Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

JULY 17, 2003

I love Harry. I completely and totally adore him. I went to Barnes and Nobles at midnight on June 21st to stand amongst thirteen year-olds to buy this book. I read the first four books in six weeks and couldn't comprehend how I would be able to wait for the fifth. Two years later it arrived and the 870 pages seemed like it might be a little short.

Given my unabashed love of Harry, you may wonder why I gave it a B+. How could J.K. do any wrong at all? Well, she did in my opinion. I read every page with complete and total adoration but when the book ended I felt that something was missing. [Now is the time you should stop reading if you don't want to see any spoilers.]

The end of this book leaves so much to be desired. The final battle was neither big nor exciting and there were some aspects of the story that were left completely unresolved. I am certain this was Rowling's intention and I'm okay without total resolution when there are two more books in the series, but it was done without elegance. The fourth book was easily my favorite because it left the story wide open and the reader with a million questions while still providing a heart-stopping final battle and a plot in the book that stood on its own. The same thing cannot be said for the fifth installment. The students had to contend with their O.W.L.'s and Harry had a big crush on Cho, which are big enough stories, but neither really get resolved and they certainly don't compare with the Tri-Wizard Tournament.

That being said, this book did bring out a side of Harry and the others that we haven't seen before. Harry is growing up and is starting to exhibit feelings of fear and desolation. It's odd, but completely logical, to see him act so sullen. Ron and Neville are finally starting to take on a bit more personality, which has been great. Also, we're starting to get a better idea of the motivations behind the faculty at Hogwarts. Overall, Rowling did a great job forwarding the plot and the whole thing was coherent and captivating, which is impressive for a 900 page book.

Still, the book reminds me a lot of Matrix Reloaded in that it is clearly a section of the bigger story. The other Harry Potter books were able to stand on their own, but this one isn't quite capable. For that reason, despite my love for Harry and the imagination of J.K. Rowling, I have to give this a B+.

Posted in Book at 10:47 am.