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A review by allowableman2
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
4.0
Gone is the at least outwardly cheerful world of the first, second, third, and fourth books. In this one, the government is blatantly corrupt, the adults are all distant, preoccupied, and deliberately hiding information from you, everyone seems to hate you, no one seems to care about your problems, and you are alone.
Negatives: Do we need so many irrelevant details and subplots that only serve to pad the pages? Remember how all the little details complemented the plot instead of overwhelming it?
Umbridge and Fudge are supposed to be annoying, but their cruelty or stupidity makes parts of the book feel more like a chore than anything.
Sirus Black is utterly wasted in this book; he is essentially left being imprisoned in a house he hates and then dies.
Positives: I like how it explores the psychological impact of Harry having witnessed Cedric's murder, with him breaking down at the end because of the people he lost. The book also adds more layers and grayness to Dumbledore and Snape's characters. The scenes outside of Hogwarts, like being in the hospital with Neville, learning about Sirus's and some of the Order's past, and the Battle at the Department of Mysteries, are the high points of this book.
Negatives: Do we need so many irrelevant details and subplots that only serve to pad the pages? Remember how all the little details complemented the plot instead of overwhelming it?
Umbridge and Fudge are supposed to be annoying, but their cruelty or stupidity makes parts of the book feel more like a chore than anything.
Sirus Black is utterly wasted in this book; he is essentially left being imprisoned in a house he hates and then dies.
Positives: I like how it explores the psychological impact of Harry having witnessed Cedric's murder, with him breaking down at the end because of the people he lost. The book also adds more layers and grayness to Dumbledore and Snape's characters. The scenes outside of Hogwarts, like being in the hospital with Neville, learning about Sirus's and some of the Order's past, and the Battle at the Department of Mysteries, are the high points of this book.