Rating: 
Summary: The Usual Fun
Review: Rather than blather on about how great this book is - it's fun, it's entertainment, but it's not mind-shattering or anything - or go on about the characters, I'll focus on one or two items. Ms. Rowling has, in my opinion, crafted a superbly irritating and odious antagonist in the character of Dolores Umbridge, and there is probably not a reader that won't become involved in wishing her ill and becoming indignant on behalf of our student heroes.Fred and George Weasley provided, for this reader, the most entertaining sections of the story - which needed some entertaining sections, as this book is - in some ways - even darker than Goblet of Fire. I see people mentioning actors they feel should be in the film version of Order of the Phoenix, as if it's a sure thing there WILL be a film version - but if there is, it's going to be rated R for violence. It might manage to squeak out a PG-13, but I don't think Goblet of Fire can maintain its original storyline and keep clear of an R rating. All that said, I think Harry is one of the most irritating characters in the current offering - yes, I know he is an adolescent, and I know 15 year-old boys are moody and pains in the kiester; but, so are girls, and really there is no other student at Hogwarts that approaches Harry's adolescent angst. I'm reading a fantasy story; when I want a teenager as obnoxious as they are in real life, I need look no further than the next room, LOL! I think Harry could have done less YELLING in the book, and been less of a pea-head to his friends, and the story would have been just as good. It seems he launched into a self-pitying speech/inner monologue or angry tirade every other chapter. I hope he's out of this funk by the time school rolls round again! ;-)
Rating:
Summary: Disappointed in Dallas (4.5 stars)
Review: I'm somewhat disappointed in book #5. I like the plot(s) and the characters and the ending, but the book has too much..."filler"? in it. This book should have been 500 pages long, and it would have been a classic. As it is, it's a good book that has too much "filler" in it. Yes, I'd read it again, but it was NOT a book I couldn't put down. The "filler" material made it slower than her first 3 and reminded me of #4. The ending is great.
Rating: 
Summary: Wow! J.K.'s a master-mind!
Review: She is amazing: this book surpasses my expectations. There wasn't a single minute i spent reading this book that I wasn't either laughing or crying or amazed... That was how emotionally involved this book seemed to me anyways. I don't know which part was the best it would eiter have to be 1.the revelations made by Dumbledore 2.the romantic rollercoaster involving harry and his beloved Cho 3.the fantastic ceromonially arranged departing of the weasley twins 4.the centaur's reactions to the evil Umbridge's words of torment or, 5.the action packed battle of the death eaters against the Aurors and the selected few of the DA(Dumbledores Army). It would have to be #1. I don't know about you, but I can't imagine how she cold have such an imaginaion to create something so sincerly complex. The whole revelation still leaves me awestruct and stuned. This can only be a work of a true master-mind!
Rating: 
Summary: hooked on Harry Potter but really the 5th is only decent
Review: OK, I will admit I am older than the average Harry Potter reader and so my opinions on the book may be a little harsh. But having read all four previous books, I could not help feeling disappointed at the quality of the 5th. Yes, it was longer, Yes, the evil characters (esp. Umbridge) were even more respulsive, but like some of the other readers, I found the supposedly dramatic fight/death scenes to be lacklustered. What made me most upset, however, was that I felt Rowling did not do justice to Harry in the book. (I still love the way she presents Hermione and Ron though!) But as for Harry...having him shout and lose his temper mindlessly all the time is not the way to depict an adolescent "coming of age." It just made me annoyed at Harry, not sympathetic. Finally, there are some little things that just really bother me. For instance, WHY, didn't Harry use the mirror (as opposed to the fireplace) when he wanted to make sure Sirius was OK?! It seems to me--no, I should say the BOOK explicitly _mentions_ that the mirror would have been a hell of a lot more effective at getting to see Sirius than going through the fireplace and asking Kreacher. You'd think the emergency situation Harry was in would make him remember. Instead, he only remembers at the end of the book for other reasons. It's just like in the movies when the main character goes upstairs to investigate something creepy but for some inexplicable reason, always FAILS to turn on the lights!!!...only in movies I can understand b/c the dark creates an atmosphere. But in this case, if only the author had given the book a second glance she would have seen the incongruity and taken the mirror out! (i.e. there was no purpose for Rawling to bring the mirror into the book since Harry never used it...thus it only made it implausible that Harry would use the fireplace to reach Sirius and thus swallow the lies of Kreacher). But I am rambling now. Anyways, not that a negative review is going to make people NOT read the book--and it's not my intention to stop ppl from reading HP. I just see no reason to keep saying it's her BEST when it clearly is NOT, and hopefully as the series goes on, she really WILL become a better writer and present Harry a little more plausibly as a maturing teen and not some bumbling fool always shouting his head off and doing stupid things. Of course, I cannot wait for the 6th book to come out either.
Rating:
Summary: The Awful Price of Not Listening
Review: Honestly? Book V was rather draining. I wish I hadn't heard of Rowling's anguished move of eliminating a major character. As I read, I became fearful for each character who got in the least bit of trouble. I was relieved when a character survived an attack. Then the gloom returned as I wondered who, in fact, it would be. Book V witnesses the introduction of several new characters. There wasn't enough time, I suppose, to develop their personalities to the degree that Harry's and Ron's and Hermione's were. I believe the power of the Potter series is in the reader's ability to feel what the characters are going through, to appreciate their dilemmas through their eyes. I'd hear one of the new characters' names mentioned and I'd have to think twice to remember who he/she was. But I could tell you in an instant anything said by or about Hagrid, or Arthur and Molley Weasley, for example. Book V is the first of the Potter books that I actually began reading. I heard the first four only on audio tapes. (So please forgive me if I spell some things wrong!) But I quit reading before long. To me it was like watching a movie with no sound! The audio books are wonderful!!! The characters are given discernable personalities! After a while I found that I'd rather listen to Book I or II or III or IV over again rather than go on to something new. I was that caught up, and am still trying to understand "why"! I do hope that all readers of the Potter series -- the children especially -- will take note of what happens when they do not truly "listen!" to one another, when they assume they have it all figured out when, in fact, they are clueless. I was disappointed to see heretofore favorite characters do things so out of character for them even as adolescents, or to realize after too many lives were altered that they should have spoken the truth or gone to those who could have shed light on matters sooner. For example, around Christmas, Harry was given a very valuable means of making contact with someone important to him. But he dismissed it without even checking it out because he feared it would not do what the giver said it would. Nor would Harry do what key adults in the Order of the Phoenix begged him to do regarding one lesson in particular. Also, I could have put a muzzle on Harry more than once. I didn't like how Book V ended. I know, I know; can't be all roses. But I loved the previous year-end feasts' descriptions, and heretofore I've been able to enjoy how loose ends are tied together the way they were at the end of Book III when Harry got an owl from Serius while on the train going back home. That note explained about the Firebolt, etc. I especially wondered what Percy Weasley thought and felt in Book V, now that he would be seeing things differently. I suppose I'll also have to wait until Book VI or VII to understand what Rowling was leading up to when she mentioned in Book I that Hermoine clutched "the stitch in her chest." In Book II, Ron came racing into Snape's office where he was interrogating Harry and clutched a "stitch in his side." Harry also clutched a "stitch in his side" coming out of the water during the second task in Book IV. Wonder what it means! I do trust where Rowling is going with her story. I applaud the fact that she spent so much time on her outline. Seeing the end, she is able to spin quite an enriching tale leading up to her conclusion. Based on what Professor Migonnagle (spelling!) said to Harry when she discussed his future aspirations, I became hopeful that perhaps the series will not end when (and if) Harry finishes his 7th year at Hogwarts. Rowling is some creator! If one woman can captivate the world with her imagination, characters she has brought to life with her pen, imagine how much more of a Creator God Almighty is, Who blows the breath of life into each one of us and follows our individual stories with rapt attention!
Rating:
Summary: Translation Alert
Review: Excepting the unbeatable first book that introduced us to Hogwarts & its parallel universe of magic, this is the best in the series. It is still too short - she skips over many months in the school year & one simply wants MORE - more details, no matter how trivial, about life at Hogwarts. It could also use a bit more sophisticated vocabulary. e.g., when she describes Sirius as living thru others she shys away from using "vicariously". One important note of warning: The American translation of all the Harry Potter series is quite different from the original English. I urge everyone to ignore the American edition and purchase the book from amazon.co.uk. In a side-by-side comparison of the two versions, readers will be shocked at the significant differences between them. American books printed in the UK are not translated -- publishers over there assume British children are intelligent enough to understand American. The reverse, evidently, is not true.
Rating: 
Summary: Depressing and Slow
Review: Don't get me wrong. I'm an avid Harry Potter fan. Loved the first 3 books, tolerated the violence of the 4th, but disliked this 5th book intensely. It's as if the publishers no longer believe Rowling needs any editing. The first 3rd of the book could be condensed into a single chapter to keep it from dragging. The rest of the book desperately needs some light-hearted stress relief now and then. Overall, the story is incredibly depressing right till the end! I hope children reading this overly large and lumbering tome don't end up feeling hopeless and irritable. This is definitely not Rowling's best work; she seems to have lost touch with the magical and delightful nature with which she imbued the first 3 books in the series.
Rating:
Summary: Does Not Disappoint
Review: Well, Harry if finally back for a 5th year at Hogwarts. Although I loved this book, I couldn't bring myself to give it 5 stars. I think the book dragged a little too much and it took a little bit for me to get into it, as compared to the other 4 books where I was instantly hooked. Another thing that irritated me was Harry's attitude. I know he's 15 now and at that age where he's angry and stuff, but I think Ms. Rowling went a little overboard in places. Other than that the book was great. All of the old characters returned, and some new ones added. There seems to be a lot more action in this book, and it's much darker. I was also very pleased to see that Neville got to join in the action in this one. I was also very sad about the surprise death in the book.
Rating:
Summary: Couldn't put it down
Review: I got my book on June 21 (Just like Amazon promised), and I read all 869 pages by the end of the week.
Harry's fifth year at Hogwarts is not quite as exciting as his fourth, but the intrigue is as intense as ever. Old friends return to the story, and new villains appear.
JK Rowling must have the most difficult job in the literary world. She has the responsibility to write blockbuster sequels to books that broke all previous records. Not only does she carry the weight of not wanting to disappoint fans around the globe, Bloomsbury and Scolastic have tied their financial futures to her continued success.
The Order of the Pheonix is worth the wait. Rowling's style is as good as ever; the flow is even, the action is compelling, and the surprises are unexpected.
Rating:
Summary: REAL MAGIC
Review: THE LATEST BOOK OF THE HARRY POTTER IS DEFINETELY SURPASSES THE STANDARDS SET BY ROWLING. IT IS 800 PAGES OF SHEER MAGIC. THE STORY IS NO MORE CONFINED ONLY TO THE HOGWARTS. THE ONLY THING BAD ABOUT THE BOOK IS THAT IT IS ONLY 766 PAGES LONG..IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN A 1000 PAGES MORE...
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