Rating: 
Summary: Harry's back!
Review: It took two days for me to finish the book (I decided not to make this one an all-nighter) and I am glad to say that Rowling has still not lost her touch (hey, it has been three years). The book was exciting, and she there were plenty of new characters, including the unctous Umbridge, whom I occupied myself with hating during the entirety of the book and felt righteously satisfied after she met her horrid end. There was Tonks (love her hair!) and a grand list of Death Eaters whom Harry had to battle in the end. I won't go on because I'll spoil the book for those who haven't read it (if I hadn't spoiled it already). I do have to say one thing, though. I hadn't gone online to check out the rumors about books 1-4 and I had found each of them hilarious...exciting...heartbreaking...
Unfortunately, I had made the mistake for this particular installment, and trust me, it has made a difference. For all of you who hadn't read the book yet, DON'T read the rumors. They'll only ruin the revelations and steal the secrets that this book has, and you'll close the book feeling a bit cheated.
Rating: 
Summary: GREAT!
Review: This book was really really great. As soon as i picked it up, as with all the previous harry potter books, i did not want to put it down. It was truly amazing. The death in the story was indeed sad, but will make for a most excellent book 6 in my opinion, what with the coping harry must do and such. If you have never picked up a Harry Potter book(which is a severe offense haha :)) then I suggest reading the previous ones before reading this one. It provides a lot more insight and laughs.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: Great book...even more well written than its subsidiaries. This one seems to be geared to a somewhat more older kid audience and gives a nice edge to it. Not to say that kids can't read this because they can, nothing offensive is placed in the book. It's just a nice fantasy tale and very well done with vivid detail in each page - enough to make you want to hop in the world.
Rating: 
Summary: A little bit too tedious
Review: I thought this book will spend more efforts about describe the battle with dark lord. Anyway, my main disappointment is Sirius Black died. I really like him, he is handsome,smart, brave, really really love Harry, spent 12 years in prison, being on run for 2 years, trapped in his house for 7 months, and died in his first battle. I love him because he is more or less like human hero, that he has his flaws, but still very decent person.
Rating:
Summary: No Spoiling
Review: I won't spoil the book for everyone. But this is a great book. I read it in about a day (meaning 24 hours, not one day meaning 12 hours) and could not put it down. There are suprises in here that I did not expect and somethings that were subconsciously known. Harry gets into his teenage years in this book, so watch out for some tense moments. This is a very true to life account of what Harry would be feeling if he was infact alive. The emotions in this book are great and as always, bring a box of tissues.
By far a must read for anyone who loves great fiction. Not just "kids" or parents, I am a 21 year old college student at UT and I think this is a great piece of fiction. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Great book, one minor, tiny flaw
Review: The new HP book is a wonderful leterary masterpiece with very few flaws. It is an exciting journey through Harry's fifth year and his encounter(s) with Voldemort.
Some of the best scenes occur in the many subplots that J.K. Rowling has designed. There are a quite a few one liners that are bound to make the reader smile, not only at the character's triumph but also at the attitude the character takes in the situation. McGonagall has a great line in which she takes the new DoDA teacher to task.
The only flaw that I found was in the part where Harry has left the Dursleys for the Order of the Phoenix. Although necessary, the prolonged and intricate details fed to the reader about the order do get a little tedious, not so far as boring, but it does make the reader eager to skip over the part and proceed directly to Hogwarts. However, after this necessary addendum to the plot is explained, the reader is at once drawn in by the rich warm details that characterize Rowling's books.
Through his year at Hogwarts, Harry seems to suffer quite a string of disappointments. It is somewhat depressing, however there are small victories for Harry along the way, culminating in an action packed ending that begins many pages ahead of the actual climax (I'm trying not to give anything away).
As Harry's year draws to a close, we find that he is distraught over the loss of one of the characters, feeling that it is his fault. Dumbledore tries to tell him otherwise, with only minor success. Other than that, Harry has a very eventful, yet all around decent year, although we still must wait to find out how many O.W.L.s he got (The results come in July, a little outside the book's time span). So we must wait another three years ;-(
Regardless of this review, the Harry Potter series is a must read for all kids (and most adults). It is a wonderful detail filled, action packed adventure. The writing is superb, describing every event and character to the last detail, leaving no questions unanswered. J.K. Rowling really did it with Book 5. At 870 pages, there will be plenty of time to reread it until Book 6 comes out. Happy reading!!!
Rating:
Summary: The Best Potter So Far
Review: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, HP5, is superb, the best Potter so far. HP4 had a rushed feeling to it, and there were things in it that didn't quite make sense, like why Harry's participation in the tournament would be considered a "magical contract" when he didn't actually choose to participate and why, under the circumstances, it was even considered desirable for him to win the tournament. HP4 also suffered from uneven pacing and a lack of unity. HP3 had an ending that I found contrived and unconvincing, and HP2 seemed to be too much of a repetition of the first book. All three of the earlier sequels had some awkwardness in conveying the premises of Harry's magical existence. None of these problems were evident in HP5, a well-crafted work that benefited enormously from the extra time Rowling took to write it.The book is definitely darker and moodier than any of these earlier books, but in a way that does not come across as too depressing or make the reader lose interest. As widely publicized, an important character dies; I will say only that it is not Ron or Hermione (or, of course, Harry). It's highly satisfying at last to learn some of the mysteries about Harry, including clarification on why Dumbledore treats him the way he does. This does not happen until the end of the book. We get a few glimpses of the wizard world outside Hogwarts, particularly the Ministry of Magic and the wizard hospital (and why wasn't Hermione transported to the wizard hospital in HP3?), though a full picture of that world still awaits. Harry is surprisingly uncurious about the wizard life, economy, and history. HP5 does have some flaws, but I cannot say at the moment that they seem serious to me. Harry's teen-age angst, though realistic, is perhaps a bit overdone. Harry has always been prone to anger anyway; I think it's time for him to gain a bit more stability. We do see him starting to get a more nuanced view of the world. Important things are going on in Ron's life, yet we get surprisingly little insight into his inner life. I did find it a pleasant change for Hermione to be so sensible this time, though she is still under the misimpression that house-elves want to be free. The book is, of course, quite long, and together with its more mature outlook that may discourage younger readers, but frankly it did not seem too long to me. It definitely should not be read until after the first 4 books, and anyone who read the first 4 books will like this one too.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding but slightly predictable
Review: The book was outstanding... I couldn't put it down from the time I started reading it. How Harry evolves and matures is so true to real life. I don't want to give anything away, but there were a couple of things that were predictable.... but the rest more than made up for that. If you're a Harry Potter fan it's a must. The reviews about the book are right on... it's a little darker than the other stories. I think it's really setting the stage for the last two books. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix has alot of action, probably more than any of the others. I hope you enjoy the book as much as I did.
Rating:
Summary: Just amazing!
Review: I got my book first thing Saturday morning and couldn't put it down until it was finished. In my opinion, this was the best of the five, and I can't wait for the next book to come out. It was darker than the other four books, but extremely well written. It was a terrific read, and I think parents will enjoy the book as much as their children will.
Rating:
Summary: The Sgt. Pepper of books
Review: JK Rowling works her magic yet again - although the book does start somewhat slowly (which is to be expected, considering the length) the touch of class which permeates the other four books is very clearly in evidence. Fantasy is blended with a certain element of realism, acheiving perfection once again. The characters continue to shine (McGonagall and Dumbledore especially, towards the end, although there could have been a bit more of Snape) as does the whole "world" Rowling has created. The way she uses and stretches the limits of the genre is truly wonderful; this is by far the best thing to come out of Britain since The Beatles.
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