Rating: 
Summary: Dark and sad
Review: This book is much darker then the rest of the series: Hogwarts is under a fascist regime from the Ministry of Magic, Dumbledore seems to give Harry the cold shoulder, and Harry's connection to Lord Voldemort is growing stronger.
After the events in the climax, the resolution does not bring the energy into an up swing. This is not a happily ever after finish.
It is the use of dark images and feelings that make us realize how evil Lord Voldemort really is. Excellently written. If a child is reading the book, it should be discussed with him or her when finished.
Rating: 
Summary: The Best in the Series
Review: I have read 4 out of 5 Harry Potter books, (I skipped out on the Sorceror's stone..) and this is the best one, although admittedly Prisoner of Azkaban is a close second...but I would recommend it to anyone who is a fan of the series--newcomers might miss out on the more subtle details, but JK has provided explanations throught the book on what went on before in the series, so that newcomers will be able to appreciate most of it..overall this is an excellent book, comparable with the best of them--the death is very sad, and unexpected, as I did not expect that person to die--still perhaps JK will bring him back. All in all, an excellent read.
Rating:
Summary: Somebody like these Harold Potter books
Review: Harold Potter is at it again. Sweet Georgia Brown!, so is OJ!!
This, as you may know, is the fifth (and maybe final) installment from PK Rowling and, as you have come to demand/recompense, it takes life and the life of books and transforms it into a "Bloody Outrage of enigmatic splendour." Wee wee, This book is only 800 pages long, a little short compared to most encyclopedias. For all you Gringott's out there, I won't spoil the ending, nor will I spoil this review by saying that Harry Potter tenderly wins the Special Olympics with a little help from a certain Latin gang. We find Harold trodden in dooker and livelier with age. His reasoning skills are un surpassed and his wit/clever charm win him back his only true love, Lizzy Borden. Take it from my, even if you don't like these books, you'll love this one! I haven't even read it and am way too afraid of "The Tip-Toeing Super-Soaker." We"ll read it together!
Rating:
Summary: Harry Potter grows up
Review: After all that waiting and counting down the days I am happy to say that the Order of the Phoeix didn't let me down for one minute. It was so good in fact that I finished it in 3 days. The book really invokes feelings of anger, sadness, and at one point it will make you disolve into tears. Well written (of course!), and hard to put down, it's a shame that I arrived at the ending so fast. The only negative thing I have to say is that now I can't wait for book 6 to come out.
Rating:
Summary: Not a "feel-good" book
Review: I received this book in the mail on Saturday afternoon, and I finished it early Monday morning (i.e. 3 AM). It was especially hard to put down toward the last 100 pages of the novel. Fascinating new people appear in Book 5, such as Tonks, the accident-prone Auror, and Professor Umbridge, the horrible new Defense against the Dark Arts teacher. Old characters are also given more depth. Long-unsolved mysteries are explained. An ominous last chapter more than hints about what the sixth novel will be about. Rowling has a lot of room to do all this in the 850+ pages of the novel - but as I love her descriptions of the wizarding world, I'm not complaining about the book's sometimes crawling pace. Harry is finally a teenager in this book; or rather, he finally begins to act like one. It's nice that J.K. Rowling is letting Harry age with the series instead of keeping him a child forever, as is the case with so many children's series. However, though I am a teenager myself, it became hard to relate to Harry's angst as he constantly seethed with "white hot anger" and boiled with frustration. He loses his temper with everyone - Snape, Umbridge, and especially his friends - about once every twenty pages. Near the end of the novel he even begins shouting at Dumbledore, "YOU DON'T KNOW HOW I FEEL!" Harry comes across as irritating rather than suffering at that point. The rumors that there would be a death of a key character in Book 5 are true - but the death, which occurs at the climax of the novel, is depressing and bewildering. It seems as though Rowling included it merely to keep the novel from becoming a sappy "happily ever after" story. While I would hate for that to happen, I reached the end of Order of the Phoenix feeling kind of empty inside. Of course I'll read the next two installments of Harry's life - what Harry Potter fan couldn't? And while this book is darker, less comical, and more angst-ridden than the other novels, it is still an essential part of the collection.
Rating:
Summary: Indescribable (at least for me...in a good way of course!)
Review: Usually when you wait with bated breath for a much-desired book, there is a chance that it will let you down. Definitely not so with Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Though not as upbeat as the other books, with the looming prospect of OWL's and Lord Voldemort's undeniable return, this book explores Harry's character more thoroughly. In addition to exploring Harry more, the Rowling introduces a few new characters--Tonks, Mundungus, and the deeply hated Umbridge are just a few. Many have heard that Dumbledore explains many things to Harry (this is correct)--but he not only explains things, but he also shows his greatest weaknesses in this book. Rowling's writing becomes more and more descriptive and vivid as the book continues on and it is drawn quickly to a startling climax. In fact, I didn't even expect a climax because so many things happen, but the inevitable climax shows up and shocked me (nearly to tears). I got the book on saturday night and had finished it by monday night (lacking very much spare time for reading, so it's a pretty quick read). I'm going to leave it at this for fear of giving too much away; Rowling has proved her skill at authorship by bestowing us with yet another installment of this fantastical series that shows her incredible gift. The depth and beauty of this book couldn't be described in 1,000 words--it wouldn't be enough. I commend her awesome writing and look forward to the next two installments and for some more (possibly different) writing from her. Savor this book people--it has to last us until the sixth!
With Admiration, a 15 year old reader
Rating:
Summary: Extending The HP Universe
Review: I give this story five stars somewhat advisedly. If you are not already a fan of the series don't start here; you need to be familiar with the previous four books to understand the characters and situations in this one. Those of you who are fans may be a little disappointed at the beginning. A handful of interesting new characters are introduced, but they're somewhat undeveloped. Much beloved old characters return, but they're more peripheral and we don't get to spend much time with them. The story never gets to the Weasley family home The Burrow. Most jaring of all, the star of the show kind of becomes an Angry Teenager With An Attitude. Or maybe it's better that Harry has an attitude adjustment; it doesn't make complete sense that a boy who is abused and humiliated by his guardians for the first eleven years of his life, survives four murder attempts, and is pilloried in the Wizard press, would always be so good natured. Often as not when an entertainment property establishes itself as a franchise, fans don't want the lead character's disposition to change, so Rowling deserves credit for risking the disapproval of millions of readers by moving in that direction. In a similar vein, we are also treated for the first time to a degree of emotional estrangement between Harry and his leading surrogate fathers, Albus Dumbledore and Sirius Black. Fortunately, Harry's friends Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, and -surprise!- Ginny Weasley are on hand to drag him back into line. In fact, it is one of the small pleasures of Order of the Phoenix that each develops as a human being without having a "Coming of Age" theme overwhelm the plot. And in this book he needs his friends more than ever. Political intrigue, paranoia, power mongering, treachery, and simple bone headedness mushroom across the wizarding world, much of it embodied by Dolores Umbridge. She is ostensibly the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts, but is in reality a one woman goon squad and toady for Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge, who fears headmaster Albus Dumbledore's insistance that the evil dark wizard Lord Voldemort has returned is part of a scheme to replace him. As it was Harry who played a wholly unwilling role in Voldemort's return (at the end of Goblet Of Fire), against whom do you suppose Ms Umbridge cruelly, maliciously, and repeatedly takes umbrage? The barest bones of the story established, her are some other fun things you will encounter along the way: -Some of the best, most pointed practical joking by Fred & George Weasley, who close their Hogwarts education in style.
-The emergence of Ginny Weasley as a feisty, intelligent, and capable young witch.
-The emergence of Neville Longbottom as a true Gryffindor, not just a hapless bungler.
-Ron's shaky debut as keeper on the Gryffindor quidditch team.
-An impromptu, clandestine class in defense spells led by Harry.
-A rocky school romance between Harry and Cho Chang.
-Luna "Loony" Lovegood, a 4th year Ravenclaw.
-Our first look inside St. Mungo's Hospital.
-An at times nerve-wracking foray into the Department of Mysteries. In point of fact Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix gets better as it goes along, and if you are a fan it will have fully drawn you in long before you get to page 870.
Rating:
Summary: The best of the best!
Review: This book is amazing. JK continues to amaze us by bringing up things that haven't been answered in the previous books, inventing new characters, creatures, and worries for harry, and raising more questions that readers will ponder over and over until the release of the sixth book. Still spending his summer in privet drive, harry is frustrated, mad, and desperate to get back to the wizarding world. One night, as he lay bored to death in his room, a group of wizards come to rescue him, including Moody and Lupin. harry leaves the dursleys and soon finds himself at the headquarters of the order of the phoenix. He returns to Hogwarts with high spirits, but soon wishes he wasn't there when students start treating him like they treated him in the second book, when they thought he was the attacker. Only this time, they see him as a lier who wants attention. harry has more struggles in his fifth year than he does in his first four years put together. With a crazed, venemous DADA teacher, O.W.L.S., and Voldemort, harry barely gets through it all...but meets with voldemort at the end of the book and learns why he Voldemort tried to kill him. Someone very close to Harry dies...which changes him and his priorities. This novel is funny, sad, amazing-there really is no word to describe it all. The end of the book and the death of the character drove me to tears, while Fred and George gave me fits of laugther. Readers will race through this book like it was 50 pages...and pray that JK writes her new book as quickly as possible. The order of the phoenix is really a change in the series with its darker tone, but it is by far the best.
Rating:
Summary: a must-read
Review: I stayed up all night to finish this book the day after it came out. It was filled with suspense and I could not put it down. This is definitely a must-read, but only if you've read the other four first! Just like the other books, this is packed with jokes and wordplay, which make reading fun and light, and also introduces even more figments of J.K. Rowling's imagination with fantastic creatures, buildings and characters. Though this book may not seem as exciting at first, I think it was because there wasn't a great event going on throughout the book. What I mean is that in the first book there was the Sorcerer's Stone, the second had all the mysterious killings, the third had Sirius Black, and the fourth had the Triwizard Tournament. However, the book still has an apeal of its own. Though it may seem random in the beginning, everything falls into place by the end and the books closes with a great secret Dumbledore has been keeping for years. (Sorry, you'll have to read it to find out what it is!) I also like how the reader sees more sides of Harry's personality. In this book we get to see more of his emotions, instead of just his thoughts. There's also some teenage angst and tensions between friends, which enhances any story. I would highly recommend this book to anyone of all ages, because it was well worth the wait (and the lost hours of sleep). Keep 'em coming, J.K. Rowling!
Rating:
Summary: The Best Harry Potter Yet
Review: What can I say but WOW. I got the book at 8:00 am on Saturday and had it finished 8 hours later. I could not put the book down. Of course I am a little biased since I am a HUGE Harry Potter fan but to me this was by far the best book yet. Despite its 870 pages I fled through it. The story in this one was so much more intense than in the past and you can see why it took Ms. Rowling three years to write. You will laugh and you will cry especially when the death of one of the main characters happens and you will sit on pins and needles throughout the entire thing. Harry Potter has definately become a full fledged teenager with all of the usual angsts that go along with it. I just hope that the next in the series doesn't take three years to write, I don't know if I can sit in anticipation that long.
|
