Rating: 
Summary: The most suspenseful and personal Harry Potter yet (spoiler)
Review: The 5th edition of the Harry Potter series The Order of the Phoenix has all the makings of a classic thriller. Each chapter characteristically ends with intrigue and leaves one unable to put the book down. In this book, He Who Must Not Be Named is Back and in Full Power though for most of the book he does not make any personal appearances. The Order of the Phoenix a secret society of good wizards who fought Voldemort during the first war are revived by Dunmbledore....It is also true that Harry acts like a snot in a good deal of the book, but we see the reason for this near the end of it(at least partially). I highly recommend this book, but note that it is a more personal tale than the others, where we more of Harry's personality and not just his persona. It is also darker than the others at least in the end. Some pieces of it are so well-written you will find yourself repeating them again and again. I will not tel how it ends, but it will leave you wanting more as is characteristic of all Rowling's books.
Rating:
Summary: Super Fast Read
Review: This was an amazing book. It was extremely long, but I read the entire book in one sitting. I averaged about 125-150 pages per hour.
I think it is great that Harry is growing up. I was especially pleased that he is just your typical 15 year old boy (perhaps a little untypical in certain ways too) having school problems, girl problems, and most of all being raised in just about the most unusual family ever imagined. He's grumpy and moody for the entire book. I think the little house elf should have his head chopped off and put on the wall like his predessessors though. Grr..
Especially interesting was the new sorting song. I was a bit disappointed, however, that what advice it gave wasn't followed, so I'm hoping that it's a foreshadowing of the storylines to follow in the next two books. The death scene is very well done - very heroic. I was crying to see the pain Harry had to deal with. "He's just a little kid - leave him alone!" I wanted to scream. "He doesn't deserve this!" Dumbledore is great! I especially found his apology / explanation near the end to be very moving... it hurt him so much to leave Harry out for so long.
It's a great book. A little long for younger children, I think, but eventually they'll get through it, and will love it!
Rating:
Summary: Worth the Wait!
Review: Utterly brilliant. There's so much emotion in this book-----angry, rebellious teens, frustrated wizards, a sinister house-elf, and the most sadistic, tyrannical Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher (courtesy of Cornelius Fudge and the Ministry of Magic) that hopefully we will ever see at Hogwarts! I read it in about a total of 13 hours; only put it down to sleep! We suffer along with Harry in his anger and frustrations, in his self-doubt at his weird recurring nightmares, and even his botched up love life. Grips you hard and doesn't let go! By the time you come to the closing scenes of the book (the goodbyes at Platform 9 3/4) and she releases you from the emotional roller-coaster you've been riding, the reaction has to be "Wow!"
Rating: 
Summary: A Change in Direction
Review: The following review, while not containing spoilers, still has some information about the book that was released to the press before it's publication, so keep that in mind as you continue to read: I have been a Harry Potter fan ever since the first book was read to me by my teacher in 5th grade. Since then I have found each book better than the last, and I especially anticipated this book because it would be technically sophomore year, which I just completed. So, now that I have finished The Order of the Phoenix, let me start by saying that Rowling did a superb job capturing the essence of a 15 year old without making it too dirty...; the hormones, the emotions, the misunderstanding were all presented well. On that note though, I found this book to be dramatically different from the others, some good, some bad. Some of it I expected, as I knew after reading the Goblet of Fire that everything in this book would be set around the idea that Voldemort has fully returned and the Ministry of Magic (the wizard gov't) would be trying to suppress the idea. I also knew a big part of the school year would be based around O.W.L.s (Ordinary Wizarding Levels) which, in the real world, could kind of be thought of as SAT's or PSAT's (since it's sophomore year). These indeed were true. The basic progression of the story nevertheless did remain the same as the other stories--home with the Dursley's, something unexpected, new dark arts teacher, some encompassing theme during the year, a difficult task involving Voldemort, and finally the explanation where the many of the questions raised in the book are answered. Still, after reading it, I am definitely left with a different feeling than I was after completing the other books, possibly because the task at the end relating to Voldemort, was rather self-imposed by Harry, and in a sense makes him out to seem as he had been stereotyped: fame-hungry and just wanting to be a hero. Still, one rather disturbing elements of this story was the mistakes made by Dumbledore, which does layer him more as a character, but in such a way that I personally would have rather not seen. It was one of the many black and white things that became grey in this book. Other characters are also layered deeper in this book, for the better, which is always a plus. Upon Harry visiting Snape's past through the Pensieve (seen in Book 4), we see young Lupin, Sirius, James, and Lily, providing a better sense of cause and effect with how they all turned out to be. Still, while I can't help but dwell on the unique ending for this book, leaving Harry not exactly an all-wonderous hero, I very much enjoyed Harry's reactions to certain criticism in this book, making him seem all the more human. For the first time, he wasn't so humble with his incredible feats of the past stories, but became angry with not being fully recognized for the sheer magnitude of them. The long-awaited pushing aside of his modesty is topped off by a certain illegal organization he leads where he discusses how he managed to survive and triumph in the life-threatening events of the other books. Finally, some recognition is being demanded. The relationship between Cho and Harry in this story is odd, expressing nothing but guys' inability to understand the female mind, but you get a good idea of Harry's coming of age when by the end, he thinks of Cho as something of the past, after everything he's been through. So, despite my mixed feelings in this review, overall let me say this book, in my opinion, was enjoyable to read. It wasn't exactly 870 pages of eye-gluing suspense, but with any hope it will be at least a good seguay into the next book, whenever that may come out. But when you think about it, while the other books had the sorcerer's stone, 16-yr-old Voldemort, betrayal/dementors/timetravelling, and the return of voldemort, respectively, the climatic element of this story is much less, um, significant. It pertains to the relationship between Harry and Voldemort and many of us may have guessed it anyway, leaving us simlpy with the thought that someone (I won't say who) needlessly dies, little is accomplished, and it's basically Harry and Dumbledore's fault. I should also note that while all the other books had at least one 'section' of the plot that caused my heart to race with suspension, just wanting to know the event would turn out, and caused me to pause to really take in the outcome before continuing to read, there was no point like that in this one. So, on a final note, JK Rowling still has not lost her touch, and while the death sequence of the story somewhat confused me, she still has a wonderful knack for creative writing expressed just as well in this book as the others. Though I don't think this book was the best yet, it's still, haha, one of the best books I've ever read, and if you plan on reading the sixth book, well as you may guess this is filled with answers and questions that no doubt will play a larger role as the Harry Potter series wraps up in the final two books over the coming years.
Rating:
Summary: Thrilling book-The Best Yet
Review: This book is without a doubt the best one of the series so far. It has been geared to an adolescent audience, making it more appealing to the original fans of the series. Harry's main task in this book is to stave off an increasingly hostile Ministry, while concentrating on fighting Voldemort and passing his O.W.L. exams. The top notch storyline in this book is reminiscent of the best Wheel of Time and Belgeriad books, as well as certain political blitzes occurring in our own society, and I can give it no higher praise. Fans of all ages will be pleased, but older fans will find this book, ending with a thrilling action sequence better than any to date, to be especially rewarding. Absolutely enchanting!!
Rating: 
Summary: Harry Potter's really growing up!
Review: After having waiting for so long for this book and having read it in 12 hours, I find that Harry seems to be angrier and less in control of his temper. He also finds out many things and his reaction towards the situations which seems to be against him is not at like the Harry of the other books. This Harry seems to be more arrogant. Guess one could say that Harry is becoming a little big headed with his successes in defeating Lord Voldemort single handedly that he feels it's ok to wallow in his anger and self pity. Even the characters, Ron and Hermoine are not finding it easy at Hogsworth. Expected something a bit more better than this, kind of lacks the 'magic' of the 1st four books.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing!
Review: This book was wonderful, although not many people will find an angry Harry Potter so amusing through most of the book! I loved how the Ministry of Magic refuses to see what Dumbledore proposes - the return of Lord Voldemort. It's "realistic" (as far as a magical world can go) with people's attitudes and mindsets. The personalities of all the characters you take notice of are unique and many can be well-loved. Remus Lupin, for example, while not a very large part in the story. The same can go when thinking about Severus Snape - yes, he's a slimy-haired git, and yes, he's mean, but for those who didn't look past that (i'm not saying ignore it, i'm saying look further) before this book will be forced to just a little bit by the time this book ends. Many themes are presented in this book, yet it is presented in a "safe" way so that the younger the audience gets, the less likely it is for those few themes in the book to be seen, and if they are, it is likely that since the reader was mature enough to see it, they would be mature enough to understand it.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing, as always...
Review: After an extremely long wait, 'Harry Potter & The Order Of The Phoenix' is finally out. And it was well worth the wait. This book isn't only the longest one in the series so far, but it is the 'deepest' one. Not only did Harry grow up, but J.K Rowling has written a much more 'grown up book' than before, to match Hary's growth. Don't worry, we still get a lot of the details about life at Hogwarts that made the previous books so charming. But we also see that the wizarding world isn't black and white: good people can come from good families, but people we thought were good might also have their wild side. That adults can make mistakes (even out of the best motives) and might not be able to reveal their reasons when you ask. But most of all, this book shows the importance of values like family, friends, loyalty, and most of all - love.
Rating:
Summary: The second best of the Harry Potter Series!
Review: You wouldn't normally think a 17 year old would be very interested in a book like Harry Potter-but I am addicted. JK Rowling writes like she is Harry Potter-or grew up with him. She writes like there is a magical world and that she attended Hogwarts. The fifth book was so heavily anticipated that it kind of let me down when i was half-way through. But then I appreciated it more towards the end-and it brought the whole book together. We all know someone dies in this novel-and i actually cried when this person did. This person was my favorite character in any book I've ever read (next to Scarlett O'Hara) and it made me furious that JK Rowling would do something like this-but death happens, and I'm sure she had her reasons, hopefully this person's death will be a start to something great in one of her next books. Most people out there say they aren't into "that sorta thing" or they think they're too old, i am definately not a little kid, and i am definately not into fantasy, this book is so realy that you swear you can walk through the wall between platforms 9 and 10 at Kings Cross Station and be on your way to Hogwarts. Trust me-this is a great book-just try it!
Rating:
Summary: A Cracking Good Yarn
Review: More than 800 pages and a pulsing story line kept me glued to the end. We learn more about Harry and his family in this latest effort. Nothing is revealed with speed and most of what we learn is through Harry's eyes. While this story is somewhat darker than the others, Rowling has a fine curb on excess and a feel for careful pacing. Her story is about family, friendship, and humor as well as the ordeals that must be faced. Yesterday, I passed a father and daughter sitting on a park bench. She nestled on his shoulder as he read aloud from a large blue bound book, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. A perfect release for the end of the school year when many students will identify with some of Harry and his friends experiences.
|
