And yet . . .

As in all wars, life goes on. Sixth-year students learn to Apparate -- and lose a few eyebrows in the process. The Weasley twins expand their business. Teenagers flirt and fight and fall in love. Classes are never straightforward, though Harry receives some extraordinary help from the mysterious Half-Blood Prince.

So it's the home front that takes center stage in the multilayered sixth installment of the story of Harry Potter. Here at Hogwarts, Harry will search for the full and complex story of the boy who became Lord Voldemort -- and thereby find what may be his only vulnerability.

“With each book she has revealed progressively more of her brilliantly clever parallel world, from the first and comparatively simple volumes for and about younger children through the darker and more detailed later books. It is only as we proceed -- and ideas seemingly thrown casually into the mix ripen into great significance -- that it becomes clear that it's a world she has seen in its fantastic complexity all along. We enthusiasts, we happy millions, can only marvel at her skill at sustaining innumerable narrative skeins and wrapping them ever more tightly together -- in the process keeping us . . . rapt.” -- Wall Street Journal

“From the very first lines of this long, immensely intricate and accomplished young adult novel, J.K. Rowling's skill for combining fantasy, humor, soap opera and even politics pushes full throttle.” -- Newsday

“This is a powerful, unforgettable setup for the finale. The hardest thing about "Half-Blood Prince" is where it leaves us - in mourning for who has been lost, anxious to learn how Rowling will wrap up a saga that millions wish would go on and on.” -- Associated Press

“The ending is almost too much to bear. I haven't cried so hard since Charlotte the Spider died.” -- Los Angeles Time

“If Harry grew up in the last book, here he becomes a man, learning the true impact of the last book's prophecy, and the importance of love as the antidote to fear.” -- Publishers Weekly, starred review