Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Though I didn't blog about it, I had been very eagerly anticipating the sixth book in J.K. Rowling's series. My greatest objection is that I still must wait another two years for the seventh book. Thankfully the fourth film comes out in November.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is a phenomenal book. It maintains all of the quick wit, suspense, and sense of wonder that made the series into the blockbuster that it so justly deserves to be. This installment, however marks a turning point. Harry has matured greatly and, in the end of the sixth book, stands resolved for the ultimate battle against Voldemort in book seven.
Though I hesitate to use the term, the previous books have been somewhat formulaic: they begin towards the end of Summer, Harry goes to school, he fights the bad guy in the Spring, Dumbledore reveals some more mysteries, then he goes back home to the Dursley's. This one, however, begins early in the Summer. The school year still proceeds along the same basic plot-line, but the ending is certainly different. Dumbledore does not reveal more mysteries, and the entire end-of-school circumstances are thrown into chaos and horror. Harry is then ready to embark on his quest almost immediately. He's not waiting for anyone else to protect him; it's his time to act.
Despite the emotional turmoil at the end of the book, the rest of it is fairly upbeat. In Order of the Phoenix, Harry spends most of his time frustrated. It's hundreds of pages of teen angst. This one gets over that and finally gives us some long-awaited romance. The romance isn't fully satisfying, due to Voldemort's interruption of their lives, but I get the feeling that it will all work out in the end (think Spider-Man 2).