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| 28 JUL 2005 at 2:03am |
SarahJourneyman
Posts : 913
Joined: 13 JUL 2004
Status : Offline | Man, I want to share my frustriation on what had happened to me :'(. Sorry I haven't finished the book yet though.
I have bought the book on the very first day it came out. I haven't read yet till this week. I was too busy to be be able to read it.
I read the BIG SPOILER(who was the half blood prince and who died plus who killed the person) when I was browsing through a site on celebrity gossip.
Damn, who would've thought reading comments on Jack Osbourne's picture would lead me to reading the darn spoiler. I was surprised that I read it till the end. I couldn't avoid it cause the fonts were in CAPS and I could read everything at one look! >
Felt SO terribly stupid! I'd never forgive myself for reading that and I feel like I want to KILL that person whoever wrote that the first place!!!!! > [smiley=furious.gif] [smiley=furious.gif] [smiley=furious.gif]
Okay, back to regular comments of Harry Potter.
Still busy being a mom &&
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| 28 JUL 2005 at 2:16am |
bdeckedSchattenjger
Posts : 1620
Joined: 14 OCT 2011
Status : Online | I'm sorry... that really sucks. I do hate that, when they put in spoilers in VERY unexpected places!!! That's SO unfair.
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| 28 JUL 2005 at 2:45am |
CarolineJA+ Overseer
Posts : 16540
Joined: 28 JAN 2007
Location: AU
Status : Offline | I really, really must get around to buying these books......
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| 28 JUL 2005 at 5:51am |
EvaGuild Master
Posts : 3247
Joined: 5 NOV 2002
Status : Offline | My sister got the spoiler too, before finishing.
Luckily I bought and read it in China where I avoided all that.
And...
I hated the ending! Grrr! Sooo depressing....
Why'd he have to die? And why did Snape have to kill him? Snape is my favorite character and now he's turned all evil? There'd better be a real good explanation in the next one, that's for sure.
Of course, I get why Dumbledore and Sirius were killed off, it's the only way for Harry to be on his own, without "father figures", in the last, final battle. I don't think it was quite necessary though. Also, he dropped out of school? [smiley=nono.gif]
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| 28 JUL 2005 at 10:08am |
Lucien21Guild Master
Posts : 4876
Joined: 9 JUL 2003
Location: 0
Status : Offline | I posted a review on another forum- Here's what I though of the new one
OK I'm SAD :-[
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
Man was this a pile of crap. It was nothing we havn't seen before in the other 5 books. It felt like the entire point of the book was a stop gap/ set-up for the 7th and final novel. I hope she breaks from the school formula and at last tries something different.
I was seriously bored by the 5th chapter and it never got any better.
Someone should teach her how to write death scenes. This is the second major one and like the Sirius death it emoted nothing. She also telegraphed who was going to die in both cases it was painfully obvious.
It felt like oh right he's dead, but on the other hand we have a wedding to plan. There was no emotional reaction at all from me or any of the characters.
There was just far too much blabbering. Although all the back story about Voldemort was vaguely interesting, but just another case of Potter standing around talking to death.
I mean do any of them actually do anything in this book, but bloody talk. Hermionie does very little, Ron snogs alot, Hagrid is hardly in it, Draco's missing for most of the novel.
Bollocks
Overall 2/10
Dear Diary, My teenage angst bullsh*t now has a bodycount.
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| 28 JUL 2005 at 10:26am |
RevliskciPrivate Detective
Posts : 724
Joined: 9 NOV 2002
Status : Offline | This was a somewhat better book than the last one, but still too damn long. Are editors so afraid of J.K.Rowling that they dare not suggest the pacing would be much better if some parts were cut? The 1st chapter, with all that guff about the the Prime Minister of the muggles (who made no further appearance in the rest of the book) was pointless.
I did not get the feeling of Harry as a seventeen year old teenager in this book. It really tickled me that Malfoy used some of harry's own tricks to bypass the security set up around the school to do his evil deeds.
As for the death, given that Rowling seems to have arranged one major character death per book, I'll bet on Hagrid to get it next time. He was hardly seen in this book, paving the way for him to be killed next and HP setting out on a journey of vengeance afterwards.
Despite it all, the ending kept me looking forward to the next book. With the school looking like closing and Harry after the mysterious RS (same initial as the Magic Minister....could it be as obvious as that?) there is plenty of loose ends remaining.
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| 28 JUL 2005 at 10:49am |
CarolineJA+ Overseer
Posts : 16540
Joined: 28 JAN 2007
Location: AU
Status : Offline | On second thoughts, I'll just watch the movies.
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| 28 JUL 2005 at 11:06am |
SarahJourneyman
Posts : 913
Joined: 13 JUL 2004
Status : Offline | Caroline, I think the books are much better than the movies IMO. Although I must confess that I have all the DVDs.
Luckily I bought and read it in China where I avoided all that.
You're in China now Eva? I guess it's the archaeological expedition huh?
Still busy being a mom &&
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| 28 JUL 2005 at 12:43pm |
EvaGuild Master
Posts : 3247
Joined: 5 NOV 2002
Status : Offline | Originally Posted By Sarah (28 JUL 2005 11:06am)
You're in China now Eva? I guess it's the archaeological expedition huh?
No, I'm back home now. And it was just a holiday, no digging.
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| 28 JUL 2005 at 2:24pm |
bdeckedSchattenjger
Posts : 1620
Joined: 14 OCT 2011
Status : Online | Oh... I had totally forgotten all the BS about the Prime Minister in the first chapter... you're right - that was RANDOM and pointless. Would have made more sense if they'd ever gone back to it...
The death scene didn't bother me... but I'm annoyed that they were so obvious. The only other person with anything interesting going on was Malfoy (who was MISSING the entire book) and Voldemort (who also never showed up - for the first time.) Harry growing up and taking responsibility for his "fate" was just about the only redeeming moments that his character had during this book.
I do have to say taht I am not surprised that Dumbledore died. But I am slightly surprised that it would be SO predictably Snape.... I expected Dumbledore to have a MUCH more solid reason for putting all his faith into Snape... After all, he's been alluding to this for about 3 books now. But "Snape feels so sorry for killing Potter's parents" just doesn't cut it! C'mon... gimme a break.
Plus, Dumbledore being fooled not only by Snape but by Malfoy as well? What-eh-ver. :
I doubt very seriously that Harry will NOT be returning to Hogwarts. Everything revolves around that school, so I highly doubt that it will be missing in the last chapter.
And you're right, Lucien... the wedding crap at the end (which no one really wanted anyway) was quite possibly the lamest cop-out to make it not such a "slit my wrists" ending.
A plot question: I still don't understand one thing - how did all these "half-bloods" get into Slytherin House to begin with? Isnt' that the "pure blood" house?
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| 28 JUL 2005 at 4:04pm |
ShanyGuild Master
Posts : 3313
Joined: 19 JUN 2003
Status : Online | Originally Posted By Avatar (28 JUL 2005 2:24pm)
and Voldemort (who also never showed up - for the first time.)
Second time. He was missing in book 3 as well.
I doubt very seriously that Harry will NOT be returning to Hogwarts. Everything revolves around that school, so I highly doubt that it will be missing in the last chapter.
I agree, it just doesn't sound right, having a Harry Potter book without Hogwarts. It's nice to see the kids' everyday life at the school, it relieves the tention for a bit.
This is partly why I hated book 4. Too much action...
A plot question: I still don't understand one thing - how did all these "half-bloods" get into Slytherin House to begin with? Isnt' that the "pure blood" house?
I'm not sure, but I think the students' thoughts and choices have a greater impact on the sorting hat than whatever the founders of the school put into it. I think Rowling addressed this subject, but she didn't give a proper explanation.
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| 28 JUL 2005 at 4:43pm |
Mike_ASorcerer Apprentice
Posts : 292
Joined: 21 OCT 2002
Status : Online |
Plus, Dumbledore being fooled not only by Snape but by Malfoy as well? What-eh-ver. :
I don't think he was fooled by either one. I still think Snape is good, and oddly enough it makes me sympathetic to him for the first time in any of the books. I think that Dumbledore was actually pleading with Snape to kill him despite his not wanting to. It's likely what Hagrid overheard Dumbledore and Snape arguing about earlier; Dumbledore knew it was coming to this and wanted Snape to kill him if it happened that way. It's part of a larger more important plan.
Actually, it wouldn't surprise me if Snape had made unbreakable vow with Dumbledore previously and that is why he trusted him implicitly. Snape then would have to have been faithful to Dumbledore (or whateve he vowed) or he would die.
And obviously he knew about what Draco was up to, but he appeared to have a higher sense of trying to redeem him which likely will now happen in the 7th book. I expect Draco to turn good at a key moment, do something that will turn the tide, and then die.
Despite it all, the ending kept me looking forward to the next book. With the school looking like closing and Harry after the mysterious RS (same initial as the Magic Minister....could it be as obvious as that?) there is plenty of loose ends remaining.
RS? o you mean RAB, the initials on the note? I'd bet that is Regulus Black, Sirius' brother who was a death eater who turned on Voldemort and was killed within a few days. He probably took the locket and it ended up in the Black residence. It's likely the locket that couldn't be opened found there in the previous book, if I recall correctly. And since this book had Mundungus stealing things from there, he probably stole it at some point and either has it or sold it. Harry (or someone) will have to hunt down Mundungus in book 7 to find out.
For what it's worth, I enjoyed the book, more than the last two actually. Must have been all the snogging going on (just kidding).
Or go fishing. [i]- MI2 [/i]&&Okay. [i]- Me[/i]
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| 28 JUL 2005 at 5:31pm |
bdeckedSchattenjger
Posts : 1620
Joined: 14 OCT 2011
Status : Online | Originally Posted By Mike_A (28 JUL 2005 4:43pm)
I don't think he was fooled by either one. I still think Snape is good, and oddly enough it makes me sympathetic to him for the first time in any of the books. I think that Dumbledore was actually pleading with Snape to kill him despite his not wanting to. It's likely what Hagrid overheard Dumbledore and Snape arguing about earlier; Dumbledore knew it was coming to this and wanted Snape to kill him if it happened that way. It's part of a larger more important plan.
Actually, it wouldn't surprise me if Snape had made unbreakable vow with Dumbledore previously and that is why he trusted him implicitly. Snape then would have to have been faithful to Dumbledore (or whateve he vowed) or he would die.
An excellent, excellent point. I certainly hope so, as that would make things a lot more interesting. I had *totally* forgotten about Hagrid overhearing that conversation... Oh, yay! A ray of hope.
[smiley=jumping.gif]
Originally Posted By Mike_A (28 JUL 2005 4:43pm)
I expect Draco to turn good at a key moment, do something that will turn the tide, and then die. I feel for Draco... he was really caught between a rock and a hard place. I do agree - he's going to redeem himself in book 7, but I'm not sure if that will be by sacrificing himself. Somehow, he and Harry will end up having to work together ... that would be good...
As I review it with you guys, I agree.... I do think I like the book more and more, as I think about it. The ending was SUCH a downer that it bummed me out though... I just hope JK doesn't drop the ball in the final book. I don't think she will - so far, she's been admirable in her plot twists and resolutions. I just hate that we have to wait SO long for the next bit of info, and that wedding crap at the end was TOO annoying.
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| 28 JUL 2005 at 6:23pm |
SarahJourneyman
Posts : 913
Joined: 13 JUL 2004
Status : Offline | Originally Posted By Avatar (28 JUL 2005 2:24pm)
Oh... I had totally forgotten all the BS about the Prime Minister in the first chapter... you're right - that was RANDOM and pointless. Would have made more sense if they'd ever gone back to it...
I felt like I was forced to read that chapter. Wasn't a very interesting chapter for me aswell.
Still busy being a mom &&
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| 28 JUL 2005 at 6:35pm |
EvaGuild Master
Posts : 3247
Joined: 5 NOV 2002
Status : Offline | Originally Posted By Mike_A (28 JUL 2005 4:43pm)
I don't think he was fooled by either one. I still think Snape is good, and oddly enough it makes me sympathetic to him for the first time in any of the books. I think that Dumbledore was actually pleading with Snape to kill him despite his not wanting to. It's likely what Hagrid overheard Dumbledore and Snape arguing about earlier; Dumbledore knew it was coming to this and wanted Snape to kill him if it happened that way. It's part of a larger more important plan.
I was thinking that as well, or something like it. I just hope that's how it's going to be. I think there are enough really evil bad guys already.
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| 28 JUL 2005 at 8:16pm |
Lurker01Private Detective
Posts : 411
Joined: 23 JUN 2004
Location: US
Status : Offline | I feel for Draco... he was really caught between a rock and a hard place. I do agree - he's going to redeem himself in book 7, but I'm not sure if that will be by sacrificing himself. Somehow, he and Harry will end up having to work together ... that would be good... Possibly. This is certainly the first time that Malfoy has been portrayed as anything other than an evil creep.
I don't think he was fooled by either one. I still think Snape is good, and oddly enough it makes me sympathetic to him for the first time in any of the books. I think that Dumbledore was actually pleading with Snape to kill him despite his not wanting to. It's likely what Hagrid overheard Dumbledore and Snape arguing about earlier; Dumbledore knew it was coming to this and wanted Snape to kill him if it happened that way. It's part of a larger more important plan.
Again this is possible. Rowling failed to wrap this book up in the way she did the others.
I doubt very seriously that Harry will NOT be returning to Hogwarts. Everything revolves around that school, so I highly doubt that it will be missing in the last chapter. Harry may go to Hogwarts during the next book but probably not as a full time student.
This book was quite a different style to the others. It didn't try to build up tension in the same way as the other books, and seemed to have a lot more going on in it with the important details being less obvious. The next book is likely to be very different from the ones so far.
"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former." Albert Einstein
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