What readers think of Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix, plus links to write your own review.

I thought the fifth book was awesome. I found myself wishing even more that I was a wizard and that there was such a place as Hogwarts and that witches and wizards really exist.

These books are the BEST ever. I'd read them all and am planning to read them again. Thay're so awesome and fantastic. I really wished Hogwarts would exist...

Harry Potter is an exciting and Mysterious book. When ever I read these books I want to keep on reading and never stop. Some people believe that Harry Potter books are boring and are to long well if your one of those people you should read one of the books because youll get caught on to it like that, because of its exciting plot with twist and turns. In my review I am focused more on the fifth book more than any of the others. If you have read and finished the fifth book you clearly know that <<edited for plot spoilers>>. Now then again there are always some bad points to a book so one of her weak points was Hagrids Tale. This parts to me was boreing and just not that much excitement even tho I felt sorry for Hagrid I truly feel that this was one of her weak point. This was amazing magical and spectacular.

im 16 years old from malaysia and i am a great big fan of harry potter and the latest book was just amazing.the book was really well written and i just hope that a miracle will happen <<edited for plot spoiler>> .furthermore hopefully the details about what snape did for dumbledore and for the order of phoenix during the 1970 in his own personal risk would be written.

If she's still browsing the forums, a question for Jenny who writes:

"...from a psychological perspective, J.K. Rowling has taken Harry exactly where he needs to go."

I'm a bit confused by this statement. While I would agree that the angst-riddled path she has chosen take his character down is understadable given the various traumas that have occured in his past, I'm also perplexed at the lack of sophistication with which the issue is handled. Sure, Harry's had a bad run of things but I think that it's important to remember the facts of his situation that was presented at the very beginning of the series. Harry came from a home where neglect, derision, humiliation and other assorted abuses were daily events. Harry probably should have been either a lot angrier, completely withdrawn or exhibited anti-social behavior of some kind. But, no - that's simply not Harry, is it? Regardless of all this, he was still a normal, reletively well-adjusted child who got on quite well with others. This is quite uncommon (closer to well-nigh unbelievable) but makes a bold, unequivocating statement about the kind of person he is and it is prominent throughout the first four books.

So, how is it possible that his mindset that has already survived through so much abuse, suddenly evaporate? I would maintain that such a quick and radical alteration of Harry's personality is unlikely due to his well-documented resiliency and that there is no evidence that a single event preceeding this had caused immediate catastrophic trauma to his psyche.

Don't get me wrong; I'm not saying that it's impossible for Harry to change but I think that a subtle, slow burn over an extended period of time followed by a clearly illustrated breaking point would be a lot more believable.

Oh, and lastly, I don't mean to be offensive but to scoff at people who criticize Tolkien's style just because they themslves cannot write something that exceeds the Lord of the Rings isn't fair and more than a little problematic if you stop and consider the ramifications.

Forgive the messy organization of thought... I'm pretty tired at the moment.

In essence, what you're suggesting is that the value of an opinion should be based strictly on expertise. In this system, any opinion that does not originate from a superior source should be considered worthless which effectively renders 99.99999999999999% of all opinions on every subject at every time as such. This leaves about three people on earth who's comments should actually be taken seriously. But wait! Even that is not certain... By who's authority do these people earn the distinction of expert in a particular discipline? In matters concerning physics, mathematics and NASCAR this really isn't too big a problem but what of fields (like writing or other arts) that are, by their very nature, completely subjective? Okay, now let’s backtrack a bit… Because you have already established the bright line rule that, "If you can't do better, who are you to criticize?" then you must also accept that, in reality, the true implication is, "If you can't do better, everything you say, be it positive or negative bears no weight". As I see it, the situation is very tough now. With the negation of public opinion there are no acceptable means by quantification to determine what is a great work and what is utter spew. This leaves us with only the opinion of the great authors themselves but... um... well... We have no way of knowing who they are, remember?

I think that when evaluating the validity of personal opinion one should focus on how well the statement was defended and not simply tossed aside because of their source.

It is a very cool and awsome book

i think this book it's great

J.K. Rowling has created a world. Having read her five books, I am so impressed that with each novel, she introduces new elements whilst answering old questions. Harry is growing up - and after all that he has been through, it is very realistic to read his anger and confusion. It is interesting that reviews note that "The Order of the Phoenix" is not as compelling as her first three novels. From an entertainment point of view, these opinions are correct, but from a psychological perspective, J.K. Rowling has taken Harry exactly where he needs to go. Some reviewers have berated Ms. Rowling's writing style (and have done so in very poorly written commentaries, I might add). However, J.R.R. Tolkein has been criticized in a similar fashion - and I have yet to see any reviewer create works equivalent to the masterpieces of the author criticized.

I believe that Ms. Rowling has addressed the dark places Harry is going, has adeptly captured his state of mind and has used the Order of the Phoenix as a "turning point" novel. The Harry who appears in the final two books has been presented in this fifth novel. The Order of the Phoenix can only be criticized when compared to the author's own previous creations. This is because the Harry Potter novels far exceed any other reputable literature in their genre - as such, the Order of the Phoenix is wonderful.