Rating: 
Summary: Not Up to the Hype
Review: I was Really Looking Forward to this Book. I ordered it as soon as it was put up on amazon, and started counting down the Days.
On Sat, when I recieved the book, I started reading it immediatly. I was really into the first couple chapters, but then Characters started to act...well I guess the best way to decribe it would be "out of Character" I started to have second thoughts about the book. Now don't get me wrong, I didn't say there were no good things about the book, and don't start the the flame throwers yet as I'm not going to give away the ending. I'm just saying as the book progressed, and SOME of the characters started acting differently I started to enjoy the book less and less. Before you think it, yes I know that they are 15 now and starting to go thru some changes in there lives but, some of them should have started acting this way in the other books, not starting them now!
Hey This is just my opinion, you don't have to agree, I just didn't enjoy this one as much as the last four.
Rating:
Summary: Not as good as the rest
Review: The first book had a very engaging begining. This book lacks that. Harry is self centered and misunderstands the actions of those who try to protect him. Even if teenagers are typically seen this way, there is no compelling reason to connect with him emotionally. We do not feel his pain and frustration, we simply see it. The plot is interesting, as always, and there are plenty of curious details to sort out so that the reader (if she is already a Harry Potter fan) will be led along. I do not think the book would be considered well written by a first time reader, however. Also, the ending seems overly designed to make the reader crave the next book. I expected better. Overall, however, it is not bad. JK Rowling should be slightly disappointed with herself.
Rating: 
Summary: In the Spirit of Pottermania
Review: Much darker than the other four novels of the series, but retains alot of the flavor. J.K. Rowling does an excellent job of showing the age progression of the characters, and the emotional turmoil of an adolescent mind. Rather long, and slow in some passages, but charming none the less. A definate must read for any Potterphile.
Rating: 
Summary: Best In the Series So Far
Review: Congratulations are due to Ms. Rowling; this novel is a stellar accomplishment. Fans of the series won't be disappointed. All of the necessities are here. Quirky magic classes and professors, rebellious adventures in Hogwarts, Quidditch, inventive magical creatures and artifacts, illuminating backstory, and an intricate plot with an explosive climax. This book stands out in the series due to its intricate plotting. By page two, we're already in the thick of a hair-raising adventure that doesn't quit for almost 900 pages. I can think of no other novel that keeps up such a high level of excitement over such a long stretch. Most impressive is that every single piece of the immense plot fits neatly into the whole arc of the story. The climactic scene stretches impressively over some 200 pages, ultimately involving every major character in the story. The author takes us to horrifying, dark and mysterious places, and puts her heroes in great danger. I literally felt my heart racing as I read the last quarter of the book in one frenzied sitting. Then, after dragging us along for a magnificent thrillride, the author lets us in on secrets and backstory we always wanted to know. By the time the book is done, the Harry Potter universe has a new level of complexity and all of a sudden events from previous novels take on a new significance. As the fastest-selling novel ever (until Book 6 I'm sure), Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix isn't likely to get the critical praise it deserves -- critics are notoriously unfriendly to mass market entertainment. But the achievement in this novel cannot be understated. JK Rowling has put together a novel that is touching, poignant, and most of all, engrossing. I give it my highest recommendation.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic and tragic
Review: I read this book in 2 days, but it wasn't like: "I'm going to try and read this book as fast as I can." It was more like: "OMG, I can't put this book down!!!" The book was wonderful, but I found it also tough to read b/c it was so stirring emotionally. Being the same age as Harry I was able to relate to all the feelings he was having......This is definetely the darkest of the HP books, but it's still wonderful. Harry goes through a lot, and so do the other characters in the book. We all learn more about them. A lot of people have commented on how there's really only 150 pages where the actual events in the book take place. I don't really see it like that. The whole book is to me so much more than just the main story. It's 20 small stories and feelings going on at the same time. The only "downer" in this book is when that person dies at the end. I thought that was so sad, I was basically crying my eyes out as I was reading. If someone had to die I would've hoped it was somebody else, but I suspect in time we'll have to partially get over it, just like Harry. Well, my advice is to READ THIS BOOK!!
Rating:
Summary: Harry's Teenage Tantrums
Review: I, like many people, finished the book quickly - it was certainly a riveting read. Book 5 is perhaps the most disturbing of the books to date with a darker and more violent feel to it, less comraderie amongst the characters and fewer 'adventures' by the trio. There was also a lot to take in with this book: a number of old and familiar characters showing a different side to their personality, much new magic to 'learn' and a lot of new information regarding the intertwined relationships between the central characters. The defining characteristic of this book is the alienation Harry feels from the most important people in his life and the way he responds to it. While these are integral to the plot and to Harry's transition through teenagehood, I do hope however for a return to 'normal' in Book 6.
More so than in any other book was I impressed with JK Rowling's amazing grip on the plot. Many sub-plots are picked up again in this book, old questions are answered and new ones raised, thus tying the series together like superglue and leaving you begging for an early release date for Book 6.
Rating:
Summary: Book grows with audience
Review: I am an adult fan of the Potter series. I began reading the books when my son was given the first Harry Potter adventure: I wanted to review the book for myself and be able to share it with Ben. I've been hooked ever since. This latest book takes the series in the next logical direction. It confronts the reality of evil, corruption and duplicity in an honest way, showing readers that even when things aren't black and white, they are interesting. Children old enough to read and understand this book will recognize good vs. evil in a way that does honor to the human psyce. Finally, Ms. Rowling has perfected the sugary, buracratic educator with Prof. Umbridge. I swear I've met this woman in a school administration building before!
Rating:
Summary: Drawing Down the Moon on the "Order of the Phoenix"
Review: With an incorporeal spirit in the end, Rowlings enchants readers spellbound by apogee to perigee of monstrous sadness inaugurated in the "Order of the Phoenix", questioning this epic to be too lurid for younger readers. Binding friendships with the Rowlings characters radiates a true sense of loss to the reader as writing progresses, making the series ordained as classical literature. As the sun also rises when there are such brave friends to be met, Rowlings comical wit and tomfoolery replenishes reader with cheering charms and spite. Pearls of wisdom forlorn under dark waters acquisition bewitched moonbeams charms the reader to apparate by this port key and no other, as Rowlings is resolved to compel the reader in shadow until the twilight of the witching hour on the 7th book.
Rating:
Summary: Of chaos and heartbreak
Review: Book Five of the Harry Potter series, Order of the Phoenix, is perhaps one of the most depressing things I've ever read. From the off I could tell something terrible was going to happen... Then something did. And then it happened again. And again. And so on and so forth. Nearly everything in the newest installment of Potter was absent of joy. I was sick with anger and indignation. I was literally screaming at the book at one point, other times sobbing with despair. Harry's grown up, and fast. Hormonal bursts of anger (this is a disgusting understatement, by the way), sexual attraction, and immense distrust plague our hero left and right. Not to mention the death... I'm very much at a loss of what to say, and I'm sorry for the emotional response, but I've felt like I've lost someone too (regarding the VERY VAUGE death). I don't want to believe it's happened. This person SHOULD NOT HAVE DIED. ANYONE other than this person should've gone. And in this book is a scene that will never leave my memory; a piece of literature that is bound to haunt me always. Of this I can only say one thing... "I must not tell lies." Yet, regardless of the loss of hope, it's still a great read. It manages to be both terrible and wonderful at the same time.
Rating: 
Summary: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Review: All of the reviews I read seem to have been written by adults, like myself. I have been a Harry Potter fan since the first book because I was quite taken with J.K. Rowling's writing style and lovely command of the English language. I have to admit that book #5 is exceptionally well written and was a very fast read. My major complaint however, is the book is rated as having an audience of 9 to 12 year olds. Who are we kidding? How many of you would seriously let your nine year old read this book? It is way too dark and scary for a child. There were absolutely no light or funny moments in this book. It is full of tension and terror from start to finish. If I want that, I can read an adult book by Dean Koontz. I also had trouble with Harry's character. One of the most appealing things about the first four books was Harry's ability to be noble and rise above everything that happened to him. In book 5 he is no different from any other self centered, bratty, whiny teenager that I've ever met. If Rowling's audience is the same as for the first four books, she has missed the mark by a mile. Call this what it is, a pretty good book, but never, never call it a children's book. Shame on all of you who are educators and parents for failing to recognize and acknowledge that.
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