Rating: Summary: A whole new adventure Review: This fifth book from the Harry Potter series is by far the best I've read so far. It gave me a whole new view of what Harry's world would have looked like from his point of view and the various decisions he had to make on his wondrous journey through his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry Potter also made new friends and encountered various different ways of danger, and it was not until the end when he finally found what was the meaning of bravery and bravery at the heart.I will recommend this book to all those who loves fantasy and enjoys them at heart.
Rating: Summary: Less than expected Review: Like most of the world it seems, I eagerly awaited the arrival of the 5th Harry Potter book. When it came I read it straight through in less than 24 hours driven by the exciting endings Rowlings always has waiting. But as I read on the ending became more and more predictable. Upon finishing, I was a bit discontented. The book was extremely good compared to most other books. It provided excellent characters and intriguing plots. Fred, George, and Ginny once again were hilarious and had me laughing out loud. My disappointment came in the ending where Rowlings failed to give the readers an unexpected twist as she had before. Overall though the book thoroughly enraptures the reader and should not be overlooked because of its size.
Rating: Summary: The Wait Was Totally Worth It!! Review: This book was not my favorite of the five books (Prisoner of Azkaban was the best), but once I started reading it, I couldn't stop. I think I red the first 600 pages in 5 hours. It was funny and clever while realistic dealing with Harry's emotional rollercoaster with he-who-must-not-be-named rising again and growing up. I had alot of laughs and cried at the end. That Dolores Umbridge irritated me as much as the rest of the Hogwarts students. I sometimes found myself saying things I wouldn't want my mother to hear. All in all, it was a great book. Highly recommended. It took J.K almost three years to write the book, but it was definetly worth the wait.
Rating: Summary: J.K. Does it again Review: The fifth Harry Potter book is perhaps the richest installment of the Harry Potter series. In The Order of the Phoenix, Rowling does an excellent job of mixing humor, romance, suspense, and action into one long novel. Being a huge Harry Potter fan , i was very anxious to get the book and when I did, I practically stayed up all night entranced by the exciting plot and unexpected finish. I finished the book in less than 24 hours and spent the rest of the day preaching to my family about what an excellent book it was. I reccomend this book to any diehard Harry Potter fan or any person(kid or adult) who is looking for a great summer read.
Rating: Summary: Very good but transition book with plot holes Review: First of all, do not read any of the following reviews unless you want the plot ruined. Too many people give parts of the story away or blurt out the climax.I disagree with those persons who rated this book poorly simply because they did not like the ending or that the book was too dark. This book is more emotionally complex than the previous four books because Harry is more emotionally complex. Harry has emotions that many 15 year olds would have, which certainly includes angst, hatred, hurt, insecurity, sexuality, and fear. Yet, like many 15 year olds he also has strong positive emotions that carry him through his personal demons like loyalty, trust, love, and sympathy. The complexity of the emotions certainly makes the book longer because Rowling has set the stage for Harry's emotional transition from childhood to adolescence by having several concurrent threads that pose personal dilemmas. Rowling can certainly tell a story so these threads weave together relatively well, which give the book substance and depth. However, certain threads become distracting and at the end of the book do not add to the plot except to show Harry's emotional ranges. Specifically, his relationship with a girl does not really develop and turns out to be quite shallow. Granted, writing about falling in love at a meaningful level is difficult when a significant percentage of the target audience is younger than 13. My most critical evaluation is that this book is really about setting the stage for the rest of the series. The plot seemed created purely as a backdrop to Harry's emotions and unfortunately resulted in several plot holes, which is a bit frustrating because Rowling said the delay in publication was due to having to fix this very same problem. For example, Harry is given a contraption to communicate with someone important but without explanation forgets all about it until it is too late to use. This is an extremely key part of the book because of the consequences to a main character due to a miscommunication. Another plot hole is Dumblemore's incomprehensible neglect in not telling Harry the key to the whole underlying plot even though Dumblemore gave numerous warnings himself and through others. His explanation at the end for not speaking clearly was completely unsatisfactory. It would have been a better dilemma for Harry to know Dumblemore's reasons yet ignore them out of ego, concern for others, or pure curiosity. Also, Harry's running to the ghosts to look for hope at the end was the result of Rawling's tying up loose ends without adding anything substantively. Although, it was unnecessary since I do not think the demise of one of the characters is final...anything is possible with magic. Nevertheless, I could not put the book down and enjoyed the story, which ultimately is the most important part. I did feel unsettled at the end even though I appreciated Harry's development.
Rating: Summary: Another Epic Review: I've been a Harry Potter fan for four years now and have read them all and I must say Rowling has once again outdone herself. She introduces many new concepts and has tied the story together wonderfully. The only problem is that it's so addicting that its hard to lug around! Also I highly recommend reading the previous books because she does not fill you in at ALL. I found myself looking back at the books (espeicially #4) to help. Still it's one of the best yet.
Rating: Summary: A wonderful installment in the Harry Potter series Review: I have been reading some of the reviews on here and there are few I would really agree with. I thought this book was wonderful espically something for in the summer. A few points. Harry was darker, meaner a bit of a little punk, but *SPOILER ALERT* He was possesed by Voldermort for half the book what did you expect?! Also I was glad he stood up to Ron and Hermione a few times. All that modest hero stuff can't go on for too long oherwise it makes the character unreal. All of us want to be appricated. Next point, I still don't understand why the character that dies had to die. It happened to quick I had to reread a few time to make sure I had read right. (Side point of continuity: If Harry had seen his mother die, while he might not remember, wouldn't he of seen the horse things sooner?) The twins were awesome, I can't wait to see their last prank on the big screen, the prophecy I think will bring a closer friendship to Harry and Neville. Also I think Harry has really started to grow up, which I am glad for. Also that got over Cho, she cries more than I do and that is an accomplishment. I hope Ron sees his full potential, Lupin plays a bigger role, and that there is MORE QUIDDITCH in the next book. Over all appricate it for what it is, a great book, a fun yet dark at parts read. Remember everyone is a bit of a brat at puberty. P.S. McGonagall RULES
Rating: Summary: Outstanding Review: To be honest, I wasn't one of the first people to jump on the Harry Potter bandwagon. In fact, I avoided the series up until recently considering it to be nothing more than a fad. However, after reading the first novels in the series this past winter I became hooked, and to my surprise the series only gets better with time. The Order of the Phoenix, though much darker than previous books, is an excellent read. It not only rewards fans of the previous books by making reference to previous materials, it also builds off subplots and ideas from previous books. In fact, after reading the series you'll become intwined with every subplot wondering what twist or turn will come up next. LIkewise this book also brings an entire new view to the series with a slight twist near end involving Harry and Neville. The only bad part is having to wait for the next portion of the saga to be released.
Rating: Summary: Harry Potter Still Rules!! Review: I consider myself an authority on Harry Potter, since I have listened to each book at least 4 times, and am not bored yet. I put a tape in my walkman while I do household chores. It really helps. J.K. Rowling's writing PULLS you in and won't let you go. I have the entire collection (thus far) on tape, which is read by Jim Dale. The different voices that he uses are so dead on for the characters. I can start a tape at any point and know exactly who is speaking! I had to listen to Book 5 twice, as it was full of little clues along the way that I did not want to miss. Even so, I could not predict the ending. Each character is SO WELL developed that there can be a countless number of spinoffs from the Harry Potter series. My only problem with Book 5 was the lack of description on a romantic situation. By comparison, a gruesome situation in Book 4, was more visual than I would have liked. That aside, Book 5 made me cry. I have become so close to the characters because in J. K. Rowling's writing, we can all see a part of ourselves or others that we know. I really felt their joys and pains, as they reminded me of my own.
Rating: Summary: I liked this book despite myself. Review: When I picked up the latest Harry Potter book, I was determined not to like it. Surely J.K. Rowling was running out of steam by now, surely she was just grasping for plot lines and new characters wherever she could get them. After the first few chapters, though, I was hooked, much to my chagrin. Rather than running out of steam, Rowling is hitting her stride. Although the book is perhaps a bit too long, Rowling wisely uses the pages to develop characters that we already know, rounding them out into people, not just stereotypes. Some have, and will continue to complain that this new installment does not advance the plot of the series enough, but I think it's about time we stopped moving at breakneck speed through Harry's life and took some time to look around and get acquainted with his world and the people in it.
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