[CHRON] Harry Potter Book Review

Ok, the review is interesting. Read it. There are no spoilers. But, the last line will freak you out and has nothing to do with the book. But, you have to get through the review first or it won't have any impact.

BOOK REVIEW
In light of dark turn, Harry still brilliant
By ROSALIND CASEY

It was released on Friday at midnight, and many fans have already read Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
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They sped through the comparatively brief 652 pages, immersed in the euphoria of reading J.K. Rowling in top form. They made crazy predictions based on precisely placed clues. Now the disappointment may be setting in.

If the book's conclusion smells faintly of letdown, the opening is nothing of the sort. Half-Blood Prince begins with a chapter Rowling says she has been trying to use for years, and it has finally found its rightful place in the series. The conversation between Britain's Prime Minister and the wizarding world's Minister of Magic provides not only a very clever plot review, but also an example of the half-comically bizarre, half-earnest writing that defines Rowling's style.

The style and mood always have been among the series' strong points, especially in the early books. Book 6 is no exception: Rowling sets a vivid, distinctive tone sure to swallow readers back into the page-turning world of Harry Potter. It retains the school-days jollity and wordplay of previous books, while including darker, more mature undertones.

Another of Rowling's strengths is her characterization and her gift for subtly and skillfully aging her protagonists. Now 16, Harry has matured considerably from the awkward boy of Sorcerer's Stone and the snappish, brooding adolescent of Order of the Phoenix. It's the same Harry, still stubborn, still hot-headed, still leaping to act on brilliant ideas that may or may not actually work, still sassing teachers, and, ultimately, still lovable. But Harry now understands more about himself and his peers. His harebrained schemes are slightly better thought out, his behavior slightly more disciplined, his crushes decidedly more mature. When, about halfway through the book, someone refers to Harry in typical British manner as a man, it is finally possible for readers to agree.

Other characters are equally well-developed, including Ron and younger students such as Ginny Weasley and Luna Lovegood. Hermione is particularly notable, since she matured a great deal faster than her male friends. Her character continues to grow in realistic ways.

The adults are not neglected: Dumbledore, with all his quirky brilliance and unexpected faults, has a large role in Half-Blood Prince. The Weasley family is in more turmoil than usual, and Hogwarts professors variously react to the strain of battling Voldemort while planning lessons.

In short, all the characters in the spotlight are well-written and fully dimensional, but it is disappointing how little we see of many others.

Rowling's ability to spin complex plots and lay careful clues, to keep readers guessing and elicit "Ohh!" sounds at all the right moments, is the envy of many mystery writers. While this talent has not failed her in Half-Blood Prince, it seems to be on the blink. Trails are set, to simply die out. Answers spring from nowhere. There are questions where there should be answers, answers where there should be questions, and awkward edits where there might once have been clues.

There are exceptions: The mystery of the titular Half-Blood Prince, for example, is a fine plot line with worries, wild guesses, a few red herrings and an answer that can be correctly deduced but not easily predicted. But there are very few of the wonderful I-should-have-known moments so frequent in the other books.

And then comes the ending. The wonderful mood changes and the characterization fades slightly in the climactic mix of shock and cliché. Half-Blood Prince goes out with a bang that leaves an unpleasant ringing in readers' ears.

The finale of Prince has the unsubtle air of plot device, of lead-up. A lead-up that has been six books in the making, yes, but a clumsy lead-up just the same. Rowling seems to have rushed the ending, just so she finally could heave a sigh of relief and say, "OK, now I'm ready for the last book."

This is only acceptable on one condition. The sixth book was good. The seventh must be better.




ENDING BELOW...






Rosalind Casey, 15, attends Duchesne Academy.

15????? Are you kidding me? The book reviewer that wrote this is 15??? There are some college English professors who couldn't write this review!!!