I still can't believe my sixth grade self devoured all 870 pages in two sittings. Only you Jo, only you.

Still my favorite.

Fuck the haters.

J.K. Rowling is a TERF. If you can, please buy this book used so that you’re not putting more money in her pocket. Please also consider donating to non-profit organizations that support trans people in order to counteract Rowling’s transphobia. Here is the link to one that supports rent and gender affirming surgery for trans people: https://www.forthegworls.party/donate

Also, since J.K. Rowling decided to be ableist in her new book, specifically in regards to people with POTS and since I have POTS, please also consider donating to this nonprofit: http://www.dysautonomiainternational....

J.K. Rowling needs to stop being hateful toward minority groups. I’ve already had my childhood ruined enough by her hatefulness.

Now onto my review…

Times read: 4

This used to be my favorite in the series but it’s unfortunately fallen down my ranking a little bit. I still love it but there’s one particular problematic thing that irritates me (I’ll address it later in my review) and there’s Umbridge. Movie Umbridge is fun… book Umbridge makes me want to rip out my hair.

There’s four major reasons why I love this book so much.

First of all, Fred and George have really fun scenes in this book. From the fireworks to the swamp, each of their scenes in this book are a delight to read. Lee got in on the action, too, with his little magical beast prank.

Secondly, Dumbledore’s Army has always been epic. It’s the perfect way to rebel against a terrible leader and it’s so empowering to read about the D.A.

Third, that fight scene at the end will always be the best fight scene in any book. It’s so different from the movie but it’s so fun. There’s so much creativity (and surprisingly some humor, too) shoved into that scene. The end result is heartbreaking, but I wish that the fight scene could forever play in a loop in my mind. It would keep me forever entertained.

And finally, this book handles the topic of grief really beautifully. In four chapters, this book manages to capture all the way that grief presents itself. It covers denial, depression, and healing with all the stages in between. It’s so hard to read Harry go through it but it’s so well done. It hit a little harder for me during this reread since my dog is slowly going through kidney failure right now and I know that I will be feeling like Harry once my dog’s body can’t fight anymore. I’m crying even writing this because dang, I really understand Harry and everything that he was going through.

If you don’t like this installment in the series, I completely understand why, but I’ll continue to love it for the rest of my life. This series will always hold a special place in my heart and I’ll always have fond memories of this book in particular.

As I feel it’s important to address problematic elements of books (even if they’re books I adore), here’s the problematic issues with this book.
-The whole “elves want to be enslaved and don’t want to be freed” narrative continues in this one unfortunately and people still get mad at Hermione for pointing out how elves shouldn’t be enslaved.
-The way that Lockhart is treated in this book is horrific. He is treated as comedy relief and as being that he is one of the only characters in this series who is mentally ill, that’s extremely problematic. This is also the huge reason why this book fell on my ranking of the series.
-It is heavily implied that Umbridge is raped by centaurs and the story doesn’t handle that topic well. It’s common in mythology for centaurs to rape people and the way that Umbridge reacts while in the hospital wing is really telling of what actually happened to her. She wasn’t hurt yet she was exhibiting a trauma response.
-The fact that the story brushes over how Snape was possibly sexually assaulted. Harry was pulled out of the pensieve so we’ll never know for sure what went down, but James wanting to take off Severus’ pants while in the front of a crowd… isn’t there better ways to show that two characters don’t get along??!
-The final one is debatable about whether it’s problematic or not, but Pansy being racist toward Angelina. It’s not problematic to include racism in books if it��s dealt with respectively. I’m not saying that the book doesn’t handle it respectively, but there’s very few characters of color in this series, so I find it suspicious that the author decided to include an act of racism against a very minor side character.

Favorite quotes/moments:
-“You care so much you feel as though you will bleed to death with the pain of it.”
-"Harry listened to a jingle about Fruit 'N Bran breakfast cereal while he watched Mrs. Figg, a batty, cat-loving old lady from nearby Wisteria Walk, amble slowly past. She was frowning and muttering to herself. Harry was very pleased that he was concealed behind the bush; Mrs. Figg had recently taken to asking him around for tea whenever she met him in the street."
-"'Why were you lurking under our window?'
'Yes - yes, good point, Petunia! What were you doing under our window, boy? '
'Listening to the news,' said Harry in a resigned voice.
His aunt and uncle exchanged looks of outrage.
'Listening to the news! Again? '
'Well, it changes every day, you see,' said Harry."
-"'We're not stupid, you know,' said Uncle Vernon.
'Well, that's news  to me,' said Harry..."
-"...luckily I'd stationed Mr. Tibbles under a car just in case, and Mr. Tibbles came and warned me..."
-"'Yes, here, you worthless pile of bat droppings, here!' shrieked Mrs. Figg. 'Dementors attacking the boy on your watch!'"
-"Mrs. Figg raised the arm from which her string bag dangled and whacked Mundungus around the face and neck with it; judging by the clanking noise it made it was full of cat food."
-"Remus Lupin stood nearest him. Though still quite young, Lupin looked tired and rather ill; he had more gray hair than when Harry had said good-bye to him, and his robes were more patched and shabbier than ever. Nevertheless, he was smiling broadly at Harry, who tried to smile back through his shock.
'Oooh, he looks just like I thought he would,' said the witch who was holding her lit wand aloft. She looked the youngest there; she had a pale heart-shaped face, dark twinkling eyes, and short spiky hair that was a violent shade of violet."
-"Harry descended the stairs, very conscious of everybody still staring at him, stowing his wand into the back pocket of his jeans as he came.
'Don't put your wand there, boy!' roared Moody. 'What if it ignited? Better wizards than you have lost buttocks, you know!'"
-"'...you're really lucky the Dursleys are out...' he mumbled.
'Lucky, ha!' said the violet-haired woman. 'It was me that lured them out of the way. Sent a letter by Muggle post telling them they'd been short-listed for the All-England Best-Lept Suburban Lawn Competition. they're heading off to the prize-giving right now... Or they think they are.'"
-"She screwed up her eyes in a strained expression as though she were struggling to remember something. A second later, her hair had turned bubble-gum pink."
-"Shacklebolt and Sturgis Podmore were examining the microwave and Hestia Jones was laughing at a potato peeler she had come across while rummaging in the drawers."
-"'Harry, I've left a letter telling your aunt and uncle not to worry-'
'They won't,' said Harry.
'That you're safe-'
'That'll just depress them.'
'-and you'll see them next summer.'
'Do I have to?'"
-"...after skirting a large umbrella stand that looked as though it had been made from a severed troll's leg..."
-"With two large cracks, Fred and George, Ron's elder twin brothers, had materialized out of thin air in the middle of the room. Pidgewidgeon twittered more wildly than ever and zoomed off to join Hedwif on top of the wardrobe."
-"'Tonks told me how to find out,' said Ginny. 'You just chuck stuff at the door and if it can't make contact the door's been Imperturbed. I've been flicking Dungbombs at it from the top of the stairs and they just soar away from it...'"
-"'Remember old Fleur Delacour?' said George. 'She's got a job at Gringotts to eemprove 'er Eenglish -'
'-and Bill's been giving her a lot of private lessons,' sniggered Fred."
-"Percy had committed the fairly large oversight of failing to notice that his boss was being controlled by Lord Voldemort..."
-"Harry felt something brush against his knees and started, but it was only Crookshanks, Hermion's bandy-legged ginger cat, who wound himself once around Harry's legs, purring, then jumped onto Sirius's lap and curled up. Sirius scratched him absentmindedly behind the ears..."
-"...Tonks was entertaining Hermione and Ginny by transforming her nose between mouthfuls. Screwing up her eyes each time with the same pained expression she had worn back in Harry's bedroom, her nose swelled to a beaklike protuberance like Snape's, shrank to something resembling a button mushroom, and then sprouted a great deal of hair from each nostril."
-"...Ginny, whod had lured Crookshanks out from under the dresser, was sitting cross-legged on the floor, rolling butterbeer corks for him to chase."
-"'...Dumbledore says he doesn't care what they do as long as they don't take him off the Chocolate Frog cards,' said Bill, grinning."
-"If Ginny's not lying awake waiting for Hermione to tell her everything they said downstairs, then I'm a flobberworm..."
-"'...size is no gurantee of power,' said George. 'Look at Ginny.'
'What d'you mean?' said Harry.
'You've never been on the receiving end of one of her Bat-Bogey Hexes, have you?'"
-"...many-legged creatures were cantering softly up and down outside the bedroom door, and Hagrid, the Care of Magical Creatures teacher, was saying, 'Beautires, aren' they, eh, Harry? We'll be studyin' weapons this term...' And Harry saw that the creatures had cannons for heads and were wheeling to face him..."
-"'I've just been feeding Buckbeak,' he added, in reply to Harry's inquiring look. 'I keep him upstairs in my mother's bedroom.'"
-"'Right-o,' Fred said brightly, spraying the doxy quickly in the face so that it fainted, but the moment Mrs. Weasley's back was turned he pocketed it with a wink.
'We want to experiment with doxy venom for our Skiving Snackboxes,' George told Harry under his breath."
-"'Range of sweets to make you ill,' George whispered, keeping a wary eye on Mrs. Weasley's back. 'Not seriously ill, mind, just ill enough to get you out of a class when you feel like it. Fred and I have been developing them this summer. They're double-ended, color-coded chews. If you eat the orange half of the Puking Pastilles, you throw up. Moment you've been rushed out of the lesson for the hospital wing, you swallow the purple half-'
'-which restores you to full fitness, enabling you to pursue the leisure activity of your own choice during an hour that would otherwise have been devoted to unprofitable boredom.'"
-"Harry grinned. He had forced the Weasley twins to take the thousand-Galleon prize money he had won in the Triwizard Tournament to help them realize their ambition to open a joke shop, but he was still glad to know that his part in furthering their plans was unknown to Mrs. Weasley, who did not think that running a joke shop was a suitable career for two of her sons."
-"'I love hearing Mum shouting at someone else,' said Fred, with a satisfied smile on his face as he opened the door an inch or so to allow Mrs. Weasley's voice to permeat the room better. 'It makes such a nice change.'"
-"'You ran away from home?'
'When I was about sixteen,' said Sirius. 'I'd had enough.'
'Where did you go?' asked Harry, staring at him.
'Your dad's place,' said Sirius. 'Your grandparents were really good about it; they sort of adopted me as a second son. Yeah, I camped out at your dad's during the school holidays, and then when I was seventeen I got a place of my own, my Uncle Alphard has left me a decent bit of gold - he's been wiped off here too, that's probably why - anyway, after that I looked after myself. I was always welcome at Mr. and Mrs. Potter's for Sunday lunch, though.'"
-"'You and Tonks are related?' Harry asked, surprised.
'Oh yeah, her mother, Andromeda, was my favorite cousin,' said Sirius, examining the tapestry closely. 'No, Andromeda's not on here either, look-'
He pointed to another small round burn mark between two names, Bellatrix and Narcissa.
'Andromed'a sisters are still here because they made lovely, respectable pure-blood marriages, but Andromeda married a Muggleborn,, Ted Tonks, so-'"
-"'The pure-blood families are all interrelated,' said Sirius. 'If you're only going to let your sons and daughters marry pureblood your choice is very limited, there are hardly any of us left. Molly and I are cousins by marriage and Arthur's something like my second cousin once removed.'"
-"They found an unpleasant-looking silver instrument, something like a many-legged pair of tweezers, which scuttled up Harry's arm like a spider when he picked it up, and attempted to puncture his skin; Sirius seized it and smashed it with a heavy book entitled Nature's Nobility: A Wizarding Genealogy. There was a musical box that emitted a faintly sinister, tinkling tune when wound, and they all found themselves becoming curiously weak and sleepy until Ginny had the sense to slam the lid shut; also a heavy locket that none of them could open..."
-"Kreacher wasn't quite as devoted to him as to my mother, but I still caught him snogging a pair of my father's old trousers last week."
-"Sometimes, however, the visitors stayed to help; Tonks joined them for a memorable afternoon in which they found a murderous old ghoul lurking in an upstairs toilet, and Lupin, who was staying in the house with Sirius but who left it for long periods to do mysterious work for the Order, helped them repair a grandfather clock that had developed an unpleasant habit of shooting heavy bolts at passerby. Mundungus redeemed himself slightly in Mrs. Weasley's eyes by rescuing Ron from an ancient set of purple robes that had tried to strangle him when he removed them from their wardrobe."
-"Something very cold trickled down the back of Harry's neck... he realized that Mrs. Weasley was attacking his hair with a wet comb. She pressed hard on the top of his head.
'Doesn't it ever lie flat?' she said desperately."
-"...through the ticket barrier (Mr. Weasley delighted with the way the stile swallow his ticket)..."
-"A big, bearded wizard holding a large cardboard box stood nearby. The box was emitting rasping noises.
'All right, Arthur?' said the wizard, nodding at Mr. Weasley.
'What you've got there, Bob?' asked Mr. Weasley, looking at the box.
'We're not sure,' said the wizard seriously. 'We thought it was a bog-standard chicken until it started breathing fire. Looks like a serious breach of the Ban on Experimental Breeding to me.'"
-"'Just Interdepartmental memoes,' Mr. Weasley muttered to him. 'We used to use owls, but the mess was unbelievable... droppings all over the desks...'
As they clattered upward again, the memoes flapped around the swaying lamp in the lift's ceiling."
-"'And don't take too long, Weasley, the delay on that firelegs report held our investigation up for a month.'
'If you read my report you would know that the term is 'firearms,' said Mr. Weasley coolly. 'And I'm afraid you'll have to wait for information on motorcycles, we're extremely busy at the moment.' He dropped his voice and said, 'If you can get away before seven, Molly's making meatballs.'"
-"'A regurgitating toiler?'
'Anti-Muggle pranksters,' said Mr. Weasley, frowning. 'We had two last week, one in Wimbledon, one in Elephant and Castle. Muggles are pulling the flush and instead of everything disappearing - well, you can imagine. The poor things keep calling in those - those pumbles, I think they're called...'"
-Mrs. Weasley was wiping her face on her apron, and Fred, George, and Ginny were doing a kind of war dance to a chant that went 'He got off, he got off, he got off-'"
-"'There's been a mistake,' said Fred, snatching the letter out of Ron's grasp and holding it up to the light as though checking for a watermark. 'No one in their right mind would make Ron a prefect...'"
-"'I don't believe it! Oh, Ron, how wonderful! A prefect! That's everyone in the family!'
'What are Fred and I, next-door neighbors?'"
-"'You don't mind if we don't kiss you, do you, Ron?' said Fred in a falsely anxious voice.
'We could curtsy, if you like,' said George.
'Oh, shut up,' said Ron, swoling at them.
'Or what?' said Fred, an evil grin spreading across his face. 'Going to put us in detention?'"
-"'I was never a prefect myself,' said Tonks brightly from behind Harry as everybody moved toward the table to help themselves to food. Her hair was tomato-red and waist length today; she looked like Ginny's older sister. 'My Head of House said I lacked certain necessary qualities.'
'Like what?' said Ginny, who was choosing a baked potato.
'Like the ability to behave myself,' said Tonks."
-"'No one would have made me a prefect, I spent too much time in detention with James. Lupin was the good boy, he got the badge.'
'I think Dumbledore might have hoped that I would be able to excercise some control over my best friends,' said Lupin. 'I need scarcely say that I failed dismally.'"
-"From an inner pocket of his robes Moody pulled a very tattered old Wizarding photograph.
'Original Order of the Phoenix,' growled Moody. 'Found it last night when I was looking for my spare Invisibility Cloak, seeing as Podmore hasn't had the manners to return my best one... Thought people might like to see it.'
Harry took the photograph. A small crowd of people, some waving at him, others lifting their glasses, looked back up at him.
'There's me,' said Moody unnecessarily, pointing at himself. The Moody in the picture was unmistakable, though his hair was slightly less gray and his nose was intact. 'And there's Dumbledore beside me, Dedalus Diggle on the other side... That's Marlene McKinnon, she was killed two weeks after this was taken, they got her whole family. That's Frank and Alice Longbottom...'"
-" 'R-r-riddikulus!' Mrs. Weasley sobbed, pointing her shaking wand at Ron's body.
Crack.
Ron's bpdy turned into Bill's, spread-eagled on his back, his eyes wide open and empty. Mrs. Weasley sobbed harder than ever.
'R-riddikulus!' she sobbed again.
Crack.
Mr. Weasley's body replaced Bill's, his glasses askew, a trickle of blood running down his face.
'No!' Mrs. Weasley moaned. 'No...'"
...and many more that I can't fit in this review!

Interview with JK Rowling...

nStephen Fry: Can we settle an important question?

JK Rowling: Yes.

Stephen Fry: How do you pronounce your last name?

JK Rowling: It is Row-ling. As in rolling pin.

Stephen Fry: So if any of you hear someone pronounce her name “Rohw-ling”, you have my permission to hit them over the head with — not with Order of the Phoenix, that would be cruel. Something smaller, like a fridge.n

I don't think I (once again) need to mention how much I love J.K. Rowling's writing style. She is able to create this magical world filled with lovable, interesting and layered characters with simple, but very effective words. Her storytelling is the perfect blend of humor, sadness, suspense and pretty much everything else that makes a good book, and it's going to be something I will highly miss once I finish this wonderful series.

One might think that the fifth book in a series doesn't bring much new stuff to the overall plot and might even just be written to prolong the finale, but this is not the case here. The story that gets told helps to establish and develop so many things - no book of the series has been a filler so far!
Despite the book being so long (my copy has 800 pages), no line is boring or unnecessary. I didn't even feel like I read so many pages, because it was so entertaining.

Like in my review of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, I need to praise the portrayal of friendship! These characters are just normal teenagers with normal conflicts and fights, and I'm so happy that (besides all the fantastical elements) these ordinary things find a place in the story as well. This makes this adventure so much more special, because you truly see these characters grow up and learn!

The series gets so dark with this one.

100 Organizations Supporting Trans People in All 50 States

TRANS WOMEN ARE WOMEN. TRANS MEN ARE MEN. NON-BINARY PEOPLE ARE NON-BINARY.

Harry Potter changed my life and the memories I have associated with it can never be changed or tarnished no matter what its creator says or does. Her comments have caused me so much pain and disappointment and even if one day she realises how ignorant and hateful she has been it is now too late to amend the harm she has caused. Nevertheless, like Daniel Radcliffe said the relationship between a reader and a book is sacred and nothing can change that. Harry Potter is no longer hers and I will continue loving and cherishing this world and these characters forever (and yes, I will be re-reading the series and watching the movies time and time again during my lifetime).

However, I can no longer support her or her future work. Rowling is TRANSPHOBIC and supporting her in any way, shape or form supports her views and harms trans people and the LGBTQ+ community profoundly. I cannot take back the money I have given her already, but I can choose to never again spend money that will go directly in her pockets.

I want to use this space to encourage everyone to support trans authors and read more literature featuring trans characters. This page is a good place to start.

Please consider donating to a trans charity of your choice (MermaidsUK could be a place to start, because they have been directly attacked by Rowling) and click here to find about more trans organisations in the UK and what you can do to help.

If you still love Harry Potter that’s okay but stop supporting Rowling and stop putting any more money in her pockets. Let’s all actively work together to make this fandom inclusive to everyone and show trans people especially that we are a loving community who would never question their identity or experience.


PS. I have this on the signed section because my copy is signed by Daniel Radcliffe (who in my head is now the real author of Harry Potter anyway):

n  “Things we lose have a way of coming back to us in the end, if not always in the way we expect.”n

It's been a long and hot summer and Harry is anxious to know what Voldemort has been up to now that he is in full power.

Back at Hogwarts Harry is not a favourite person as everyone believes him to be a liar. But as least he has the support of his good friends, Ron and Hermione.



The Ministry of Magic has taken it upon themselves to make sure Harry and Dumbledore don't spread more ‘lies’ about the return of Voldemort. And so the students of Hogwarts are forced to be taught by Professor Umbridge. A ministry official who refuses to teach them how to properly defend themselves and has authority to interfere in the way things are run at Hogwarts.

Harry and a few fellow students decide to take their education into their own hands.

The first time I read this book I didn't think much of it. But then (during a summer holiday where it was the only book I had with me) I read it multiple times after that and quickly started to see its brilliance.

I think this book is underrated. I know many people hate this one because of Harry's outbursts and moods. I however thought Order of the Phoenix was one of the best because of those reasons. It would have been unrealistic if Harry was normal after his experience in the graveyard and after Cedric's death. And also people tend to complain that YA characters are unrealistic but then are irritated when they're moody. Make up your minds!

My favourite scenes were the ones spent in the Room of Requirement. I just loved everything about the DA. I think Harry would be an amazing Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.

Umbridge will always be that one character I hate above everyone else. She is the most despicable person and I hate her even more than Voldemort.

“Is it true that you shouted at Professor Umbridge?"
"Yes."
"You called her a liar?"
"Yes."
"You told her He Who Must Not Be Named is back?"
"Yes."
"Have a biscuit, Potter.”

Just the thought of the end of this book fills me with sadness. Poor Harry just can't catch a break. Throughout this whole book he has to deal with people treating him like crap and being told he is a liar and an attention seeker. And then on top of that he loses his only parent figure.




This book was probably one of the first times I'd read about mental illness, as I was 12/13 when I read it. Don't know how Harry deals with everything, I'd probably be crying in a corner.

• Buddy read with You-Know-Who •

Umbridge x Dementor is, personally, the best ship that came out of this book.

n  "Galloping gargoyles!"n
n  "Hang on. This Lord Voldything's back, you say."n

When a book gets too long, there's always the risk of giving up halfway, or start skimming through parts. I think, The Order of Phoenix qualifies as long (the version I read had around a 1000 pages), but I wish it to be even longer. Only Rowling can do that. I didn't find one boring bit, or anything out of place. We are reaching a near-perfect level of writing here at the fifth of the series, which, in my opinion, is an excellent concoction of suspense, hope, triumph, disappointment, humor, anger, happiness, sadness and so many others.

n  "I've always wanted to try firewhisky -"n

Right from the beginning, you'll find everything to be intriguing as always, with an excellent set of new characters being introduced. The main characters around Harry are of course the main focus, and the narration inherits a lot from how the teenage Harry views the world. Average emotional rollercoaster of a teenager blends in nicely with the main plot, and makes things more interesting.

n  "Ask us no questions and we'll tell you no lies,"n

We've finally moved in to the core of the story, and an-action-packed story is being unfolded - full of dark times - with no more holding back. If it wasn't for Rowling's writing, this might've felt like one complex story, not to mention how unbearable it would've been with Umbrige, and also with Lestrange and Fudge closely behind. But everything's put in place perfectly, and even the annoying characters do their part really well. And the ending chapters - though disappointing - are the best and most dramatic in the series so far. This has been one amazing ride, while proving the 'Last-is-Best' still to be true.

n  "Youth cannot know how age thinks and feels. But old men are guilty if they forget what it was to be young..."n

After I finished reading Sorcerer's Stone, I went on to begin reading Chamber of Secrets. But I stopped that perusal 4 fifths through and without giving myself a reason, launched into reading Order of the Phoenix.

And I'm glad that I did read it. I was having nostalgia about the time where Dumbledore featured prominently. For all purposes, this book could have been called Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore.

This was the first book to ditch the mystery-like format of previous books. It's a sizable book and it's just as brilliant as the other four books preceding it. I will always come back to this book. It's the beginning of the end of Harry's innocence.