Reviewed by alisoninbookland on
It’s always hard to figure out which of the book is my favorite. It’s quite a bit easier to figure out my least favorite. Order of the Phoenix always ranks low for me. It’s not because it’s a bad book. It just has a lot of things that really, really annoy me.
First off we have Harry. Harry has always been a bit off. He’s not a perfect hero by any stretch of the imagination but by this book he is really out of control. I guess it’s all the hormones catching up with him. He really has a horrible temper in this book. I guess I get where he’s coming from. I couldn’t imagine going through what he’s been through and not having people believe him. Add to that the fact that the adults in his life don’t trust him enough/can’t tell him everything that’s going on. But constantly losing his temper and alienating his few friends really isn’t the best way to deal with the situation. I guess it really shows his age. He has been through more than most adults go through in their entire lives and he’s only 15.
Umbridge is awful. No really she is. I almost have to skip this book and movie when going through the series because of how much I dislike her. Honestly she’s right next to Voldemort as far bad guys go. Evil is bad but sugar coated evil is the worst.
Sirius. Oh. Man. His death was the first really devastating death in the series for me. Obviously because I liked him quite a bit. Yes, he’s reckless and a bit arrogant but he’s a really good guy. The biggest reason his death is so bad is because how awful it is for Harry. Harry just got the first real family he’s had in years. Yes, he has the Weasleys but Sirius is a real connection to his past. Your heart definitely breaks a bit for him because you know how badly Harry is hurting.
Despite all the bad stuff, the story is really interesting. Voldemort is back so now we’re getting a sampling of what life was like 14+ years ago. The Order is pretty awesome. It’s a shame that the wizards only have this small group of people to try to defeat Voldemort and his followers. Despite that, they’re doing a pretty good job of standing up to them. Umbridge is a pretty illuminating character. The series has hinted about the blood and species issues in the past but Umbridge is living proof of how those people act and think.
The bottom line? It’s my least favorite book but it’s still enjoyable.
Reading updates
- Started reading
- Finished reading
- 4 March, 2015: Reviewed