Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J. K. Rowling | Introduction & Overview

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Introduction

J. K. Rowling continues her enormously popular series about a young, orphaned wizard with her sixth novel, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2005). Once again breaking sales records on both sides of the Atlantic, Rowling's second-to-last Harry Potter book keeps readers on the edge of their seats by killing a beloved character at the end, as she warned she would.

Harry, now sixteen years old, nears maturity in the wizarding community and begins to experience the complexities of adult life. He tackles much more difficult lessons at school, matures in his understanding of evil in the world, and even finds love during this eventful year at Hogwarts. Rowling delves deeply into Voldemort's past, and examines the path that takes a young, orphaned Tom Riddle and turns him into the most evil wizard in history. Harry studies this path under the guidance of a more forthcoming Albus Dumbledore, and...
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