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A review by tomhardygirl
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
2.0
Well, while it appears that I am not within the majority in regards to how lowly I rated this book, it is difficult for me to understand how it’s been rated so highly by so many, with such little criticism.
I, of course, treasured spending time with Harry Potter as I find it easy to escape into the world of Wizards and Magic and Hogwarts, into a place where everything is so joyfully and completely opposite from everyday reality, but that hardly takes away from how, at times, gruelling it was to push through this book. Sure, I could have shouldered through the overwhelming bounty of injustice and Harry’s justified but annoying temperament, even pushed through Dumbledore’s needless (but understandable) sea of secrecy, if it weren’t coupled with the fact that practically nothing but filler occurred in the largest volume of this entire series. Nine hundred pages of almost nothing, which felt like a complete and utter halt from the incidents within the Goblet of Fire. Completely plateauing into the most mundane year at Hogwarts for Harry after the return of Voldemort is just not the most ideal way to experience this journey as a reader.
Perhaps I would have found it more enjoyable if Harry himself found the year more enjoyable, but the under the constant transgressions of Umbridge, the Slytherins, and even Snape himself—the whole thing just got tired pretty fast. Obviously the joyfulness of Hogwarts cannot be so throughly maintained under the looming threat of Voldemort’s return, but I think even more explanation from Dumbledore earlier on in the books would have made this far easier—or at least more enjoyable—to get through. Unfortunately, by the middle, I was almost ready for the repetitive year of abuse after abuse to come to a close so that perhaps we could finally get somewhere in book six, which I truly do hope happens, as the only thing that got me to scrape through this book is my irreverent fondness for not only this story, but each of these characters I’ve grown to so fully love (or in some cases, despise).
Again, I hope that the last two books pick up with greater speed, or at least are in any way, more fun or… to the point. Either way, I know that I will enjoy them because spending time in Harry’s World has become a pastime I greatly look forward to and thoroughly adore. And who knows, perhaps on reread, under the circumstance that I know this will be the steady plateau between the events of the end of book four and the future of the Wizarding World, I may enjoy it far more than I did the first time around. For now … I love Harry dearly, and enjoyed spending the length of this book with him regardless ❤️
ALSO, SIDE NOTE: Sirius, my dear, sweet Sirius …
I, of course, treasured spending time with Harry Potter as I find it easy to escape into the world of Wizards and Magic and Hogwarts, into a place where everything is so joyfully and completely opposite from everyday reality, but that hardly takes away from how, at times, gruelling it was to push through this book. Sure, I could have shouldered through the overwhelming bounty of injustice and Harry’s justified but annoying temperament, even pushed through Dumbledore’s needless (but understandable) sea of secrecy, if it weren’t coupled with the fact that practically nothing but filler occurred in the largest volume of this entire series. Nine hundred pages of almost nothing, which felt like a complete and utter halt from the incidents within the Goblet of Fire. Completely plateauing into the most mundane year at Hogwarts for Harry after the return of Voldemort is just not the most ideal way to experience this journey as a reader.
Perhaps I would have found it more enjoyable if Harry himself found the year more enjoyable, but the under the constant transgressions of Umbridge, the Slytherins, and even Snape himself—the whole thing just got tired pretty fast. Obviously the joyfulness of Hogwarts cannot be so throughly maintained under the looming threat of Voldemort’s return, but I think even more explanation from Dumbledore earlier on in the books would have made this far easier—or at least more enjoyable—to get through. Unfortunately, by the middle, I was almost ready for the repetitive year of abuse after abuse to come to a close so that perhaps we could finally get somewhere in book six, which I truly do hope happens, as the only thing that got me to scrape through this book is my irreverent fondness for not only this story, but each of these characters I’ve grown to so fully love (or in some cases, despise).
Again, I hope that the last two books pick up with greater speed, or at least are in any way, more fun or… to the point. Either way, I know that I will enjoy them because spending time in Harry’s World has become a pastime I greatly look forward to and thoroughly adore. And who knows, perhaps on reread, under the circumstance that I know this will be the steady plateau between the events of the end of book four and the future of the Wizarding World, I may enjoy it far more than I did the first time around. For now … I love Harry dearly, and enjoyed spending the length of this book with him regardless ❤️
ALSO, SIDE NOTE: Sirius, my dear, sweet Sirius …