Rating: 
Summary: I just finished reading it!
Review: A book true to the formula of all Harry Potter books. He starts the year as an underdog and eventually wins everyone back. Aside from the death, this book seemed a little lighter in tone.This one gives you a little more insight to why his aunt and uncle haven't throw him out. Why his parents were killed for him. You also wonder if Neville should have been Voldemort target instead of Potter because of a prophecy. The only person he feels he can talk to is killed and Dumbledore and 'he-who-must-not-be-named' have a duel in the climax. Potter gets a kiss but the romance is extremely light. Ginny plays a larger role and Potter begins training the D.A. which cause a major change in the position of headmaster. Did I mention Harry Potter goes on trial and is banned from Quiditch for life? There is a lot in this book but it is a wonderful read!
Rating:
Summary: Murphy's Law In Harry's World
Review: In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, everything that can go wrong does go wrong for our hero. It starts early in the book as he is spending another miserable summer with his aunt and uncle. In the opening chapter of the book Harry and his cousin Dudley are attack by Dementors. Harry is successful in stopping the attack but is subject to a hearing by the Ministry of Magic for unlawful use of magic. No Good Deed Goes Unpunished. In previous novels things always start off bad for Harry but improve upon his return to Hogwarts. Not this time around. Harry is the subject of doubt as to whether or not Voldemort has returned. Some think he is lying. Some think he's nuts. Few believe him. The feeling of disbelief is brought on by the Ministry of Magic which has control over the wizard newsrag, The Daily Prophet, which often takes swipes at Harry's credibility. But things get worse, the Ministry of Magic has usurped Dumbledore's authority by assigning Delores Umbridge to teach Defense Against The Dark Arts. Umbridge is pretty much a monster. She has no problem with manhandling students and torturing them during detention. Under rule of Umbridge Harry loses everything dear to him at Hogwarts. She dislikes Harry, as well as all the other teachers at Hogwarts.
Harry also goes on his first date during the course of this novel. Does it go well? Goes about as well as everything else for Harry in this book. And of course, Harry, going against rules has he has a tendency to do, finds his father wasn't the nice guy he always seemed to be. Harry's father turns out to have been that jock you hated in high school who beat up on those weaker than him. Finally there is a big show down between good wizards and bad wizards. It's a treat reading of professor Dumbledore in action. As you will know Harry loses someone close to him, but I will not say who, but it further drives Harry into despair and anger. This book does not has a happy beginning, middle, or end. At 870 pages it does seem a bit long winded. There are subplots, including one with Hagrid and his love of giants, that could have been left out. Harry fans will surely love this book, but it won't likely convert non fans. All in all it's a good read. Hopefully we won't have as long of a wait for the next book.
Rating: 
Summary: Darkness Visible
Review: This newest installment of Harry Potter is a journey that we haven't taken before. While the other books grew progressively darker, there was a lot of humor to break things up. By about page 700 of Phoenix, I felt that I had the weight of the world on me and rushed to finish it not because of the sheer enjoyment of a good book, but because I was desperate to know if my favorite characters would survive.
In the fifth book, Harry must deal with not only O.W.L.s(ordinary wizarding levels - think SATs), new members on the Gryffindor quidditch team, revelations about his parents, sadistic detentions given by the new Dark Arts teacher, a constantly painful scar,but also with simple teenage things like his inability to understand Cho Chang, his crush. The fact that teenage girls are indecipherable to even a powerful wizard like Harry should make many fans feel a little better about what they're experiencing in their everyday worlds.
The evil in this book is an evil that seems to reach down into your chest and make it difficult to breathe. It's such a sheer evil and so omnipresent that even the smallest bit of humor (often provided by the Weasley twins) is not simply a relief, but a necessity.
All in all, Phoenix is a great read, just be prepared to feel exhausted by it - even if you don't stay up all night reading:)
Rating:
Summary: More than worth the wait
Review: While the wait has been very long, The Order Of The Phoenix has gone above and beyond the first 4 books. This time we get a much more broad view of the wizarding world, and how characters react within it. Although it is MUCH more complex than the first few books, Rowling has always said it has been her desire to have the readers grow up with the books, so true to form this is more of a pre-teen to teen book instead of a childrens book. I enjoyed the book very much, and the only downfall is now I have to wait all over again for the next. ENJOY!!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent, couldn't put it down
Review: JK Rowling didn't disappoint with Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix. It lived up to the high expectations we have come to expect from Harry Potter. I read through the entire book in one evening and jokingly thought the book may be bewitched like the books Ron described in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets when he and Ron found Riddle's diary. I hope that I do not have to wait 3 more years to find out what happens in Harry's sixth year at Hogwarts.
Rating:
Summary: better and better
Review: This book arrived Saturday afternoon and I finished reading it early Sunday morning. I would have to say that this book is the best yet in an excellent series. The writing has become significantly more sophisticated to parallel Harry's maturation. The issues (love, death, etc.) have also become more sophisticated as well. If you liked the first four books, you'll love this one.
Rating:
Summary: Longer, darker, better!
Review: The first thing to say is that not everyone will find OOTP better than the previous books. The tone is darker, Harry is very upset and feels different than the other books and character development is much stronger while plot twists and turns are down-played. But for me this is just an incredible book! The first two chapters are, in my opinion, the best two that JK Rowling has ever written. From there things slow a little bit but my interest did not waiver one time. We find out much more about the past of Sirius, Snape and Harry's own father James than we had done. Perhaps most importantly we find out Trelawney's first prediction and why Dumbledore has kept Harry in the dark up till now. Many questions are answered in this book but many are left open and, as it ends we wonder, now that the wizarding world is more united, what is the Dark Lord going to do about it? Will Harry fulfill his destiny or will Voldemort overcome him? And, on a lighter side, will Fred & George become the big kingpins on Diagon Alley, is Hermione wearing her Christmas present from Ron and what were there OWL results! On a practical note, those who do not have much experience of English slang might want to keep a British dictionary handy with this one - the book seems less "translated" than the others and much better for it. Finally, the wait was long but oh so worth it!
Rating:
Summary: The best Harry Potter Ever!
Review: This has far surpassed, in every field, the other Harry Potter books. I have never been as hooked on a book. Ever. The book contains a very pleasing ratio of suspense, humor, action, mystery and emotion that makes you know why your reading Harry Potter. Now I concur with the fact that the book is dark. It is much more dark than any of its predecessors, however the darkness factor makes you really get involved in the lives of the characters. Part of this new feeling is that the Harry that we see in this book is much different than the Harry we see in the last four. Another plus is that this book elicits your entire repertoire of emotion. To top off all of this beautiful writing that I have described to you, the plot is very deep and the world that J.K. Rowling created thickens throughout this book. This thick volume(which is really easy and fun to read, so don't get startled by the size) is definatly different than the others, but that is a good thing because the series needed a good revamping. This book is highly entertaining and, in my opinion, the best Harry Potter ever.
Rating:
Summary: Harry Potter enchants again!
Review: J.K. Rowling said once that the craziness surrounding the publication of "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" astounded her, but since then, the publication of "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" and now "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" have topped that more spectacularly each time. And with good reason; the Harry Potter books are wonderful, fun and fantasy-filled, entertaining for both children and adults. "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" does not disappoint. I've read all the other books in the series, and this was the first one where I could hardly tear my eyes away. I bought it as soon as the stores opened here in Germany, and it seemed that everywhere that I went, people noticed immediately exactly what book I was reading whilst on the train or walking around the streets of Munich. This book is a little bit of a departure from the first four. For the first time, though the book is massive, the events of the book rely heavily upon events which took place in the previous books. I think anybody who hasn't read the end of "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" may be a bit lost, because that is practically the starting point of all the events that come to pass in this edition. Also, more than in any of the other books in this series, there seem to be more things left to be resolved at a later date. Furthermore, as promised in all the hype, this book takes on a darker tone. Of course, part of this is due to the fact that Voldemort is back in earnest. Apart from that, however, Harry and Ron and Hermione are now 15, which is an awkward time to begin with, but these three, especially Harry, have already been through a lot. This doesn't leave them unaffected, and the reader Harry dealing, for the first time, with a more sustained anger with which is sometimes hard for him to control. Considering what he's been through, he's got every reason to have these feelings, however, he struggles with controlling the emotions before they control him. I liked this, because it makes Harry very human. This is one of Harry's greatest strengths in the magical world, but it is also one of the things that makes him so popular with his readers. If any book could live up to the expectations and the hype surrounding it for so long, this one can do it. It's a great tale, and the character development and dynamics that Rowling creates are wonderful. The question left in my mind now is how all these things are going to fit in to the story as it progresses in the next two books, as it seems like the groundwork for the last, final battle against Voldemort and his minions are falling into place.
Rating:
Summary: Existing fans won't be disappointed
Review: My copy arrived in the mail on Saturday June 21, and once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down until I was done on Sunday, June 22. You can definitely tell that Harry Potter is growing up. This is a full, fast-paced book. The focus is more on Harry growing up and the relationships between the characters, although you do get the normal showdown in the final pages followed by a revealing talk between Harry and Dumbledore. Expect to see the return of almost all of your favorite characters from previous books, although Harry doesn't get to interact very much with some of the grown up ones. We also learn more about Harry Potter's parents. If you've been a fan of Harry Potter, you won't be disappointed in this book. It is the natural progression of what happened at the end of Book 4. If you're new to Harry Potter, I recommend reading the earlier books in the series first because it really builds on the existing people and events.
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