another cool bit is a scene of some of Voldy's most trusted servants in which we finally get a true glimpse into the ranks of the Dark Lord's armies and, most importantly, a good glimpse of Snape and his intentions. However, it's the characterization that makes these books stand above 'normal' books: every single character is so deep, real and understandable, that you feel as if they could come right out of the pages. Voldemort's evil is fully explained as well (turns out he was an evil bitch when he was a kid too), which makes it startling to read, as it seems so freakishly comparable to some kids these days, with a couple 'issues', who turn out to become full blown psycho's. On a more happier note, we also finally see a bit more dating and Harry finally gets a girlfriend truly worth his attention. And then there's the final action sequence that happens in every HP book and man, is it sweet! I thought that Dumbledore and Voldemort's one-on-one duel at the end of Book 5 was awesome, but the happenings in these scenes are great, with the story of a kid who finally conveys how sucky serving evil truly is, and finally, J.K. Rowling reveals Snape's loyalty. This term at Hogwarts ends on the crappiest note ever, with hope knocked out of the wizarding population and Harry embracing a extraordinary determination to put an end to all this, something right up there with the fictional hero's of yester-years, such as Frodo and Sam or Luke Skywalker. This book (especially it's ending) is in no way a kid's book anymore, (in fact, it's quite likely that in the next book we won't see the happy, enchanting Hogwarts anymore at all!) as Harry has fully accepted his fate as the One and he's fucking furious. Voldemort - watch yo back! Very pissed off teenage wizard heading your way!
Right, still with me? Don't say I didn't warn you!
Alright, on with the review.
Just finished Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and... WOW! Holy fucking shit, if you thought Book 5 was dark, then you're going to be knocked off your feet once you read this! Where to start, where to start... Well, the first thing I dug about this book that we leave the Dursleys in like, no time at all. We barely waste any time in there and head straight back to the Weasleys and the rest of the wizarding world, where all kinds of shit is hitting the fan: as people who have read the other books know, Lord Voldemort (most evil motherfucker on the block) has risen again and in the last book, his cover was finally blown when he tried to obtain the record of a prophecy, that told him that Harry is the One, and only one, with the power to destroy him. So, in Book 6, Voldemort decides to forget about Harry for the moment and gets in a conquering mood. The wizarding world is at full-blown war and, though there's not a lot of action inside the walls of Hogwarts, news of Dementors sucking a load of souls, people enchanted to kill and the dead kinda rising and all that good stuff is rampant. However, even at school (the only place Voldemort didn't dare to attack) it's not safe anymore as assassination attempts occur throughout the year. Voldemort himself gets a surprisingly few amount of screentime, in fact, none at all (in person, that is, as we do find out a lot about his past)! The book's also a little bit more gruesome with Draco kicking Harry in the face when he's down (broken nose and all that), Harry, in return, using a spell that cuts Draco to shit (if people still call this a kid's book after reading that, then I'll smack you: there is blood all over the fucking place in that particular scene!) and Bill (one of Ron's brothers) getting his face completely mutulated by a werewolf (not in werewolf-form! Yes, a man fucking bites him in the face, Hannibal-style!). Another cool bit is a scene of some of Voldy's most trusted servants in which we finally get a true glimpse into the ranks of the Dark Lord's armies and, most importantly, a good glimpse of Snape and his intentions. However, it's the characterization that makes these books stand above 'normal' books: every single character is so deep, real and understandable, that you feel as if they could come right out of the pages. Voldemort's evil is fully explained as well (turns out he was an evil bitch when he was a kid too), which makes it startling to read, as it seems so freakishly comparable to some kids these days, with a couple 'issues', who turn out to become full blown psycho's. On a more happier note, we also finally see a bit more dating and Harry finally gets a girlfriend truly worth his attention. And then there's the final action sequence that happens in every HP book and man, is it sweet! I thought that Dumbledore and Voldemort's one-on-one duel at the end of Book 5 was awesome, but the happenings in these scenes are great, with the story of a kid who finally conveys how sucky serving evil truly is, and finally, J.K. Rowling reveals Snape's loyalty. This term at Hogwarts ends on the crappiest note ever, with hope knocked out of the wizarding population and Harry embracing a extraordinary determination to put an end to all this, something right up there with the fictional hero's of yester-years, such as Frodo and Sam or Luke Skywalker. This book (especially it's ending) is in no way a kid's book anymore, (in fact, it's quite likely that in the next book we won't see the happy, enchanting Hogwarts anymore at all!) as Harry has fully accepted his fate as the One and he's fucking furious. Voldemort - watch yo back! Very pissed off teenage wizard heading your way!