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Jul 24, 2014danielestes rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Say all you want about formulaic plot devices and fan-fiction romances, but that couldn't stop the Half-Blood Prince from elevating the Harry Potter phenomenon to a feverish level. Pottermainia was ubiquitous and the world couldn't get enough. Even the book's three-word plot twist (___ kills ___ for those who still don't want to be spoiled) became an infamous meme in itself. The brilliance of the Half-Blood Prince comes from JK Rowling somehow juggling the imminent threat of Voldemort and his death eaters with the everyday drama of being sixteen and in school. The often light-hearted tone should feel off by all accounts but it doesn't. It works. Here we get to look back into Voldemort's past, uncovering secrets about the boy Tom Riddle transforming into He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. And the addition of the new Slytherin professor, Horace Slughorn, provides a complex perspective on a man who isn't so obviously black and white like the Slytherins tend to be.