Not Another Harry Potter: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

By Jacob H. 

The sixth installment in the beloved Harry Potter saga, by author JK Rowling, takes a somewhat darker turn, drawing readers deeper into the adventures of the young boy wizard. Rowling's wonderful description and creatives skills are put to the test as we are introduced to new characters, new creature and new forms of magic. The war against the dark witches and wizards has begun and the students of Hogwarts are caught right in the crossfire.

The presence of Lord Voldemort has returned and has struck fear into the hearts of every witch and wizard in the wizarding world - even muggles(non magical folk, but you should know this by now) are alert to his forces. With disappearances and killings happening all to often, Harry will need his friends more than ever. Harry, Ron and Hermione have all turned 16 and their magical skills and abilities are growing. Knowing this, Dumbledore enlists the help of Harry to uncover secrets about Lord Voldemort's past. By knowing these past events, the good side of the magical world may stand a chance against Voldemort's growing army of dark witches and wizards.

Even though a war is waging outside of Hogwarts, the students inside the castle are still dealing with everyday problems and dilemmas. Schoolwork, sports anxieties and young love are all topics discussed throughout this story. Themes such as coming of age and finding your place in the changing world are large morals being stretched across the pages of the Half-Blood Prince.

As usual, Rowling delivers yet another beautifully compelling story that draws readers in and keeps them literally begging for more installments to the Harry Potter franchise. To expand her wizarding universe, Rowling had to draw back on the action to create more in-depth backgrounds of newly introduced characters. All of the original characters are back, along with new friends, enemies and creatures. This story has a deeper meaning than most of the previous, light-hearted Harry Potter books. Death, coping and longing are all emotional aspects that most of the previous tales don't touch upon too often. Somehow JK implemented these elements into the sixth story to create a new reading experience that I have never been through with Harry and his friends.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was no disappointment and it is actually one of my favorite Harry Potter books to read, due to it's highly emotional storyline. As the characters age, so does their maturity. Even though they are becoming adults, Rowling still finds ways to weave hilarious quips and hysterical scenes into this older themed Harry Potter story. This book is one of my favorites and I highly recommend that you check out the Half- Blood and Prince and all of the other Potter books as well.