Rating: 
Summary: Still wild about Harry
Review: The wait is over, the book has been released, and some vendors still have trouble keeping it in stock. But how does HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX stack up against Joanne Kathleen Rowling's earlier works?First, there's the storyline - I'll try to avoid any spoilers. Harry Potter begins the novel lying in the Dursley's flowerbed, eager for any news about He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, but a terrifying encounter will quickly plunge Harry back into the wizarding world and his fifth year at Hogwarts. This time however, Harry's spirits and resolve will be tested to their limits. Draco Malfoy is back again, stirring up more trouble for Harry (no big surprise there). Yet another new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor has arrived to teach class - only this teacher has her own plans for the school. Thanks to government bureaucrats and newspapers that lack courage, Harry's finding that more and more students are doubting his credibility and sanity. Worse still, the O.W.L. exams are looming over Harry's head this year. And then there's...ah, but I told you I wouldn't spoil anything, right? The US hardcover edition of ORDER OF THE PHOENIX, at a massive 870 pages, dwarfs GOBLET OF FIRE in size while managing to avoid the latter's relatively slow start. Although the story line sometimes wears a little thin, this book features more suspense and frights than you can shake a Hinkypunk at. It also catches Harry at the awkward age of 15, trying to deal with the frustrations of his early teens and his unique status in the world of magic - and some unforseen events that will change his life forever. J.K. Rowling has definitely done it again - and she already has me waiting impatiently for Harry Potter's sixth year at Hogwarts. Even if it breaks my back to lift the next book off the shelf.
Rating:
Summary: Phenomenal
Review: It is amazing, after reading the 4 previous books, that "The Order of the Phoenix" is even better then I imagined. From the 1st chapter you are off and running into this exciting book that you can hardly put down. I admit I was getting impatient over the last three years for this book's release - but it was well worth the wait and more! The intricacies woven through this book and yet still woven into from the previous 4 books is astonishing. J. K. Rowling has an amazing imagination, which I hope she continues to use to write books even beyong the 7 book series of Harry Potter. I know I will, personally, being waiting anxiously for the next 2 books and yet I don't want to see the end of the Harry Potter serier. I wish they could just keep going on and on and on....
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely awesome!!
Review: Its very obvious that JKR has put her heart and soul in the book. Very very consistent and in keeping with the essence of the previous books. Its obvious that she has neither become "giddyheaded" with the thundering success of Harry Potter nor taken to slipshod writing. Extermely good and enjoyable read. Actually better than book four!!
Rating: 
Summary: Rather Disappointing
Review: Most of the reviews on this site resemble "Amazing! Best Book Ever!," but in reality this book is in no way better than any of the previous few. Perhaps the hype surrounding it has made everyone blind to the very lacking plot. Remember the last four books? Same plot here. Harry spends summer at Dursleys, very angry. Goes to Weaslies' residence. Goes to school, where great danger awaits him. Is involved in various different subplots which are all irrelevant to the plot. In final 100 pages, Harry faces some form or follower of Voldemort, emerges barely alive, yet a hero. What is different in this book is that all the wonder and excitement at the power of the magical world is diminished by displaying it as a world ruled by corrupt politicians. The book further makes Harry "angrier" and "darker", but its just playing on the extreme stereotype that all teenagers are rage-filled creatures that cannot understand anything that is important. This really made me angry. The new "danger" at the end of the book is once again faced by Harry and his friends. How long are we supposed to believe that Voldemort, who is so powerful and his followers, the most loyal and deadly of cohorts, are defeated by a bunch of kids? Its getting more and more stupid. Perhaps you've heard of the "death of a major character." Well, I won't say who, but they are not major in any way to be honest, and I didn't feel anything when it happened, because the book never tries to make us symphatize with him. Some people have also said that it is scarier. I'm sorry, but the "Wizard of Oz" contains far scarier scenes than this book. It is 850 pages long, but most of them are added for no reason. This could have been a much more exciting 200 page book, instead of the very stretched out and almost chaotic book it is now. To summarize, it is very similar to the other four books, and what is new in it makes the book more annoying rather than more magical.
Rating:
Summary: So much like life...
Review: Like everyone else, I read the book in 2 days, even less, day and a half. And like many people I've seen writing here, it felt very strange to read #5. For a while, I couldn't put my finger on it, something was amiss, something was different... And I couldn't understand what.
And then it came to me - it is so simple. let me explain... We go through our lives and we change, especially during adolescence, where in one year of a teen many many more things change than in one year of a 20/30/40-something. But regarless of our age, we are changing gradually, and we don't see the progress or regression in our characters as plainly as we could have if we compared day one of year X with the last day of year Y. And in Harry's case, or rather, in the case of the book... We waited for a year (or two?) for it to come out and then all of the changes that happened to ALL characters and not just Harry/Hermione/Ron came out all at once (especially if you read it as fast as I have) and that gradual aspect of life and maturity was swept away. I am sure, if Harry were to keep a diary and we had the priviledge of reading the day-to-day changes in his life, this feeling of something odd and amiss I was talking about would have been gone. And to add to this, one chapter often spans over a month or two - and that's a long time in a life of a 15-year old. Just think of your own life. So, it's not that the book is boring, or long or strange or dull - it's just in the realm of magic, it seems more real than all the ones before it. And I applaud J.K. Rowling for that - it is a brave move to create a new world and keep it so real, even if some of us are looking for a perfect escape. But as nothing is perfect, let this be a lesson of some sort.
Rating:
Summary: order of the phoenix
Review: I bought this book at midnight and had finished it by noon the next day. It is one of the best books I have ever read! I absolutely could not put it down! A MUST READ book 5 stars!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Harry Potter
Review: This is the best one of the series so far. It has many twists and plots. Harry is also a typical teenage boy who along with being 15 has to worry and the problems that will face him. He thinks that no one understands him and he in turn yells at his friends and even his professors.
Rating:
Summary: Magnificent!
Review: We need to add a star to the usual scale, because five isn't enough! For the last four books, the praise of Rowling's writing has always been followed by remarks about it being a light, sweet story about nothing that goes easy on the brain. That is over now in a big way. Harry has grown up quite a bit over the summer. He has the temper of a teenage boy; he no longer holds the (good) adults in his life in owe; he has developed a sense of his own abilities, but has not let that make him arrogant, as everyone expected. He has grown. However, the things he goes through in The Order of the Phoenix FORCE him to grow up even more before you. So much so, that I had to shut my eyes and walk away from the book to catch a few breaths, muttering to myself that this was enough, more than enough already... hoping it would stop, because how much can a 15-year-old boy be expected to carry on his shoulders?! Neither is his world any longer circumscribed by the walls of Hogwarts. I was completely blown away by Rowling's inventiveness and her astounding ability to capture the spirits of the characters and their world in vivid, breathing color. The last four books were wonderful, yes - but this one is in a class of it own.
Rating:
Summary: harry potter and the order of the phoenix
Review: After I finished this book I thought it was very good. I can't wait for the next one!!!
Rating:
Summary: Harry Potter still has the magic
Review: I thought this book was great! This book was truly worth the wait. I thought it was a great book because of how the book makes you feel for the other characters. For example, the book makes you feel angry for Harry because many people, influenced by the ministry of magic, believe harry and dumbledore are crazy. Also, I really hated the new defense against the dark arts teacher. I was hooked on this book the second I got it, and finished it in three days. This book also tells you big secrets about harry's past, which is why this book is a must-read for not only harry potter fans, but anyone else too!
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