lionheart

i've been seeing these headlines that harry potter and the half-blood prince is getting panned and such. whatever. i enjoyed it quite a bit. i finished reading it about an hour ago. in some ways it was more like a police procedural than a book about magicians, but ... although the buildup was quite drawn out, it was worth it. it was sad, maybe a little bit predictably so, but i still sniffled a lot and felt sorry for all the inhabitants of hogwarts world and cursed j.k. rowling for her cruelty -- always a good sign. there was one part i thought quite shamelessly ripped from tolkien, but maybe he ripped it too, so ... eh. the book was emotionally satisfying (in a horrible sort of way), and kind of an appropriate tale to be coming to me at this moment, for many reasons. i don't mean to be cryptic but am trying not to be spoiler-y.

i haven't read the criticisms; i don't care to. the books have been lauded, and suddenly, not? i mean ... harry lives. others die. scoundrels triumph. love blossoms. tests are taken. lessons are learned. horror is perpetrated. sorrow is overcome. resolutions are made. strange allies come. horrible betrayals devastate. ideologies clash. motives are uncovered ... etc. no neat resolutions allowed. i love that aspect. er, that is to say -- it's the usual harry potter, painful and funny and engrossing and deeply ... human.

so, eff the critics. it was a bit different from the other books, but i didn't mind that. can't wait for the next one. or to see how they make this one into a movie.