Review: Harry Potter & The Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling

Unpopular opinion time! 
(Also, I'm changing up the structure of my reviews for a bit, just because.)

Synopsis: 

Harry Potter is furious that he is stuck at the Dursleys’ house for the summer, when he suspects that Voldemort is gathering an army, and the wizarding authorities seem unwilling to do anything. Harry’s so-called friends are trying to keep him in the dark. But he knows that Voldemort’s forces can find him wherever he is; he could be attacked at any moment. Harry is finally rescued from Privet Drive by members of the Order of the Phoenix – a secret society first formed years ago to fight Voldemort – and discovers that maybe he is not alone in this battle after all.

My thoughts:

I'm pretty sure that this is the longest book I've ever read. Well, at least it's the longest YA book I've ever read. (I've read War & Peace and that's over 1000 pages) Surprisingly though, it felt as if this book just flew by. 

Let me start by saying that I loved this book. I loved the plot, I loved the setting, I loved every single character–every character except Harry. From the very beginning of this series I have had a lot of problems with the main character. As far as I've seen, he's been rude and selfish 70% of time to not just teachers, but to his friends as well. Up until this book I let it all slide though. 

It was with utter disgust that I pushed myself through the first the few chapters of this book. On almost every page of the first three or so chapters Harry was not so subtly complaining about how he wasn't getting as much attention as he thought he would get from his actions in the previous book. To make things worse, the second he actually started getting more attention, he complained. I don't think I've met a more hypocritical main character. I hoped that when he was finally reunited with his friends in the wizarding world they would be able knock some sense into him. I was wrong. 

It is so frustrating that it took the death the of a beloved character to finally knock some sense into him.

How did this boy become my generation's idol? Maybe he gets better in the next few books, maybe he doesn't. Still, Harry's escalating immaturity almost wrecked this book for me. It took a lot of will power to keep reading through until the end. 

Aside from Harry, I had no issues with the rest of this book. It was fantastic. I was kept on the edge of my seat all the time–a seemingly impossible feat for 800 pages. 

It was nice to see Harry and his friends facing an enemy unrelated to Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Praise to Rowling for changing up the scene for once. Umbridge's character was a perfect example of how evil doesn't always come dressed in black. Evil can come from anywhere, even from the organizations you are supposed to trust. 

Finally, I once again had problems dealing with death in this series. The last time a character died, which was in a previous book, it seemed so quick that I never really had time to grieve. It may have been a somewhat minor character, but I still loved them. I thought it would change when a more influential character passed on, but that was not the case. Usually, when I character I love dies I get emotional. With this death I once again felt nothing. I wanted to feel sad, but for some reason I just couldn't bring myself to cry. I guess that's what happens when all it takes is one spell to take a life. There's no blood, no guts, no gore, no heart-wrenching goodbye. And I'm the biggest sucker for heart-wrenching goodbyes. 

I gave this book 4/5 stars on Goodreads!

Would I recommend it? Yes. This series, no matter how many problems I have with the main character, is absolutely amazing.

Would I reread it? Sure. I plan on re-reading this whole series at least once every 5 years. 

What did you guys think? Do you agree with me on Harry, or do you disagree? I'd love to hear your opinions.