payton.laidlaw

Harry Potter & the Half-blood Prince | J. K. Rowling

Lord voldemort has returned and his power has created tension in both the muggle and wizarding world. Two death eaters, Narcissa and Snape come together to discuss Narcissas son Draco, becoming a death eater. As result in Narcissas clear worry for her son, her and Snape make an unbreakable vow where snape promises to protect Draco under all costs. Dumbledore travels to number 4 privet drive to collect harry from the Dursley‘s.

payton.laidlaw On their way to the burrow, Dumbledore takes harry to visit and recruit and old friend, Horace Slughorn, who is to come back and teach at Hogwarts. Followng, Harry is reunited with his bestfriends, but his worst enemy as well. While shopping for books, Harry runs into Draco and follows him to a shop. Harry overhears Draco threatening the shop owner to fix an unknown object. 2y

payton.laidlaw Harry‘s suspicions of Draco being a death eater only increase after this event.

Back at school, Dumbledore announces Snape to be the new Defence against the dark arts teacher, a surprising fact.

Later on, Harry receives a potions book that once belonged to someone named the Half blood prince, the book contains spells and amendments in the margins of the pages. Harry uses these notes and to excel at potions class.
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payton.laidlaw Dumbledore begins to schedule meetings with Harry in which they use pensive memories to look at those who have been in direct contact with Voldemort. Dumbledore belives by learning about Voldemorts past it can help harry defeat him in the future. Through these memories, Harry learns about Voldemorts relatives and past that lead to his evil.

Ron acquires a new girlfriend, Lavender, to which Hermione is extremely jealous of. 2y

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payton.laidlaw Harry spends most of his time playing quidditch and and following Draco Malfoy using the Mauraders map, a map that can track anyone within the school.However, Harry finds he can not often see Draco on the map, and that he is using the room of requirement on the seventh floor of the school. Untill Harry discovers Draco‘s intention with the room, he can not gain access. 2y

payton.laidlaw Eventually, Dumbledore and Harry leave Hogwarts to destroy a locket that is making Voldemort one step closer to being mortal. They just overcome a series of traps to find the locket that is hidden in a poisonous potion. Dumbledore drinks the potion while harry tends off the monsters trying to stop them. The take the locket and return to Hogwarts where they find the Dark Mark cast in the sky above the astronomy tower.
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payton.laidlaw At the tower, Dumbledore freezes Hardy with a spell and tells him to hide under his invisibility cloak. Draco Malfoy runs into the room and threatening Dumbledores life. Weak, and his wand out of his reach, Dumbledore talks to Draco, stalling him by telling him how he‘s not a killer. Draco lowers his wand and Snape enters the tower. Without hesitation, Snape raised his wand and kills Dumbledore, casting him off the tower. 2y

payton.laidlaw Once Dumbledore has died, the freeze spell he casted on Harry wears off and he makes off after Snape, determined to avenge his friend and headmaster.

Devastated that Snape managed to escape, harry examines the locket only to discover it‘s not the horcrux he thought it was but a fake with a note inside. Harry tells his friends that he will not be returning next year but be on a journey to kill Voldemort and destroy all the horcruxes. 2y

payton.laidlaw Ron and Hermione vow to journey with him.

This book is written in third person limited perspective. This is established because Harry is referred to as “he, his” throughout the novel but what goes on in his head is not unknown, as the reader can see his thoughts and feelings unlike with the other characters.The entire book is based around Harry‘s perspective.
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payton.laidlaw If you like books that contain magic, betrayal and tension between friends and enemies you‘ll like this book(only if you‘ve read the other 5:) it wont make sense if you haven‘t) 2y

MissYaremcio Thanks for the review Payton! 6/6 2y

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payton.laidlaw

The Goldfinch: A Novel | Donna Tartt

At a visit at an art museum in New York, Theodore “Theo” decker and his mother get caught in an explosion, which ends up killing Theo‘s mother. After, Theo meets an old man who is dying from his wounds; the man gives Theo a ring and a painting named The Goldfinch.

Theo goes to live with the Barbours, his classmate Andy‘s family due to the lack of a father.

payton.laidlaw Theo later visits the business the ring was from. Theo and the business partner of Welty, the deceased man, Hobie. Hobie looks after Welty‘s niece, Pippa, who was also at the museum when the explosion occurred and now suffers from the aftermath. Theo falls in love with Pippa, but she is later sent away. They see each other when Pippa infrequently visits Hobie in New York City.

Theo‘s father comes back just as the Barbours are set to adopt Theo. 2y

payton.laidlaw Theo moves to Las Vegas with his father and his father‘s girlfriend, Xandra. Im Vegas, he becomes close friends with Boris, a Russian immigrant under similar circumstances as Theo. This entire time, Theo has kept The Goldfinch hidden. For Theo, the painting becomes a memory of his mother.

Theo and Boris spend their days drinking and experimenting with drugs, trying to numb themselves to the neglect and loneliness in their lives. 2y

payton.laidlaw Both come from alcoholic parents. A strange man starts to come to Theo‘s house and ask for his father. Not long after, Theo‘s father forces Theo to call his mother‘s lawyer to ask that a-lot of money be transferred into Theo‘s financial account. The lawyer denies Theo‘s request. Shortly after, Theo‘s father is killed in a car accident, which may or may not have been an accident. 2y

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payton.laidlaw Scared, Theo steals money and drugs from Xandra, takes her dog, and buses to New York City. In New York, he arrives at Hobie‘s doorstep; Hobie takes him in willingly. Theo eventually becomes an antique business partner, also as a functioning drug addict. Unknown to Hobie, Theo creates a business scam to sell restored antiques as originals.

The painting remains in Theo‘s possession, carefully concealed. 2y

payton.laidlaw He reads about a group of people who stole artwork during the bombing and have now been arrested for trying to sell them. With concern for himself, Pippa and Hobie. Theo rents a storage locker and hides the painting there. Lucius Reeve, one of Theo‘s business scam victims accuses Theo of stealing The Goldfinch and is using it for crime.Theo dismisses the claims.
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payton.laidlaw Shocked by learning about the deaths of Andy Barbour and his father, Theo reconnects with the family and begins to dating Kitsey, Andy‘s younger sister. Eventually, Theo and Kitsey become engaged, despite him still being in love with Pippa. He discovers that Kitsey is also in love with someone else, but they decide to remain together in an unpassionate relationship.

Theo runs into Boris on the street. Boris is now very wealthy the underground. 2y

payton.laidlaw Theo learns that Boris stole The Goldfinch from Theo back in Las Vegas and has been using it for his criminal dealings since then. Shocked, Theo goes to the storage unit only to discover the “painting” is a high school textbook. Boris is sorry, since someone else now has the painting. But,Boris finds a way to get the painting back.

Theo and Boris travel to Amsterdam to get the painting. 2y

payton.laidlaw During a chaotic and frantic series of events that include a shootout, Theo shoots and kills a man. Boris is shot in the shoulder, but the two manage to escape. Boris tells Theo to wait at the hotel where Theo has been staying. Theo remains there for a while, surviving on room service and heroin. He is afraid to leave his room. He decides to commit suicide, but before he can, Boris comes back.
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payton.laidlaw Boris hands Theo a great deal of money and tells him that it is his share of the reward for the return of the painting; Boris managed to have the painting returned to authorities. Theo returns to New York City, where Hobie confronts him with details of his business scam. Theo tells everything to Hobie, and they decide to buy back the fake antiques in order to restore the business‘ reputation and honor.

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payton.laidlaw Theo‘s life and relationships are generally left open-ended at the end. Pippa tells Theo that she loves him but not romantically. Kitsey and her family invite him to be a part of their lives, whenever he chooses. And Hobie remains a close companion as Theo begins to travel the world alone, finding peace in not being anywhere. 2y

payton.laidlaw If you like books that involve teenagers dealing with hard reality, drug scandals, scams, and art heists you‘ll like this book.

Friendship and Family is a major theme in this book. Theo goes through several different ideals of family, from the comfort of his mother, Hobie and the Barbours, to the rough reality with his father. Through Pippa and Boris, he understood good and bad friendships, and how his life wouldn‘t be the same without them. 2y

MissYaremcio Excellently done Payton! 6/6 2y

chelzy.rosario wow !! 2y

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