Rating: 
Summary: The Order of the Disappointed
Review: I was very excited for the new Harry Potter book to come out, having pre-ordered it through Amazon.ca months before it's release. When it arrived at my home I immediatly opened it and began to read it.
In the previous 4 Harry Potter books, I was unable to put the books down because they were so good, however this time, I was unable to put the book down because I wanted to keep reading to see if it got any better.
Needless to say I was very disappointed in Harry's latest "adventure", or perhaps I should say Harry's latest "whine and moan"
The whole tone of the book is different from the others, as it is an incredibly angry book, with the majority of it consisting of arguments between characters that we have grown to love over the previous books. And the majority of Harry's role in the book is to act in a selfish "why me" attitude, at the fact that in order to protect him, people must keep information from him.
I was shocked how little story could be contained within such a massive book. The book could have easily been half as long, as all the important parts occur within the last 200 pages.
The book is not BAD, but I feel that it fails to live up to the quality of story that J.K Rowling has provided us with in the previous 4 novels. I will remain a fan of Harry's, and I hope that the next novel is released sooner than this one, as I cannot wait to continue the story of Harry Potter.
Rating: 
Summary: The Best one Yet!
Review: First of all, FINALLY! I have been waiting so long for this book to come out (as I'm sure a good portion of the world). Needless to say when I heard that they were starting to sell them at midnight on the 20th, I was one of the almost 200 hundred people at the bookstore waiting for it. I didn't get home until 2 am and I have to say that it was worth it. J. K. Rowling has outdone herself. Some things were different about the style of writing of this book but with just cause with the young wizards and witches growing up. I don't want to give away anything but I have to say, I am 23 years old and I cried at the end. I have raely felt so strongly for a character in a book as much as I feel for Harry and everything he goes through. For instance, the anger that he has developed toward what is happening to him really makes me feel like he is real and not a fictitious character that can go through horrible ordeals and then brush it off his shoulder like it was nothing. No, this Harry Potter gets upset and shows that he is only human. There are many characteristics of all the characters in this book that have grown to become much more real. You can see yourself actually saying those same things and doing the same things along with them and that's only one of the ways for J.K. Rowling to know that she really has written a GREAT book. When the readers actually feel as they could be there with Harry, Ron, and Hermione on all their adventures. You get so engrossed into this book that when you finally can put it down (only when you have finished the whole book of course) that it is hard to come back to reality. This is not a normal children's book, but a book for all ages. All I can say is, when's the next one coming out?
Rating:
Summary: It only gets better!
Review: These books keep getting better and better! The 860 pages flew by and make me so hungry for the next! Harry's teen angst can get a little annoying once in a while, but all in all I have no complaints. Rowling is amazing at character development and giving just enough details. After finishing a miserable trilogy before picking these up, where the other author spent about a page just describing tree bark, it made me really appreciate what an excellent writer J.K. Rowling is. Keep them coming!
Rating:
Summary: The best one yet? Absolutely.
Review: I have been a huge fan of The Harry Potter books for a few years now, and I was positive that Book 5 could not possibly live up to my lofty expectations. I was wrong. Dead wrong. There is no way for me to do this book justice. One thing I have admired most about J.K. Rowling is her ability to move and grow with her main audience. While everyone under the sun loves the Potter books, J.K. started writing them for young teens. Impressively, every consecutive book has become larger in both page count and scope, growing with its core audience. There is much more here for an older audience and the natural progression in tone and length is what has kept the Potter books at the top of my list as one of the greatest book series I have ever read. And at a hefty 870 pages, Book 5 has not only beefed up the size, it has also turned Harry's upside down in amazingly epic fashion. Harry acts just like the moody 15 year old he is and the author is not afraid of letting her audience second guess Harry, even dislike him at times (briefly, don't worry). Ron and Hermione are given even more time in the book, further expanding on two already deep, fascinating characters. Even Neville Longbottom shines here, and someone who has been following the books from the beginning will probably feel proud of him, as odd as that may sound. This is the best Harry Potter book so far. It is also the darkest. While it is not all doom and gloom, there is a real sense of horror and dread permiating throughout as well as a few truly tragic moments. Harry's life has never been this hard, and this makes his high points that much more exciting for the reader. J.K. Rowling has done another outstanding job here. The rich story she continues to unravel keeps amazing me with its intelligence and true emotion. And hell, any writer that can get kids to read has to be doing something right. This is the best book in the series. I cannot stress this enough. The only bad thing about the book is going to be the wait for the next one.
Rating:
Summary: HARRY THE GREAT
Review: I have read all of the HP books and I have to say that J.K. Rowling just keeps getting better and better. This HP book has a kinda gloom and doom them all thorough it. It's not as action packed as the first 4 but that won't stop you from staying up all night and reading it. I won't go into detail but most of the action is in the last 200 pages or so. Fred and George Weasley almost steal the show from Harry. They will have you cheering them on in their best pranks yet. Harry finds out that he might have done some great things for a wizard of his age but he still is a kid and has loads to learn. You will laugh,cry and cheer your way throught this book. I am not giving anything away it's worth it to read it for yourself. I can't wait for the movie next year and year 6 at Hogworts. I hope it's not as long as a wait this time....
Rating: 
Summary: The Angry Kid
Review: Where to start with an 870-page novel that brings us once again into the world of our beloved hero Harry Potter? How about with the fact that our hero of old is getting older and turning into a real teenager? While I admit that it depresses me to see Harry so depressed, and in fact I was downright angry that Harry seems to have morphed into an even more selfish brat, it is only after I finished that I realized that he is modern youth. Harry is growing up and this is his transcription of growth. Ms. Rowling has captured male adolescence with such an accurate view that it pains me to read this brooding self-loathing fifth installment of our young hero. Harry starts out as he does at the beginning of every year, at the Dursley's house of torment, only this year, Harry is changing. Gone are the days of easy simple luck and easy heroics, Harry is starting to pout because it isn't going his way. What he learns through the course of this book is the life lesson we all learn at one point or another, sometimes it isn't always about you. In the course of this weighty novel, we watch as Harry goes from hero to zero, from having a hold on things to breaking apart inside and out. Will Harry be able to pull through this one? Can he survive the biggest loss of all? More importantly, is he ever going to learn to control that temper of his? I must confess, Harry's new attitude has taken a sour note with me. I find myself bothered by people who think that it is okay to treat others with contempt and let their tempers get the best of them. I find that Harry rarely receives the appropriate discipline and that even in the end of this well-crafted and riveting story, he still finds himself being rewarded for the wrong things and commended for the attitude he should not be holding on to. How can a boy retain his friends when he shows no appreciation for them? Don't get me wrong, I can completely understand his feelings and see his point of view, but I have to agree with Phineas' last chapter statement regarding Harry (SPOILER) when he says "Never try to understand the students. They hate it. They would much rather be tragically misunderstood, wallow in self-pity, stew in their own -" Granted Harry is growing up, but where is his conviction? Where is his heart? How can a young man so full of rage really win over the "Dark Lord?" I thought the game was love > evil? Not anger = passion > evil. I suppose I'm confused. Despite its dark and brooding overtones, it is still a fabulously well written book, and I did not put it down until I had completed it. While I feel that Harry is really a short-tempered spoiled (and undeniably lucky) brat, Ms. Rowling has done little to endear him to me in this novel, if anything, I was left with a bit of a bitter taste in my mouth towards him by the time the last page closed. This book has its moments and I'll continue to read the rest of them, I just feel that we aren't reading the same things we started with.
Rating:
Summary: "...Order of the Phoenix" is suspensful yet disappointing
Review: First of all, I don't want to give anything away. This book starts out rather surprisingly (Dudley smoking? Mrs. Figg a Squib? Wow.) and gets very good. Throughout the book, I found myself going "Ohmigosh" several times; rather exciting details are mentioned. I was around the 700th page when I began to wonder who the heck was going to die. When I found out...wow. I was a little dumbfounded. It was not at all who I suspected. I was a bit upset, to be kind. And the thing with Harry and Cho? Whooooa. And Luna too. Overall, this book is a sure Potter-pleaser, with some unexpected (to say the absolute least) twists included.
Rating:
Summary: Harry, oh, Harry...
Review: I'll try not to say much lest I reveal more of the plot than the synopsis already did (likely most people already bought the book anyway, so it might not matter that much, but I'll still try to be careful). This book was perhaps less frightening than the fourth. The climax was a bit confusing, with so much going on, but still exhilirating, very--emotional. We see all the heroes making mistakes, Harry's being, in my opinion, among the greatest of them, though Dumbledore decideds to take the blame for it. A lot of interesting things happen at Hogwarts, both enjoyable and infuriating to Harry and the reader (from my point of veiw, of course:) ). Gohstdom's reasons are revealed, as well as Voldemort's reason's for trying to kill Harry (haha, he chose as he chose; Harry and--well, someone else--their lives and their roles could have been SO different!). There's some excellent character developement, especially involving Ginny Weasley. I could, however, have used some more, a lot more, in other areas, areas (*cough, cough*) that may be impossible to build upon in the future (*cough, cough*). (((Please don't think that's Umbridge's cough! That's just one of those, "pay attention, I shouldn't say more but here's a clue" coughs!))) Well, I guess that's all I can say. Overall, this book starts trying to get more in depth, exploring, as the synopsis says... The ending is even more tragic than "The Goblet of Fire," but there is a bit of closure after an encounter with Nearly Headless Nick and a talk with Dumbledore.
'Kay, gotta go! Hope that helped some!
Rating:
Summary: Great writing coupled with an okay story
Review: As usual Jk rowling displayed her excellent writing talents and captivated my attention until the very end of the book. No matter how much JK Rowling denies having writers block many parts in the story show this to be true. The flow in the story was somewhat lacking but it was otherwise a great book. This book will not only spark the intrest of children, but adults and teens will enjoy this book through all of its many twits and turns. If you are a parent deciding wheather or not to buy this book for your child, take in mind that this book is darker than the all of those previous. You may need to explain some of the parts to your child. I do not think, however, that you should denie your child the opportuity to read this novel. ENJOY
Rating:
Summary: Amazing... no other words!
Review: JK Rowling has done it again... and left her readers salivating for more (book 6, please?!). Order of the Phoenix has answered so many questions readers have had since the very first book- and raised many more from where those came. This tale is a delicious break away from the cookie-cutter image Harry was dangerously falling into of perfect little hero. We get to see Harry's darker side, much of which has been brought on because of his guilt over the death that occured in Goblet of Fire, Voldemorts return, and the lack of any information he is receiving from the wizard world. Rowling introduces scores of new characters, some of which play small roles now but can been forseen to play bigger ones in the future. The book takes you on a roller coaster of highs and lows- You feel this book when you read it! I don't recommend this to the younger than middle school set though- It's a bit too dark, and may be slightly too much in the comprehension level.
|
