Larry S. reviewed on 4/9/2010

Giving Rowling full credit for creating a great world and characters, this and the next book mark an increasingly negative vibe apparent in the story telling. This book and those forward have been described as "darker, which I can take just fine. But in addition to a darker story line and events, there are unceasing references to Harry's state of anxiety and it becomes harder and harder to find the fun quips and artful observations about adolescence and school days that have been so engaging to this point. Maybe that's insight into the state of youth in school, but I don't need the reminder with the pervasive anxiety that often marks adult life.

Rowling seems to share that mark that was left upon England by WWII and the metaphors to Naziism and the thinly-guarded parallels of abuse of power by the Bush/Blair administration manage to water down the fantasy tale feeling in this book, though, to be fair, I suppose it wouldn't be obvious to tween-aged readers. And some service is being done by planting the seeds of what abuse of power looks like, I suppose. Ah, I'm into the next book as well now.

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