"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" || Book Review & Book to Movie Comparison

As you read this series, Harry's story has been a part of you, his world a part of yours, and, by this point, the story has not only become a part of you, but it gets deep under your skin in a way that you couldn't even imagine. And, if you ask me, this is a trait of meaningful and powerful storytelling.

***NON-SPOILER SECTION***

It took me 5 months but I'm finally done with it! And while it took me a long time to read, that doesn't mean I did not enjoy it. Quite the contrary, I absolutely loved the Half-Blood Prince more than the previous books in the series. If you'd like to see what I thought of the previous book in the series, before reading my - admittedly huge review - of this one, you can find the full review here.

In the time after I had finished the book, when I was thinking about it, I was struggling to find anything wrong with it, anything that bothered me or that I'd like to change, but I couldn't find anything negative, to say or anything I'd like to change about it. This book managed to stay in my mind after it was over and, even more, it managed to leave me with positive impressions only. Perhaps, the only thing that was not great about the Half-Blood Prince would have to be the movie that was inspired by it and which completely butchered the source material.

"The Half-Blood Prince" may be a big book, but it is in no way boring or tiring. It doesn't stall, it doesn't drag out with minor, unimportant details, and it doesn't sway from the subject. Conversely, it hits the subject right to the core, without hesitation and delivers what it promises. The book is thick with plot and dense with story, conflict, and suspense. 

The pacing is great and the story's flow is smooth and consistent. The characters and the relationships between them evolve naturally and get more interesting as the story progresses. The writing and storytelling are artistic. The book has a very strong beginning and a very engaging ending that leaves you wanting more, it leaves you thirsty to just go to the next one immediately. 

***SPOILERS AHEAD*** 

This book is captivating from its very first moments! The first chapter is incredibly intriguing and it doesn't even include one of the main characters! The only familiar character in the first chapter is Fudge, a guy we don't even like as readers, while the other characters are new and not of major importance. Yet, this chapter not only gets all the new, significant information through successfully, but it does so in an intriguing way. It sucks you in and it manages to have you on the edge of your seat from the first pages.

Then, there's the second chapter which is one of the best things I've read in the whole series in general! It's perfect; full of mystery, darkness, conflict, and suspense. It has so many layers - not all of which can be understood in a first read - so much subtext hidden between the lines, and at the same time, it's artistically written! All that I can say about this chapter is that I read it and then went back to reread it because once was not enough! What's more, is that the more I read it, the more things I understood, and the experience was a bit different each time, even if the text remained the same. The tension had me on the edge and I kept thinking how it would have felt if I hadn't been familiar with the story. 

This is actually one of the things that I find magical about this book. There's so much subtext, so many things are implied, yet left unspoken, that the whole context behind each and every scene can change, it can be perceived differently depending on how much you know (or maybe even suspect?) about the story. Every bit of dialogue, every interaction hides a hidden meaning behind what is obvious in a first read. This is probably one of the reasons that make the coming plot twist one of the - in my opinion - best plot twists in fiction. There are other reasons for it as well, but this is a subject for a different post (which I will probably be making after I'm done with the whole series). 😉

One of my favorite things about this book has to be Tom Riddle's backstory and the flashbacks of his life. We finally get to see his background; where he came from, how and why he came to be Voldemort, why he believed what he believed and did what he did. And, to be honest, I felt that most of it made sense. Now, don't get me wrong, killing people doesn't make sense in general, but it makes sense for him, for his character and life. The fact that he became like this, that he ended up to his conclusions about life, death, family, and love (or the lack thereof) makes absolute sense if you look at his past experiences, his identity, his upbringing, and his perception about others, about the world and, most importantly, about himself. None of it is justifiable, but you can see why and how it all came to be and you can understand it. It is part of what makes Voldemort the complete, solid, and compelling villain that he is.

You know what is absolutely disappointing? The fact that none of this rich and compelling backstory is featured in the movie! Okay, almost none of it - there's that one memory with Slughorn that was done halfway decently... But where is everything else? The "Half-Blood Prince" is basically about Voldemort and the Gaunts and Voldemort is in one memory, while the Gaunt family isn't even mentioned! His backstory is the whole point and the core of how they hope to defeat him and this is how much attention it got? In exchange for what? Cringy, angsty teenage romance?! Just... No!

The teenage romances are present in the book as well and they are given a fair amount of time, but they're not given nearly as much attention compared to Voldemort's story and they're more substantial instead of shallow, superficial filler scenes! In the book, it feels like the most gravity is given to Voldemort's story, to the mystery behind the Half-Blood Prince, to the mystery behind Draco rather than to the romances. In the book, the romantic subplots are exactly this - subplots - they keep happening on the side, as the actual plot progresses, and they're great just like that; side stories, subplots! Whereas in the movie, the romantic sub-plots are being over-utilized at the expense of the actual plot. Why wasn't Voldemort's mother ever mentioned? His father, his fascination with important artifacts, and why he picked them amongst other objects to be his Horcruxes? All these were fascinating to read about, not to mention crucial for the story, so we should have more of these in the movie.

Talking about Voldemort's mother, I kind of felt sorry for her and what she had gone through. This doesn't in any way justify her bewitching his father, what she did was inherently and undoubtedly wrong, but again, even though it is wrong, you can understand her and where she's coming from. For her character, it makes sense that she acts this way because she doesn't know any better. She was infatuated with him and saw nothing wrong with her actions. But she only managed to hurt herself even more with her actions. By the time she understands she has made a mistake and tries to correct it, hoping that Tom Riddle senior will reciprocate her feelings, she finds out that there is no possible positive outcome for her. She doesn't only lose the man she was in love with, but her family as well (which was not much of a family, to begin with, but that's probably beside the point), and she is left abandoned and alone in the world. She has known nothing but abuse and neglect by her family, rejection by her love interest, and is now left alone, penniless, and helpless with a baby in her belly. I can't help but feel deeply sorry for her tragic life and her even more tragic fate! 

On the other end, I felt absolutely appalled and infuriated by the rest of the Gaunt family! Rowling knows her characters well and does a great job portraying them not only descriptively, but also in a way that evokes strong feelings. Morphin and Marvolo both disgusted me and I was glad that they met the ending they deserved! In the hands of their descendant! Again, you can see why Voldemort despises the lot of them and how he struggled to "climb" above them. Anyway, getting on...

I love that we finally get a glimpse of who Snape was and how he was as a student through his forgotten book. Of course, this glimpse we get to see of him will leave a different impression on the reader depending on how familiar they are with the story. I, for example, had watched the movies before reading the books and I had been spoiled for a great deal of the story. So when I was reading the book - knowing the outcome beforehand - I could read between the lines, see all the different layers, and spot the "crumbs" that had been sprinkled along the way, which I would not have been able to detect if I had no idea about the truth. I kept imagining what I would have thought and how I would have felt if it was my first contact with the story. My reactions, thoughts, and impressions of the characters would have been entirely different. The whole book would have been an entirely different experience.

Anyway, it's great to finally know that Snape was a good student, kind of a prodigy as it seems. He was creative enough to figure out all these things about potions and create his own spells from such a young age, and at the same time, he was malicious enough to create such an evil spell. You can see how dedicated he was and how much he loved magic. It was also very interesting for me to see him teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts for the first time. The scene of his first lesson was mysterious and captivating to me; we finally get to see his fascination with the subject, his affinity for the Dark Arts, and why he would actually be a great teacher for it. 

Snape is actually one of my favorite characters, if not my most favorite character, in the Harry Potter universe. He is immensely interesting, layered, multi-dimensional, and generally fascinating to read about. He's by no means a great person, he has flaws and problems and has made big mistakes. I can see all of his different sides clearly, I'm not idealizing him and I'm not blind to his dubious nature. In fact, this dubious nature and his grey morality are some of the things I love more about him and about fictional characters in general. I enjoy reading about him and his life, even in the moments when he makes me hate him. He's one of those characters in fiction that I wish I could have written myself. His role in this book is big and important, not to mention ambiguous and controversial - more so than ever before - and this makes him even more fascinating to me.

I like Draco's sub-plot in this book; it is dark, mysterious, and thrilling and it was refreshing to see Harry finally be right about something 😂 . What I like more about it is how you see Draco gradually change throughout the story and everything he goes through - all of which culminates in this book. The change may not be big, or obvious yet, but I believe this is the starting point for a different life for him. 

Draco realizes that he's been lied to his whole life. He thought that he was supposed to be this death eater and make his father proud, but he realizes this is actually not true. This isn't what he was meant to be at all, he's not made for it. He doesn't want it, he's scared for his and his family's lives and, by the middle of the story and toward the end, he becomes increasingly more hesitant, he only does it because his life depends on it. He slowly comes to the realization that he's not actually meant to be a death eater, that there is something else inside of him. By the time we get to the scene where he's crying in the bathroom, you get from hating Draco and feeling infuriated by his cockiness to a point where you actually feel sorry for him. I felt sad and pity for him and I knew by that point, that no matter how dark things he'd choose to do, he wasn't completely beyond saving. It's heartbreaking to see his struggle, his confusion, and how this whole thing slowly destroys him.

Harry feels a lot more interesting in this book. He feels more mature like he can finally stand on his own feet and be more independent and more determined. I like him more as time passes, not that he ever was particularly unlikable, he was always nice, but he gets better. 

The relationships between the characters are great. They feel a lot better and more natural than in the movies where they felt awkward. The relationship between Harry and Ginny evolves nicely and naturally and even though I couldn't care about its portrayal in the movies, in the book it's pretty wholesome. Especially the scene of their first kiss is adorable and it baffles me why it wasn't included in the movie! The scene was simple, it could be made short and it would have been so much cuter than what we got!

The relationship between Ron and Hermione is a lot nicer in the book too. The romance between them feels inevitable, like it was meant to be, like it couldn't be any other way and I love this. I have to admit though, I did find the final scene between Harry and Ginny (at Dumbledore's funeral) a bit cringy. 

I didn't care much about the Tonks-Lupin pairing, but it wasn't bad either, just kinda meh for me...

I never really liked Fleur, but I also didn't hate her and I couldn't understand the hate Ginny and Molly had for her and to the point they had it. I was glad that she proved them wrong in the end and proved that she really loved Bill and was willing to stay by him. She was fierce in this scene, the scene itself was great, it had a lovely outcome (as Molly finally accepts her) and I found new respect for her.

I really liked Slughorn; I thought he was so much fun and he was also an interesting character with a lot to offer to the characters and the story. The scene where Harry tries to get the memory from him was both hilarious and smart at the same time! I enjoyed it thoroughly.

Dumbledore's death is depressing. I can only imagine what reading it would feel like to someone who's not familiar with the story. It wasn't shocking for me, because not only was I familiar with it, but also because I think it was foreshadowed quite a bit. Still, this doesn't make it any less tragic. Specifically, the part where they find his body is chilling and heartbreaking. The scene of the murder itself is full of suspense and emotions and, once again, hidden meanings. Draco's hesitation, Snape's apparent resentment, Harry's inability to do anything... all of it is great! 

And it was all so perfectly portrayed in the movie as well! For all its flaws and inaccuracies, this movie has a few redeeming qualities. The actors, for one thing, play their roles perfectly, they all display great acting. And, more specifically, Alan Rickman (R.I.P.) is phenomenal as Professor Snape! Every scene he's in is precious, and especially the murder scene is absolutely flawless! It's just a bit different from the book, but it's a great interpretation of the original, nonetheless. In fact, the moment where he confesses to Harry that he is the Half-Blood Prince is even better in the movie!

***END OF SPOILERS***MY RATING***

I don't know what else there is for me to say about this book without repeating myself and without just saying how great it was over and over again. This post is already too long as it is... 😅 It was a great book, definitely my favorite in the series so far and it could also probably rank among my favorite books in general. The writing is great, the plot is rich, and the characters are perfectly developed... I can't find a fault with it, which is why I rated it 5/5*. It deserves this rating and it deserves your time and attention. 

The build-up from all the previous books is definitely worth it when you get to this book and to what seems to be the fascinating ending of the next book. I've already started reading "The Deathly Hallows" and I can't wait to dive deeper into it.

Until then...

Book Adaptation Tag || Who did it better book or movie?

Hello book friends! 

I wanted to make a fun post this time and I haven't done a tag in a long while so when I found this one I couldn't resist. I found it on The never-ending chronicles of Jawahir the bookworm so you can check it out there. So, here we go...

What is the last book adaptation movie you watched?

The last book adaptation I watched is "Bridgerton" - which by the way is adapted into a series, not a movie - and which is inspired by the "Bridgerton" books by Julia Quinn. I enjoyed the first season very much and I'm now watching the second season which is inspired by the second book in the series. However, I haven't read any of the books yet, so I can't form an opinion about them.

What book-to-movie adaptation are you most excited about?

This will definitely have to be "Dune" which, even though has been released for some time now, I have not watched yet and I'm very excited to watch it soon.

Which upcoming book movie will you definitely not see?

I don't have an answer for this one, both because I cannot think of a story I wouldn't care about enough to watch and because even if I did, I would still most probably give it a try since I really enjoy adaptations and I like to be able to form an opinion on them.

Which book movie would you never watch again?

That's easy... "Paper Towns" by John Green. I generally like John Green, but this book just wasn't for me and neither was the movie. If anything, it was even worse and I don't think I'm going to give either one of them a second try.

Is there a movie you saw that made you want to read the book if you had not yet?

This will have to be "The handmaid's tale". This one is also a series, not a movie and it's based on the iconic book of Margaret Atwood. I absolutely loved the TV series, it is among my favorites, and from the first moment I started watching it, it made me want to read the book as well. This book is so very much up my alley; it is dystopian, it talks about women, about freedom and politics, it is scary and its very concept makes your hair stand on edge. So, I will most definitely read it soon!

Conversely, is there a movie that made you never want to read the book?

I will have to say the "Percy Jackson" series by Rick Riordan. The first movie is not all that bad, even though I've had not the best comments about it and I know that it's not a very faithful adaptation, I still didn't hate it, I kind of enjoyed it. But I also had my issues with it and, by the end, I was sure I wasn't interested in reading the books, even though I have heard the best about them and I know they have a very big audience that loves them. Maybe it's because this series just wasn't for me, maybe it could be because I'm Greek and my idea of Greek-mythology-inspired stories is biased, or maybe I'm just a bit old for them... Whatever the reason, I don't really care about reading them.

Have you ever left the theater because the movie adaptation was so bad?

No, so far I have not left the theater because of a bad movie - adaptation or not.

Do you prefer to watch the movie first or read the book first?

This is probably an unpopular opinion, but I don't mind at all, both are fine with me and I can enjoy either one equally for different reasons. But if I absolutely had to choose, I'd say that book first is probably the slightly preferable choice in most cases.

How do you feel about movie adaptations that age characters up? (ex. Characters that are in middle school, but in the movies, they’re all 18+)

It depends on the story, the movie, the actors, and the reason behind the choices. Usually, I prefer accurate adaptations and casting choices, but if there is a good reason I could understand it.

Do you get angry when the actors don’t look like you thought the characters would?

I can't say I get angry but I definitely feel disappointed. It is a little bit frustrating when the characters look nothing like the description. I don't mind small changes or small differences but when there is a big difference or if the detail that is changed is very crucial to the plot then I will get disappointed.

Is there a movie you liked better than its book?

There are actually a few movies I enjoyed more than the books. One of them is "The Fault in our Stars". The is a very good book and I loved it, but I think I enjoyed the movie a bit more. Still, both of them were great and are among my favorites! But, for me, I lean a bit more toward the movie.

Then there are "The Maze Runner" books. Again, I quite enjoyed the books I thought they were good but I like the movies even more and I think they did a very good job adapting the story. The movies are quite different from the books, especially the "Scorch Trials" and "Death Cure" movies, but I believe that the changes that were made were made for the better and only improved the story. The things that were cut or changed improved the story a great deal and made it more interesting, so, in the end, I enjoyed the movies much more than the books. 

Name a book that you would love to see as a movie.

The "Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes" by Suzzanne Collins has come out recently and I am a huge fan of anything related to the "Hunger Games". I have read the original trilogy and I have watched the movie repeatedly and I absolutely love them all. Additionally, these adaptations are probably the most faithful book to movie adaptations, the attention with which they were made, and the work done with them was phenomenal. Naturally, I am eager to read this book as well and I hope it gets turned into a movie because I can't wait to watch it!

So, these were my answers, I hope you liked them and enjoyed this post. If you liked this tag, feel free to do it yourself and feel free to tag me or show them to me! You can also tell me your answers and opinions down in the comments, I'll be really interested to hear them and discuss them with you!

Thank you for reading!

Some More Bookish Pet Peeves || Writing, Tropes and Characters

 Hello friends!

In the past, I've made a post about my bookish pet peeves, which was very fun and I thought that it is pretty inclusive. The more I thought about it, however, I realized that this particular post talks only about my pet peeves that have to do with the book as an object and its physical state and... well-being... If you haven't already seen this post and want to get an idea, you can check it out here. But I have not talked about the pet peeves that I have that have to do with the plot, story, tropes, structure, and generally the contents of a book. So, here's a separate post about this... 

1. The insta-love trope: It's probably the most unrealistic and annoying plot that's also so overused in fiction. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm all about suddenly falling in love, the infatuation you may feel with a specific person, the intense stares, the unexplainable feeling that this might be the one, etc... It is a strong, unique, and unbelievable feeling and it is also part of the beauty of falling in love. But this situation is far from what we have come to see portrayed so often, which is that, all of a sudden, after 3 whole days of knowing each other, the characters are ready to die for each other, because they cannot possibly imagine their lives apart! Not only is it unrealistic and not believable at all, but it's also a trope that inherently lacks depth, since we don't get to see the characters get to know each other, interact, and bond before they actually become a couple/fall in love. However much you try to convince me afterward that they actually have a deep emotional connection, I'm going to find it impossible to believe. It doesn't help with the character development and general arch of the story; it usually makes the pacing strangely quick at the beginning and slower closer to the ending, and it usually doesn't give as much satisfaction to the reader - at least in my experience. There could be, of course, exceptions to that, like if there is a magical element to the story, an element of time travel or mind-reading, or maybe even a life-threatening situation and the characters could die at any moment so this pressure makes them feel more intensely and more quickly. These exceptions however are not common and even when they occur, they should be executed well.
2. Poor editing: I used to think that editing wasn't such a big deal in a book, but I have come to really appreciate it as years go by and especially the more I get into writing myself. A good editor can save your work as much as a poor editor can destroy even the best of stories. 
3. Cliche or repeated and overused phrases: I'm sure that even reading this has made you think of at least one overused phrase that you've stumbled upon multiple times. It's not my worst pet peeve, I do, however, feel annoyed by this occasionally and it's something that I think can very easily be fixed.
4. When there is no synopsis on the cover, only reviews and comments about the book: While it may be interesting to see what people thought of a book, the purpose of anything being written on the cover of a book is to give you a clue what the story is about. Most readers want to know what they are buying and getting into and those comments may shadow the atmosphere or type of the story, but don't say much more than that. No, I prefer my synopsis there on the back, classic and helpful.
5. When the magical solution suddenly appears out of nowhere right at the moment of greatest need in the story even when the said solution has never been mentioned before. I think this one is self-explanatory. It's usually a sign of poor, sloppy, or lazy writing and it's rarely good. It feels convenient and often anti-climactic as well, as it makes you feel like "a wizard saved the day" instead of the hero.
6. Plot-armor: When particular character/characters - usually the main characters or the hero - are steadily untouched by any danger! They fight in battles, they come face to face with murderers and they run from the mafia day in and day out, yet they always come out of the mess with nothing but a scratch. This becomes even worse when every other character suffers from the consequences of their actions or the general situations in the story, yet this/these specific character(s) are still untouchable! It feels easy, sloppy, and cheap! Every character should have to deal with the consequences of their actions/decisions and struggle according to the situations their in.
7. Over-powered heroes and/or underwhelming villains: I don't need to say more about this. Few things kill the dynamic between a hero and a villain more than these two things. A good dynamic between the hero and the villain can bring all the conflict and intensity to the story and create compelling story/character arcs!
8. Resurrections: It's not my worst pet peeve and there might be a couple of occasions where I might enjoy a nice resurrection, but most of the time I hate it. It is usually a sign of lazy writing, or of having written yourself into a corner and trying desperately to undo it. I do believe that 98% of the time when a character dies they should remain dead unless their coming back not only makes absolute sense but also has a stronger impact than their death had. Character deaths are among the strongest and most impactful things that can happen in a story and they should be utilized correctly and not as an easy and cheap mechanism for shock factor or to make readers cry. So, as long as the death is written correctly and has the impact it's supposed to, the resurrection is most probably going to kill the moments that preceded it.

I have to say, I expected this post to be rather short, but then I got carried away and it ended up longer than I expected. Nevertheless, I'm really glad I've been able to finally have laid down here all of my thoughts and I hope you liked this post as much as I did. As always, feel free to share your thoughts with me down in the comments...

Until the next time...

Thank you for reading!