***MY GENERAL THOUGHTS***
I started and finished this book in 2021, it was actually my last book of the year. However, I have been postponing writing the review for it for about a while now because I felt conflicted about it. My feelings for it were unclear and my thoughts complicated. I couldn't decide how I should rate it and I'm still unsure as I'm beginning to write this review, so I just hope by the end, when I'm done with it, I will have come to a conclusion. So I will just try to lay my thoughts down and see if I can figure it out, but if you'd care to see my previous review of this series for "The Goblet of Fire" before reading this one, you can find it here.
First of all, I'd like to mention that I have watched the movies before reading the books so I had a good idea what was coming and I've also read plenty of spoilers online, watched videos about the whole series and I had a very good idea about it in general. More specifically, the fifth movie is one of my favorites (if not my favorite), so a good part of my confusion and indecisiveness about this book may come from the high expectations I had about this book because of my love of the movie. Another reason for my high expectations may well be the good impression I had of the previous book which I enjoyed thoroughly. Then again, I don't think it's just me being biased, because I could point at some legit issues with this book, some objective problems. To cut the long story short, let's get to it... I apologize in advance for the super long post, but I had so many things to say (and I didn't even say everything I've been meaning to say, I had to cut out a few of the smaller, more insignificant parts). I just couldn't stop myself.
***NON-SPOILER SECTION***
Once more in this series, we have an enormous book, in fact much bigger than the rest. Even though the pacing is good, the story flows nicely, it doesn't get tiring or boring and it does have things to say, I still think it could have been a bit more compact. It wasn't by any means one of my big problems with the book, in fact, this was one of the least significant problems I had with it and I would probably not have even noticed or minded if the rest was flawless. But the fact of the matter is that plotwise this is kind of the middle point of the whole story, so it has this feeling of a middle book. We have a significant plot point in the previous book (Voldemort coming back to life) and then this book which is basically people not believing Harry, the Ministry messing things up and then everyone coming to the realization they should have come to one book ago. And then we have the next books, where we all know that some pretty heavy things happen there. So this book is a long, suspenseful build-up to the next and a midway point to the overarching story. So, it being so long when it is a transitional book, even though is not the most important problem, still doesn't really help.
The writing is great for one more time, I think there's no doubt about Rowling's skills as a writer, so I won't further analyze this, there is no need.
This book has a good amount of worldbuilding; new details about the world, new magical beings, new settings and it all is certainly very entertaining. We learn more about giants which I wasn't so crazy about, we learn a bit more about centaurs that I already liked. I really enjoyed the addition of the thestrals and I thought they were amazing! The change of setting from Burrow to Sirius's house was definitely interesting and different and gave the book a whole other dark feeling, but at the same time, I found it to be funny at times what with his mother's portrait shrieking and all (even though, I could have done without all the cleaning and decluttering scenes).
The general mood and atmosphere of this book are obviously darker than the previous ones and it's to be expected as the story gets more serious, the characters grow up and the story matures with them.
***SPOILER SECTION***
We had quite a few new characters in this book. I really enjoyed the addition of Tonks in this book; I liked her and felt like I was vibing with her on many occasions. She is strong, smart, and funny and definitely adds something different to the story. Luna of course is great and loveable and we get to see more of some of the villains - Death Eaters. I also thought that the addition of Phineas Nigellus - even as just a portrait - was entertaining and I wish we'd seen more of him! And, of course... Umbridge... Now, what can I say about her that hasn't already been told? She is absolutely revolting and she gets worse after each page! She is an absolute tyrant, the embodiment of our worst fears in a teacher as students and a representation of all things foul that have to do with authority and its abuse. I was happy that in the end she got what she deserved.
I really liked the Order of the Phoenix and how all the characters we already knew are now united in this team and they work together for a common purpose. It's nice to see them all together and to see a bit more of their personality. It's also nice to see them all team up no matter their feelings about each other; whether they like or hate each other.
The D.A.D.A. parts were also very interesting and I really loved seeing the students working together and learning new things together. Although I didn't care about Harry and Cho's relationship and it was obvious from early on that it wasn't going to work between them.
Fred and George were really funny for once more just doing their thing and I really loved what they did to Umbridge and how they dramatically left the school!
One of the most interesting parts of the book for me was the Occlumensy lessons! I really enjoyed reading about them and about everything that was going on between Harry and Snape. Snape is consistently, throughout the book, one of my favorite characters, whether he's being his worst or his best version and in this book we get one of the slightly better versions of Snape. He - even though grudgingly - actively tries to help and guide Harry, he tries to give him some insight, some understanding, and he helps the Order a lot. Even when he gets mad and lushes out, it feels understandable in the circumstances of the book (like for example when he got mad after Harry saw his memories). One thing I disliked, however, was that Harry didn't pay much attention to his Occlumency lessons. Actually, it felt as though he was just wasting what was being offered to him, like he didn't care and didn't even try to gain something out of this. It even got me thinking that maybe Snape was justified in considering him arrogant.
One thing I liked about the books, in general, and even more in this book in particular, is that we get to see a lot more of Harry's actual personality that could not be seen that much - if at all - in the movies. I really love Harry's sass and his sarcastic remarks, they make him really stand out and be more interesting as a protagonist, while in the movies he's more "meh". Even though in this particular book we didn't just get to see his sass and humor but also a more annoying side. Harry spends the best part of the beginning of the book being grumpy, whiny, and really irritating in general. I'm not talking about the moments when he's anxious about what is happening in the world and when he is reasonably feeling left out. These are all understandable and I could totally feel them. I'm talking about the moments that he was a whiny baby, constantly complaining, refusing to understand why certain things had to be the way they had to be, refusing to listen to whatever he was being told, and just being the shadier part of an angsty teenager. He even went looking for trouble with his cousin which is not like him generally and who knows how things would have gone if the dementors had not arrived. He's even being a twat to his friends when he finally finds them because he was feeling left out. Thankfully, this doesn't last too long and he comes around, but just in time when he comes around and seems to be back to himself, Sirius starts being the whiny complaining baby who refuses to understand and follow rules!
But I think it's about time to talk about one of my main problems with this book and that would have to be the scene in the Department of Mysteries, which is also supposed to be the most crucial, important, and climactic scene in the whole story. This whole chapter suffers. And it's not just my personal opinion or preference. No, this chapter has some objective problems, the main of which I found to be the lack of clarity. There were moments that I was completely lost and I couldn't understand where the characters were, how they got there and where they were going! One moment I thought we were in the dark spinning room, then suddenly a brain jumps towards me, then I thought we were in the shining room but no apparently we were right back to the dark room which had already started spinning! There was a moment when I couldn't tell if these people were getting in the room or these other people were getting out of it! Did Bellatrix chase them in the dark room or out of it? I kept rereading sentences to understand what was happening and it didn't always help, so a couple of times I had to just accept the chaos and move forward with the story. I feel like all these different rooms and places weren't really all that necessary. It almost feels like Rowling went like "Okay, this is the Department of Mysteries so we need to make it MYSTERIOUS!" and she just went ahead and took it way overboard! So yes mostly confusing and unclear but, thankfully, the important bits were done well and clearly. Even if the majority of the scene was hectic and confusing, the main plot points within the scene (Sirius's death and the fight between Dumbledore and Voldemort) were very clear and strong and I enjoyed them!
As for Sirius's death, it was sad but it didn't touch me as much as I expected, especially after seeing how heart-wrenching Cedric's death was in the previous book. Sirius's death in the book didn't feel as devastating to me and I didn't like how Harry's reaction was written, because again it didn't touch me. Or at least, not in the way I'd expect it since this was Harry's last living family member. It should be devastating and painful to read but to me, it was a bit "meh". Maybe it was supposed to be this way, maybe it meant to show that Harry is in some sort of limbo after witnessing and experiencing so many horrible things, maybe he simply feels detached. Even his sense of guilt for his godfather's death didn't feel real to me. The discussion between Harry and Dumbledore after the battle was interesting and heartfelt but not so much in the parts that had to do with Sirius's death, but more so in how it explained Dumbledore's attachment to Harry. This part was something we hadn't seen before and we got to see it in this book for the first time. It was a sweet moment that restored all the lost ground and lost trust between them.
***COMPARISON WITH THE MOVIE***
The fifth movie is one of my favorite movies in the series and so far it's definitely my favorite book to movie adaptation. It's not as faithful as some of the previous ones, but I think it's the best, anyway. Because it does an excellent job in including what really needed to be included while excluding all the unnecessary bits. The movie is compact and strong.
The portrayal of the characters is very accurate to the book and the acting is simply flawless! The new cast members are all on point and the older ones give great performances. Umbridge is depicted perfectly and she is as loathsome as she was in the book, Tonks is great, Luna's actress is perfect, the addition of Helena Bonam Carter as Bellatrix is chilling and Voldemort is of course still perfect!
Most of the parts that were changed I feel were made better. Like for example, in the movie, Harry doesn't go looking for trouble with Dudley, instead, Dudley is being just the usual bully he is and he goes looking for trouble until they're attacked by the dementors. This feels much more true to both their characters and I feel that actually, this is one of the best opening scenes of all the Harry Potter movies as it's interesting, intense, and perfectly sets the tone and mood.
Another example; the scene in the Department of Mysteries is greatly simplified and works much better. I mean creating such a complex department surely is admirable, but does it work as well in terms of storytelling? In my opinion, the simplified version works better. This scene in the movie is not only simplified by reducing inessential details but it's also enriched by increasing all the important and interesting character dynamics. It was so much better that all of the students got to fight together as a team in the movie, whereas in the book, each person was unconscious in a different room and away from the main action. I also liked better the fact that they all heard the prophecy right then and there, while in the book the prophecy is smashed and Harry only finds out after being told by Dumbledore.
I liked Harry and Sirius's relationship more as it was portrayed in the movie rather than in the books; it felt more emotional and heart-warming. And Sirius's death was also better in the movie in my opinion. His last words, the moment when he died, the moment when Harry saw it and how the movie went silent while we saw Harry's reaction, the pain on his face... it was heart-wrenching as it should be and, while we had a nice bonding moment with Harry and Dumbledore afterward, we were at least spared of all the pointless mess Harry made of his office.
One thing I liked more in the book and I think could and probably should have been included in the movie was Mc Gonagal being attacked by Umbridge and her followers. It was so sad, Hagrid's reaction was priceless and when she finally came back toward the end it was just perfect! Even though this particular scene was missing from the movie, we still got to see quite a bit of Mc Gonagal's fierce and kick-ass spirit and her rivalry with Umbridge, but I have to admit, it was a bit richer in the book and it was totally worth it!
***MY FINAL THOUGHTS AND RATING***
Having laid all my thoughts down, I can now resume by saying that I generally enjoyed this book very much. It does have some issues that I can't help but notice and point out, but it's still a very good book overall with a very interesting story. I didn't love "Order of the Phoenix" as much as I loved "Goblet of Fire" which is still my favorite of the series so far, but I still enjoyed it thoroughly. Story-wise I liked the "Order of the Phoenix" more than "Prisoner of Azkaban", but "Order" was objectively not as well-written as "Prisoner" or "Goblet", both of which are excellently written, while this one has a couple of problems.
It may seem that I have criticized the "Order" too much, so maybe you're thinking that I didn't like it, but this could not be further from the truth. The truth is that I really liked it and I thought it was a great book! I just liked it a little bit less than the previous book in the series and I thought that it wasn't as perfectly written as some others in the series, but it's still a great read that's worth your time and attention.
So, my rating for this book is going to have to be 4* out of 5*, because it didn't really touch this 5* perfection for me, but it was still pretty good and I couldn't possibly give it a lower rating as I feel this would be unfair. It's the same rating I gave to the "Prisoner" which I didn't love as much as a story, but was more well written than this one, so same rating, different reasons. This book is my second favorite of the Harry Potter books so far. I am curious about the next books and can't wait to see what'll happen and what I'm going to think of them.
Thank you for bearing with me through another huge post! Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Feel free to share your opinions about the post and about the book; I always love talking with you!
Thanks for reading! Until the next time!
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