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Summary: Oh! The excitement...
Review: Wow. Having finished the fifth book about 2 and a half hours ago, I am still in shock. I was in tears by the end. The emotional ride as I zoomed through the pages was what I loved most. There were some very funny parts and some icredibly sad while at the same time surprising parts. Obviously, I would advise anyone who wants to read this book to first read the previous 4 books. You won't be disappointed. I still get teary-eyed now and then...
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Summary: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Review: It starts out rather slow but does pick up once the trio get back to Hogwarts, but there is also too much backstory. There are too many new names and details to remember, but the one everyone will remember from this book is the new DADA teacher, Prof. Umbridge. She is a [pain]and a half! The book has many underlying political and historical references, in my opinion it even bites off Star Wars at a few points. Overall, I would give this book a 8 out of 10. It was good, but not quite what I expected.
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Summary: Let's get started
Review: J.K Rowling has shocked us all by delivering a book that defines a whole new genre in the Harry Potter series. The book is much more darker and quite different in other ways as well from the earlier books, but that in no way means less enjoyable, quite the contrary it exceeds all expectaions as anyone who has read the book can tell you it is quite impossible to put it down after you get into it.
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Summary: five for five
Review: The only fear I had when opening this book was that it could not possibly live up to the first four, as they were so incredible. I shouldn't have worried. This book is amazing from begininning to end, and does a good job doing what any book with a sequel should do: make me want to ge the next one. Right. Now. It's funny to imagine kids of this generation growing up with these books (I'm just a big kid at 20), passing them onto their children like I was passed The Chronicles of Narnia (another outstanding series that everone should note). I will not bother with the books content, as there is much that one who hasnt' read the book could be spoiled on, but I will say that you will not be disappointed if you're in any way a fan. JK Rowling has done another splendid job, and this book was well worth the wait; her gift for invention and her ability to interweave all the books is amazing. In conclusion: read this book. If you have not read the others: read them and then read this book.
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Summary: Brave new world, bold new Harry!
Review: In Harry Potter and The Order Of The Phoenix, all bets are completely off! The book starts off like the beginning of an action/suspense movie, and doesn't let go of you until the very, very end. Be warned: if you're expecting the same formula, same world, same "innocent" tone as the first four books, you'll be sorely disappointed. Ms. Rowling took Dynamite to the foundations of all our assumptions about Harry Potter, the Dursleys, the Ministry of Magic, and the entire Wizarding World and blew them SKY HIGH!! You'll meet several new characters, find out LOTS more about other characters (including some disturbing news about the relationship between Professor Snape and James Potter), and see the development of other main characters. Ginny is featured more, and Neville especially has grown up a lot. Harry comes of age (emotionally, if not chronologically) in this book, and he is, at long last, justifiably angry at the entire situation he's been born into--and is not afraid to express that anger at everybody. Most of his battles in this book come from within his own conflicted heart as he struggles to relate with his closest friends and deal with his own inner demons. He experiences disillusionment about the behavior of certain adult figures in his life, grapples with the darkness of his connection with Voldermort, and will discover the horrible truth (finally) about his ultimate destiny. Not that the entire book is unrelentingly dark. There are humorous moments, glorious escapes, tender parts to help sweeten the bitter tone of the story. Especially watch the wonderful antics of Fred & George doing battle against the "establishment"! This installment of the Harry Potter saga is the most action/suspense packed, information-stuffed, emotion-filled story of the series yet published. This book also, I hope, finally puts to rest the idea that this is merely a "children's" book series. I would put this book on the same level as Philip Pullman's "The Golden Compass" in terms of scope and intrigue. If you haven't purchased the book already, here's a great reason to do so RIGHT NOW: Neville Longbottm gets to kick serious backside in this book!
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Summary: Is this really the First Customer review for this book?!?!
Review: Wow... I didnt expect to be the first perosn to submit a review on this book, especially one as popular as this. Anyway.. I have to hand it to J.K. Rowling, i was expecting this book to be all hype and no substance. After Goblet of Fire, I expected her to run out of material. But this book does pretty continuing on the series. I personally enjoyed this book because as you read it, you're able to understand that Harry is growing up along with his other 5th year friends. His character develops and we see how he's being molded by his past experiences and his current situations and environment. The first 4 books were filled with excitement and a lot of questions were left unanswered. This book does a good job tying a lot of information from the previous 4 books. I dont want to give anything away with this review, so I'm being very vague. I didnt give this book 5 stars becasue at times I felt the book was starting to drag, very slightly. 870 pages... The book might have been just as good at 800 pages. I'm just picky about giving out 5 stars to anything, i would give this book somewhere between a 4 and 5. But still, a very good book and a must read for anyone who has read the first 4 harry potter books.
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Summary: The Best of the Lot!
Review: The book is awesome! I could not put it down long enough to sleep decently. Rowling has gone from a great writer of children's books to a master storyteller. Her descriptions, her imagination, pulls the reader in and there is hardly enough time to breath. Harry's personality has shifted dramatically in this book, he is no longer a little boy, but is on the precipice of manhood. Rowling's description of a teenager's angst and the constant emotional rollercoaster are right on. She does not hold back in this one, and therefore, as a mother of a 9 and 6 year old, I would strongly recommend parents reading it first. This is not a story for the younger kids, but really for those who have grown up with Harry. This one left me gasping. AWESOME!
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Summary: The Magic Keeps Up
Review: Being a fan of the first 4 books, I had high hopes for the Order of The Phoenix. Thankfully the magic shows now sign of weakening! This one layers on the mystery and character development. Rowling spins a fun yarn, and doesn't let you down. The only problem now is I'll have to wait for #6!
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Summary: Another Enchnating Tale, But Hard To Swallow
Review: I have just finished Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and I have very mixed feelings about it. I love the Harry Potter series, and I believe that they got better and better through the 4th book. The 3rd and 4th books were my favorite up until I read this one. However, it still holds true that 3 and 4 are my favorites. I say this no to discredit the 5th, but to tell you that it isnt as enjoyable due to the events that take place in the 5th. If you are reading this, then you probably know that Lord Voldemort returned to power at the end of the 4th. I knew that the 5th would be dark, but it was a little too dark to be enjoyed as much as the previous books. Much of the book has a depressing tone, due to the fact that Harry is in fact depressed. It can make for a somewhat depressing read at points, and the end provides less resolution than even the 4th, which seemed to be the one to open up a whole new branch of books in which Voldemort is out terrorizing people again. I do not want to give anything away, but the ending was very unsatisfying, and will probably frustrate most readers. Despite all my complaints, it still definitely lived up to the rest of the Harry Potter books, and even though I did not enjoy it as much as I would have hoped, it was exactly what Rowling had intended with this chapter of the series, and was an excellent book overall. I can only hope that the 6th book is not as depressing, but based on the end of this one, I don't see how that is possible.
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Summary: Well Worth the Wait; Rowling Delivers Powerful Story
Review: Despite the three extremely long years I spent waiting for 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix' to be published, I have to admit that I was never skeptical. My faith in JK Rowling's storytelling savvy never faltered, despite rumors and that incredibly lengthy, frustrating wait. My high opinions of the first four books in the Harry Potter series convinced me that I was going to enjoy the fifth book. It was only natural. Now, after reading it, I have to say that it surprised me. 'Order of the Phoenix' wasn't quite what I had expected. It absolutely blew me away. Not only was the book so vivid and detailed and magical--Rowling's power of storytelling never ceases to amaze--the plot was always intriguing and often quite suspenseful, taking unexpected twists and turns that readers hardly could have predicted only pages before. Harry is in his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and it seems as if nothing is as it should be. He is unhappy, unfairly treated, lonely, miserable, and, on top of it all, plagued by a recurring nightmare. Despite these low points in his life, humor and wit abound, especially through the antics of Fred and George Weasley, fellow Hogwarts students and mischief-makers extraordinaire. Harry learns truths about the wizarding government and its stunning lack of justice, as well as truths about himself and the man who killed his parents and tried to murder him, Lord Voldemort. The substance of the story was what got to me most, however. Literature can be well-written, but well-written literature with a purpose and direction such as Rowling's work is hard to come by. Her depiction of good-versus-evil has continued to improve with each book, and as I read the rising action and climax of 'Order of the Phoenix', I couldn't help but wondering excitedly what Rowling has in store for readers next.
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