Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Book 5 Audio CD)

Rating:
Summary: He's older, the story's darker, the book is exellent!!!!!!!
Review: I Read it faster than any of the other books, It may be the best on yet. However the story is dark, scary, sad, mysterious ect. and if your not into books like that, you probably wont like it as much as some of the other books.

Rating:
Summary: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: pleasant surprise
Review: For those of you looking for another Harry Potter book that delivers the same kind of thirlls and drama as the earlier installments in the seris should look elsewhere. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix surpasses its prequels in every way possible. In addition to the extra hundred or so pages OotP adds new elements to the now-beloved Potter formula. Harry is intering the most "interesting" time in his life as he deals not only with the pending fear and destruction of open warfare with Voldemort but with the normal tempest of emotions all teenagers face. OotP is somewhat darker than the previous books but also packs more of a punch. I for one will find it harder waiting for book 6 than this one for the simple reason that J.K. Rowling has disproven all rumors of her inneptitude. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was an amazing read. I could not put it down.(Seriously i was only stopped by bitterly resisted exhaustion early in the morning) I strongly encourage anyone who can read to start now and not to stop till they are finished.

Rating:
Summary: Was it really worth the wait?
Review: I know I will probably be in a minority, as all I have heard are raves for this book. However, after reading the entire book on it's first weekend of release, I was left feeling quite a bit disappointed. I should first say that I have read the prior 4 books, twice, and loved them a great deal. After Goblet of Fire all I could think of was how great the book 5 would be since the Dark Lord had officially returned. It seemed like action and excitement were bound to be unleashed on us in book 5. That wasn't the case for me though. By the time I hit page 500 I was getting bored, waiting for the pace to pick up. Nothing of any real consequence had happened. Nothing of permanence to Harry or his friends. A new professor and the Ministry of Magic were meddling with school affairs and that was about it. Of course, in the last 150 pages or so, the pace speeds up and a death occurs that should have lasting repercussions (but felt a little...anti-climactic somehow), but unlike every other book where I felt the story had advanced by the end, I feel like Harry and his world are at the same place now they were at by the end of Goblet of Fire. While a necessary read of any Potter fan because of the death in the last 150 pages, most of the first 700 pages feel stretched out and needless. Perhaps if the book had been edited down to 450 or 500 pages I would have overlooked the almost non-existent advancement of the plot of the series in this book. As it stands however, I was disappointed with what could have been 870 pages of bliss and hope book 6 is what Order of the Phoenix could have been.

Rating:
Summary: Good Read but not how I hoped it would be
Review: After all of the media hype that was constantly going on and on about this next installment of the series...I found myself unfortunately rather disappointed in the end....I'm not saying that this isn't a good read because it is...my only problem is that she harps on and on about romance and death and there is no romance well...hardly any....and the death well it disappoints...Be warned Harry is a very and I stress VERY angry unhappy 15 year old boy and he is not afraid to voice how he is feeling anymore...Various characters grow up more in this installment and a certain absentminded character gets his chance to shine...Ron finds out that following the family tradition at Hogwarts isn't as easy as it looks...The introduction of the Order of the Phoenix is one of the best parts with new characters that I hope to see more of...Hermione convinces Harry to tudor a group of students from various houses in DADA because the new teacher royally stinks...Harry learns the truth about the scar that has made him so famous...an honor that the young wizard wishes had not been bestowed onto him...The best parts seem to always involve Fred and George Weasley you see business is really booming for the two of them and they are using this last year at school to test out their new products on their fellow students before offering them to the public...Ron and Ginny join the Quidditch team but what positions that they play is up to you to find out...The nice thing about this book is that it's a very easy read for everyone...and it was nice to touch back with beloved characters after such a long wait...here's hoping that it doesn't take her 3 more years to give us the next installment.

Rating:
Summary: Another trip into Harry's world.
Review: One of the things that makes this fifth installment of the Harry Potter series so wondering is Rowling's deft use of new places and characters to conjure up the wizarding world. It is not always a happy place, it instead is very real. I am continually amazed. This book takes Harry firmly into his teenage years - the anger and self-pity are almost palpable. But so are the things that make Harry's story so compelling - the adventure, the witty dialog, and the sense that something larger and more meaningful is about to happen at any moment. I read this book in less than 10 hours and I loved it. While I do miss the hopefullness that carried Harry through the first four novels, this book is right on target.

Rating:
Summary: This is the best yet
Review: As a sign of her greatness J.K. Rowling improved on this book and it is the best yet. She keeps getting better with every book. I would have never guessed the ending and it is extremely funny at one point. I stayed up the whole night reading this book just like the 4th and it was worth it. I highly reccomend you reading this book.

Rating:
Summary: Dark and intriguing
Review: My daughter and I took turns reading this book. She's still reading so I get to review it first. I was pleased at how Harry Potter's character has developed. He's well into his teens now, and that is reflected in his personality and in his worldview. Frequently he is sullen and angry, questioning and rebellious, confused and beated down by his burdens. That might be a turnoff to some younger Harry fans; they might long for a less complicated hero. The tone of this book is also quite dark. The series has been getting darker as it goes along -- as it inevitably must as the series works its way toward the final showdown between Harry and Lord Voldemort. There isn't a lot of fun and light in this book, and there are some extremely violent scenes. I kept thinking about how they might film some of this and relalized that "kids in extreme peril" might not go over too well in a kids' movie. I did like this book, however. Rowling is in fine form with regard to creativity and plot (though, as usual, her writing style is elementary -- I don't think these books will age as well as some other children's classics) and it was great to get reacquainted with Harry, Ron, Heromine and the rest. It's like visiting old friends at this point. In the end, this book works better as a series connector than as an individual book. Those who are already into Harry Potter will be left salivating for the next book. As a fan, that's all I really wanted or expected.

Rating:
Summary: Harry's back and better than ever!
Review: In her long awaited return to Harry Potter and his gang of Hogwarts fellows, Rowling outdoes herself! 800+ pages fly by in an exhilarating read that shows Harry, Ron, and Hermione more mature, but irrepressable as ever in their continuing quest to defeat Lord Voldemort.
This book is more mature than Rowling's last, which may cause parents to want to read it with their younger children, discussing weighty matters such as unfairness, ridicule, and death.

Rating:
Summary: WOW
Review: O for Outstanding and E for Exceeded Expectations :-D

Rating:
Summary: The Pheonix was 'Phantastic'
Review: I got this book saturday morning and I couldn't put it down! one of the best Harry Potter books yet! Take a curving ride of Harry's emotions as he 'experiments' with girls and no that he is in full puberty his emotions are constantly changing. For example he goes from loving Cho who he has admired for years to hating her and they get into fights. Hope you found this helpful!