Rating: 
Summary: Harry's Back!
Review: Harry Potter is back in top form with The Order Of The Phoenix, the fifth installment of J. K. Rowling's record-breaking series. Fans who followed the progress of the fifth installment to print may recall the rumors spread earlier this year that the printing of the book was delayed when Rowling's publishers turned down the first draft she sent them, claiming that it wasn't up to par. It's certainly true that the book has its ups and downs, but it's a worthy entry in the series.
Longtime fans will be pleased to revisit old characters, and, as always, there are a few new ones thrown into the mix as well, most notably the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. Rowling's characterizations are for the most part perfectly sound, evidence of her incredible attention to detail. The only character I felt was a little off was Harry himself: he seems prone to mercurial changes of mood, more so than in the previous books. I suppose this is Rowling's way of approaching adolescence, but it sounded a little false to me, and more than a little frustrating. That slight irritation aside, though, it's wonderful to watch the characters continue to mature. Without sacrificing any of the qualities that initially made her characters so engaging, Rowling conveys that they are, indeed, growing up; Harry and the gang are four years older than they were in Sorcerer's Stone, and their concerns, as well as their approaches to them, have grown accordingly more serious.
In a carefully plotted complement to Harry's progress toward maturity, Rowling draws back the veil of obscurity a little farther, exposing yet more of the "dark side" of what once seemed an idyllic magical world. Following the events of book four (namely Lord Voldemort's return to power) the clash between Hogwarts Headmaster Albus Dumbledore and the Ministry of Magic escalates dramatically. The passages dealing with Minister Cornelius Fudge, who denies Voldemort's return and seems paralyzed by indecision, read as incisive criticism of the bureaucratic tendency to waffle, though Rowling may not have intended them that way.
But that certainly isn't to say that only adults will find the book enjoyable. As always, the wonder of Rowling's writing lies in its ability to appeal to all ages; the brilliant characterization, perplexing plot twists and engaging humor are all there, and it is those qualities that mark this book as a truly worthy entry in the saga of Harry Potter. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good read. It's a wonderful story-- and, at 896 pages, another glorious ream of material to keep the fans occupied while we wait for the sixth!
Rating:
Summary: The best yet
Review: Wonderful, well worth the wait!! J.K.Rowling makes you really care what happens to all of the characters in her novels. She introduces new characters and makes you care and/or despise them instantly. I like that she has let Harry finally get really angry at the way people treat him, and the way that people keep him in the dark. It was good to see Dumbledore admit that maybe he should have let Harry know more about what happened in the past and why. I also like that they showed a memory of Snape with Harry's parents, and Harry's Dad didn't come off so well. It let's you understand where Snape's animosity comes from. All in all a great book, can't wait for Volume 6!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Brilliant! {of course}
Review: This is a fantastic book, but it is let down by changes in pacing, from a very slow start to a frenetic finish. I think that a brave editor would have cut a large portion of the first half and insisted on a more extensive ending. The story only really gets going when Harry returns to Hogwarts, the prelude adds some colour to the wizarding world but does not advance the plot. Once at Hogwarts the story is exceptionally gripping with a Stephen King like feel of injustice, malice and abuse, a much more dark adult feeling than the other books. The long anticipated death loses a lot of its impact because Harry's feelings are mixed in with a lot of other interesting details. This might be reasonable in context but as the reader you are hungrily devouring the interesting revelations of Dumbledore rather than feeling any empathy with Harry's loss.
Harry is generally less of a sympathetic character in this book, he is suffering teenage angst but this is portrayed as him feeling ANGRY ALL THE TIME. Other emotions are touched on, but overall I feel the growth of Harry's character is too simplified. Hermione escapes the emotional trials of the boys and she is used more to provide knowledge and solve some of the problems Harry faces, so you do not feel the character is advanced as much as the others. Ron provides more depth of feeling with a mixture of emotions. There are several new characters to both help and hinder Harry. The new "Defence against the Dark arts" teacher is particularly vile and proves the main antagonist to Harry at Hogwarts. The book is packed full of details that tantalisingly reach forward into the next adventures of Harry and also provide insight into some of events of the last volumes, enough so that after reading this, you will hurry to reread the first ones to reveal some of the hidden secrets. Some of the staple scenes from previous books, like the Quidditch matches and school events are not given as much space as in the other books. This could have been as good as my favorite "The Prisoner of Azkaban" if it had been edited more extensively.
Rating: 
Summary: Irresponsible
Review: This is a dark book in which Harry's lifetime of problems come full circle. He's angry, and refuses to listen to what anyone tells him to. Harry's blant disregard for authority gets someone killed. And once again Dumbledor knows all but refuses to tell anything until the end of the book. I would not recommend this book to anyone under the age of 15.
Rating:
Summary: Rowling is a Genius!!!!
Review: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is amazing! This picks up right where the 4th books leaves off, including the emotions that Harry feel. He has to come to terms with his guilt over the death of Diggory, a disgrunted house elf, Malfoy and company, girls, Quidditch, oh yeah, and who know who's back.
Let me say this...this is a dark book.
A new prof, Umbridge, is at Hogwarts to make sure that Hogwarts is teaching the things that the Ministry of Magic feels it should teach. If this is not done, Prof Umbridge..well let's just say...she has a lot of power and she had the full support of the Minstry behind her.
Here's a smally summary of the plot. Voldormort has found a way to enter Harry's dreams, and this changes Harry. Harry's temper is shot, and he lashes out at everyone..even those who are closest to him. He has to find a way to stop Voldormort and save the people he loves. I don't want to say more that that b/c if I do...it will give major spoilers away, and enought has been given away abou this book.
It was interesting to see how the charachters change, and one character changed not for the good. This is a char we once liked, not the reader will grow to dislike the char a lot...and we love it! It adds such a new twist to the book. It will be interesting how the char is seen by the other characters when certain secrets are out at the end of the book. Will this char be taken back by the rest? Or will be be shunned? TIme will tell.
I love the Twins in this book!! They are one of my favorite characters in this series. They were fantastic.
The writing style of Rowling is amazing! She keeps the reader glued to the page in hopes to find out more about the characters that we've grown to love and hate. I was so glued to this book, I read it in 2 1/2 days! I couldn't put this down.
There's a battle at the end of the book that is just outstanding. Four years of magic are used in the fight. They way Rowling describe the events that are going on, it makes you feel like you're in the middle of the action
A lot of questions will be answered. What did Hagrid to? What did Snape have to do at the end of book four. Any why is Dumbledore ingoring Harry? Some questions that go all the way back to the first book will be answered.
I highly suggest you run, not walk to your nearest book seller and get this book. If you haven't started the series...I have three words for you...shame...on...you...This is a wonderful series.
Enjoy the series that Rowling sets out for us. I can't wait for the next book.
Rating:
Summary: BY THE ORDER OF THE HIGH INQUISITOR OF HOGWARTS
Review: This book is a masterpiece of writing that will again draw back millions of readers to the old-fashioned form of storytelling that takes several hundred sheets of paper, printed and bound to what was called a book in the old days. This huge volume will be read or rather devoured by readers around the world curled into a grand-father-chair, sitting in a train disconnected with the outside world or even under blankets in the shine of a flashlight. The dense plot and the ongoing high level of thrill will keep them mesmerised to the very last page. Take a seat and dive into the truly magical world of the well-known Hogwart's students in their fifth year. Shiver, prevail, suffer and blush together with Harry in the angers and defiant successes of a juvenile, the gruelling fears of an adolescent and the grief of a grown-up along with the first kiss experiences of a confused boy on the brink of manhood. With the first book I already got the impression that the character of Harry and the challenges brought before him in the magical as well as in the Muggle world are of more intensity than the usually applied descriptions of Harry Potters adventures. This is NOT about a little boy-wizard bravely fighting grown-up bad guys and thus becoming a hero. "Harry Potter and the order of the Phoenix" shows the complex world of the meanwhile fifteen-year old adolescent protagonist with all the disturbing events that can and will happen to a boy this age. The impressively thick and interwoven plot gives Harry no head start into his fifth year in the magical world. Harry is almost instantly threatened to be expelled from Hogwart's for "under-age magic in front of Muggles" because he has to save his cousin Dudley. Why are they trying to take away his wand? And how come he had to save Dudley in the first place. Why is Dumbledore not speaking to him anymore? Harry's and Dumbledore's enemies are on the rise on all fronts. Harry and the idea of You-Know-Who's return are systematically ridiculed in the wizard's public opinion. The fear of a secret "military"-plot through Dumbledore against the Ministry-of-Magic leads to more and more pre-emptive and even totalitarian measurements against the headmaster, his school and the students. The covert uprising of the Death-Eaters inside and outside of the administration leads to a cold-war-like agent battle of the Dark-Arts-Warlocks against the secret Order-Of-The-Phoenix. Harry and his schoolmates, his godfather Sirius and Professor Snape, Professor Gonagall and Minister Fudge, house-elves and giants, Hagrid and the war of centaurs, wherever Harry moves, there is loyalty and treason, love and hate, bravery and cowardice, brilliance and stupidity all mixed up to confuse a mind already shaken by the means of puberty. And above all there are the OWLs exams!
Rawling reintroduces old faces with sometimes surprising new roles and carries on the development of the well-known group of juveniles. There is no standstill in this plot and no simplification in the characters. Ron will develop his own hero-role; Hermione can produce a care-and-counsel side of the calibre of Mrs Weasley; Ginny will show an permanently surprising and witted confidence; Dumbledore demonstrates a never seen magical power as well as the capability of grave misjudgements; even Cedric Diggory, the murdered schoolmate, is not just a long forgotten pawn on the chessboard of a past drama plotting, but has become an enduring part of the lives and minds of his former fellows. Thank you for taking your time with this book Ms Rawlings!
Rating:
Summary: Phoenix Song
Review: Hype aside, I expected a lot of this book. I did not expect my expectations to be exceeded so spectacularly. I expected, and planned, to spend a full day reading the book cover to cover. I did not expect to spend that day so completely riveted that taking a break was not even an option. The fifth Harry Potter book is deeper, richer and more complex than its four predecessors, but it also flows from and expands on the Potter history in an entirely natural way, growing as Harry and his friends grow in knowledge and experience, as Lord Voldemort's menace grows, and as author J. K. Rowling slowly unfolds the mysteries surrounding Harry and the peril in the wizarding world. Plot and pacing aside, however, the greatest strength of the book is its honest and unflinching portrayal of the feelings and motives of its characters, including the less than noble, but very human, feelings and motivations that make the denizens of the wizarding world seem recognizable and real. More than ever before, you step into the shoes of the main characters and feel what they feel. This is especially true of Harry, who's every emotion reverberates in your heart, and gets thoroughly under your skin. A major subtext in all of the Harry Potter series to date is the importance of not underestimating the ability of children to accept and deal with the truth, and their intolerance of deception even in the interests of their own protection. J. K. Rowling does not fall into this trap. She does not lie to kids--or to the rest of us. Thank you for the pain and the joy, Ms. Rowling. And now, if you will excuse me, I need to go read it again....
Rating:
Summary: Book 5 at last!
Review: Book five of the Harry Potter Series has been released to an adoring public like a glass of water to a thirsty multitude. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix presents a more complex character in Harry as he advances through teenage years with the frustrations and uncertainties of his age group.
Harry has battled against overwhelming difficulties in the past and has triumphed in spectacular fashion by luck and the power of his personality. Now he feels isolated and ignored as the Ministry of Magic refuses to acknowledge the return of Lord Voldemort and the adults in Harry's life seek to treat the threat to the magical world as an adult problem.
Harry and his way of life at Hogwarts come under increasing attack by the bureaucracy of the Ministry of Magic as well as by the forces of the Dark Lord. Harry and his school mates struggle and again thwart Voldemort's plans, but at a terrible price.
J. K. Rowling's latest is worth the wait and the Harry Potter series continues to be universal in its appeal. The good versus evil plot lines have become more complex as the motives and fallibilities of all the characters are increasingly challenged and the results are, perhaps, less satisfying and complete.
The author has enriched the lives of millions of fans worldwide with this classic series of an orphan living in desperate circumstances who achieves the dream of all of us to emerge into a rewarding and significant destiny. She has taken the best elements of King Arthur, Star Wars and other classics and cast them into a beautiful mosaic of mystery, magic, loyalty and friendship. She has brought the beauty of reading and imagination to children and adults all over the world. And while we already thirst for book six, we feel the ambivalence of knowing that the final book seven is near at hand. Thank you J. K. Rowling for a magnificent ride.
Rating:
Summary: Complex, psychological, brilliant from beginning to end.
Review: With Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J. K. Rowling raised the bar on her acclaimed "children's" book series by introducing difficult adult themes and moving the arc of her story in a darker, more dangerous direction. With Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Rowling has built upon and expanded upon the promise of that book, exceeding even the wildest expectations. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is darker still and more serious than either of the previous two books in the series, with much higher stakes for the characters and consequences for their actions. Weaving in story threads from each of the previous books many readers may have considered dropped, Rowling has created a rich tapestry of a tale that finds Harry's adolescent angst about girls and school hopelessly intermeshed with his responsibilities toward the world. Lord Voldemort, apparently, is marshaling dark forces to his aid, and may even have the Ministry of Magic and the Daily Prophet newspaper under his thumb. Faced with questions about whether or not he can trust what he reads, what is said about him, Professor Dumbledore, or even his own perceptions of the world, Harry is charged with saving the world, protecting those he holds closest to him, overcoming terrifying nightmares, and still finding a way to win the annual Hogwarts Quidditch tournament, get good grades on his O.W.L.s, and figure out what to do with Cho Chang, who remains interested in him as more than just friends. While there is a fair amount of humor to be found in its 870 pages, this book--like the two books before it in the series--signal a change for both the characters and the reader. Rowling's writing here, her most adult yet, is more than up to the challenge, with this book not only helping to firmly establish things things we knew (or thought we knew) but setting a strong foundation for the remaining two books in the series. Some of Rowling's finest, most thought-provoking work in the series to date is to be found in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and it is a book not to be missed.
Rating:
Summary: Review
Review: Hmmm, should i spoil the ending for you guys? Very unfortuatley, Sirus Black dies:(. For those who caught up earlier in the Harry Potter books, the secret that Dumbledore wanted to reveal to Harry is, believe me extremely complicated. Read it to find out! It's a great book! Oh, Cho Chang and Harry are together. They're both really shy.
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