Review: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

HP&tH-BP is a massive lore dump. It's a much needed one, but that aspect keeps it from being a real book. There, I just reviewed the entire thing in two sentences. I'm going to keep reviewing and nitpicking, but you can stop reading (if anyone is even out there). I spent two 1/2 weeks reading this book, so the least I can do is give it a few paragraphs.

I will say, as lore is concerned, it does a lot of things right. It not only digs up the past, but it properly connects to the present and offers options of how they're going to get out of this shitshow. It's also spaced out over the course of the 'story' instead of laying it all out at once like the world's nerdiest history book. It also doesn't make the mistake of trying to reinvent or provide unnecessary characterization. Like attempting to make Voldemort sympathetic, tragic, or something like that. It's a good thing he was always a creepy Damien-like kid.

Everything else about the book, however, can barely register as mediocre. The actual story of this book only exists to pace out the lore dumps. None of the other characters really have much to do as everything, even the mystery that makes up the book's title, takes a backseat. There is one major plot point at the end, but I feel it didn't create the 'all is lost' moment it had intended. Though that might be because I was spoiled by the movies.

This volume of HP didn't have much to say outside of the lore, and thus, neither do I. From a purely writing standpoint, it's okay. I found the pacing to be tight and the lore interesting, but everything falls apart once you put it in a vacuum. The previous volumes could be enjoyed, at least somewhat, on an individual level. This book exists solely as the penultimate volume and nothing more.
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Review: Mistborn

Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I liked this book. I swear. I know that I'm going to sound like I didn't, but I do think it's a good book. The thing is, there are glaring issues I can't ignore. Imagine that you're on a date with a great person that matches your preferences and values perfectly. Now think of them having just one small flaw. A huge mole on their face or an annoying habit that just grinds your gears. That's Sanderson's writing. Great in many ways, but also annoying in ways that a lesser reader could probably just let go of.

Let's get my biggest problem out of the way first, and, if you've already read this book, it should be fairly obvious. That is: we're reading another hero's journey story. Vin is basically Luke Skywalker. Kelsier is, admittedly a more interesting, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Even Allomancy is just the Force with extra steps. This doesn't make the book drab or predictable, but, once a writer commits to the hero's journey, there are certain tropes that the book has to follow by the rule of law. The most annoying trope is that the hero is special for no real reason beyond being born that way. I can write an entire book on why that's a terrible way to think, but I'll save both of us the trouble.

This larger problem of being trope-heavy pretty much feeds the rest of the problems. Most of which I can't complain about as they would technically be spoilers. I won't use the word 'predictable' as you don't know when or how certain things are going to happen, but just knowing those things are unavoidable is enough.

Most of what anyone should look for in enjoying a book, it does well. The writing properly communicates everything going on which I consider an achievement given how easily high fantasy can get mangled from a description standpoint. Characters are interesting despite their existence being tied almost entirely to their purpose to the plot. The pacing is solid and the plot is satisfactory. Even the world-building is interesting and introduced well. The prose was 'good' but there are aspects about it that I can get super petty about. The internal dialogue, written as if Frank Herbert was standing over Sanderson's shoulder, comes to mind.

I also normally rail against book series, but I won't in this case. Here, there is enough resolved while keeping enough unanswered questions for the follow-up. Not making the mistake of doing nothing for two hundred pages before the contrived cliffhanger.

This is my first Sanderson book and I liked... I guess. It was good, but it wasn't the orgasmic revelation some of his fans would have you believe. I'm considering reading more, but I have this lingering thought that his writing won't improve with time/experience. I'm not saying it gets worse, but I feel that this book series is what it is and nothing more. But hey, I love being proven wrong. Being negative is my default and that means, if I'm wrong, it's because the reality can only be positive.

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