The fifth book in the Harry Potter series is where the whole series takes a whole new tone. After the dramatic events of the ending of the Goblet of Fire, the whole wizarding world is thrown into question and only a select few know how truly scary it’s about to become out there.
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Please note, this review will likely contain minor spoilers from the previous books in the series, so if you haven’t read my review of Goblet of Fire yet, please do that first. Also not, this is a reread and not my first impressions of the book, simply my first time writing up my overall thoughts.
Order of the Phoenix picks up during the summer after the events of the Triwizard tournament and then the re-emergence of Lord Voldemort and the Death Eaters in Goblet of Fire. Not only this, but only Harry Potter saw the incident and only those closest and wisest around him even believe him.
Thus we begin their fifth year at Hogwarts and a book that really steers the story towards where I imagine Rowling intended it to finish with a clear goal and vision for how she wants to finish HP’s story.
The Order of the Phoenix plot – 4.25/5
I often think of The Order of the Phoenix as the least interesting of the Harry Potter books as I tend to think that not much actually happens considering how obscenely long it is. However, when you look at some of the huge plot moments in it, it’s actually a hugely pivotal book in the series and one that continues Goblet of Fire‘s work of taking the series into a far broader and darker tone.
The beginning of the book is incredibly drawn out and I’m not sure quite needs to be as long as it is – evidenced by how much is cut out in the film. It’s also the first book where we spend a large part of the beginning of the book not at Hogwarts – again, symbolising how this book intends to take things away from the Wizarding School a little bit.
This is the longest book in the series and that is evident at some points with a fair amount of filler – some quite fun, others felt a little bit overwritten. Either way, I don’t think anyone is going to come out of The Order of the Phoenix and think that every page was worth it.
As I stated, some momentous moments happen in this book that define the rest of the series, it’s just a shame the beginning is so overly drawn out before we can get to them.
The Order of the Phoenix characters – 4.5/5
The same cast of characters we’ve grown to love from the previous books are all present in The Order of the Phoenix too. Alongside these, there’s also the introduction of arguably one of the least likeable characters in all of fiction in Professor Delores Umbridge who is a new teacher at Hogwarts this year, sent in on behalf of the Ministry of Magic. To save those who’ve not yet read the books or seen the films, prepare to despise someone like you’ve never despised before.
Along with Professor Umbridge, there are also some other villains established in this book who will continue to be big players in future books and who you’ll grow a strong dislike for.
For me, it feels like, yes, despite the fact I have backtracked and stated that a lot of stuff does actually happen in The Order of the Phoenix, this book is very focused on building our a future cast of characters who will define the subsequent two books.
The Order of the Phoenix final rating – 4.25/5
I always think of The Order of the Phoenix as the Harry Potter book where not a lot actually happens. However, when you read it, you soon realise some of the huge moments in the book that not only define the direction the rest of the series is going to take but also introduce some of the series’ most memorable characters. It has a very slow start that could probably have been cut down by 100 pages and I do feel like JK Rowling overwrote it a lot more than the other books and it’s arguably the weakest in the series (that may say more about the series quality overall more than it does the book) but The Order of the Phoenix is still a ridiculously entertaining fantasy that, though long, is still absolutely entertaining enough to keep the series on a high.
Pick up a copy of The Order of the Phoenix
