Rating: 
Summary: Execellent!
Review: This could be the best one yet! I loved the story I won't give it away because you deserve to read it for yourself. It is GREAT!
I totally reccommend it!!!
Rating:
Summary: SOOOOOOOOOOO GOOD!!
Review: WOW! this book is AWSOME!
totally worth the wait and the hype, i strongly recommend it!
Rating:
Summary: Magical writing at work
Review: I have been a huge fan of the Potter series. Part of the reason I was willing to stand in line past midnight and pick up what might be viewed as a children's book is the fact that this book has long been due. More so, it motivated me to stay up all night and read the book in a non-stop marathon session. Well, without giving out the plot (and risk getting sued by the publisher), I would only venture to say that it's Rowling at her best! A must-read for all Potter and non-Potter fans! Speed-reading done and review written, my job is complete; I'm off to bed. I'll look forward to reading it again more slowly over the coming weeks.
Rating:
Summary: *Hang on and let me grab my jaw from off of the floor*...
Review: From the opening pages of this book, I was completely and totally awestruck... Rowling has crafted a tail that quite frankly puts most other books of any genre to shame. If there is one feeling that I got through the whole book, it was one of intensity. I got the book at a little before 9:00 AM, and only stopping twice got done at about 6:00 PM. It was that good. Rowling, as always, does and excellent job of misleading, surprising, and the misleading and convoluting the story further. It's this kind of deep story that makes the Harry Potter books so great. Now that thats out of the way, lets get down to some specifics. Storyline:
As promised the story gets deeper and darker as Harry explores more and more of just what it means that he's "The Boy Who Lived". The story grabs ahold of you and NEVER lets go for one minute, in fact, there are several what I like to call false jumps where the story unexpectedly lurches and you expect something far worse than what really happens... These are spread masterfully throughout the story. Rowling also promised "Raging Hormones", it wasn't quite as obviouse as I thought it would be, but I liked how it was handled none the less. Character Development
Characters have changed over the summer and are now in varying degrees of maturity. Harry is about as disturbed as you would expect a teenager that's had 4 close brushes with death would be and this is a major factor in the story. Ron and Hermoine are just as you would expect them to be only more mature, their characters haven't changed that much and it's good to see Ron worrying about what people think of him and Hermoine going on about S.P.E.W. again. Score: (Out of 5 Stars) 6!!!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Potter returns with both bangs and whimpers
Review: " 'I knew it!' yelled Ron, punching the air. 'You always get away with stuff!' " Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix returns us to the magical world of Hogwarts for a fifth installment of sorcery and boarding school andventure. The first impression of the novel is its early pace, but soon after the initial surge it is handicapped by a slightly turgid return to slow normality.
Nevertheless, it is a significant improvement over the 4th installment (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire), but its delivery fails to live up to its early promise, and one can't help feeling that a more ruthless editor might have pruned away some of the fat. The imagination of the author is far from lacking, but the little nuggets and gems of ideas that spiced up the earlier novels now seem spaced at wider intervals, whilst opportunities for character growth are squandered. The hellish tweeness exhibited often by the earlier novels has taken a backseat, as a more adult and sinister plot involving explorations of propaganda, bureaucratic interference and cynical scapegoating unfolds. However, the central revelation previewed on the dust-jacket has a curiously pedestrian feel about it. 'Is that it?' is the thought that runs through your mind once you have ploughed through Dumbledore's protracted exposition near the end of the novel's gargantuan 766 pages. Indeed, repetitive exposition and gossipy discussions that do little to advance the plot occupy far too many pages.There is still too much waffle about Quidditch, although Rowling appears to have abandoned the incredibly tedious blow-by-blow accounts of every single training session and match. Even more of a relief - the ugly patronisation of the ordinary 'Muggle' world is played down here. The division between a self-congratulatory elite and the ignorant wider population is still accepted without question, but not overplayed. Harry is the only character to show significant development, and this is manifested in four ways. Firstly, throughout the entire novel Harry seems angry: angry at his enemies, his friends, his guardians. This is, I think, Rowling's take on teenage moodiness, and as such a necessary addition to Potter's emotional repertoire. However, by around page 500 it begins to feel more than a little stale. Secondly, depth of character comes in the form of questioning the hithertofore angelic image of his deceased parents. This is a welcome development, and Rowling handles it well, although it appears rather late on in the novel, and not pursued as far as I'd hoped. Thirdly, when he takes on the role of teacher, Harry Potter attains a greater level of maturity than he is allowed throughout the rest of the book. Finally, and most satisfying for me, Harry appears to have largely shaken off his reliance on others for clues at vital points, and he has no more need for gifts that emphasize his specialness. He earns his rewards (and punishments) in this book - the silver spoon is no longer in view. In my view, Harry has become a much more compelling and 3 dimensional character. Only his romantic entanglements seem to be stuck at the 12 year old's level - in fact all the inhabitants of Hogwarts demonstrate this oddity. Unfortunately, none of the other characters goes through anywhere near the same amount of growth as Harry. Ron's new responsibilities seem to have zero effect on his behaviour, either to stimulate or inhibit him in any way. He is strangely sidelined in this installment of the saga. Hermione remains the dedicated swot, who, as usual, rebels when authority goes to far. As ever, she is most entertaining when bickering with Ron, although even these exchanges seem rather colourless in comparion to earlier ones. Dumbledore, thankfully absent for most of the novel, is still a cloyingly reassuring figure who is able, deus ex machina -like, to save the day. Grandfatherly in the extreme, the heroes' unalterable trust in him deprives his appearences of significant drama. As with all the previous novels bar the first, Voldemort is such a caricature that he never feels remotely threatening. True villainy of a more subtle kind is most chillingly demonstrated by a new character to the series. Draco Malfoy retains his one-note unpleasantness - it would have been refreshing to see some kind of change here. Most of Rowling's characters are either irredeemably good, or else utterly malevolent. Only Snape escapes this trap, but his character reveals little new here. The first half of the book is entertaining, but patchy. Nonetheless, I found it to be enjoyable, which made the second half all the more of a disappointment. The secondary villain was satisfyingly dealt with, but the climactic end sequence seemed muddled and flavorless. J K Rowling will undoubtedly satisfy fans, and is to be commended for her vision and imagination. I would have preferred a darker vision, but I'm sure that others' tastes will find this tale to be more than merely palatable. Ultimately, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix revisits almost all of the flaws of the preceding books, and improves on other areas only a little. This book will satisfy those who crave more information about the Wizarding World that Harry Potter inhabits, but will do little to entice the uninitiated.
Rating:
Summary: The things we dread are the worst to face.
Review: This one hurts. The pain does not detract from its excellence, its beauty, and the clarity of the writing and characterization, but this is the hardest book so far. In the first three, we laughed more than we cried. The tables have turned. Order of the Phoenix is another masterwork for Ms. Rowling. Her characterizations have expanded and grown from the previous four, and her mastery of her work and her knowledge of her characters is demonstrated in every page. Still, we've left the realm of children's fiction. Order of the Phoenix is, at most, an adolescent's book. It carries all of the darkness of that turning point between childhood and adulthood. Harry, and we with him, lose a lot of innocence in this book, and it is as hard a transition for Harry as it was for we adults who are, at least theoretically, past that. Some children will have problems with it. With Philosopher's Stone, Harry Potter earned a place in our hearts. We turned a corner in "Goblet of Fire" and Harry's world changed. Now, we see the effects of an unexpected and terrible occurance in an otherwise mostly peaceful world. The world has changed. Be prepared for that.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Yet
Review: "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" is, by a wide margin, the best book in the series so far. Previously, that honor would have gone to "Prisoner of Azkaban", but this latest work is superior in every way. Harry is growing up, and facing confusing and contradictory feelings. He frequently argues with his best friends Ron and Hermione, and is openly critical of the wizarding establishment, represented by the Ministry of Magic. One of this book's many delights is seeing how J.K. Rowling satirizes the officious, over-bearing, denying, and ultimately clueless members of the beauracracy, who protect their jobs and reputations at all costs, sacrificing the truth and the obvious. This is a much better read than "Goblet of Fire", which branched out too far into unfamiliar territory and uninteresting new characters. In "Phoenix", the focus is straight on the main characters, and their reactions to the evolving plot. There are several emotional payoffs from situations set up in books 1-4, and several other very intriguing hints at plot points to come, such as the revelation about Snape's bitterness, and how Harry reacts to it. We also learn why Lord Voldemort attacked Harry and his parents when he was a baby, and what it will ultimately mean to him. Rowling's "tour-de-force" grand finale comes during the final hundred or so pages of the book, where she stages a spectacular battle royal that is as thrilling as anything in the series. It is not just Harry and his nemisis Voldemort this time, but many other primary and secondary characters, both on the side of good, and of evil. Very few readers will be able to put the book down at this point. 'Harry Potter 5' is far and away my favorite book in the series; and I predict a similar positive reaction from most readers of this wonderful set of stories.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome, but a lot scarier and sadder than the first four
Review: The fifth Harry Potter book was definitely my favorite. This one had a lot more to do with Harry's mind, and his connection to Voldemort.
What I thought was really different in this book was that Dumbledore actually makes a few mistakes, whereas in the former books he was always very sure of himself.
Before the book came out, I heard that someone important would die. I was really freaked out, because I was afraid it was Hermione or Ron.
Also, a lot of mysteries are cleared up in this book. Several things that were mentioned in former books, like the Department of Mysteries and Professor Trelawney's other prophesy, are explained in greater detail.
If you liked the first four Harry Potter books, you'll love this one, but be prepared for quite a few scary scenes and another death.
Rating:
Summary: best one yet!!
Review: amazing! so many new twists and turns! i was biting my nails through the whole book! rowling comes through again and better than ever! if only we didn't have to wait so long for the next one!!
Rating:
Summary: Harry has grown up...
Review: Though this book has been advertised as being for the "Nine-to-Twelve" age group, I think that children who are even older would be able to relate to and enjoy this books. While it is full of adventure and excitement which will keep younger readers entertained and amused, this is also subtly a story about growing up and all of the confusion and difficutly that comes with it. Harry is described as "apathetic" in the beginning of the book, and his constant pondering gives older adolescents something to relate to. I was glad to see that Rowling aged Harry; it gave the book a touch of the realism that all good fantasies have. Bravo!
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