Synopsis: As Harry Potter prepares for his fifth year at Hogwarts, it is deeply irritated by the lack of contact from his friends and the absence of any news on Voldemort's return. He learns that the Ministry of Magic is trying to cover it up (or trying to not believe it). Harry learns that the Order of the Phoenix has been re-established as a way to fight Voldemort and his Deatheaters. Among the Order are Sirius, Lupin, Mad-Eye, the Weasley parents, and a couple new characters. Upon returning to Hogwarts, Harry experiences many things: eerie visions when he's asleep, the arrival of an evil, new teacher (who soon becomes the High Inquisitor and Headmistress), a deepening relationship with Cho, and the creation of Dumbledore's Army (a group of students who want to learn defensive magic from Harry).
The Good: This is one of the darkest books in the series; it contains scenes of torture, death, fighting, possession, and more. And I love it for that. I don't think the series would be as popular if it kept skipping down the lighthearted path that the first three books took. Harry is moodier, quicker to snap at everyone, confused, and hormone-driven. I think it's great to see a character grow in this way, and it shows that the protagonist doesn't need to be likeable, just worthy of sympathy. There were some very funny scenes, such as when Harry is sitting in a cafe with Cho, surrounded by kissing couples, and he is filled with insecurities. Also, when he jumps into Snape's memory via the pensieve, the scene that unfolds is written extremely well. Finally, the characters continue to be especially well-developed as the series continues. I especially like the Weasley twins, Ron, Lupin, and Snape in this book.
The Bad: With any book this long (700+ pages), the main flaw is bound to be--in my opinion, anyways--too much information. There was so much that could have been removed from the story without affecting it. For example, the storyline involving Hagrid and his "little" brother Grawp. That's great if the author wants to expand on the character of Hagrid (although I'm growing a little bored of him by this point) or maybe build up to some future plot. But every scene with Grawp or Hagrid just bored me. Also, I thought the climax (or more specifically, Voldemort's ultimate goal of the book) was a little dull. When the readers are clued in to what Voldemort was after, that took him months of hacking into Harry's head and several attempts by Deatheaters, it's a letdown. There isn't much to it that we didn't already know.
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Spoiler: I did not like the fact that Sirius was killed, especially in such an unceremonious way. In fact, I don't really think he's dead...he'll be back in book #7. Also, while the DA is fighting the Deatheaters, I don't understand why the bad guys used the stunning spell instead of the killing spell. It was mentioned several times that they were going to kill them all after they got the prophecy...why did they wait?
The Good: This is one of the darkest books in the series; it contains scenes of torture, death, fighting, possession, and more. And I love it for that. I don't think the series would be as popular if it kept skipping down the lighthearted path that the first three books took. Harry is moodier, quicker to snap at everyone, confused, and hormone-driven. I think it's great to see a character grow in this way, and it shows that the protagonist doesn't need to be likeable, just worthy of sympathy. There were some very funny scenes, such as when Harry is sitting in a cafe with Cho, surrounded by kissing couples, and he is filled with insecurities. Also, when he jumps into Snape's memory via the pensieve, the scene that unfolds is written extremely well. Finally, the characters continue to be especially well-developed as the series continues. I especially like the Weasley twins, Ron, Lupin, and Snape in this book.
The Bad: With any book this long (700+ pages), the main flaw is bound to be--in my opinion, anyways--too much information. There was so much that could have been removed from the story without affecting it. For example, the storyline involving Hagrid and his "little" brother Grawp. That's great if the author wants to expand on the character of Hagrid (although I'm growing a little bored of him by this point) or maybe build up to some future plot. But every scene with Grawp or Hagrid just bored me. Also, I thought the climax (or more specifically, Voldemort's ultimate goal of the book) was a little dull. When the readers are clued in to what Voldemort was after, that took him months of hacking into Harry's head and several attempts by Deatheaters, it's a letdown. There isn't much to it that we didn't already know.
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Spoiler: I did not like the fact that Sirius was killed, especially in such an unceremonious way. In fact, I don't really think he's dead...he'll be back in book #7. Also, while the DA is fighting the Deatheaters, I don't understand why the bad guys used the stunning spell instead of the killing spell. It was mentioned several times that they were going to kill them all after they got the prophecy...why did they wait?
