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Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J. K. Rowling
A battered textbook, a secretive mentor, and ominous whispers from the past draw the hero toward choices that could change everything. Brooding, clever, and deeply emotional, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince sets the stage with shadows and heart.
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In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, did you enjoy ...
... unraveling a hidden, magical mystery through clues, artifacts, and memories (like the Pensieve lessons and the Half-Blood Prince’s annotations)?
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
If you loved piecing together secrets—Dumbledore’s Pensieve dives into Tom Riddle’s past, chasing Horcrux lore, and the puzzle of the Half-Blood Prince’s notes—then The Raven Boys will hit the same sweet spot. Blue, Gansey, and the Aglionby crew follow ley lines, decode journals, and disturb old magic in Cabeswater much the way Harry sifts memories and marginalia to crack Voldemort’s history. The thrill of each discovered clue feels like finding another bottled memory in Dumbledore’s cabinet.
... a seasoned mentor guiding a destined student through dangerous, world-shaping lessons (as Dumbledore does with Harry during the Horcrux hunt)?
The Black Prism by Brent Weeks
The private lessons in Half-Blood Prince—Dumbledore shaping Harry with targeted memories and hard truths—echo in The Black Prism. Gavin Guile pulls Kip into the brutal realities of the Chromeria, teaching him to wield color magic while hinting at a much larger war. As with the cave of Inferi and the Horcrux mission, every lesson carries risk, responsibility, and revelations that reframe the stakes.
... the moral weight of using dangerous magic and the consequences when power cuts too deep (think Harry’s Sectumsempra and the cave’s dark enchantments)?
A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik
If Harry’s split-second use of Sectumsempra and the chilling magic in the cave stuck with you, A Deadly Education dives headlong into those ethical knots. El attends a predatory school where every spell choice has a cost—draw on malia and you corrupt yourself, scrape together mana and you might die trying. Like Harry learning there’s no clean magic against Horcruxes, El constantly weighs survival against what using the darkest tools might make her become.
... romance and jealousy tangled with school rivalries and an encroaching dark threat (à la Harry/Ginny, Ron/Lavender, and Hermione’s simmering feelings)?
Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
If you enjoyed how Half-Blood Prince balances Horcrux hunting with crushes and catastrophes—Harry realizing feelings for Ginny, Ron’s whirlwind with Lavender, Hermione’s heartbreak—then Carry On delivers that same mix of magic and messy hearts. At Watford, Simon Snow’s rivalry with Baz twists into a slow-burn connection amid prophecies, conspiracies, and looming danger, keeping the stakes personal and world-shaking at once.
... secret missions, oaths, and power plays that decide a war in the shadows (like Draco’s covert task and Snape’s Unbreakable Vow)?
Jade City by Fonda Lee
If the covert maneuvers in Half-Blood Prince—Draco’s hidden assignment, the Vanishing Cabinet plot, and Snape’s binding promise—had you riveted, Jade City offers that intrigue turned up to eleven. Clan leaders Lan, Shae, and Hilo navigate assassinations, backroom deals, and honor-bound oaths as jade-enhanced fighters battle for control of Janloon. Every pledge and betrayal lands with the same gut-punch as that fateful night atop the Astronomy Tower.
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