As much as I loved book five, I enjoyed Half-Blood Prince more. When Sirius died I was a lot more upset than when Dumbledore did, probably mostly because I was expecting Dumbledore to die. Everything was pointing to it, and not just the surge of bets on his death from the town where the book was being published (we will never know if that was a leak or some good guessers with a lot of money). There are certain signs when a character is going to die, and suddenly becoming more central to the story that you were previously is the main one. The fact that Dumbledore was on almost all the book covers suggested very strongly that he was going to be more central in this book. Two and two put together make four. However, I was definately NOT expecting that Snape would kill him! I was fairly convinced that Snape was on the right side, although chapter two of the book did make me nervous. There are still theories that Snape is innocent, and that Dumbledore is coming back, but the latter I don't think is possible and the former... well, I think the evidence is valid but I'm not going to put too much faith in it. It's possible.
I was absolutely shocked when Snape killed Dumbledore, more than I was that Dumbledore had been killed. And then finding out that Snape was the Half-Blood Prince... why didn't I figure it out??? The Prince was a Potions expert... duh!
Dumbledore's funeral had me in floods. I can't wait for that scene in the film, there's so much that can be done with it, and it just seems so cinematic!
Harry himself I loved a lot more in this book than in the last one. After being stroppy, moody, 'caps-lock' Harry in book five, book six Harry is back to the way we know and love him, except better because now he's more mature and a lot wiser. I see how why J.K. saw fit to kill Sirius off. I wondered, because Sirius didn't seem to have played any real important part before he died, but it seems that his point in the story was to die. Dumbledore had to die because Harry has to go on from this point alone. Sirius had to die to prepare Harry for Dumbledore's death. Harry was devestated about Sirius, he was furious, he went completely balistic and he felt like a part of him was gone. But as he said to Dumbledore, "While I was at the Dursleys' I realised I can't shut myself away - or crack up. Sirius wouldn't have wanted that, would he?" So when Dumbledore died, Harry, while he was still extremely upset, handled it a lot better and lot more maturely and was simply determined to carry on and get though it alone, because he'd already learnt that lesson. I really respect Harry now.
Before Dumbledore died, though, we got to see some truly 'Dumbledore' moments. I loved the way he handled the Dursleys! There were other moments I loved too which I can't remember now, because I've only read the book once so far.
I loved the idea of the Horcruxes, and Voldemort splitting his soul. I never would have thought of that, and it makes Voldemort all the more in-human.
R.A.B - got to be Regulus Black!
Felix Felicis - love it!
As for the ships, I couldn't have been more happy! I have always been a Harry/Ginny and Ron/Hermione shipper. Although I thought Ron was being a bit of a prat with the whole thing with Lavender (though Won-Won and Lav-Lav was hilarious!), just because Hermione kissed Krum years ago. But that's Ron, and he wouldn't be Ron if he wasn't a prat sometimes. That's why I love him!
The looks into Voldemort's past were facinating for me, especially getting to see his mother. I was reminded a bit of Anakin skywalker when Voldemort came to Hogwarts to ask for a job. J.K.'s description of, "His features were not those Harry had seen emerge from the great stone cauldron almost two years before; they were not as snakelike, the eyes were not yet scarlet, the face not yet masklike, and yet he was no longer handsome Tom Riddle. It was as though his features had been burned and blurred; they were waxy and oddly distorted, and the whites of the eyes now had a permanantly bloody look, though the purpils were not yet the slits that Harry knew they would become" reminded me of the way that in Revenge of the Sith, Anakin always had a very dark look about him, always disturbed, always sinister, because he was slipping into the Dark Side, but not quite there yet. I really hope the film makers keep that in. I wonder though if they'll use Christian Coulson or Ralph Fiennes.
I was slightly horrified when Harry said he wasn't going back to Hogwarts next year. Poor Harry, having to give up the thing that gives him the most comfort. Plus he won't be doing his N.E.W.Ts, which surely means he can't become an Auror, unless he does them a year late. I am wondering now how book seven will play out, because it seems that all the usual structure will be null-and-void.
I am really looking forward to reading book seven, but at the same time I hope she takes her time over it. Another two years at the very least. The reason is because once this book is out, that's it! No more! Finished! *sob* Still, I'll grab the book at the first possible opportunity and in the meantime, we have whole new things to speculate on...