Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J. K. Rowling

MG Fantasy. 870 Pages. 4 Stars

Synopsis:

There is a door at the end of a silent corridor. And it’s haunting Harry Potter’s dreams. Why else would he be waking in the middle of the night, screaming in terror?

Harry has a lot on his mind for this, his fifth year at Hogwarts: a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher with a personality like poisoned honey; a big surprise on the Gryffindor Quidditch team; and the looming terror of the Ordinary Wizarding Level exams. But all these things pale next to the growing threat of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named – a threat that neither the magical government nor the authorities at Hogwarts can stop.

As the grasp of darkness tightens, Harry must discover the true depth and strength of his friends, the importance of boundless loyalty, and the shocking price of unbearable sacrifice.

His fate depends on them all.

My Review:

Truthfully, the first half of this one bored me sooo much. It took 9 hours of audio book to see so little accomplished. It was a bit of a slog for me up through Christmas. Things did eventually pick up, though, and I was more interested in the second half.

I do really enjoy Rowling’s characters. I have since the beginning, with Harry being the exception. And he really outdid himself with the annoyance levels in this one. I mean, I understand why the kid was angry. I get it. Multiple reasons. Totally realistic! But it got on my last nerve. I spent half the book yelling at Harry to shut up and calm down. Rowling does an excellent job of creating distinct, unique characters, but I don’t see what everyone loves Harry so much for. He’s an annoying little twerp. I know I didn’t read these as a kid and so I don’t have all the nostalgia vibes and everything, but I just don’t connect with him. Emotionally, I got nothing over here.

Umbridge on the other hand. She was brilliant. Don’t get me wrong. The woman is of the vilest sort!! But she stirred an emotional connection and got a reaction out of me! She’s so infuriating! And it was nice to have some kind of reaction to the story. I wanted Dumbledore to do something, to smite the woman and put her in her place! And seeing the other teachers toward the end of the novel give Umbridge her comeuppance was a treat indeed 😀

I’m intrigued by this development in the overall plot, and now I’m definitely suspicious that Neville will play a greater role than anyone around him imagines. (Cheering him on cause he’s a good kid!) The climactic battle was full of surprises which was kind of fun since the buildup wasn’t my favorite. Oh! And the thing I shall not spoil with Snape! Dudes, I seriously hope that’s not all there is for him cause I like Snape and that would be a letdown if that’s all there is to him and his backstory. Getting to know more about Harry’s past was cool, though. And seeing Lupin again was awesome! Even if it wasn’t much. I’m not sure why everyone loves Luna so much, but she was another quirky addition to the cast that was kind of fun to get to know. Oh, but I loved Reeta’s re-entrance in the story! That was brilliant fun. And the horse-creatures (I can’t remember what they were called) were really neat.

It was also fun to see more of Sirius’s house and elf and heritage, etc. I really like how Rowling expands her world with each book, but each new setting feels like it had been there all along. She builds and builds, but all of the pieces fit so seamlessly together. I will say the bit with the archway in the climax really confused me. And maybe because of how many pages it took Harry to accept the truth, but again, I didn’t emotionally connect with him, so I felt nothing. And what actually even happened?! The archway was never explained. So, didn’t love that.

Dumbledore’s prattling at the end is usually wise and intriguing and at least a bit helpful, but I also didn’t love the way his final meeting with Harry went in this book. It dragged on and didn’t get us anywhere. Though, the paintings in his office were epically cool and a fun part of the plot. The station at the end was fun too. I hope we get to see more of that gang, especially Tonks.

Oh, and the beginning with Dudley and company. That was a more intriguing opening than Harry normally gets. I’m now suspicious that his Aunt may actually care for him in some capacity.

Anyhow, on to the next book. I really do hope all this is worth it in the end. But I can’t say this was a favorite book. Maybe it would improve upon rereading.

Content: magic, death, possession, bullies, a cruel, cruel authority figure. There’s no foul language, no romance, and some fantasy violence. I’d probably recommend for 15/16+

More:

Book 1 in the Harry Potter series is Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (3 Stars)

Book 2 is Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (3 Stars)

Book 3 is Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (4 Stars)

Book 4 is Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (4 Stars)

Book 6 is Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (4 Stars)

Book 7 is Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

I’m currently reading the series, so they haven’t all been rated or reviewed on Goodreads yet. But I am updating as I read through the series, so stay tuned!

The series should be read in order.

On GraceBought

If you missed it, you can find my thoughts on the previous books in the series here! And stay tuned for my review of the next book!

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire