When I think of good YA this is what comes to mind. It reminds me of Pratchett's YA works in that it doesn't shy away from very adult themes, has an interesting story but most importantly, has a little depth. This book touches on slavery, love, death, hope, fear, control and the complete breaking of someone mind. This is a dark book. The unforgivable curses are scary and hint at what a truly evil person could get away with if they used them. Raping and either wiping a mind or killing someone would be easy and the way that the muggles were treated at the world cup strongly suggest that this is the kind of thing that went down back in the day. The fear that characters feel just from seeing the Dark Mark in the sky is so strong that you really get an idea of the total anarchy that was present during Voldemort's reign. 
 The characters were fine. Harry is still a little bland but he is coming along nicely. Hermione taking up a cause at this age is just wonderful and totally in character. Ron gets a little more depth this book and it makes sense that he would be resentful of always being in the shadow of someone else. Rita's stuff was fun and with the Dursleys reading The Daily Mail, I can't help but feel that J.K. is having a little stab at the media. Malfoy was thankfully not really in this book and Snape, although it does allude to a deeper character, still comes up a little short. The Moody stuff was brilliant and exactly what I wanted to see in Defence Against The Dark Arts, I just wish there was more of it. 
 There isn't much I can say about this book that hasn't already been said. It has a few flaws and the pacing is off at times but this is still a fantastic book. When all YA these days seems to be V For Vendetta for 13 year old girls, this book reminds me that the genre still has a lot to offer and it's worth wading through the crap to find the gems.