Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Harry Potter, #8) by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany, and Jack Thorne | Book Review

“The truth is a beautiful and terrible thing, and should therefore be treated with great caution.”

Title: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Series: Harry Potter, #8
Authors: J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany, Jack Thorne
Published: July 31, 2016
Edition: hardcover
Pages: 301
My Rating: 4 / 5
Goodreads page

ATTENTION: This review is spoiler-free.

Synopsis

Based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, a new play by Jack Thorne, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is the eighth story in the Harry Potter series and the first official Harry Potter story to be presented on stage. The play will receive its world premiere in London’s West End on July 30, 2016.

It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn’t much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband and father of three school-age children.

While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places.

(This synopsis is from Goodreads.)

Thoughts

One thing I want to point out before I get into my thoughts about this book is that this book really wasn’t wholly written by J.K. Rowling. Because of that, not everything about this book is the same as the original series.

When this book was first announced that it was going to be released, I thought that it was going to be in story form like the rest of the series. Instead, it’s the actual script to the play. Reading it was a little bit strange at first, but I got used to it.

The story itself wasn’t that bad, but I did have a couple issues. Some of the actions that the characters performed were, for lack of a better term, out of character. Again, like I said before, J.K. Rowling wasn’t the only person writing this script. I’m not even sure if she had much say in it at all.

Also, in the beginning, the story was dragging. It was only towards the end when all the action happened. I understand that because this play has to be performed in a certain time span that not everything can be in the story, but I still wish that there was more intensity throughout it.

The battle wasn’t as epic as I expected them to be. All it was was a couple spells shouted out and it was over. Very little suspense.

On the bright side, I found the story interesting. Everyone wanted more after the epilogue of the seventh book, and this is the closest thing we’re probably going to get from it.

I love the “new” characters. Yes, all the kids were mentioned in the epilogue, but there wasn’t much character development because…well, it was the epilogue. It would be cruel to introduce interesting characters at the end of a series without a plan for a spin-off series or something.

Characters

Harry Potter

Give the dude a break. You’d think after all those years as a child fighting battles and constantly being in danger would be enough for a lifetime, but no. Fate is such a mean thing.

Albus Severus Potter

One word: angst.

Ginny Weasley

A lot of people didn’t like that Ginny ended up with Harry in the end, but I think in this story Ginny is good for Harry.

Ron Weasley

Compared to how he was in the original story, Ron in this play is much more affectionate. It was strange to see how much Ron hugs and kisses Hermione, but other than that, he seemed almost like himself.

Hermione Granger

Am I the only one who thought that where Hermione hid that one thing (no spoilers) was a bit unlike Hermione? I mean, come on. She’s super smart. She could’ve found a better place to hide that thing.

Scorpious Malfoy

He’s so freaking cute. I just want to give Scorpious a hug.

Draco Malfoy

He’s getting… better, I guess.

Conclusion

I give this book a 4 / 5 BBC Sherlock heads. It’s not as good as the original story, but I still enjoyed it.

Until next time….