Rating: 
Summary: Easy to put down...
Review: Unlike the previous 4 installments in the Harry Potter Marketing Machine, I found this book not only easy to put down (mid chapter usually) but easiler forgotten. The story goes nowhere and seems so wordy that I wonder if Mrs. Rowling doesn't get paid per word. The characters are all there, the foundation is all there, but it takes nearly 900 pages to tell a story that could easily have fit into a couple chapters. Sure Harry is growing up, sure he has teenage angst, but you know, so are all the other kids in his year (heck, he seems to be doing a fair bit better than I did at 15!). We understand he has added pressures and worries, but it is becoming increasingly obvious to me that his friends are the real heroes of these stories. They stick by Harry through it all, risk their lives for him and never complain, rage, or behave in the way that Harry did in this last book. Harry has become a character I don't enjoy reading about, and one that I hope will find a way to accept who he is, accept the loyalty of his friends and just move on! I want to see the magic again, the joy of friendships and the desire to learn. I suppose we have a long wait till book 6 comes around.. fortunately book 5 leaves you not much further than you were in book 4, so you won't have to worry about forgetting anything going into the next book.. and if you do, the entire story of "The order of the phoenix" can be found in the next to the last chapter of the book..
Rating: 
Summary: The descent from a classic to "pop" literature
Review: The latest installment in the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix proves that if you've already sold 5 million copies of the book, what difference does it make what you write?The first three books of the series were indicative of classic literature. All the requirements were there: a struggle between good and evil; the power of love vs power for its own sake. The plot was concise; the narrative compelling. Descriptive details will forever leave the image of the Great Hall with its hundreds of floating candles and enchanted ceiling in our minds. We were forgiving in the fourth book. A rushed deadline and a lack of tight editing turned book 4 (Goblet of Fire) into an overly long hodge-podge. The decent into "pop" fiction had begun. We have the International Quidditch Cup, where we are given a parallel to the modern soccer match turned slug-fest. Too much time is wasted getting from the first page to the last. Side plots such as rights for house elves may be necessary to the overall plot of the series, but the plight of the house elves could have been presented in a more concise way-as was done with a few Dobby scenes in book 2. Which brings us to Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Rather than a return to the classic feel of the first three books, Rowling's Phoenix only carries us further down the road of "popular" reading. If I wanted to read a book about an angry young teen, I could have picked up any one of the novels that my 15 year old likes to read. Angry boy from a tough background, misunderstood by his peers, disrespectful of authority, achieves redemption through strength of character. Sound familiar? While this might sell to the younger crowd, I think it loses it appeal across the generations and across time. I don't think Harry has to suddenly develop this character flaw. It would be more appropriate for Ron. I don't think ALL teens behave this way. In addition to the irritation of Harry constantly being nanoseconds away from his next angry outburst and just about everyone speaking with a snarl, I was highly disappointed with the language of this book. I imagine that in fifty years it will be nearly impossible to decipher all the slang that Rowling has chosen to use. One phrase not difficult to decipher is Uncle Vernon's: "Enough...effing...owls!!" At first, one's eyes slide over the word "effing." Perhaps it's one of those British words we don't understand. But it becomes clear, as you think about it, that it's a substitute for that favorite four-letter f-word. Yes, it's even what my own teens use when they don't want to get in trouble for "the real thing." I can just imagine a class of 3rd graders being read to by their teacher. Johnnie's hand goes up. "Mrs. Johnson, what does 'effing' mean?" What's the answer to that question? I noticed that the American version did much less "translating" than it has in the past. Sneakers are referred to as trainers and sweaters as jumpers, as they are in the British version. Maybe it's time we learned UK-speak. I was immensely relieved, however, that the editors did change something that one of the Weasley twins said about the O.W.L.s (fifth year wizarding tests). In the British version, we find out that during exams it's hard to "keep your [..] up." Don't worry, in the American version, it's your "spirits" that are hard to keep up. But be warned in case you like to order the British version as a compliment. Why would this phrase be used at all in a book such as this? You might argue that it's the way teen boys talk. I argue that it will keep the book from becoming a classic. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is little more than an exploration into the psyche of J.K. Rowling, the author. It's no surprise to me that her mother died suddenly when she was young given the sudden and arbitrary way she killed off the designated character in this book. And now that she has more money than the queen, she can dangle us all like puppets on her "need to control" string. Complete secrecy regarding the plot, with only a few phrases released in advance. Book reviewers were not allowed advanced copies. Translators had to wait like the rest of us, delaying the release of foreign language versions until December. Publishers of an early review are being sued for million of dollars for revealing plot details prior to the publication date. Seems a bit silly now, doesn't it? Perhaps if the book had had a believable plot, more of the rest could be overlooked. At the end of this book, the characters have simply aged one year. There was no growth, no enlightenment. The willingness of Rowling (a teacher by profession) to include a teacher who inflicts a punishment which draws the blood of a student turns my stomach. We are told things by Dumbledore that we didn't know previously (but could very easily have guessed), but his exposition only leaves us with more questions. Death, we learn, is arbitrary and sudden. I picked that up in the last book. Why couldn't the death in this book be sacrificial or serve some greater good. Rowling's cryptic answers of "Wait and see how it all plays out" no longer suffice for me. It's really too bad that this series suffers from too much of Rowling working out her own issues. In the end, this book will be remembered by time for the record-breaking sales and not for its literary value. As always, Jim Dale does an excellent job with the reading of the book. Although there are multiple characters in this book, he still is able to capture the personality of each one with his voice.
Rating:
Summary: SELL OUT!
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed books 1-3 of the Harry Potter Saga. I didn't enjoy as much, but still thought that book 4 was a good read. Book 5 confirmed my earlier fears of JK Rawling falling into the abysmal pit of the "series sell-out" that I think many authors fall victim to. Why is it so often that as an author writes more books in a fantastic series that they feel the need to overstep the bounds and produce staggering 800+ page books that don't really accomplish anything more than the first books 300+ page design? I don't know, and I hope that for the next book Rawlings takes heed and doesn't try to overstep herself. Many people have commented about the excellent portrayal of Harry Potter as a teenager growing up with angst, anger and emotions; I think it was poorly constructed. Sure, teenagers have a right to be angry, but I just felt frustrated watching Harry interact and wallow in self pity through his 5th year at Hogwarts. I think Harry was portrayed as a normal 15 year old boy. I don't read books about normal boys, if I wanted that, I could look back to my teenage years. Rather literature should accmoplish something: should arrive somewhere. I think Rawlings had the power in this book to help many teens through this adolescent anger period, and get beyond the anger, if only she had tired to convey a message instead of embracing and enjoying the anger. Overall I think the book was poorly constructed, and probably could have 250+ pages taken out without severly damaging the story line. I think the paradigms should be reviewed (malfoy and harry; snape and harry, etc.) and something new and exciting should be developed. I don't think the characters grew as much as everyone thought they did; and I hope that JK puts together a better effort in the future.
Rating: 
Summary: The magic wanes slightly
Review: For me the fourth Harry Potter book was so different that I did not fully get it and therefore did not fully like it, and I gave it a 4 out 5. I probably did not appreciate it as much as I should have if I understood it better. However, the exact same thing happened with the fifth book. Harry starts so much more emotionally darker than before, that I was just caught off guard at his mood change. Some say teenage angst, but also he does have a lot more to deal with, I mean considering Voldemort's return and the standardized tests that helps decide a large part of his future. In addition, with so many more pages, Harry's personality is delved into deeper and deeper, especially in his relationships with his friends, his godfather Sirius, and his crush, Cho. All this made for a busy book, but I felt it was so different then before, that I was kind of overwhelmed. Overall I did like it, but it just was not, in my humble opinion, as great as the first three.
Rating:
Summary: Nothing much new here, 870-page installment.
Review: I understand the Voldemort returns factor had to be dark and foreboding, but this book lacked any of the humor of the last four. The book seemed to need editing in the first 600 pages. A few nice surprises explaining a few things. But the death didn't have the punch I think the author intended. It just sort of happened, lackluster. Harry's anger bothered me. He was whiney and cranky as another reviewer mentioned. Overall, there just wasn't a lot of excitement in the first 800 pages. You learn a few things key to the story going back and looking forward, but what I really waited for was exposed in the final few chapters. Of course I'll anxiously await the next one. And of course I'll probably reread Goblet of Fire.
Rating:
Summary: Not the best book in the series
Review: An adult friend said she cried through the last two chapters. Perhaps that is the effect the author was going for, but I wonder if that is really an endorsement of the book? The previous books are very uplifting and humorous, and I think that is what I liked about them. This book, although it does have it's lighter moments, is sort of depressing, largely because Harry is so out of character from the previous books. Although this is obviously intentional as the author is trying to develop the character beyond the boy-hero of the previous books, the end result is that Harry comes across as not much of a hero at all. Rather he becomes more of a victim, and even worse, in this book he seems to be his own worst enemy. Of course, this is often true in real life, but who reads books like this to be reminded of real life problems? The book does introduce some interesting new characters, and it begins to point the overall plot of the series in a new direction. However, I can't call it the best in the series.
Rating: 
Summary: Best book I've ever read.
Review: I think this is the best book I've ever read. I think the plot is good but a little hard to follow in some parts. Even though parts of it are difficult to read, I think it's a real page-turner. My favorite parts are when Harry has to fight the dementors on Privet Drive and at the end of the book when Harry fights Voldemort. This book reveals a lot about Harry's past but I think that there might be more secrets that he will find out in later books.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointed
Review: I think book 5 is fantastic. It could have been better though. Maybe publicity is too much for Rowling. Maybe that's why she can't concentrate. She didn't say how Harry got the Marauder's map back. Before, she would have turned it into a great adventure. It honestly did reach my expectation especially as it took her a long time to finish. Hope she concentrates on book 6 and do her very best like in the first four books
Rating:
Summary: BEST BOOK EVER!!!!!!
Review: This volume of Harry Potter is the best!!!But Harry has a lot of troubles:Using his wand out of school,almost getting expelled,Dumbledore leaving school,and a horrible Headmistress.But Harry is having dreams about a weapon that Lord Voldemort is after in the Department of Mysteries. He is not having ordinary dreams though.He was actually there. But this is all wrong!!! He is seeing in Lord Voldemorts point of view!At a point in the story he attacked Mr. Weasly.This means that Voldemort has control over Harry.Could Voldemort trick Harry and make him go to the Department of Mysteries and that Harry is going to come face to face with Voldemort again?Read to find out. But let me tell you that Voldemort comes face to face with the only one he ever feared!This is the best book ever!!! 543,8,989 stars!!!
Rating:
Summary: Still magical but not top of the heap
Review: Long awaited and maybe that was part of the problem, no book could have lived up to the hopes and dreams of waiting for 2 plus years. It was an easy read for a book of such girth and I did enjoy the fact that we learned more about the magical world like the ministry,The Black family tree and Harry's background. I not only read the hard cover but also listened to the audio and I could never give Jim Dale enough praise. He does an excellent job - makes you feel like instead of one person reading that an entire cast is in the room. I will of course be awaiting entry number 6 but I hope the wait is quite as long.
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