Patience is a virtue with some books
341680
True, this is not the most exciting novel as far as holding your attention, but it really is beautiful.  I actually tried to get through it in Spanish to see if it was really that great, or if the translation was that good.  Couldn't quite get it done en Espanol, but I loved it just the same in English.  Subsequent readings have been even better as far as appreciating Marques' genius.  I wish he would really write again.
2098908
The books get a little relashionship centric at times which annoys me but most readers will likely enjoy them.
3308807
It was hard for me to get into these books at first but the are so worth it in the end!
2401855
They do what they say they'll do, and easily, with patience.
1555878
3.5 stars

I have a love/hate relationship with comparing a book, like this one, with other books, in an attempt to draw in readers. I saw this one compared to Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, Journey to the Center of the Earth, and a Brandon Mull book. With all those comparisons, I automatically put it on my must read list.

Unfortunately, comparisons like that usually end up making a reader go in with too high of expectations. I really don't think this is fair to a book, but that's just the way it is.

I think, due to my expectations being too high, it took me well into a third of this book to get into it enough to actually want to finish it. I had to set it aside different times in hopes of liking it more when I picked it back up.

That said, though it took a little while, I DID get into it enough that I'm looking forward to the next book in the series. And, I can see how the other book comparisons come into the picture within this story, though I would have liked to have seen more fleshing out within it. I had a hard time picturing the world that was created, along with some of the creatures.

Overall, this is a fun story with friendship, loyalty, and adventure. Just be prepared to give it a little time if it doesn't click at first.
2273280
I think it's worth the effort to take the time to read through all the characters because once the story gets going it's pretty good.
3861380
This is one of those books that you kinda have to wade through to get to the payoff (The later books in this series).  I wrestled with this one for a lot longer than it took me to read the first 5 put together.  I am glad I did though because in spite of it's slow start, it really lays the groundwork to reward the reader later on.
203329
The most important thing I tell people when recommending this serious to them is quite simply: "Have patience". The Wheel of Time series has been one of my favorites and I have always been impressed with the quality of Robert Jordan's work. However, the series does develop very slowly and there are books where the intricacy of the plot is simply overwhelming. The entire series will span over 11,000 pages and 4,000,000 words by the time it is finished (to give a sense of scale). I would not recommend these books to someone who would not be able to enjoy the slower pace of these books and would not be able to read the entire series together. Keeping all the plot threads together as a reader can be overwhelming and will often have to turn to the internet before I read each new book in the series for a small refresher course. All that being said, when Robert Jordan passed he left an incredible amount of material behind to help whoever would finish the series and Brandon Sanderson has done an amazing job of picking up and continuing the books. As this is one of the final books in the series the pace of the action is a lot faster and many of the plot threads are tied together and finished up. I would recommend this book and series to any lover of the fantasy genre but only if they can give the series the time it deserves.
574060
Like most of the world, I hade high hopes for this book. The numerous delays only added to the excitement that people of all ages had for the release of the fifth installment in the series. Well folks, The Order of the Phoenix has arrived.
I noticed right away that the detail of the writing (along with the characters) has matured. Rowling encorporated more detailed descriptive language, some complicated enough to confuse the people who are suggested to read it. Whereas the previous books used easy, child friendly language, the new book uses vocabulary that may confuse the less educated. The plot has grown much darker and complex, and the overall size of the book is enormous (though most will be able to finish it in under a week--I myself completed it in two days of reading). Don't expect the cheerfull Harry from the first few books; A new Harry has arrived. Some people, like myself, will be a little dissapointed in the books gloomy and depressing nature ( I myself wished Harry would stop whining after the first 400 pages of his complaining). However, the plot itself is beautifully crafted and well presented, and the characters that you love (other than Harry) will appear mostly the same.
It's inevitable that pretty much everyone will read this book. Fan or not, you may feel compelled to read it. Make sure, however, that you have read the 4th book fairly recently, for Rowling isn't as sympathetic with the uninitiated in The Order of the Phoenix.
This is a good book. In most cases, you owe it to yourself to read it. The changes in writing and plot will surprise you, but  you can't help but feel pleased with it. A final note--It appears J.K. Rowling may be running out of steam. It seems unlikely that she will be able to continue with her style of increasing length of books. Also, don't expect it to be out soon, either. It'll be hard to top this one, but if she pulls it out, people will come back for more.
2668782
I'm sure the book will be a wonderful story. But, because it's a slow reading book, it's taking me sometime to get from page to page. Hopefully it gets more exciting.
667424
So far, so good, but this is going to take a while to finish.
614250
So slow should have given up on the book but will hang in there and read it all - it may improve??
4702227
Took me a while to get into this book - about half way actually - and then the action takes off and it was worth the wait. Could do without the head hopping from character to character. Pet peeve of mine with authors. I like to hang out with a character for a few paragraphs, get to know them. And the pacing in the first half of the book is super slow BUT hang in there because its absolutely worth it and I've pre-ordered book 2 on the strength of it.
4598281
Good book, but hard to track the multitude of characters, but for me the books pleasure kicked in about the halfway point.
1910141
It is not as perfect as expected, but with some efforts and patience you can make it work.
3651148
I found this book difficult to get in to and very easy to put aside, even to read other books.

I hate leaving anything less than a four star rating for a book because authors spend so much time putting their hearts into their stories.

I think that once the lead character is no longer alone (I say this so as not to spoil it) she will be more likeable but for now she was OK if quite annoying at times. The story read kind of like a puzzle with some of the pieces either missing or placed in the wrong section. The story for me got more interesting near the end and it is only because of that that I have purchased the second book because this could really be a great series so here is me being optimistic.

Please don't let this put you off as you may read the book differently, your perception may be more in tune with the author, I may have being having an off day.
2162169
The first fifty or so pages of the book move very slowly.  It is very difficult to get to know and understand the characters and sometimes, the actions of particular characters seem unpredictable to the point of absurdity.  I think that while this is a Newberry Award winning book, it may be too difficult for many young readers.  Due to the slow beginning and the fact that the novel is character-driven, this novel would have difficulty holding the interest of an average or below average reader.  This is not a book that should be used in a classroom setting either as boys will have an especially tough time relating to the main character Dicey who is a tough character for even young girls to relate to.  While Dicey does find herself in some universal situations: buying her first bra, making friends in a new town, finding acceptance, having a boy notice her, being accused of cheating, experiencing the death of someone close to her, I think that by and large, young girls still could not relate to Dicey in many ways.  Dicey is far from lazy, she is very responsible and very intelligent and a rather motherly character.  These qualities that define her character are what will make her stand apart from the majority of readers.