Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: The Illustrated Edition (Harry Potter, Book 5)

This Jim Kay illustrated version of the Harry Potter series is Very nice, although not as beautiful as the Minalima versions were. It makes a lovely gift that will become part of a permanent (or at least longtime) home library. As a book lover I think hardbacks add to the reading experience and quality hardbacks are especially pleasing. The oversized format and cream coloured matte finish paper undoubtedly contribute to the weight of this book. A slender yellow satin ribbon bookmark is included.

Pros:Engaging Plot: Packed with suspense, emotional depth, and magical battles, this book keeps readers hooked from start to finish.Character Development: Offers rich insight into Harry's growth and struggles, making him more relatable.World-Building: Expands the wizarding world with new settings like the Ministry of Magic and Grimmauld Place.High-Quality Print: Durable paperback with clear text and vivid cover art.Cons:Complex Themes: Younger readers might find some parts emotionally intense.Slower Start: The pacing is slower in the initial chapters before the story picks up.Tips for Use:Pair with Other Books: For an immersive experience, read this as part of the full Harry Potter series.Engage with Fans: Join book clubs or online communities to discuss the themes and details.Preserve Quality: Use a bookmark to avoid damaging the spine.This book is a gem in the Harry Potter series, blending magic with real-world lessons about resilience and teamwork.

Huge Harry Potter fan here. Had to get these to collect. They’re really great and I’m so excited to read them to my kids as they get older. The pictures will make it more fun. Hope that they continue with the last two books!

The media could not be loaded. Well worth the wait. The first few books were released each year, but the latest have taken longer to get published. With good reason as they are lengthier books, and the illustrator also took longer to complete due to mental health illness. Sadly, this will be the last Harry Potter book Jim Kay illustrates. He says: "I have been struggling with mental health illness for some time, and it would be wrong to try and continue when I can no longer give the fans and the series the full commitment and energy it deserves."So many of the reviews here complain about having fewer illustrated pages. This isn't a children's picture book to expect every single page to have illustrations. I praise each painting that is included, even if it might feel like fewer due to the size of this book. They are skillful paintings lovingly created by an expert in his craft. Even if hypothetically there were no paintings at all, the quality of the pages and overall book are well worth the price of any hardback.The Order of the Phoenix has much more detail, and the use of color has been more methodically planned. While there are some bright pictures, there isn't often something happy occurring. Bright sunsets set almost an even broodier tone with the characters being deep in contemplation in contrast to the bright scene. Masterfully done evoking so much feeling. I feel Jim Kay's mental health may have played a part in the feeling the paintings bring up. You can feel the anguish and sorrow in many of these. The contributing illustrator, Neil Packer, did about a quarter of the illustrations, which are very cool. Neil's are more of a layout than painting a scene, but extremely detailed.The pages themselves (even those without illustrations) take on the color tone of what the chapter is about. For example, the pages for chapters taking place in a forest are green, those with Umbridge are often pink, those with Death Eaters transition from black, dark green, purple and red. Excellent use of color throughout to set the mood.And what a mood and tone the story has! The heroes preparing themselves for what they know will come, but no one coming out of it unscathed. Good can win, but it comes at a cost.There are new characters who make things far more difficult for our young heroes than one would imagine. I always felt Umbridge was such a villain and couldn't place why her character irked me more than some of the other more murderous villains. But I think it's because she is someone we can identify in our lives who we might have met. The teacher who treated us unfairly for no reason, or the unreasonable person who criticizes every good thing we think we've accomplished. While characters like Voldemort and Lestrange are the evil we wish never to have to confront, Umbridge is the evil we face in real life.I would definitely not recommend this for children. Not just because of the length and thematic material, but some illustrations are purposely frightful. Which I imagine we can continue to expect as the stories get darker. Not a bad thing, but just know the stories progressively get scarier and despondent.Overall, a fantastic buy that I'm happy to have with the other Illustrated versions. I am sad Jim Kay will no longer be illustrating the remaining two books, but that makes this installment all the more special. Thank you, Jim Kay, for sharing these beautiful treasures with us and our hearts.Beware Amazon packing isn't always the best. They'll put it in a box often with no padding. My copy of the book came in excellent condition, but the box it arrived in was in bad shape.

The fifth illustrated edition of Harry Potter has finally arrived after a long 3 year wait. I have definitely been looking forward to this edition as this is the longest book in the series and happens to be my favorite. In this book so many characters “step up” showing their talent and prowess alongside Harry not to mention the development of more maturity in the characters as they face increasingly higher stakes in the magical world. Perhaps most of all I was looking forward to Jim Kay’s illustration of the incredibly well written and despicable Dolores Umbridge. The illustrated editions are always great because you get to see illustrations of the characters and beasts drawn exactly as they were written. Jim Kay again does an exceptional job capturing those descriptions in illustrated form as all illustrated pages are something to look forward to as you read through the book. They are vibrant and depict the scenes brilliantly.That being said I have to be honest and say I still miss more of the pages with background illustrations and theming illustrations we saw in the first 3 books. I know the books are getting longer so that may be more difficult but I admit I was hoping with the additional time for this edition it would have more. It does have some as you can see in the attached images which are great. I am not asking for every page or chapter but perhaps those earlier books spoiled me and with how much I enjoyed background theme images. I always enjoy the illustrated pages but the theme / background image pages are great bridges that set the mood before the next big fully illustrated page. Again though the pages that are fully illustrated are truly captivating and it’s worthwhile to take your time looking at those so you don’t miss some of the incredibly well done small details.That being said this is a beautiful edition perfect for Harry Potter fans and really great for kids enjoying the Harry Potter world. I found that even older kids who previously read the books love seeing the illustrations and how the characters are depicted. The books continue to take on the darker tone that began back in book 3 as many who would be looking at reviews of this book probably know. It depends on your family and child but compared to a book series like Lemony Snicket’s these are nowhere near as “dark”. If you are a parent and have not read the books I would say read it (because they are great for adults also) first to see whether or not you think your child is ready but generally children 10 and up seem to handle the books well. A great purchase that everyone will enjoy!