It's hard to write a review for a book in a series that you've read more times than you can remember, and seen the movie more times than you could count. From that statement alone it should be obvious that I'm a big fan of the Harry Potter series. Do I write my review based upon my first time reading it, or the everlasting impression this book has left me with? I think that fact that this book has made me think and ponder certain ideas over the years, I think the everlasting impression should be the topic of my review.

After encountering Dolores Umbridge, I was left pondering the question "What is evil?" Voldemort is obviously the Villian of the series, however I feel Umbridge is a much more sinister and evil Villian than even Voldemort. Voldemort's actions and evil deeds are really very simple to understand. What motivates him is power and greed and he is willing to go to any lengths to achieve those goals. While evil in itself, his motives and actions are very straight forward and easy to understand. It is easy to see Voldemort for the evil that he is, which therefore keeps him in hiding only surrounded by his Death Eaters. Dolores Umbridge is a very different type of evil. Dolores Umbridge is the type of evil that we, the muggles that we are, encounter on a daily basis. They are the people who enjoy the hurt, pain, chaos and distrust they cause through their manipulations and lies. The enjoy the devastation they cause in their wake. The fact that she can create the heartache she relishes so much with a false smile, sweet sanguine falsetto, and splashes of whimsy to give the impression of naïveté and an innocent childlike behavior which puts one off initially of comprehending the true evil she inflicts to hide the monster she is, and the fact that through these false tactics she has risen to a position of power to inflict heartache unto others, shows she is a master at hiding her true psychopathic personality. This sick personality trait is shown most clearly when she makes Harry write lines in detention. She knows Harry is telling the truth, yet she lies and manipulates him until she is in a position of power directly over him in detention at which point she not only continues her lies causing mental anguish to Harry, she continues her evil machinations by causing him physical pain by forcing him to use her quill which scratches and ultimately scars Harry for the rest of his life. Umbridge enjoys Harry's suffering. She even inspects his hand at the end of each detention to make sure he is being cut and that his hand is bleeding and then in a well satisfied way compliments Harry on completing his detention. Her only praise is when Harry does something to cause hurt and pain and twists what he knows is the truth into something false. This is standard textbook psychopathic behavior in domestic abusers.

The fact that Doloros Umbridge can navigate society in such a way as to gain a position if importance in the Minisrptry of Magic and flourish in normal wizarding society while hiding her insidious psychopathic tendencies leaves her in an excellent position of power to inflict hurt to others. Her brand if evil is subtle and is not so obvious at a first glance which gives her the ability to "blend in" with others and yet she victimizes many in her wake, as she navigates through life. In Voldemort's case, his brand of evil is so obvious to everyone that he is an outcast of the wizarding community, which ultimately lessens the number of his potential victims to those simply standing in his way of power, while in Umbridge's case her victim pool is limitless die to her access to the community and all those she comes across.

So here is the moral question I have pondered for many years since reading this book for the first time. "Which Behavior Is More Evil?" Personally, I feel Dolores Umbridge is the much more evil of the two characters based upon the reasons given in the prior paragraph. Whether you agree or disagree with me is not the point. The point is to make you think and ponder for yourself. The fact that this book makes you think long after you've turned the last page, is a mark of literacy success. Whiter you've read Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix once, or a hundred times, it is always a great novel to read again and again, and question what constitutes as evil.

All along, Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort were eventually going to have to confront each other one final time. In "Deathly Hallows", the final book of the Harry Potter series, Harry and Voldemort will circle each other at a distance, each seeking to solve the mystery of the other. In Harry's case, he, Ron, and Hermione will spend a long season on the run, trying to sort out their very few clues about how to defeat Voldemort. In the case of the Dark Lord, he will move from success to apparent success, closing in on Hogwarts and final victory...

This is a long book, enough to fill two movies, filled with the characters of the earlier books. There is a fascinating story here, one with moral depth and emotional content. Wise readers will understand not only how Harry Potter comes to his moment of destiny, but why. Few readers will be left unmoved. Very highly recommended to fans of the franchise. Be sure to read the afterword.

With all of the reprints of the Harry Potter series (paperback, new cover art, movie pictures, etc), we were trying to complete our collection of the original hard back books. We didn't start buying these for our collection until book #5 when the series had gained such a huge following. We were so glad we could find these individually here on Amazon to get the missing ones.

The Prisoner of Azkaban continues a fascinating and engaging series. Book one of the series was very lighthearted as the world and characters were introduced. There was indeed a conflict and a villain, but the focus was on the world itself and the magic we could find in it. Book two continued in that world but had a noticeably darker tone (as did many of the later books). However, Book three returned us to a lighter tone while creating a self-encased conflict and villain with some really neat time-travelling plot twists (think of Bill and Ted or Back to the Future). The last four books tell more of a continuous narrative while I feel that each of the first three is more standalone. Yes, they end with an explanation of how the self-contained events fit into the overarching conflict of the series. But the individual plot elements of the books seem to lend themselves to the story at hand rather than the overall conflict. It seems that this changes with Book four when many parts of the book focus more on the overall plot rather than the individual book plot.

Even if you've seen the movies, the books are deserving of a read. The cliche that the books are always better than the movies holds very true here. We hope that JK Rowling continues to write for many years and that she can create other worlds that are equally as imaginative and engaging as this one. Thanks for a great ride!