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Let’s face it. It’s not often you see people toting an 870-page hardcover book into work break rooms and onto airplanes. You often see people reading in these places, but the choice is often limited to a thinner hardcover or a paperback of a bigger book. But I’ve seen this much-awaited sequel to Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire everywhere recently. I even brought my copy on a flight with me. On one hand, it was the perfect time to get my copy. I had nine hours of flying time. On the other, I didn’t have room in my carry-on for it, and yes, it was a pain to carry around the airport.
But I had to find out whether this book lived up to its years of hype, so I, like the others, put up with the extra weight. And I must say, I think it was pretty much worth dragging around. (To understand why I say it that way, keep in mind that although I enjoy the series, I didn’t feel the need to be at the release parties. It might also help to know that I try to travel pretty light, as a rule.)
As I’ve mentioned in past reviews, Rowling has more and more depth in each book, and the length of this book doesn’t belie that factor in this book either. Although this book is jam-packed with action, it’s also full of more material than ever—none of the length is wasted.
The Dark Lord Voldemort has returned, but very few wizards want to believe that he’s really back. A band called The Order of the Phoenix stand behind Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore on their stance of preparing to fight—they’re determined to work against Voldemort. The students at Hogwarts, their parents, the Order of the Phoenix members, and Harry himself are tense, irritable, and anxious as rumors fly and things slowly build to a head.
It’s harder to know who to trust at Hogwarts. The Minister of Magic, who’s determined to disbelieve Voldemort’s back, is doing his best to control Hogwarts through the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher and a series of by-laws, Ron’s become a member of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, and Harry’s forced to start a new underground club teaching defensive arts to fellow students and can’t even contact his godfather without serious risks.
Perhaps you’ve heard the rumor that a major character dies in this book—well, it’s sort of true. I won’t tell you more, because I don’t want to ruin it. I’ll just say that I didn’t have too much trouble with being tempted to turn to the back of the book to see what happened, because I was kept too busy with everything that was going on along the way.
This book has been highly anticipated, and rightly so. As usual, it was action-packed, easy reading, but enjoyable and even thought-provoking at times. A good addition to the series—you could even say it was the best book yet. It will be interesting to see the last two books. Interested in Harry Potter? Check out my book reviews of the other books or the reviews of the movies.
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