Though it seems like the frenzy over Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix happened just yesterday, it’s been two years since its release. If the first printing of 10.8 million copies of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is any indication, we should be bracing ourselves for the biennial “reading” frenzy of preteens everywhere to explode again this spring.

Don’t get me wrong. I myself am a bookworm, and I think it’s wonderful to have an alternative to staring at a TV screen. Additionally, I’m a sucker for children’s fantasy novels. I wandered around the house quoting C.S. Lewis and humming Willy Wonka tunes for so long that by any reasonable expectation, I should be a Harry Potter junkie. And I was. But the downward spiral of J.K. Rowling’s last few releases has left me with little hope for her future endeavors.

The first two books in Rowling’s series, Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone and Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets were engaging excursions into the fantastical realm of magic. To her credit, Rowling hit upon a brilliant idea and presented it with all the delicious details that fantasy mongers like me relish. Though Rowling’s next two books, The Prisoner of Azkaban and The Goblet of Fire, bordered on verbosity, they helped set the scene for the epic showdown between Harry and Lord Voldemort. Now that the stage is set for Harry’s full drama to play out, Rowling seems unsure of what to actually do next.

The most ominous augury of The Half-Blood Prince’s failure is the disappointingly dull Phoenix, fifth book of the series. The fourth book, The Goblet of Fire, ends with the resurrection of evil Lord Voldemort and the preparation of Harry and his friends for battle. The fifth book opens with Harry lying in a flowerbed, moping, and trying to overhear the news. The stale beginning sets the tone for the rest of the book. As in past books, Harry goes on to encounter various obstacles, but in Phoenix, there never appears to be an end to them. Though fans of Phoenix hail Rowling’s exploration of Harry’s development from angst into maturity, I fail to see anything but an angry teenager feeling sorry for himself. Of course Harry is dealt more bad cards than the average kid, but he deals with it just like everybody else—by moping. Though his response may be realistic, it’s completely unengaging.

Perhaps if the boredom had a reasonable limit, Phoenix would be tolerable and the attempts at painting a more complex character portrait would be effective. Unfortunately, Rowling felt the need to publish as many pages as humanly possible. I remember literally wanting to cross out the superfluous words as I read and ended up skimming each page for major events and conversation. In the structuring of a literary work, the presence of every word contributes to the overall effect. However, such structure requires an understanding of the nuances of language. Rowling, though a gifted storyteller, lacks the skill it takes to create tension and convey movements simply through her style of prose.

Perhaps the relatively muted response to the last book has encouraged Rowling to make a few modifications and amp up the interest level in her storytelling. As we approach the final showdown between Harry and Lord Voldemort, things are sure to get more interesting. I’m hoping to be pleasantly surprised. But I’m not holding my breath.