Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Harry Potter, Book 6)
The war against Voldemort is not going well; even Muggle governments are noticing. Ron scans the obituary pages of the Daily Prophet, looking for familiar names. Dumbledore is absent from Hogwarts for long stretches of time, and the Order of the Phoenix has already suffered losses. And yet...
As in all wars, life goes on. Sixth-year students learn to Apparate - and lose a few eyebrows in the process. The Weasley twins expand their business. Teenagers flirt and fight and fall in love. Classes are never straightforward, though Harry receives some extraordinary help from the mysterious Half-Blood Prince.
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Community Reviews
When I went back to reading I finished this book first and it got me out of a (almost) three year reading slump!
Voldemort has returned and the Ministry have finally come to the fact that they must help and protect the Wizarding world, but of course, there is only so much that they are willing to do. Meanwhile, at school, Harry is receiving secret lessons from Dumbledore, as they learn how to truly defeat Voldemort once and for all. It would just be a lot easier if Draco Malfoy wasn't plotting the downfall of the headmaster.
Much like the other books in the series, Rowling's world building and character development completely outweigh her ability to convey emotional and climatic moments. Dumbledore's death, which is obviously quite a significant and key moment to not only the plot, but also Harry's development, felt like a blink and you'll miss it moment. The limited language and actions only serves as a reminder that this a children's book, and is therefore subjected to the structure of one.
Learning about Voldemort's past and his secret to immortality was fascinating and proves that Rowling's world building is by far her strongest ability in writing.
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