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matt_zimmerA Review of J.K. Rowling's fifth novel. Some Deathly Hallows specualtion so Half-Blood Prince is fair game.
I won't deny it. This is easily the most overrated Harry Potter book. Parts of it are not written very well (too many adverbs!) and Harry is unlikable throughout. Even worse is the main villain of the piece, Dolores Umbridge, who is SUCH an unlikable character that I kept feeling the need to put the book down just to get away from her. There's a difference between a character you love to hate (see Malfoy or Snape) and a character you just hate.
That said, since it IS a Harry Potter book there is much to recommend. Snape comes off as his most complex here, and Harry looking into his Pensieve and discovering his father WAS as arrogant as Snape always told him was a good twist. I was also glad to see Lupin and the real Mad-Eye Moody back.
LOTS of shocks in the book too and like Goblet of Fire each chapter seems to end on a cliffhanger of sorts. I also have to give the book props for unleashing Dementors on Privet Drive. This is the first book which I actually felt sympathy for the Dursleys and actually understood them.
Luna Lovegood is probably my favorite Harry Potter character ever (it used to be Snape until Half-Blood Prince). Weird chicks rock! I was actually hoping she and Harry would wind up together but it looks unlikely at this point.
The climax of the book is best read and more exciting if you read it fast and don't try to comprehend every single little thing about it. I imagine the guy on the book on tape reading it quickly in my mind and I'd be disappointed if he read it at the same pace as the rest of the book. The Climax isn't as well-written as Prisoner of Azkaban or Goblet of Fire because the last two books all had endings that were inevitable. But The climax to Order of the Phoenix is more exciting because there really is no rhyme or reason to it and it's exciting to see Harry get in over his head in a situation he has absolutely no control over.
Sirius' death hit me hard but I had expected it to be someone else who died. The death at the end of Half-Blood Prince effected me more because it was a character who had been in the books from the very beginning.
And we finally find out about WHY Voldemort tried to kill Harry as a baby. Prophecies can be used as crutches in fiction but I have to say that the way Half-Blood Prince deals with the prediction leads me to believe the prophecy here isn't some huge deus ex machina.
The D.A. meetings in the book were SUCH an awesome concept. I love Hermione gently coaxing Harry into being the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher by being brave enough to finally say Voldemort's name.
I have a theory why Harry was so angry this book. It deals with Occlumency and Legilamency. He was reacting so angrily in the book because of his connection to Voldemort and he was feeling Voldemort's rage and flew off the handle at the drop of the hat. Notice how in Half-Blood Prince when Voldemort cuts off his connection to Harry, Harry is back to normal. I think Harry's temper was more than just a symptom of hormones.
My favorite scene in the book is Fred and George's triumphant exit from Hogwarts and getting Peeves to give Umbridge "hell". I know Peeves hasn't been in any of the movies yet but this REALLY is my favorite scene from all six books so I hope the filmmakers find a way to include it.
Order of the Phoenix has quite a few faults and isn't perfect by ANY means but it's still a good book. ****.
I won't deny it. This is easily the most overrated Harry Potter book. Parts of it are not written very well (too many adverbs!) and Harry is unlikable throughout. Even worse is the main villain of the piece, Dolores Umbridge, who is SUCH an unlikable character that I kept feeling the need to put the book down just to get away from her. There's a difference between a character you love to hate (see Malfoy or Snape) and a character you just hate.
That said, since it IS a Harry Potter book there is much to recommend. Snape comes off as his most complex here, and Harry looking into his Pensieve and discovering his father WAS as arrogant as Snape always told him was a good twist. I was also glad to see Lupin and the real Mad-Eye Moody back.
LOTS of shocks in the book too and like Goblet of Fire each chapter seems to end on a cliffhanger of sorts. I also have to give the book props for unleashing Dementors on Privet Drive. This is the first book which I actually felt sympathy for the Dursleys and actually understood them.
Luna Lovegood is probably my favorite Harry Potter character ever (it used to be Snape until Half-Blood Prince). Weird chicks rock! I was actually hoping she and Harry would wind up together but it looks unlikely at this point.
The climax of the book is best read and more exciting if you read it fast and don't try to comprehend every single little thing about it. I imagine the guy on the book on tape reading it quickly in my mind and I'd be disappointed if he read it at the same pace as the rest of the book. The Climax isn't as well-written as Prisoner of Azkaban or Goblet of Fire because the last two books all had endings that were inevitable. But The climax to Order of the Phoenix is more exciting because there really is no rhyme or reason to it and it's exciting to see Harry get in over his head in a situation he has absolutely no control over.
Sirius' death hit me hard but I had expected it to be someone else who died. The death at the end of Half-Blood Prince effected me more because it was a character who had been in the books from the very beginning.
And we finally find out about WHY Voldemort tried to kill Harry as a baby. Prophecies can be used as crutches in fiction but I have to say that the way Half-Blood Prince deals with the prediction leads me to believe the prophecy here isn't some huge deus ex machina.
The D.A. meetings in the book were SUCH an awesome concept. I love Hermione gently coaxing Harry into being the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher by being brave enough to finally say Voldemort's name.
I have a theory why Harry was so angry this book. It deals with Occlumency and Legilamency. He was reacting so angrily in the book because of his connection to Voldemort and he was feeling Voldemort's rage and flew off the handle at the drop of the hat. Notice how in Half-Blood Prince when Voldemort cuts off his connection to Harry, Harry is back to normal. I think Harry's temper was more than just a symptom of hormones.
My favorite scene in the book is Fred and George's triumphant exit from Hogwarts and getting Peeves to give Umbridge "hell". I know Peeves hasn't been in any of the movies yet but this REALLY is my favorite scene from all six books so I hope the filmmakers find a way to include it.
Order of the Phoenix has quite a few faults and isn't perfect by ANY means but it's still a good book. ****.
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Date: 2007-01-15 09:17 pm (UTC)