I have to say I really enjoyed the Half blood Prince, if for no other reason than it was new. 

I agree that you do (in an uncannily similar way to LOTR wait for something big to happen for most of the book but it never seems to come, all be it in a much more understandable way).  However on reflection after reading the book I quite liked all the little sub stories which seemed to dominate through out the course of the book over an all bearing inclusive theme (which seemed to be absent).

In particular I really liked the introduction the character Grayback and the little snippets we got relating to Lupin’s role in the order and his past, but the Tonks thing hmm I don't know.  I realise JK can't possibly include everything in her books but that seems to have been simply plucked out of thin air.  I can't for the life of me see what the relevance of that relationship in the book (I suppose well find out why in Book seven) I presume it's been built up as a base for happenings in the next book, but it just seemed completely out of place more so than any other sub story in the HBP.

Again I really enjoyed Snape and Draco's character development as well as Harry's year long obsession with the latter.  That for me made for very interesting reading and give us greater insights into what’s going on inside both Harry and Draco’s heads, particularly as we know Draco  has seemed to unsurprisingly declared his allegiance to Volde and more interestingly now apparently regretting it.

Now what else?  The first chapter I thought was absolutely great! I think the fact that Jo's spent so long perfecting it really shows.  There's some very good humour in there as well as new information on the links between the Muggle and magical world which I personally love reading into.

I was a bit disappointed that Dumbledore died to be honest.  I was sure he would be a dead cert to survive the whole way to the end of book seven because there were so many references to Dumbledore’s mortality, particularly since the Goblet of Fire.  I was sure Jo was double bluffing us all (but I must of been mistaken).

Oh and finally with regards to the ships I'm very much of the opinion that what ever has happened in the HBP and the next instalment, the students in the book are still in there teens.  I think it would be ridiculous to think that if any of these will be destined to last for ever.  I know it sounds silly but as Jo say's even after book seven the surviving characters live on and non of us have to believe that things have to stay as they are.  With regards to Ginny and Harry I’m sure that this is just a case of infatuation and lust, nothing else.  Harry may smell Ginny.  No ones is the same person they are in there mid to late teens as they are in there late twenties.  Things change with experience and so invariably people change.  I'm therefore still going to live in hope that what ever happens in  the world of ships in the next book can change even if it doesn't happen in the course of Jo's Harry Potter writing life span.

Oh and the Prophecy!  I was really happy with the new information we got relating to them!  I’m not a fan of Destiny and I think the way it was explained was extremely believable and tells us a lot about Volde’s weakness’.  I think there are now many questions we have to ask of Trelawney.  Why did she make the prophecy, was someone controlling her or was she lying when she tells us there she had no recollection of making them.  I think there’s a lot more to Sybil than meets the eye and I can’t wait to find out what.

I think that's pretty much it.  So just to  summarise I really liked the book, maybe not as much as the likes of OOTP and my personal favourite POA but I still think I grow to like it more with future readings :)

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