I have Harry Potter on the brain. The latest Rowling novel has infected my mind like a many-tentacled virus, latching on to neurons and different lobes the more I read. This book was, by far, the best of the six, the darkest, the most tense, the most gut wrenching. I read this book and felt nervous, felt excited, felt my eyes sprint through the words. The major problem Harry Potter fans have is that it reads too quickly; you get so absorbed into the story that you can't stop reading and you read faster and faster, and then it's over and you feel hollow because it will be two years before another book comes out.

After a certain chapter I felt queasy and I made myself read slowly, re-read sections, take things in, see the descriptions. What I discovered at the end was how much readers care about these fictional characters sprung from an Englishwoman's mind. The wonderful thing about stories is that they live on in reality in some part of your mind, as if an alternative universe exists where these characters live and the world in the book is alive. We want these characters to be real, and we care so much for something 100% outside of our control. What power an author has! I love that a story could do this.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is a fantastic novel full of adventure, suspense, romance, death, and hope. I am tempted even now to re-read the entire thing because I don't want to leave the magic world beyond just yet. One should read all five previous books to truly appreciate this book, though it is not necessary. Take this latest journey with Harry and enjoy a craftsman at the very pinnacle of her craft.