Rating: 
Summary: A Must Read For Potter Fans - JK Rowling Does It Again !
Review: While not as emotionally gripping as the Goblet of Fire with its personal high stakes (the fantastic Tri-Wizard tournament and the Dark Lord's personal attack on Harry Potter),
Order of the Phoenix is a masterfully plotted read that succeeds on many fronts - it is a tale of Harry Potter growing up and as such it is full of frustration, emotion, and the reality of constantly changing relationships in an ever increasingly dangerous world.Without revealing any specific spoilers for readers who have not finished the story, the Order of the Phoenix starts off with a bang (or is it crack) and the events on Privet Drive soon leads Harry back to his fifth year at Hogwarts, with his enemies on more fronts than before. Harry's future career will be decided by his results of his OWLs (ordinary wizarding level exams), the new Defense Against Dark Arts professor will prove to be far more challenging than her girlish voice, the Ministry of Magic will prove be a political force to be reckoned with, Professor Snape will be as daunting as ever, You Know Who conjures darkness and death with his Death Eaters, and yes, raging hormones and romance will play a part (could it be someone from RavenClaw ?). The whole cast is back, from Lupin to Rita Skeeter to the Weasley twins, more mischievous and entertaining than ever. And the good thing is, we learn many things about those around Harry, from the Dursleys to the Weasleys to even Professor Snape and we begin to really really understand what Harry has faced and what he is going to have to face in the upcoming two novels. Growing up is never easy for anyone and Harry is definitely not going to have anything easy at 15 - not even Quidditch. Harry is very angry in this book, like many teenagers caught in the awkward stage between child and adult yet possessed of certain powers beyond their years. It is a stage where things change moment by moment, where there are stresses beyond belief, where there are awkward moments when one is neither adult nor child - and it is here that JK Rowling captures Harry's essence perfectly - Harry's confused adolescence and the continued evolving relationships of his friends, peers, and loved ones. Order of the Phoenix sets a marvelous stage for what's to come - it gives the reader the background and emotions to understand the harsh reality that is about to come into the wizarding world - that Lord Voldermort will bring much pain and suffering and that Harry must fulfill his destiny whether he wants to or not. The dark tone from Goblet of Fire continues in this book but it is contrasted by the wild clever imagination of JK Rowling and her wonderful gift for making interesting new out of old - new spells, new magical creatures, new revelations, even new areas of the magical world such as the Ministry of Magic (love the location) or St. Mungo - hospital for magical maladies and injuries. I enjoyed the book immensely and heartily recommend this to all Harry Potter fans (and even to the minute Muggle minority that hasn't read the series). Author JK Rowling provides a lot of great character background here and one can see the beginnings of plot lines and twists for Harry's final two years at Hogwarts. Harry is changing, Hogwarts is changing, and even the Sorting Hat can sense the darkest time ahead - its a call for unity and I for one, cannot wait to see what happens next - I'm with you Harry and JK, even if I have to spend the summer with the Dursleys again. But in the meantime, I'm going to pop a butterbeer and read this still too short book again !
Rating: 
Summary: harry potter is no longer a child
Review: i didn't think the 4th book was very good. so, i had doubts about the 5th. nevertheless i couldn't resist buying it as early as i could and took 2 days of to read... and it was worth it! ootp is the most complex HP yet. a thriller like -structure with climax at the end. more details on the emotional world of harry and his friends, who are all getting more and more mature.
the book kept me glued to the sofa, it made me angry and it made me cry--- i highly recommend it!
Rating:
Summary: The magic is still there!
Review: The Order of the Phoenix is a wonderful continuation of the Harry Potter series. When it seemed that Ms. Rowlings was continuously fine-tuning the book, I feared that it would lose its magic. Fortunately, this was not the case. The book is a bit darker and more brooding as befits a 15/16 year old Harry.
Rating:
Summary: Gray tones in Life -- Order of The Phoenix
Review: Well, having finished the book in two day time is a proof that the book is fascinating for Harry Potter fans like me. J.K. Rowling not only shows us the extramendous imagination she has, she also pulls the story wery well with Harry's personal development which occurs by age. Good and bad things happen at the same time just like in real life which adds reality to the book. We start seeing the good side of the bad (like why Snape hates Harry that much), and also the bad side of the good ones. Wizard world is not black and white anymore... There are many people in between.
The most important question (Why Harry?) is answered by Dumbledore... Many knots are solved, Harry is grown by having a great loss again.
I recommend this book to everyone who loves reading adventure, romance, comics,... in short to everyone who likes reading. It is not only a book about magical world, it is a book that contains human's war... A war that we all have in our lives which is full of human contradictions, the colors are not only black and white...
Rating:
Summary: Finally, perhaps this is getting somewhere.
Review: I began reading the Harry Potter Series about a year ago, based upon the encouragement of friends of mine. I burned through all four previous installments, though I must admit I wasn't very sure what was so 'magical' about the series. I thought the first one to be sugary rubbish, the second to be more of the same. The third, with it's darker themes, began to intrigue me somewhat, though I still did not care much more for the characters or the story. The fourth was the first in the series I found to be truly worth reading, and I was certainly not very dissapointed by The Order of the Phoenix. Taking place is young Potter's 5th year at Hogwarts, Harry has gone from hotshot to laughingstock, thanks to a prominent newspaper discounting his latest near death experience and making fun of him all summer. After several troubles displaying the turmoil of the magical world, Harry ends up back at Hogwarts, yet the school of his memories has changed nearly as rapidly as he himself has, and the world around him has also. Order of the Phoenix is, in almost all respects, a dark book, with dark themes. The once modest Harry has begun to believe the other-wordly hype that had been previously sorrounding him, and has begun to gain quite an Anakin Skywalker complex as his rage and temper continually flare. His friends and protectors, likewise, have also begun to flare, as the prospect of war looms ever closer, soon to engulf both Hogwarts and the entire world, magical and not. Themes of death, murder, betrayal, anger, confusion, fear, rebellion and arrogance weave throughout the lengthy novel, and when finished, there is no light hearted return to Pivet drive, instead, there are dark clouds on the horizon, for it is clear the worst has yet to come. Quite enjoyable. Hope it gets darker!
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful addition to the series.
Review: I was pleased with this book. There are some wonderful twists. As usual, Rowling's writing is such that it is interesting and easy to follow. Rowling furthers the plot, while ending the book in the usual tidy fashion, leaving the reading only with the quetion of "Well, what is going to happen next?" Even though her longest to date in the series, the book was so good it went by in just under a day. It captivated me. I leaves me wanting for book 6. Obviously, it's a must have for those following the series.
Rating:
Summary: Harry in Peril
Review: In this, by far the most relentlessly dark of the Harry Potter series, Harry finds himself discredited, ignored, and dealing with adolescent inability to control emotions. All of this might be bearable if he also did not feel deserted and ignored by Dumbledore, who is himself under attack. Could this be the influence of You-Know-Who? Voldemort's presence is first manifested here through the rising dissension in all ranks, great and small, and the onset of a systematic, and increasingly fascist, takeover of Hogwarts by the corrupting and corruptible Ministry of Magic. Rowling's genius with character is obvious throughout the thick volume, from the loony yet loveable Luna, to the fascinatingly horrible Professor Umbridge (and yes, it is impossible not to take umbrage at Umbridge.) Familiar characters we know and love reveal further sides to their characters, and "shadows of grey" replace the black-and-white tones on the thematic canvas of good vs. evil. Even the song of the Sorting Hat changes to fit the times, with a cautionary warning about the need for strength in unity, and a foreshadowing of the events which will unfold in the next two volumes, or so we hope. The plot is rich with details, subtle meanings, and the turns upon turns that we've come to know and expect from this brilliant author. Every saga needs a volume where the heroes seemed blocked at every turn, and this volume will have readers biting their fingernails. While things do take quite a turn for the up as the story concludes, it is hardly a beckoning horizon, with much to be said and done before the true dawn. Adults and older children (age "mature 10" and up) will be enthralled by this latest installment and will cry out with Harry against the injustice and cruelty, and rejoice in friendship, loyalty, and the resilience of the human spirit even during deepest adversity. However, in my opinion both as an educator and a children's librarian, this volume is not for younger children, (although the little ones do want to hear about their hero)and would require a bit of clever "editing" and discussion on the part of adults before they could share in the story without the risk of fears and "night terrors." (Harry's detention with the punishment carving iself painfully into bloody lines on his hand is enough to set smaller children screaming if asked to write a paragraph in class.) Overall, an extremely good book, one that pulls us breathless towards the next installment, and an excellent basis for discussions of the effects of Hilter's Rise to Power and the Inquisition Period, as well as links to the modern political scene, but not without caution for minds and hearts too innocent to "plunge into darkness."
Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Review: The book was excellent.
I've only just finished it so I'm still digesting it all and I'm definitely going to have to read it all again but my first impression of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix?
It is just fantastic.
I admit that the death was, and still is, very hard for me to take, even though I knew a horrible death was coming. (I was scared to read the book because of it.) I had to stop reading for a bit because I was crying.
As horrible as the death was\is, J.K. Rowling did a fabulous job in writing it and Harry's reaction to it up. In fact, I think that the fact the the death had such a strong affect only serves to exhibit J.K.'s great talent. As though we don't already have enough proof of that...
I don't know if I can wait another three years for the next one.
Rating:
Summary: Harry Potter: Loss, Anger and Sacrifices
Review: J.K Rowling's fifth installment of the Potter series continues the adventures of fifteen-year-old Harry Potter as he struggles through the stage of adolescence and the return of Lord Voldemort.
Rating:
Summary: Rowling never ceases to amaze me
Review: It is Tuesday night and I finally finished the new book. This was one incredible story. More so than any of the other novels to come before it, Rowling creates a depth of character in this novel that should really be the standard in her field. The reason that I keep coming back to this series and the reason that I never i tire of reading these books over and over again is because Rowling creates a world that is totally believable. The Order of the Phoenix is not my favortie book in the series (that would be it's predecessor, The Goblet of Fire) but I think that it is the best written out of the entire series. I ablsolutely LOATHED Umbridge. That woman made me want to scream every time she came into the story. No other book has ever made me feel so strongly about a character. The ending also made me feel just like the chracters; confused, sad, and not really looking forward to the long holidays ahead. Hopefully, we do not have to endure such a long "summer vacation" as we did last time. Congrat Rowling, you've wowed me again!
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