Rating: 
Summary: Amazing-just amazing
Review: ... Answer this-if your parents were unfairly murdered when you were a baby, yet you survived when you don't know why, and now the murderer is back and he has got it in for you, you don't know what he is doing, you were tortured and had to watch someone die last year, plus nobody believes you and publicly slanders you, noone understands, and also your 'girlfriend' brings last year up and then cries when you dont want to talk about it. Wouldnt you be angry? I think you would. This is a great book and Rowling is just describing what every teen goes through at this age, only of course it is worse. It is still a book you can escape to, but that doesnt mean it has to be happy, jolly, and simple.
Rating: 
Summary: Enjoyable but wordy
Review: After eagerly awaiting this addition to the Harry Potter saga, I was somewhat dissappointed in it when I finally got to read it. I thought it rather light in plot elements, heavy in teenage angst, and badly in need of a heavy editing. About 200 fewer pages through cutting repetitive material would have made the plot stretch out better and Harry not seem quite so whiney/angry all the time. Having said that, I'll still probably reread it and am looking forward to the next chapter, albeit not with quite the faith in the author's and publisher's editorial skills that I had before.
Rating:
Summary: Life is sad even if you are a wizard...
Review: This volume is as exciting and interesting as all those before. However, the adventures are more glum and hopeless,the magic world of witches and wizards is as stupid and as corrupt as the real world. Many of us think:if I would be able to use a magic wand, I would... Does not help here. Umbridge is a monster. How a woman like this could get this power over kids? How Dombledore and other magic people like him let it happend? She is like if Mrs. Clinton would become a president of the US.
Rating: 
Summary: A bit stale
Review: I actually agree with most everything that Douglas says, but giving it a single star is too harsh. There's still some fun stuff in here.A couple of problems I had with the book:
* The characters (including the students) swearing -- it's mild stuff, and I know a ton of adults are reading this series, but let's not forget that it started as a kid's series and the tone should stay that way, even if the characters are growing up. There's no need to elevate to harsher language and it does nothing for the story. * It's just too long. Especially in the first half you can feel her stretching out the story for no reason. Seems that she (or the publisher) is afraid to pull back and offer a great 300-400 page read now that the bar on the page count has been set so high. Does this mean we're pushing over 1000 pages by volume 7?
Rating:
Summary: A Grown Up Story
Review: In response to some mild criticisms of the Order of the Phoenix, I think that the reader should understand this: While Harry is growing, so is the story. The story has taken higher grounds than ever before. Before we saw Harry fighting basilisks, dragons, trolls, and all manner of monsters. In the Order of the Phoenix, the battles have become personal. Harry is fighting his own anger, his inner emotional battle with others. Most of the conflict loops around the dreadful Professor Umbridge. Sometimes the reader cringes with Harry's pain. You end up feeling both sorry for and angry with Harry. The conflict intensifies as the plot thickens. Another sign of the maturation of the story is the growing good vs. evil theme. We all know that Voldemort is evil and those on Dumbledore's side are good. But the book also reveals how even good people make serious mistakes and sometimes seemingly evil people have a soft side to them. We learn more about Sirius Black and James Potter and the conflict with Snape. The reader may be left crying in the end. It also becomes very exciting in the end with the Department of Mysteries, where the answer to many mysteries comes. My overall point is that what makes the Order of the Phoenix so good is that the story has really grown. It's not a child's story. It's a new awakening of life. For that reason, I encourage people to read it. Another thing that fascinates me with this book is how the characters shine. Hermione is so Hermione. The Slytherins are all brats again. Umbridge has no soft side to her. She rudely interupts, she dresses and talks girlishly, she's racist, she loves seeing pain. Then again, it goes to show how even people who aren't Death Eaters can be just as evil. Harry has really grown in the end. I am a college student and I've seen the problem where other girls my age say that they don't want to read the book because it's so long. Anyone in that age group should be aware that legnth doesn't matter; this is a very easy read. I read this book in only two weeks and if it weren't for my college classes I would have read it even faster. The main reason why I got into my college budget to buy it is that I was jealous of those who had finished reading within two days. Besides, once you've read the first three shorter books, you'll be left in suspense for what comes next. You're missing out on a lot if you don't read these five wonderful books. I look forward to what happens next in the battle against Voldemort.
Rating: 
Summary: Corny
Review: This is the wors of the arthours book. The first and the second and the third was better than this.... First off there was so much things going on making the book long and complicated. Don't get me wrong I like long books and stuff but this book was so I don;t know Not what I expected.You waited for this book for such a long time and this is what you get.
Rating:
Summary: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Review: First off, let me say that I am nearly 30 years old, an avid reader, and I love Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling has a wonderful style that makes it easy to emmerse yourself in the world of witchcraft and wizardry. So often when I read fantasy books such as these, it becomes difficult to identify with the characters and the world the author presents. Thankfully, Ms. Rowling does not fall into that trap, and I think its because the series is not a fantasy story, its a coming of age story that happens to be set in a fantasy world. Ms. Rowling does an excellent job of never letting the reader forget that this is a story about Harry, not about Magic. Similarly, she keeps the readers in mind: as Harry grows, so do the books. They become longer, more complex, even darker, as the readers who began reading the books at a young age will be able to keep reading and identify with Harry as he grows to adulthood. With that said, this book was not as well written as it could have been, given the time it took to write, and especially when it is compared to the other books in the series. There were also a couple of plot elements which went unexplored, though I'm sure that Ms. Rowling has plans for them in the future. The climax, too, left me a bit unsatisfied; I wanted more to happen, and a better explaination of the events which occurred than what was offered. Now for the good parts. It is true that the narrative is a bit slow in the beginning, but I think it sets the right tone for Harry's mood to begin the book. Most of the criticisms that I have read have also mentioned how whiny and unpredictable Harry is, but I remember when I was 15, and Harry's behavior is very familiar. Ms. Rowling keeps the story about Harry and the growing pains which come with adolescence. Finally, the whole of the story, the back plots and what not, are truly gripping; for example the confusion that Harry feels when he finds out what his father had been like at his age was wonderfully done. All in all, Order of the Phoenix is a great read, and the critiques I listed above did not interfere with my enjoyment of the book. I recommend this book, but I do suggest reading the rest in the series first. It adds more to the readers' understanding of the back story and references made throughout the book. Otherwise you may be lost and miss out on a great read.
Rating:
Summary: Too Dark
Review: While I was expecting a darker installment to the series, I was unprepared for the extent of that darkness and angst. While certain elements are necessary additions to keep the series progressing, Rowling could have afforded the same or near the same amount of lightheartedness that the other books afforded.
What I liked:
--Ron Weasley: Finally, some long overdue glory! I was tickled to read that he was selected as a prefect and overjoyed when he took Gryffindor to it's second straight Quidditch Cup
--Hermione Granger: As clever, haughty and eccentric as always, this was a welcome dose of familiarity
--Ginny Weasley: Look out! She's growing up and I wouldn't be surprised if the infatuation tables were turned on the Boy Who Lived himself.
--The Weasley Twins: Always my favorite characters, I was delighted with their most recent series of antics and laughed until I cried at their dramatic escape from Hogwarts
What I Didn't Like:
--Harry:While the break from the overdone heroics was more than welcome, Harry's bitter attitude and anger, though understandable, became tiresome after the first several chapters.
--Dolores Umbridge: A witch in every sense of the word, this conniving, scheming, unscrupulous new professor made me want to leap into the pages and take her own broomstick to her backside.
--Cho Chang: A blubbering, pitiful mess of turbulent emotion, she went from mildly likeable in the previous book to just flat irritating in this one.
Overall, I found this book to be too dark and depressing to read again. I also do not personally feel that this book is appropriate for readers under the age of fourteen or perhaps fifteen. It should be noted that this is a personal view and not to be confused with criticism to those who would disagree.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: My entire family was waiting anxiously for this book, and although it's OK, none of the characters was positive, even Mrs. Weasley is snappy and unfriendly. It also has at least 100 unecessary pages, the prose should be tighter, and the book in general could have used more editing. On the other hand, it took me 2 1/2 days to finish it, so it isn't THAT bad...:).
Rating:
Summary: Realistic teenage angst
Review: I have to admit, this was not my favorite in the Harry Potter series. There are sections of the book that did not flow well. And though I understand why Harry is so emotionally stretched as a teenager, he annoyed me. But that doesn't mean that the book was not an entertaining read. There were many aspects of the book that were excellent. I think JK Rowling did an absolutely amazing job portraying what it feels like to be a teenager. It is a roller coaster ride - sometimes you are happy or sad, sometimes both, sometimes your emotions switch from one to the other in a split second, sometimes you get angry for no reason at all. All of this is within Harry this year, and given everything he has gone through up to this book, it is no wonder he struggles with so much. Although I was annoyed, it is realistic for a person of this age. And it speaks volumes about Rowling's skill in portraying a teenager so well that the behavior can even annoy a reader. I especially enjoyed following the antics of the Weasley twins, learning more about Neville, following the progression of Harry's crush, etc... Other than the death of a major character and the events leading to the verification of Voldemort's re-appearance to the wizarding world, this was a story which had less action and focuses more upon character development. We don't really learn much more about Harry's story than what we already know from the previous novels. But we do know more about existing characters, and are introduced to a few new ones which will likely play roles in the future. Overall, I really enjoyed the book. As a fan of the series, I had the book express delivered on the first day of offering, and proceeded to spend the rest of the day reading without stop. I give four stars instead of five because there were awkward areas where the editing could have been better. But I am eagerly awaiting the next edition!
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