As Harry’s 6th year at Hogwarts approaches, a secret war amongst the wizards and witches of the world continues to rage on, with the reborn Lord Voldemort’s Death-Eaters inflicting a slow, ghastly toll upon those who would stop them. The Ministry of Magic is up to its wands in trouble, and even the Muggle world can sense something is wrong. Harry, of course, has a lot on his mind, including the death of Sirius Black, and the certain knowledge that Voldemort is coming for him at some point. But life goes on, and so does the school year. As always, there’s a new professor at Hogwarts, and a new teacher for Defense Against the Dark Arts. Teenage hormones are raging, and Harry isn’t the only one looking for love in all the wrong places; Ron and Hermione have also been hit with the love bug, and their respective love lives may just drive the inseparable trio apart just when their strength is needed the most. Dumbledore takes longer and more frequent breaks from the school, intent upon some secret mission only he understands. When he’s at Hogwarts, he takes Harry on a guided tour of Voldemort’s early life, stripping away the mystery and horror to reveal the Dark Lord’s twisted beginnings in an eerie journey of discovery.

Before it’s all over, Harry will have found and lost love, received his O.W.L. scores, learned what drives Voldemort and how the Dark Lord may be destroyed for good, and he’ll decide upon a most fateful path. Unfortunately, there’s a traitor at the school, and his fiendish, desperate plans will culminate in one of the worst nights Hogwarts has ever seen, and someone else close to Harry will die, while someone else will show his true colors. And just who is the Half-Blood Prince, the mysterious figure from the past whose expertise in spells will both aid and guide Harry through a difficult time? This is the penultimate installment of the epic story of Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, and after this book, nothing will be the same again.

While it’s occasionally hard to rank the Harry Potter books in any particular order, The Half-Blood Prince is definitely one of Rowling’s better offerings. The Harry of this book is confident, assured, decisive, and intelligent. He’s finally learned to work with authority, as opposed to the teen of the early books who defied authority whenever it didn’t suit his needs. Harry’s rapport with Dumbledore is one of the strongest parts of this book, though it comes at a cost; the chemistry between Ron, Harry, and Hermione is pretty weak this time around. Ron’s too busy as a slave to his hormones, while Hermione spends most of her time sulking for various reasons. Other characters also get short-changed on screen time: Draco spends so much time skulking off-stage, it’s a surprise when he remembers to show up for classes. Neville stumbles along in the background, though both he and the delightfully loopy Luna Lovegood have their moments. With such a large cast to keep track of, it’s no wonder Rowling has trouble finding significant roles for everyone.

Ultimately, while Half-Blood Prince may have some flaws, it’s one of the strongest books in the series, delivering a rousing adventure and some significant progress towards the inevitable conclusion of the series. With an ending that’s bound to leave readers guessing and talking for years, it’s a book no Potter fan will want to be without.