Rating: 
Summary: Darkness darkness darkness
Review: I have awaited the arrival of the next installment of Harry Potter through two false release dates. When I finally did receive the book, I really tore into it. I understand the path of darkness that the author is following, but at the same time can't there be a little more joy allowed? Harry Potter has been turned into an angry, simpering, annoying twit in this installment. Poor put upon Harry blows up at anything that glances his way. I felt no sympathy for him at all throughout the book. The long-awaited revelation comes in the last 30 pages or so - and even then it's no great surprise. I'm sure that even thinking these thoughts is blasphemy, but I feel that the spirit of the first three books is being squashed. There IS a place for darkness in the path that this character is on, but a little bit of light to complement the darkness would make it all a bit more spirited and enjoyable and not so monotonous and unrelenting.
Rating: 
Summary: A GREAT BOOK - - BUT NOT THE BEST IN THE SERIES
Review: "Harry Potter and the Order Of The Phoenix" was a whopping 870 pages - the longest ever in the series, 100 pages longer than the fourth book, "The Goblet of Fire," and it seemed to be a very quick read! While, it wasn't the best ("The Prisoner of Azkaban is my personal favorite), it was still magnificent with tons of twists and turns, and you won't be let down at all.The name of the book "The Order Of The Phoenix," comes from the name of an elite group of wizards (led by Albus Dumbledore) who fight the good fight against Voldemort and his deatheaters, and unfortunately the Ministry of Magic, who has started to become corrupt, hating Dumbledore and trying to revoke his headmastership of Hogwarts. I won't get into too many details of the book, I would hate to spoil it for anyone reading, but there are several new characters, especially adults. Some of them are: Nymphadora Tonks, a young witch who is a Metamorphmagus (meaning she can change appearences instantly without a wand or potion), Kingsley Shacklebolt, a tall, black wizard who is undercover in the Ministry of Magic, and of course...Dolores Umbridge, the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, who is probably the most cruel and hateable character we've had yet. Starting out as merely a teacher, she begins to accumulate more and more control thanks to Cornelius Fudge, minister of the Ministry of Magic. Harry is more mature in this book in some ways, in others less. He is more angry, therefore having a harder time controlling his emotions. He gets a bit more rebellious and therefore getting himself in more trouble, but at the same time learning more, and in most cases making the right choices. He also begins to see more of Cho Chang, the girl he has had a crush on since fourth or third year. Hermoine and Ron's characters don't seem to change much, but Neville Longbottom does quite a bit, and we meet a new interesting girl called Luna Lovegood, who we don't see too much of, but there is something curiously intriguing about her. Draco Malfoy is little to be seen, but he seems to be more evil than ever, and I predict there will be a duel between him and Harry by the end of the series. We see a lot of Professor Severus Snape in this book, and get to learn more of why his hatred for Harry is so strong. Hagrid gave me quite a laugh along with the Divination teacher, Trelawney. We got to see teachers act in this book as we never have been able to before, including the Hogwart's favorite, Albus Dumbledore, who we get to witness act more human than ever. The only reason why this book wasn't as good as the others, I think, was because everything seemed more rushed than before. Although it was 870 pages and it was wonderfully written (J.K. Rowling hasn't disappointed me yet), it didn't seem to have the natural flow like the past books have, and so many of the happenings in the book seemed too ironic; too coincidental. And yes, it might not be fair, but the death in the end (Yes, there IS a death, and one of the big characters) really disappointed me; my favorite character was killed. But even with the minor problems I thought the book had, it still deserved five stars. It was so intruging, so thought-provoking, that I could barely take breaks to go the bathroom! I pratically read it straight through. So pick it up, give it a read, you'll love it!
Rating: 
Summary: Harry doesn't disappoint--not your kinder, gentler Harry!
Review: Fantastic read, as usual for JK Rowling, although I did think the book could have stood a bit more editing. Harry's anger at this point in the series is certainly understandable, and I liked the rougher edged (adolescent) Harry... but that said, at one point it seemed like Rowling was going to have someone either poisoning Harry--or more likely, spiking his food--but it didn't pan out. Pity, because as in this example, there weren't quite the number of "reader payoffs" (for figuring stuff out) as in past books. Other characters were often developed quite well, such as Neville and Ginny Weasley, and I really enjoyed the complexity of Harry's feelings, upon learning not-so-desirable characteristics of his Dad and Sirius. One shortcoming I found was that the "payoff" when, as in the excerpt, Dumbledore told Harry "everything" I felt just a tad cheated--it wasn't as much "everything" as I had hoped, really the readers of the series have already (along with Harry, really) figured out a good proportion already. Also I had expected it to be "in the middle" as the excerpt had suggested, but although it wasn't, there was plenty in there to keep the reader satisfied.
Rating:
Summary: I finished this yesterday afternoon
Review: It was pretty good, better than Goblet of Fire, longer than Goblet of Fire, both good things. JK Rowling seems to become more precise as she writes the books, and less like she's floundering around for anything that sounds ridiculous. The book was definitly worth reading.
Rating:
Summary: wow
Review: How can I possibly wait for the next book??? I hope it is not 3 years. This adventure was rich and wonderful.
Rating:
Summary: AMAZING!
Review: HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX is incredible. J.K. finally tells us why Harry is The Boy Who Lived. And that is just one of the incredible pieces of the puzzle that is Harry Potter's world that is revealed in PHOENIX. In 870 pages there are no slow parts or boring bits. Somehow, every one of the (est.) 255,000 words is essential. For those who love the world of Harry Potter, this book will be a watershed. Now starts the long wait for Book VI.
Rating:
Summary: It Goes Without Saying...
Review: I don't believe this book needs a review since it will be loved by all Harry Potter fans alike, but I thought I'd give it a go anyway. I believe the fifth book is by far the best in the series due to the high tension and forbiding. Harry has become a teenager and rightly wears his emotion of bitterness which, I feel, is a nice change from the previous books. The first chapter starts the book off with an attack and provides to be a ride throughout the thirty-eight chapters. Even though The Order of The Phoenix has a darker tone, it also provides hilarious moments that many of us have grown to love. If anything...I waited sixteen hours in front of my local Hastings for this book and I found it well worth it.
Rating:
Summary: Whoa......
Review: Where to begin?Well, I just finished the book, and I just have to say...whoa. There are so many things I could comment on here, but I guess first and foremost is The Order of The Phoenix is of the same quality as all the other books...amazing. Reading it though, even having heard all the rumors, I was sort of shocked by some of what was revealed and the events that occurred- a lot of it was unexpected. All of the beliefs that I had held about the character's were challenged. They became much more dynamic and human, something I hadn't even realized I had missed from the other books. Harry has a temper. Snape has a soul (buried deep, obviously, but he's not pure evil). Even characters you thought were infallible show that, they too can make mistakes. However, I also liked how some characters, like Fred and George, could always be counted on. Their brilliant joke-shop experiments, and the -scenes- they cause, definitely added the right touch of humor to everything, besides being memorable. The new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher is hands down the worst yet. The tensions that she causes in Hogwarts, and the divisions among the houses sound like something from the Red Scare...too bad the magical community lacks a basic bill of rights. You begin to see a lot more of the Ministry of Magic in this book, as well as some major character's from the previous books, including Lupin, Moody, and Sirius. And you also learn a lot more about some of the characters' backgrounds through its course. There's a lot less humor in this book than the others, and it was pretty dark. Harry's moodiness fit right in with his "teenager" mentality, although maybe he went to far at some points. There was a lot more death in the book, following much the same line as the end of the last book, and the magical community begins to take on more shape and more connected to events in Hogwarts. Overall, I couldn't put the book down, just waiting to see what happened next. And I'm really hoping that there isn't going to be another three year wait before the next one. Looking forward to it!
Rating:
Summary: Moody teen, magic and muggles - a must read
Review: Got through my copy in one day. Our darling little boy Harry is gone and in his place is moody teen Harry. How perfectly J.K. Rowling captures those teen years!!! Her books are such a great read even with all the slang from England. There is no use giving away the plot since it will be practically be everywhere soon but rest assured this is not as gloomy as the last one. I was disappointed in the abundance of blood and macabre in Book 4. We can hope Harry outgrows the angst soon. Delightful twists on who is related to whom in this one. The humor with the Weasley twins trying all sorts of questionable magic for their joke shop is a blessed relief from the bickering teens. Still.... a wonderful world to visit. Thanks Jo for the terrific trip.
Rating:
Summary: Another Year Gone By
Review: For an 870 page book, the Order of the Phoenix was a surprisingly quick read. Rowling weaves in some of her own magic to make the fifth book in the series a captivating one. Order of the Phoenix is very suspenseful and exciting, each chapter packed with adventure. Of course, many of the questions asked in the previous books are answered, yet more appear. Now that another exciting and mysterious year has gone by at Hogwarts, fans of Harry Potter will be waiting for the next book to come.
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