Half-Blood Prince anti-climactic

[Athena Appleton]

Don't take me wrong: I'm not talking about the book itself. I'm talking about the title part of it.

The Half-Blood Prince part seemed to be a small subplot more than the main part of the book, and it just wasn't an "OH MY GOSH" moment when you find out it's Snape. Harry Potter and the Evil One's Past would have been a more appropriate title.

[Phinea Rogue]

Yes, Dumbledore's death was certainly more shocking that the fact that Snape is the HBP. But I suppose she couldn't named the book "Harry Potter and Dumbledore's Death"... Though, I think that no book had a title that was meant to have this "OH MY GOSH" moment --> we got to know soon who "The Prisoner of Azkaban" is or what "The Goblet of Fire" is.

[Lelie]

it is true that there isn't an "oh my gosh" moment about the other titles, however, they all had alot to do with the main plot of the book. i almost feel like the entire storyline of the hbp could have been cut out entirely without the plot suffering much. it seemed a small portion of an otherwise plot rich book.

[Dacre]

True, it does feel like a very minor sub-plot (that through-out the book I felt was going to be a lot more important) but then, what else could it have been called if that plot wasn't there? Possibly Harry and the Horcruxs, but they are only introduced really, would have felt incomplete.

[Phaerie]

The half blood prince was really more subtle about its relevance to the plot. The fact that Snape was the HBP is largely irrelevent.

The HBP allowed Harry to become very good at potions- which in turn lead to SLughorn being greatly admirining of him- it allowed Harry to become even more of a favourite than he already was. He needed Slughorn to obtain the memory off- which required the felix felices and for Harry to have some kind of rapour with Slughorn.

[pheonixrising]

i think that the hbp plays a much bigger part in the next book maybe something a bit better will happen thogh i have absolutely no clue as to what that might be

[Athena Appleton]

it is true that there isn't an "oh my gosh" moment about the other titles, however, they all had alot to do with the main plot of the book. i almost feel like the entire storyline of the hbp could have been cut out entirely without the plot suffering much. it seemed a small portion of an otherwise plot rich book.

YES, that's exactly what I meant...

The HBP allowed Harry to become very good at potions- which in turn lead to SLughorn being greatly admirining of him- it allowed Harry to become even more of a favourite than he already was. He needed Slughorn to obtain the memory off- which required the felix felices and for Harry to have some kind of rapour with Slughorn.

Yeah, but the HBP plot had very little to do with this, since even before Harry knew he'd be taking Potions again, Slughorn had started his "Slug Club" and Harry was invited.

Similarly, I had always assumed Snape would somehow land the DADA job, but it amazed me that that was almost never even mentioned in the book... unless that it was used to show that Snape had finally earned Dumbledore's trust so much that he was trusted with the DADA post.

[pheonixrising]

DD was wrong to trust snape that much. i wonder if DD knew about sectumsempra?

[Claire]

Similarly, I had always assumed Snape would somehow land the DADA job, but it amazed me that that was almost never even mentioned in the book... unless that it was used to show that Snape had finally earned Dumbledore's trust so much that he was trusted with the DADA post.

I seriously dont think that Snape didnt get the DADA job because DD didnt trust him enough, when Dumbledore repeatedly says that he trusts Snape. He cant possibly only HALF trust Snape. There has to be another reason that Snape got the job. And I feel the same way about how Snape earned Dumbledore's trust. It cant just be because he felt remorse about Harry's parents being dead, that doesnt seem complete enough. Theres so much we dont know about Snape and Dumbledore's relationship.

[Snow_Crystal]

Hi Apparently the JKR left out the plot she was intending to put in on the HBP. She had thought about it for book 2, felt it didn't fit there, then decided to keep the title for book 6 but then decided to leave out the plot behind the HBP.

Intriguing...

[Lelie]

i guess the only reason this could be considered "aptly" named is because this book was ALOT about snape, even though he technically didn't appear alot and it seemed like background. Most of the books are names (i guess) for the big confrontation at the end, and this confrontation was between harry and snape. i guess harry potter and the half blood prince sounds better than harry potter and snape. that's all i can come up with.

[Snow_Crystal]

I reckon something really sneaky is going on...!!

The Chamber was opened 50 years ago in Book 2 when LV was somewhere between 13 and 15... The Potions Book was 50 years old in HBP...

I reckon this plot that JKR left out was something to do with this I just haven't decided what it is yet.

I'm sure LV was the original owner of the book and that he gave it to Snape and that Snape was the one that wrote in it and all that (See HP Timeline Feed) but something more has got to be given to us on Snape as something is amiss.

[Person1]

I'm sure LV was the original owner of the book and that he gave it to Snape and that Snape was the one that wrote in it and all that (See HP Timeline Feed) but something more has got to be given to us on Snape as something is amiss.

I believe at the end of HBP, Hermione said it must have been Snape's mother who gave him the book.

[Nightcrawler]

I was a little disapointed that we didn't see more of Snape too. I would have love to go into more detail with Snape's DADA lessons. Overall it was still a great book though.

[Snow_Crystal]

I'm sure LV was the original owner of the book and that he gave it to Snape and that Snape was the one that wrote in it and all that (See HP Timeline Feed) but something more has got to be given to us on Snape as something is amiss.

I believe at the end of HBP, Hermione said it must have been Snape's mother who gave him the book.

Hi Person1, I haven't got my book at the moment - lent it to someone. But I thought Hermione said that she thought it might be Eileen Prince but she was going to research it more. She hadn't made the connection with Snape yet and doesn't know she's his mother. By the way, can anyone remember where it says she's his mother, I can't remember. We don't know when Eileen was at Hogwarts - if she was the same age as LV then she would have been about 29 when she had Snape. If she was at Hogwarts at same time as LV, I wonder if Eileen and LV were friends...?