Rating: 
Summary: So Far, So Good
Review: Can any book match the hype that this one's generated thus far?
Yes!!! I've only read 100 pages so far, but am mostly impressed by what has transpired. I had to slog through the first seven pages of the book, but since then it's been hard to put down. Rowling has done an excellent job upping the ante in terms of maturation of content, and we see a side of Harry Potter that's never been revealed before. The first few chapters are exciting, with riveting confrontations that are both magical and intellectual, revealing new secrets that were never before hinted at. Numerous returning characters make the book seem as familiar as the plot of a TV sitcom, but the characters personalities add a welcome edge to the story....
Rating: 
Summary: Worst One Yet
Review: This is the worst Harry Potter Yet. It is boring and does not hold to what the standards of the last Potter Books were at....
Rating: 
Summary: not a disappointment
Review: The latest installment of Harry Potter didn't disappoint...while it was not my favorite book in the series, the sarcasm throughout made it hilarious as well as suspenseful and everything else that makes a good J.K. Rowling novel worth waiting three years for. While the other four books were sappier and could stand on their own, OTP definitely makes the series just that. It combines elements from all of the previous books, which at first made me wonder whether or not it really had a deep plot of its own. However, when all of readers' previous questions are answered, there are just so many more asked. The best part of the entire book was the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. She is a character and a half, and I hope that she will show up sometime in books 6 and 7 also. Especially hilarious is the Weasley twins' response to her. Yes, the book is darker than the previous ones. But the readers are older now, and the series has grown with them. The first book was fluffy enough for ten year old readers, and now that they are fifteen and sixteen, they can deal with both the heightened level of angst and evil as well as Harry's problems. He is more temperamental, not too swift with the ladies, jealous of his friends, facing the wizarding equivalent of SATs.... I don't want to give away anything big, because not knowing is the best way to go about reading this book. However, I will say that I wasn't too pleased with the character Rowling chose to kill off. It sort of made sense, but I think the person's absence will take away from future books. I would recommend this for any Potter fans. If your kids are young and just picking up on the hype now, make sure they start on the other books in the series, they are better suited for their age level. If you have never read a Potter book before, then you might want to get up to date before you read this one. Otherwise, love it or hate it, there is no doubt that OTP is a masterul novel.
Rating:
Summary: Good, but not as good as the others
Review: First of all the wait was finally over. When I stated to read this book I could tell immediately that Rowling's writing style has changes, It is more mature. The books was a bit of a disappointment I felt. It seemed that I could not get into it like the others. Also the book could have done without Harry's frequent bursts of anger. Over all if you love Harry then you will enjoy this.
Rating: 
Summary: Good but not the best
Review: So the 5th book is finally out. I read the book in 6 hours and found it an enjoyable read but not the best of the series. More of the action takes place away from Hogwarts this time and these sections show JK Rowling's limitations as an author. There are a lot of new characters, some of which work but others fall flat. The much hyped death in the book is very predictable, I had guessed who it was before I read the book and she overuses the mortal peril plot point to try to increase suspense which works to a degree but in the end the character she killed off was not minor but neither was it a major character plus she left an opening for that character to come back if she so wishes. Overall I am surprised it took 3 years to write and though I enjoyed reading it I am not as anxious for the 6th to come out as I was the 5th, certainly the Goblet of Fire stands as not only the best book of the series but one of the best cliffhanger endings ever. Therefore 3 stars it is.
Rating:
Summary: A great continuation of the series (no spoilers)
Review: As JK Rowling promised, the Order of the Phoenix is darker and more intense than the previous books. While all of her books are rich with colorful characters and vivid imagery, OP surpasses them all. Several new characters are introduced, and many more aspects of the wizarding world are explored. It is exactly the kind of magnificent banquet that HP fans have been dying to gorge upon.
Rating:
Summary: this was book was great and i can't wait for the next one
Review: this book was great. i started reading and i couldn't put it down. there are a lot of surprises, which make the book that much better. once you finish you will be wish for the next book to come out!
Rating:
Summary: Harry's a year older, and quite a bit angrier.
Review: The fifth, and most highly anticipated book in the Harry Potter cycle finds the hero very different from his previous incaranation - he's angry. Angry at everything - dealing with girls, whose actions he can't understand, despite Hermione's patient explanations. Angry with his friends, who Harry sometimes think don't appreciate his troubles. Angry with the Ministry for trying to expel him. Angry with the new Defense against the dark arts teacher, who is one of the few people that deserves his anger and hatred. Angry at Snape, of course, who's still Snape. Even angry at Dumbledore, with whom he has quite a row.
This palatable anger gives this book a different feeling than the previous novels, yet also begins the real examinations of Harry's world, as he realizes for the first time that "the world is not divided into death eaters and everyone else." Some of his anger stems at the continuous involvement of powerful magical forces in his life, but also at the realization that his parents were not perfect, and neither are many others.
This novel is the first serious step in Harry's maturation, as he is now doing more than reacting to events around him, but rather initiates plans, some of which go disastrously awry. So awry, he thinks, that they might have cost him a person quite dear to him. Even more than the 4th book, this installment ends with a sense of trepidation and sadness that is quite rare in children's literature, and is somewhat surprising. And for once, it has little to do with his need to return to the Dursley's house.
Of course, the novel is populated with the usual cast. (Of course, the defense against the dark arts will only stick around for one year:-) Hermione and Ron are still there, as is Harry's nemesis Draco Malfoy. Harry's first crush, Cho Chang is also at school, and Ginny Weasely is given a larger role. The Weaselys themselves appear throughout, as do Sirius, Remus Lupin, and nearly everyone from the past four books.
This book, ultimately, sets up the final two books as a nearly stand alone conclusion. Most of the mysteries surrounding Harry have finally been revealed, and he non realizes that he has a difficult future ahead of him. Armed with this new knowledge he will have to forge ahead, and live with the difficult choices he will have to make. Rowling accomplishes this transformation from Harry's childhood to adulthood rather well, despite being the limitations of writing to an audience of children. The book is darker, angrier, and sadder, but Rowling's writing keeps the pages turning, and the same magic she has weaved in her previous books fill this novel.
The Order of the Phoenix will not appease every single Harry Potter reader, but it is a worthy successor to its predecessors.
Rating:
Summary: A review not tainted by hype.
Review: This book was something of a disappointment.
I have always been held in rapture by Harry Potter, indeed, so much so that I had to succumb to the overwhelming majority of thumbs ups about this book. But I am writing this review before I see any other reviews about this book, so I feel i can offer my own, untainted opinion.
Let me be brief. I enjoyed the plot, but I did not enjoy the way it jumped into action and then settled down until the climax, a mere SEVEN HUNDRED pages later. i did not enjoy the characters as much this time around - rowling is not portraying the act of 'growing up' or maybe 'maturing' in any of them. i did however enjoy a more broad portrayal of harry's thoughts and feelings. his ongoing analysis of everything that happens to him, and his clining feelings of alienation are marvelous - i enjoy it.
Has Rowling done a good job with this? surely. It will undoubtedly sell too many copies to imagine. It does not, however, exceed my expectations. The bottom line for me is, Rowling is not progressing at all in her writing style, in fact, it seems downright stagnant, however, the subject matter, and the easily-relatable hero keeps me coming back. No matter how much I keep scribbling corrections and recommendations in the margins of my book, wishing for a little more in the way of PROSE.
Rating:
Summary: Didn't Quite Live Up to My Expectations, But...
Review: I have, and regardless will continue to be, a Harry Potter fan for 4 years. After a long 3 years, I was thrilled when this book came out! But upon finishing the novel, I was less than thrilled. J.K. Rowling's writing style appears to have changed. For one; I thought, compared to the other Harry Potter novels, the ending was anti-climatic. It also lacked the 'good' feeling I usually associate with this series. I agree with the critics that this novel was very dark; the storyline, even the attitudes of the characters. It seemed as though somebody was always being snotty, disgruntled, or downright angry. Rudeness and hot-headedness abounded. But it is rightfully placed when put in the context of Harry and his friend's coming-of-age and the circumstances affecting them- actually, the novel would have been superficial without it. But regardless, I urge all fans (and soon-to-be fans) to read this book. After reading the daunting previous four volumes, how could you not want to see what happens next? Although unjovial and depressing, this book is a crucial proponent of the series.
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