Rating: 
Summary: The Lack of Substance...
Review: This book was about as far from the rest of the series in terms of quality as you can get. It seemed to be nothing but mindless filler and re-processed garbage that eventually ended up in a few coherent sentences that made the book move along, albeit slowly, but surely. By around page 600 I sat there and had to ask myself if I were reading the same exact thoughts, just re-worded over and over again in order to make the book appear larger. All of the characters were hollow and annoying, especially Harry....if everyone else were having such a terrible time with growing up, they sure didn't show it as much as he did! Plus the character of Professor Umbridge was one of the worst plot mistakes that Rowling made...she offered no substance other than to annoy everyone and compeltely dominate the book, including the story line. She took away from the story because she drove all of the focus upon herself and ended up having no ties whatsoever to the overall ending of the story. I felt like nothing was accomplished in this book, it was a waste of a weekend and a massive disspointment from the previous four. I do hope the next time J.K. Rowling wishes to make everyone wait two years for a book, that she at least writes one worth reading!
Rating: 
Summary: For fun
Review: What more could one possibly say about Harry Potter and J. K. Rowling? The books are delightful, pure entertainment for intelligent children and adults. That alone is remarkable. If anyone sees evil in Harry Potter, that person has a serious personality flaw in my view. We read fiction for fun, for the magic of it, no matter how intellectual we may get in describing a work. If it ain't fun, if it doesn't transport us, then it ain't worth it. Harry Potter is fun. I hesitate to add that the latest installment is perhaps a bit too long by some 200 pages. A good editor could have fixed that easily. It took too long to get to Hogwarts, where I long to be. I tolerate the other places. Other than that, I loved it.
Rating: 
Summary: Dark, Moody and Delicious
Review: Within four days, I had completely read this book TWICE. OotP is dark and angry and yet infused with the humor we expect from Rowling. Simply the best yet!
Rating: 
Summary: Mediocre At Best
Review: The book "Order of the Phoenix" took three years to write and is nowhere near the caliber of the first four Harry Potter books. The book "Order of the Phoenix" is so mediocre and disappointing that it's very difficult to know where exactly to begin with this review. Overall, the feeling of the book was forced and the outcome predictable. The language was ordinary, riddled with back talking, unchecked teenagers, and contained toilet humour, specifically one too many Uranus jokes. The beauty of the first four Potter books was Rowling's ability to make the reader believe that the characters at Hogwarts could really exist. With "Order of the Phoenix", Rowling seems to have totally lost touch with the nature of her main characters and has made them unbelievable. The new characters introduced such and Luna, were not developed effectively. The book was painfully slow, boring, and far too long, consisting well over 800 pages. If you are an adult Harry Potter fan and wish to show deference to the previous Potter books, do yourself a favor and purchase this book used or better yet, check one out from the library. If you are the parent or grandparent of a Harry Potter fan, read this book prior to giving it to a 9-12 year old and make your own value judgements about the book.
Rating:
Summary: What a book
Review: To put it in simple terms...this is another great book in the Harry Potter series, maybe my favorite. A great piece of literature written by J. K. Rowling. What a book!!
Rating:
Summary: Two Words: Character Development
Review: I find myself very disappointed with the latest installment of the Harry Potter collection, "Order of the Phoenix". Being the 5th book, and thus the 5th year, since we first met young Harry Potter, I would have expected to find him 5 years older. On the contrary, the Harry Potter in "Order of the Phoenix" seems to have regressed in maturity, and his prepubescent charm has worn thin. Likewise, none of Harry chums seems to have been developed either, and there flat characters are no more than contrived vehicles for advancing the predictable and wearisome plot. An otherwise great concept was unrealized and clouded by numerous pages of fluff and useless rhetoric. I can only surmise that Ms. Rowling was rushed to get this book to press, and I am sorry I paid full-price for what I'm sure would have earned a T from the Hogwarts staff. Please resubmit when you have corrected your mistakes...
Rating:
Summary: A Maturing Series Grows
Review: No matter what age group is reading this, this book is gripping. Though I would consider its predecessor slightly better, but this book is definitely worth the time and money for a long book (relative to the previous books in the series). The book sees Harry Potter grow into an even a better magician, not only battling the dark lord, but also gossip, girls, and any other thing a fifteen year old has to deal with. With the exception of the last 150 pages, the book flies by. The end of the book is somewhat tedious, as needless descriptions are presented, while the "action" is slow and boring. Revise the ending, and you've got a perfect book.
Rating:
Summary: Harry Becomes A Leader
Review: Harry has always been a hero by accident of birth; in this book he begins to take purposeful steps toward becoming a successful leader. Central to his development is the D.A. In the student-led Defense Against the Dark Arts workshops, Harry is able to train students to stun enemies, produce patronuses, and commit themselves to fighting Voldemort. His lessons pay off in the final battle scene. As Harry develops, his affection for Sirius and hero-worship of his father become tempered by his own judgment. Sirius scolds him on more than one occasion for taking too few risks. Yet most of us know that Sirius is often too reckless and his hasty decisions have sometimes had disastrous consequences. Harry absorbs Sirius' scoldings rather than take frivolous risks. At 15, Harry is more mature than his father was at that age, and possibly more mature than Sirius ever became. Harry's character development is slowed only by Voldemort's partial possession of his mind. I believe the possession is the source of the flaring temper and self-absorbed angst that annoy many readers of this book. Often Rowling uses language like "snake-like, his anger rose..." Just as Harry's mother's love saved him in the first book, Harry's own affections save him in this book. Dumbledore says Voldemort left because he couldn't stay inside a person with so much heart. Rowling is showing us the development of a powerful and compassionate leader. What could be more inspiring?
Rating:
Summary: The best Harry Potter book yet!
Review: The 5th installment of this series is absolutely amazing! I've all ready read this book 3 times since recieving on July 21st. Much darker and more disturbing than the previous books, book 5 is a dark roller coaster in the wizarding world. I don't want to give anything away to those unfortunates who have not yet read this book, but trust me you must read it. Even if you've just heard the name Harry Potter you need to read this book!
Rating:
Summary: Sadly disappointed
Review: Previous Harry potter books were entertaining, a joy to read to my children. This one, however, was daunting to say the least, because of the tiresome repetition (repeated, and repeated, and repeated ad nauseum, events we, who have read all the previous books, were already quite familiar with - and those who were not - go buy the books and play catch-up!) of detail, the length ( none of us mind long books- if they are well written) and the non-plot.
So disappointing! Felt as though Rowling has lost herself in the Forbidden Forest of Redundency.
Might be a good idea if she does start listening to her editors because the book reads as though she's stubbornly written this on her own with very little positive input anywhere!
Can only hope there will never be a "5" movie- guaranteed to be a 'ho-hummer' at best. Hope that Rowling pulls herself together for her next book.
MeE
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