Half blood prince review
Jul. 18th, 2005 01:27 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jackI enjoyed it. But I can never tell how good overall a book is on first reading, because I love it (or occasionally hate it) and don't see the other side. However, I did manage to sleep in the middle, giving me a chance to mull over what was going on. Now follow some impressions.
The first chapter of any HP is always a bit lame because it's full of introspective infodump recap, and especially if it's about a muggle going "Oh dear, magic is so strange." But I liked it otherwise, the ministary/pm setup seems reasonable, I liked the sense of doom over the country, I'm glad Fudge is gone, and I liked the character of Scrimgoer, and that we're not dragging out the denial any more.
But why *isn't* Dumbledore minsiter? He certainly could have forced his way in, couldn't he, and he does care that the ministry does things right. He could appoint a competant deputy to do all the work, but keep them on track with doing the important things and not the other things.
As always, the magic seemed full of plot holes that can be explained away just by saying "Well, we don't know how it works." Why isn't everyone given an unbreakable curse at birth[1]? Having to drink that potion was a stupid way of getting the desired effects, it makes people think "why can't they just pour it away?" Couldn't it have been a barrier you have to walk through that damages you, or something? From now on, I will retcon that in in my mind.
Update: and why don't people use felix all the bloody time? It might be impractical for harry, but surely D or V could afford to make a lot of it for every battle??
I thought the relationships were fairly well done. I'm very glad Ron and Hermy seem to be getting it together (and that Ron got some fun in otherwhere as well :)), and I'm pleased at Harry and Ginny, though I was betting on Luna[2][3]. Ginny is now officially cool :)
As always, I was awful at guessing what was going to happen. I bet that what Snape had vowed to do was something like retreiving the philosopher's stone, and that the evilgirls hadn't noticed that he hadn't promised anythign else, so he would be able to protect Draco (grooming him to be good-but-nasty like Snape himself), and then do it, and then give it to D.[4] I guess he had to be lying about his occulumancy skills to *one* of the most powerful wizards either way...
The potions books was obviously bad. When will Harry learn?? Don't tell Slughorn, tell DUMBLEDORE! What if it was important?? But I was betting it was Voldemort. Come on, it's so obviously his style, why didn't Harry even consider that? About the only thing I got right was believing Harry about Draco.
It was nice to see a reasonably good Slytherin in Slughorn, there's been hints for ages about needing to stand together. But they could have made him nicer, at least superficially; he seemed too slimy and blatant to be any good at his buttering up. OTOH, I guess you can't be too subtle in a children's book. Someone like Crouch could be a good example: ruthless, but your face wasn't rubbed in it.
It was so poignant when Dumbledore said "I'm not worried. You're here," to Harry. And I'm pleased that Harry seems to be taking responsibility now. Horcruxes are a good idea, if slightly plot-object-y. I think most of the dangling ends from previous books have been tidied up now.
[1] "I will obey the law" or more usefully "If I break the law I will immediately present myself to the ministry unarmed for a hearing."
[2] Luna and Harry, not Luna and Ginny.
[3] Because it would set up the most contrast between good-harry-with-luna and nasty-james-with-snape at that age.
[4] Update: People are supposing that he's still good, and killed D because someone was going to. Hmmm. I want to believe it very much, but I'm not sure I can bet on it, it seems too optimistic...
The first chapter of any HP is always a bit lame because it's full of introspective infodump recap, and especially if it's about a muggle going "Oh dear, magic is so strange." But I liked it otherwise, the ministary/pm setup seems reasonable, I liked the sense of doom over the country, I'm glad Fudge is gone, and I liked the character of Scrimgoer, and that we're not dragging out the denial any more.
But why *isn't* Dumbledore minsiter? He certainly could have forced his way in, couldn't he, and he does care that the ministry does things right. He could appoint a competant deputy to do all the work, but keep them on track with doing the important things and not the other things.
As always, the magic seemed full of plot holes that can be explained away just by saying "Well, we don't know how it works." Why isn't everyone given an unbreakable curse at birth[1]? Having to drink that potion was a stupid way of getting the desired effects, it makes people think "why can't they just pour it away?" Couldn't it have been a barrier you have to walk through that damages you, or something? From now on, I will retcon that in in my mind.
Update: and why don't people use felix all the bloody time? It might be impractical for harry, but surely D or V could afford to make a lot of it for every battle??
I thought the relationships were fairly well done. I'm very glad Ron and Hermy seem to be getting it together (and that Ron got some fun in otherwhere as well :)), and I'm pleased at Harry and Ginny, though I was betting on Luna[2][3]. Ginny is now officially cool :)
As always, I was awful at guessing what was going to happen. I bet that what Snape had vowed to do was something like retreiving the philosopher's stone, and that the evilgirls hadn't noticed that he hadn't promised anythign else, so he would be able to protect Draco (grooming him to be good-but-nasty like Snape himself), and then do it, and then give it to D.[4] I guess he had to be lying about his occulumancy skills to *one* of the most powerful wizards either way...
The potions books was obviously bad. When will Harry learn?? Don't tell Slughorn, tell DUMBLEDORE! What if it was important?? But I was betting it was Voldemort. Come on, it's so obviously his style, why didn't Harry even consider that? About the only thing I got right was believing Harry about Draco.
It was nice to see a reasonably good Slytherin in Slughorn, there's been hints for ages about needing to stand together. But they could have made him nicer, at least superficially; he seemed too slimy and blatant to be any good at his buttering up. OTOH, I guess you can't be too subtle in a children's book. Someone like Crouch could be a good example: ruthless, but your face wasn't rubbed in it.
It was so poignant when Dumbledore said "I'm not worried. You're here," to Harry. And I'm pleased that Harry seems to be taking responsibility now. Horcruxes are a good idea, if slightly plot-object-y. I think most of the dangling ends from previous books have been tidied up now.
[1] "I will obey the law" or more usefully "If I break the law I will immediately present myself to the ministry unarmed for a hearing."
[2] Luna and Harry, not Luna and Ginny.
[3] Because it would set up the most contrast between good-harry-with-luna and nasty-james-with-snape at that age.
[4] Update: People are supposing that he's still good, and killed D because someone was going to. Hmmm. I want to believe it very much, but I'm not sure I can bet on it, it seems too optimistic...
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Date: 2005-07-18 12:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-07-18 12:44 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-07-18 12:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-07-18 12:52 pm (UTC)Though it would be cool to have a great big treetrunk wand with all the Order trying to weild it to do one GIGANTIC spell.
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Date: 2005-07-18 12:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-07-18 01:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-07-18 01:17 pm (UTC)It could be bad, but if the hunts are appropriately interweaved it could work well. I hope. It is so fanfiction, isn't it?
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Date: 2005-07-20 07:06 pm (UTC)It would speed things up if the locket is the one metioned in OOTP in number 12.
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Date: 2005-07-21 03:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-07-18 01:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-07-18 01:29 pm (UTC)I haven't heard the Grimmauld Place theory. I'd be betting more on one there, and a big quest for the others?
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Date: 2005-07-18 01:41 pm (UTC)The other theory I heard is that the Gryffindor item is the sorting hat.
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Date: 2005-07-18 01:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-07-20 07:09 pm (UTC)When would Voldermort have got the sorting hat to turn it into a horcrux? I vote for Harry being one.
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Date: 2005-07-21 03:18 pm (UTC)Exactly.
I vote for Harry being one.
Yeah, it seems to be #1 theory.
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Date: 2005-07-18 03:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-07-18 01:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-07-18 01:41 pm (UTC)I need to reread it.
And of course, there's the Matrix II effect, where the ending produces much speculation, and I discount this option because it's narritively unsatisfying, and that option because it's impossible, and settle on $compromise -- and then the impossible one happens. It can be impossible to deduce.
Could Snape have done anything? He could have Avada Kedavra'd the DE instead, at the expense of blowing his cover. They'd have had flitwick then as well.
Actually, good point: if he was pretending, would he have stunned F? F was with D, but not Order, right? Hmmm.
Futher, I don't think we heard, eg. McG's opinion of Snape, maybe people do know, just not Harry because he's still annoyed about S betraying his APs.
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Date: 2005-07-18 04:00 pm (UTC)And DIED. Vis breaking the Unbreakable vow. Given that the death of AD was what was required of Draco then SS had to do it or die.
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Date: 2005-07-18 04:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-07-18 01:58 pm (UTC)Terrible misspellings
Date: 2005-07-18 04:33 pm (UTC)Appalling misspellings
Date: 2005-07-18 04:34 pm (UTC)