Rating: 
Summary: Too Much, Too Little
Review: This latest installment of the Harry Potter saga left me with more questions than answers, and a vague sense of disappointment.First of all there was too much happening right from the start. Too many new characters, too much new material introduced, characters with dramatically different personalities from previous books, too many surprises and mysteries which remain open at the end. Harry himself seems to be a completely different person, and you can't blame it all on hormones, because growing up doesn't seem to have affected the other characters as much. Harry's character is extremely annoying at times, and you wish J K Rowling would just let somebody slap some sense into him and get on with the story. Because of the amount of new material, there are loose ends, and characters whose skills and contributions are underdeveloped, making it very anti-climatic when you realise that their particular talent is not going to be a key point in the story, and that their involvement is at a very shallow level. There could have been less of Harry's temper tantrums, less on the preparation for OWL's, less of Hagrid's "mission" and "special project" which had very little to do with carrying the story along, and less on Ron's quidditch skills, among other bits of padding. Damp squibs in the story (more like red herrings in some cases)included Harry's love life, the prophesy in the glass sphere, the concept of the spinning doors at the Ministry, Harry's gift from his godfather, and Sirius Black. Plot development and common sense were sacrified to unnecessary padding, and even though there is a lot of excellent material, it gets lost in the jumble. Uneven reading, but a book you're going to want to keep in your collection anyway for historical value.
Rating:
Summary: Wanted: Competent Editor for Harry Potter #6 and #7
Review: Entertaining, yes. Downright riveting, in fact. Un-put-down-able, as ususal. But even the most rabid HP fan (and I'm one of them) has to admit that this is WAY WAY WAY too long. It took 200 pages just to get Harry to Hogwarts, and, I'm sorry, but Sirius's house is just not that interesting (certainly nowhere near as interesting as the Weasley's burrow). The first week at Hogwarts dragged on and on. And the whole 'Harry being misunderstood and oppressed' theme, while central to the story, was overemphasized to the point of predictability. Hmm...what will Umbridge do to him next, I wonder? By the time the whole Quidditch fiasco took place, I was no longer surprised -- instead, it was more like "yeah, got it, no one believes or likes Harry, he's getting screwed left and right, so when's this going to turn around already?" Don't get me wrong, this is still a magical, wonderful must-read, and I already can't wait for #6. I just wish Rowling would use a bit more editorial restraint. I mean, this was longer than #4, and that included the Quidditch World Cup. What did all the extra pages here give us? Detention with Umbridge? Another predictably awkward conversation with Cho? It feels like Rowling included too many B-sides here along with all those immensely enjoyable hit singles.
Rating: 
Summary: Takes too long to say too little
Review: As an avid fan of Rowling's earlier works, I eagerly pre-ordered my copy of the Order of the Phoenix. Regrettably, Ms. Rowling seems to have ran out of Potter material. The author thrashes about for over 700 pages, desperately trying to find some sort of cohesive plot. Finally, at the 11th hour she begins to actually write about something other than Harry shouting at his friends and ends up with a story which is disjointed at best, ill conceived at worst. It's evident the author mailed this one in - her heart doesn't seem to be in in. Perhaps the wealth and fame have gotten to her or she's simply ran out of story for the Potter saga.
Rating: 
Summary: Amazing Book...
Review: As many other Harry Potter Fans, I have been waiting to buy the 5th book in the series, right on the day it came out.
It took me 15 days to read it (I'm Portuguese, and I am in the middle of my exams in the University), but it was well worth it. This book is great, and it's lenght helps to enrich the plot on the series, and give lots of details during Hogwarts 5th Year. You will se a more mature Harry Potter, cope with several problems, some of witch are politicaly based ones (yes, you have a bit of politics in this book). Most important characters come back in this book, and it has a very revealing ending. If you like the other Harry Potter books, you will love this one because it is so rich and "BIG". I am now eagerly waiting for the 6th book in the series.
Rating: 
Summary: Harry Potter 5
Review: Although this book is pretty good, I would say that it is definitely not J.K. Rowling's best. Harry is too teenagery, if you get what I'm saying. He's always mad and you get a different (not good) image about him then you do in the other books. Also, I don't think there should be any boy-girl stuff, it just makes it not seem as magical... I dunno I just didn't like that aspect of it! It is also hard to get into the story, it takes too long. Maybe J.K.R. should just get into the story right away and then the book might not be so long! :-) But if you are a Harry Potter fan, this is a must-read, since it reveals many things unknown!
Rating:
Summary: Good book, but not the best
Review: I thought the fifth book was really good, but there were some flaws to it. At the end we never find out who wins the house cup or if he ever gets his broom back. Other than that it was very good. It kept me interested the whole time and never seemed to get boring. The previous writer was right Harry is really anoying. All he is doing is crying about how he doesn't know anything thats going on. All in all it was a good book. The ending was great.
Rating:
Summary: Harry Potter and the Angst of Adolescence.
Review: The fifth book in J. K. Rowling's stupendously successful series is "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix." Harry is fifteen years old and he is about to enter his fifth year at Hogwart's. After another miserable summer with the Dursley family at Privet Drive, Harry is desperate to see his friends again. This year will prove to be most challenging for Harry. He has to cope with the taunts of his classmates who believe him to be a "nutter," with a need to play the hero. A new Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher, Dolores Umbridge, hates Harry and will do anything to torment him. Harry's love life is suddenly an issue. He likes Cho Chang, but does she like him? Hagrid is missing and no one seems to know where he is. Harry has also developed a nasty temper, which gets him into trouble time and time again. Worst of all, Dumbledore is ignoring Harry, instead of giving him the support and comfort that he needs. Rowling has introduced a host of new characters, including the aforementioned Umbridge, a toad-like individual who is a sadist and a megalomaniac. Also noteworthy are Kreacher, a house elf with attitude and Luna Lovegood, an eccentric Hogwarts student with unfortunate taste in hats. As usual, Rowling has included many humorous passages in her narrative as well as scenes of action and danger. However, at 870 pages, this fifth book is much too long. The first half is a talky set-up for what is to come. The second half picks up quite a bit and the ending has enough thrills to satisfy most fans. However, I found Harry's romantic problems to be tedious and the plot was at times labored and rambling. "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" will no doubt please diehard fans, but for me, some of the magic that made the previous books so pleasurable was missing.
Rating:
Summary: Read "Goblet" Before You Start!
Review: It's been a couple of years since I last read "Harry," and I'd forgotten a few things. I should have re-read "The Goblet of Fire" before starting this new book, since I drew a few blanks every now and again when the author reminded the reader of events that had taken place in the last installment. I had even forgotten several (minor) characters names and had to look 'em up at some point. Having mentioned that, I must say that this book was quite good, but pretty sinister. I got tired of the bickering amongst Harry, Hermione and Ron, but really enjoyed the Fred and George Weasley exploits. I really think I like those two characters best of all. I plowed through this newest epic in one weekend because I got caught up in the narration. There's an awful lot of "stuff" crammed into these pages, and the pace is often hectic. Oddly enough, I was left somewhat detached and not affected by the one character's death, though I was surprised at which one did die. I've since gone back to re-read parts, just for fun. I just get the feeling that there was an awful lot of hype about this book and I wonder if it was all worth it. I'm also not sure if this is the best book yet, but it was good reading, anyway. I hope Harry doesn't turn into a more obnoxious teenager than he is right now. A little more respect for his elders might be a good thing.
Rating:
Summary: Good, but not great
Review: Being a huge Harry Potter fan, I immensely enjoyed the 5th book. However, I do not feel it lived up to 1) all the hype and 2) the previous 4 books. It was too long; an equally great story could have been written minus a couple hundred pages. Harry's depressing attitude, while probably realistic for a teenager, continued throughout the entire book. This book is a transition from Harry's childhood years to adulthood, but I hope we do not lose the parts of Harry's character that we've come to know and love. While I have to admit that my heart was racing while reading the end, I did expect more. A variety of new and interesting characters were introduced, and many of the previous ones resurfaced. Some were not developed fully. Nevertheless, the story was fun to read and I can't wait for the 6th.
Rating:
Summary: OverHyped Tail End of a Book Series
Review: I am glad I waited to borrow this book from the library and not rush ahead and spend the money.
Right from the beginning the book lacked a certain grip that was present in the previous books - perhaps the current monetary level of JKR and the hype that was present could have been instrumental in that. JKR tries to desperately portray harry as a angst-ridden-angry-teen-wizard rather than a normal kid like in the previous books. I do realise that he is growing up and faced death etc... but this was more like a change of character and not just changing views from having an epiphany.
The book is too long and I forced myself not to skip over many sections ( I sat through War and Peace & the Pilgrims Progress). The other characters seem to be pretty much the same as before - I dont remember sirius black's character too much and didnt quite understand the bonding between harry and him. The book could be condensed into a pithy and concise 300 pages and would have been none the worse for the cut. It is high time JKR either stops the series or gets out of the castle and goes back to her old cafe and broken typewriter.
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