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Summary: The saga continues.....
Review: How well does the OofP live up to the swirling rumors, huge expectations, and wants of the diverse Harry Potter fans? I see book 5 as a stepping stone -- bridging the story of the adolescent Harry and abstract Voldemort to future books with a mature Harry and all too real Voldemort. Harry is 15 in this book, and much less likable than in any of the four earlier books. He is still suffering guilt over Cedric's death at the end of GoF; he is very angry that *he* has to deal with Voldemort; he feels betrayed by Dumbledore and other adult wizards; and he snaps at Ron, Hermione, and Ginny with little provocation. The larger wizarding world is split over the story of Voldemort's return, with most (including the Ministry of Magic) rejecting Harry and Dumbledore's story. Much of the story centers around the Ministry of Magic's selection of a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher -- Delores Umbridge, a thourougly unlikable character who is mean simply because she can be, rather than because she is Voldemort's pawn. Finally, we learn a lot more about Harry's godfather Sirius Black -- but his is a frustrating and sad story, and the Sirius of Book 5 lacks much of the charm and interest of the Sirius of Books 3 and 4. Taken together, this adds up to an unenjoyable year at Hogwarts -- none of the teachers are able to behave normally because of Umbridge's (and the Ministry's) interference, and reading about Harry's interactions with Ron, Hermione and the other students is also tough going because of his angry outlook. There are some wonderful things about OofP. We get to see Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Ginny grow as individuals and express their interests beyond Harry. After two years of daydreaming about it, Harry finally gets together with Cho Chang although this relationship seems to be doomed. Fred and George provide marvelous comic relief as they pursue their magical pranks and inventions. The Hogwarts teachers, confronted with the poisonous Umbridge, get to express their feelings and personalities more than in the previous books. (McGonagall's reactions are particularly entertaining to read.) And we see a bit (but not much more) of Hagrid, Malfoy, Snape, and Lily & James Potter. Ultimately, the value of OotP will depend on how well the unresolved questions are dealt with in Books 6 and 7. JK Rowling has done a masterful job of foreshadowing future events in her earlier books. If the plot twists in OotP lead us to a mature Harry and more balanced relationship between the trio of Her/Har/Ron, and if Hagrid and Snape and Neville's stories are fleshed out in books 6 and 7, then OofP will have served its purpose as a pivotal part of the series. If not, then we will have an honest account of the psychological burden carried by the 15 year old Harry Potter -- interesting reading, but not a book to be savored over and over.
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Summary: A Darker Harry
Review: Rowling has another best seller on her hands although the tone is entirely different. Harry is going through puberty and sometimes is a brat. But would you not be a brat sometimes if you went through what Harry has gone through. The plot is wonderful as usual and I love Rowling's imagination. It is amazing that she has made up a new world full of wizards and Muggles. I will not go into the plot as it would ruin the book for people but please read it.
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Summary: A darker and angrier, but very real Harry
Review: Harry's fifth year at Hogwarts is a different kind of challenge than anything he has faced before. Harry must learn new skills, not only how to survive against dark wizards, but how to control his anger, learn from his mistakes, and deal with the consequences of his actions. No longer regarded as a hero, he now must deal with attempts to discredit him and must face truths that he has never considered.
Without the firm presence of Dumbledore, Harry seems lost as he tries to survive the difficult year. He faces the end of the year O.W.L tests, the absence of Hagrid, and a new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor whose agenda lies far from teaching him any real defensive skills.
While some may complain that the realism and intensity of Harry emotion's detracts from the enjoyment of the book. They are important in Harry's growth and developement. His anger is often difficult to understand or justify, but not unexpected. Along with watching Harry mature, we finally start to understand the motivations that drive Rowling's brilliant characters, and we begin to see that Harry destiny is not written in stone, but could very easily be changed.
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Summary: Harry's a whiner.
Review: Unfortunately Harry is reminding me more and more of Luke from Star Wars. "But I wanted to go into Toschi Station!" He is becoming a character I don't respect much. I also felt we got too little of Dumbledore in this installment. The book was still good though. Good enough to read in two sittings. ****/*****
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Summary: Awesome, awesome, awesome
Review: Wonderfully dark and gripping. I read this book in one sitting (good thing it was Saturday!) Fantastic reading for adults and children alike.
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Summary: She's done it again
Review: Well, here it is, ladies & gents: the Order of the Pheonix. Book Five is not, in my opinion, the greatest in the series (that goes to the glorious Goblet of Fire), but it is still a vastly entertaining read that is truly fit to stand beside its noble older siblings. Without revelaing anything of the plot, let me say that this is by far the darkest of the series. Harry at 15 is more angry, bitter, and impatient than ever before. Indeed, everyone seems to have a new touch of anger in them; even the irrepresible Fred and George find a serious side. Nevertheless, the book is still chock-full of Rowling's characteristic wit, with countless brilliant one-liners. The ending is, as usual, stunning both in terms of plot development and special effects (the climactic scene was clearly written with the inevitable movie in mind).
In short, though the tone has changed, Order of the Phoenix is good ol' Harry at his traditional fabulous level. Kudos to Rowling for another job fantastically done, and here's hoping Number Six is out ASAP.
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Summary: Become comsumed in Harry's world
Review: I told myself I would not finish the book so quickly, but, like the fourth one, I finished just one day after receiving it. It's a wonderous new journey into Harry's world, a journey i hope to take again and again. Harry seems a lot angrier in this book, but that makes him even more realistic and teenager-like, and being a tenager myself (13 years old) I would know. Though it starts slow, all the pieces of the puzzle come together in a sad, yet fitting conclusion. The new characters are vivid, and you can learn to hate and love them, for their personality traits shine through. What made me truely happy was the return of some of my favorite characters (from especially the third book) in this, it made it tie into the others quite well.
There is no doubt that I would recomend this book to any Harry Potter fan, I was thuroughly satisfied by the results and glad I waited so long for a gem like this. A book like this doesnt come by often. Truely worth every penny I spent.
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Summary: Darker but superb! I laughed I cried...
Review: My son and I went to a midnight sale and bought this book. I have just finished reading it and my husband is not far behind! It is much darker than previous books, but that's to be expected now that Voldermort is back. I couldn't put it down. After I got home from the store, I was up until 5:30 am reading and have barely put it down all weekend. I cried, I howled in outrage at characters in the book, but it is an incredible story in the Harry Potter series. I'm glad to see she isn't afraid to tackle the dark side of the story
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Summary: Daily Prophet Exclusive: "Rowling Read is Rapture"
Review: The long awaited return to the world of wizardry was worthwhile. The built-up anticipation and great desire for this book kept my full attention. I finished this edition within 42 hours! I could barely put it down. Rowling weaves her magic through the written word to keep the reader wanting more. She provides plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader and avid fans on their toes despite the hints of plot given away prior to the book's premiere! I read it so fast that I will wait a week and read it again as I am sure I missed some amusing details. It was again a thrill to place myself into this fantasy series' world. Thank you J.K. Rowling (and please do not make us wait so long for year 6!)!
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Summary: Long Anticipated
Review: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix seemed to have been on my wish list for about 2 years. Now that I've finally gotten it and read it (straight through) I can say that I came out with mixed feelings. I dont want to give anything away, so I'm going to be vague. Those of you who are HP fans will know what I'm talking about. Simply put Book 5 was nothing that I thought it would be. We meet up with Harry of course at the beginning of the book,as well as Hermione and Ron and the rest of the groupies. They arent however, cutesy little kids anymore. HP and his friends are 15, and considered in all rights to be young adults. They face obstacles and challenges more than Voldermort, the challenge of growing up and dealing with adolesonce. We meet new characters and become reaquainted with the old ones we have all come to love and hate. Year 5 for the students brings two prefects for each house, a new defense against the dark arts teacher (surprised?), a new Gryfindor keeper, and an array of other new devolpments. I return to the mixed feelings I stated earlier. Book 5 is dark. Darker than I imagined it would be. There is less humor and about 890 pages to finally figure out EVERYTHING you wanted to know about Harry's past. Character devolpment is deeper, and sometimes it feels like you wish you hadn't read that sentence or paragraph because your views will be sorely tested on your favortie characters. However, all in all, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is definately worth the wait and the mass amount of pages. I encourage everyone to read it and get involved in the wonderful world of Harry Potter.
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