Title: Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince
Series: Harry Potter, book 6
Author: J K Rowling
Publisher: Listening Library
Narrator: Jim Dale
Duration: 18 hours, 34 minutes
Copyright: 2005
Genres: fantasy, adventure, mystery
Filed in: Audiobook review
Review copy provided by Carrollton Public Library.
THE GIST: Another year at Hogwarts has begun, and Harry Potter has never been more popular. After his daring adventure at the Ministry of Magic, everyone now knows that he has been telling the truth about Voldemort all along. Even Hermione admits that Harry has “never been more interesting and fanciable.”
Harry has more important things on his mind, though. Namely, what is Draco Malfoy up to? Draco was acting suspiciously even before school began. In Diagon-alley, Harry, Ron, and Hermione spotted Draco slipping away from his mother and sneaking into Knock-turn Alley where he visited Borgan and Burke’s, dealers of dark magic and cursed objects. At school, Malfoy continues to act strangely, giving up his Prefect duties and Quidditch so he can sneak around the castle while no one is around. When a necklace, bearing a deadly curse, and a bottle of poisoned mead find their way into the castle, Harry just knows Malfoy is involved. And when Harry overhears Snape and Malfoy arguing about Draco’s “job”, it seems Harry’s suspicions are confirmed.
Harry decides to set the house-elves, Dobby and Kreecher, on Malfoy’s tail to find out what he is up to. They soon discover that Draco is spending a lot of time in the room of requirement, using Crabbe and Goyle as lookouts.
The mystery comes to a disastrous climax high atop the astronomy tower, when Malfoy manages to corner a weakened and wandless Dumbledore. Draco braggingly reveals that he has found a way to let death-eaters into the castle, using the room of requirement, and it is his, Malfoy’s, job to kill Dumbledore. Draco quickly learns, however, that murder is not nearly so glamorous as it seemed from a distance. Will he find the nerve to go through with it, or will Dumbledore talk his way out of this?
MY THOUGHTS: J K Rowling has certainly kept us guessing about Severus Snape, but that mystery has been solved, hasn’t it? He has finally shown his true colors, atop the astronomy tower. I am particularly impressed with the way Rowling keeps up the suspense, bouncing us first one way, then the other. It takes a great deal of skill for a writer to evoke such strong emotion from the reader, and Rowling is one of the best I’ve read.
FAVORITE ROWLING CREATION: The unbreakable vow. It’s just what it sounds like. When one wizard makes a promise to another, with a third to bear witness and cast the appropriate spell over the vow, the promise cannot be broken. Well, you can break it, but if you do, you die. Too bad we can’t make politicians take unbreakable vows before they take office.
NARRATOR: I read a Jim Dale interview a few days ago, where the interviewer asked Dale if he had a favorite voice. Dale said he couldn’t pick just one, but he didparticularly enjoy performing Professor Slughorn because of the wide vocal range it allowed. Jim Dale may have a hard time choosing, but the Audio Publisher’s Association didn’t. They made “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” the very first audio book inducted into their brand new hall of fame in 2006.
FAVORITE JIM DALE VOICE: I'm with Jim on this one; I really enjoy the voice of Horace Slughorn. If Hogwarts had a drama team, Professor Slughorn would definitely be their coach. He delivers his lines so theatrically. Jim Dale’s theatre background came in handy here, I’m guessing.
FAVORITE SCENE: Professor Slughorn has a memory about Voldemort that Harry desperately needs, but Slughorn just won’t give it up. The answer? Felix felicis! Commonly known as liquid luck, this potion gives the drinker good luck for one day. After drinking felix, Harry promptly announces that he’s going down to Hagrid’s hut, even though it’s the middle of the night and he’s supposed to be going to see Slughorn. Harry has a good feeling about Hagrid, though, so off he goes, to the dismay of Ron and Hermione. Harry’s good luck becomes evident when he discovers that Filch has neglected to lock the front door of the castle. Harry slips out and, wouldn’t you know it, encounters Slughorn outside in the gardens taking a night time stroll. He promptly convinces Slughorn to join him at Hagrids for the funeral of Aragog the Acromantula. Acromantula venom is extremely valuable, which, luckily enough, interests Slughorn a great deal. At the memorial service, Hagrid and Slughorn have a little too much to drink, and Harry gets the memory he needs, catching Slughorn at a weak moment. Good old Felix! Imagine what you could accomplish with one whole day of good luck!
MOST SHOCKING REVELATION: Draco Malfoy is a death-eater! We’ve always known that Draco was slimy and underhanded, but this is too much. And on top of that, Voldemort has given Draco the task of murdering Albus Dumbledore! Ha! Draco only wishes he had that kind of power!
FAVORITE CHARACTER: I’ve been wanting to put Arthur Weasley in this spot for a while now. This guy just cracks me up. Mister Weasley works at the Ministry of Magic, in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Department. That’s the perfect place for him, because he is absolutely crazy for anything that has to do with muggles. Arthur collects batteries and plugs, (the Dursley’s electric fireplace was of particular interest to him in “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire”), and his dearest ambition is to find out how airplanes stay up. Most importantly, he is a devoted husband and father, and for this reason, Arthur Weasley is my favorite character from “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.”
FAVORITE QUOTE: Albus Dumbledore, as he and Harry leave the Dursley’s; "Let us step into the night and pursue that flighty temptress, adventure.”
FINAL WORD: Wouldn’t you just like to take Severus Snape and dip him in a pool of stink sap and boobo-tuber pus? Things don’t look good, do they? Voldemort is getting stronger and stronger, and now Dumbledore is gone. The only person left who can stand in Voldemort’s way is Harry Potter, but is he ready to go head to head with the Dark Lord all by himself??
FILM ADAPTATION: Amazing! All six of the Harry Potter movies are in the top 25 all-time grossing films, with “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” yet to come. “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" is number 10 on the list.
CHECK OUT THESE OTHER AUDIOBOOK REVIEWS::
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J K Rowling (Audiobook Review)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J K Rowling (Audiobook Review)
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J K Rowling (Audiobook Review)
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J K Rowling (Audiobook Review)
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J K Rowling (Audiobook Review)
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J K Rowling (Audiobook Review)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J K Rowling (Audiobook review)
If you liked this audiobook review, you can purchase the audiobook here:
Get “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” by J K Rowling (Unabridged Audiobook) from Amazon.com
Interested in the movie?
Get all 6 Harry Potter movies on DVD, Widescreen Edition from Amazon.com
This audiobook review is based on the unabridged audiobook.
Audiobook review by Steven Brandt
Come back soon for more audiobook reviews from Audiobook Heaven.
Okay, since Ro has neglected you in a response, I'll give you one. *smile*
ReplyDeleteYou say Rowling is the BEST? Helloooooo, what about me? :P (of course I don't make millions, yada yada yada.)
The Harry Potter books are moving right along in your reviews. Are we done yet? ha ha.
MY favorite character? Ron. I like the clumsy, yet smart type.
Nice review as always. I sure hope you put this much into Odd Thomas! :P
I liked the way Rowling allows Harry to be leery of Slughorn, repelled by him, without turning him ino an enemy. It was a deft touch.
ReplyDeleteThis book dangles a whole lot of threads that will be tied together in the Deathly Hallows. Surprises galore pop up in Hallows.
Good review!