All that in reply to
KissingR'G
Well, as a matter of fact, I enjoyed OoTP much more than this. I mean that I DID like HBP (who didn't?!), but less than OoTP and GoF. May be the reason is that I found Umbridge-Harry relationship much more interesting, than R/H, which is mainly what the HBP is about. That secret societies (the Order and the DA), that torment of Harry that none believed him and DD didn't seem to bother, the Occlumency and the episode with Snape, the climax, when DD explains his mistake... oh well, I can go on forever. I know that JK didn't like OoTP 'cause it was too long and "unorganized" and I say NEVER the book you love is too long. In the opposite, its always too short! Much like LotR - JRRT once said he agrees with many fans that "the worst thing about the book is it beingtoo short" (only about 1100 with appendices).
And compared to all this - the ordinary outbrake of teenage hormones seems a little dull (imo), sorry. The treason of Snape was FAR from being unexpected. It is interesting when the baddie turns out to be a good guy, and if it finally becomes clear that he really was a scumbag (HP word
), well... you don't jump to the ceiling, do you? You just shrug and go on reading. And I never shipped H/G, and it seemed to me very far-fetched that they got together. Their characters are very much alike, and when we seek a partner, we usually look for opposite qualities. Opposite to Gryffindor is Ravenclaw (Leo-Aquarius), so I thought it would be Luna, who is as typical an Aquarius as one can imagine. (concerning R/H, by the way, its Virgo-Pisces, so it matches).
So, sorry for dragging it too long (and "a little" off topic) I liked the previous book more than HBP. And not me alone, I asked a few people, they agree.