Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince- no spoilers, just my honest opinion.

Last night I, along with countless crazed Potter fans, were to be found in various bookstores greatly anticipating the release of the sixth installment Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. I reaceived my copy shortly after midnight (12:11 to be exact) and could barely believe it. This was really it-still seems surreal actually, even though I finished reading the book about 30 minutes ago.

My brother younger brother, for one, would be most eager to tell you, how very rude I was the last two hours of my reading. Eager as I was to finish, any little interruption would be admonished most severly before delving back into the book. I feel beyond words- I'm stunned speechless. What can I say? I laughed, I cried, I screamed- I followed Harry through his sixth year with my nose buried absorbed by its contents. I feel oddly blank and yet filled to bursting, yet all at the same time.

I quite agree whole-heartedly with Jim Dale, reader of the HP audiobooks, when he said in an interview a few days ago that he wondered where J.K. Rowling could possibly go after this, meaning that this book would be hard to top. No more pretenses; things are how J.K. decided and no one can change that. They're absolute and final. Though circumstances could change in the next and final novel, still...what's done has been done.

Touching to the core, filled with just the right amount of action, suspense, sadness, fear, and uncertinty of the future that looms before Harry ominously. In what was one of her most compelling and gripping books yet, living up to the standard of the series so far... Yet with still many things for Harry to accomplsh till the end, I can't help but wonder how long the 7th book will be.