Improper fractions / Oh snap! / When Harry met Voldy / REALLY Random thoughts / I am worth $5.54 / Mentiroso! / Click if you're Singaporean! / What a way to make a point! / Foods I cannot say no to / Dreaming of you (The Coral) /

:: Saturday, May 26, 2007 ::

Yeah... so.

I finally read "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince".

Friends or faithful followers will recognise that this is a very significant thing. If not, here's the back-story. To be honest, the only reason why I picked it up was because I came across a page (there are several, in fact) postulating that previously mentioned plot twists might be reversed - e.g. Dumbledore's Death and Snape's Betrayal. It sparked my interest enough to pick up the book and give it a once-through.

My verdict? Book 6 is not half-bad (hur hur, geddit?), but I maintain that there hasn't been much character development for anyone except Draco, which was a pleasant surprise. The romance angle between Harry and Ginny could've been better developed. Perhaps it's because I sped read through the book, but I didn't really get the feeling that they liked each other seriously. It felt very much like a teenage crush, which of course, could be the case. What exactly is it that draws these two characters to each other? I don't know. It's easier to see romantic tension between two characters on screen because of all the unverbalized thoughts and reactions - a lingering glance, awkward silences, the shy half-smiles. The romance gave me no joy, none of that feel-good sensation I get from watching two characters dance around each other because they like each other. Maybe it's because I already knew about this plot line, but mainly I think it's because the romance is told in a very contrived fashion.

Demonstration:

Rage rose within him like an angry beast out of the murky depths of obliviousness as he contemplated the two of them kissing. The very thought and image of it made him uneasy but he wasn't sure why. It's only because she's Ron's sister, and I'm protective of her, he reasoned, but unbidden, thoughts of himself kissing her suddenly flashed into his mind. These were not all together unpleasant, and he flushed to the roots of his hair.

(Caveat: I'm paraphrasing, and this did not come from the book.)

Um, yeah, we get it. Harry likes Ginny. We've never had any hint of it previously, so it seems a little out of place though.

Anyway, on to Dumbledore's death and Snape's defection. If the whole thing was really a big setup, I do applaud JKR for making Snape a very complex character indeed - more so than any of the other mains. However, I think the signs of Snape being in on it all aren't very obvious - which again could be JKR's skill of writing.

I'm curious about what's going to happen in the next book, but everything about the HP phenomenon repulses me from embracing this culture... especially the crazed fans and their fantastic theories (Dumbledore isn't dead, Dumbledore created a Horcrux... personally, my favourite is Harry Potter is Snape's lovechild. HAHA!)

Perhaps I shall wait another 2 years before I read the final book. And if a prequel comes out, I shall laugh.

:: And that's all she wrote 6:43 PM [+] ::
0 comments

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home