No spoilers! I’m not a soulless Dementor.
Title: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Author: JK Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany
Rating: 9.5
Description from Amazon:
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.
What I Thought:
I loved it. Obviously. (And you have to read “obviously” in Alan Rickman’s Snape voice. Obviously.)
It was super easy and quick to read – it only took me about two hours to finish it! Because it’s a play script it’s basically just dialogue with a bit of stage directions thrown in. I devoured it in one sitting! Hurray!
I loved visiting our old beloved characters again, and squealed with delight at some of the cameos. There were a few people I had expected to see that were notably missing, but the surprise visits definitely made up for them.
So I try and rate books on my site in comparison with other books of that type. When I finish reading something I ask myself, “As a YA romance, how does this rate? It’s a 9!” Instead of “Out of all the books of all time, how does this rate? More like a 3…”
I’m rating this a 9.5 as a script, and not necessarily as the next Harry Potter story (that would be more like an 8).
A word of advice. Don’t go into this thinking of it as the next Harry Potter novel. Go into this thinking of it more like an extended Pottermore story. Because it’s a script, a lot of the Rowling descriptions and world building that we know and love are missing from Cursed Child. It’s still a wonderful, fabulous, incredible story. But it’s just different.
Rowling included some deliciously crazy surprises in this story. Things that will change the Potter canon forever. (Read that ominously. It’s ominous.) But one of them was actually something that I had suspected before, so I loved having my inklings confirmed!
There were the regular wizarding plot holes that we know exist within the Harry Potter universe, but they didn’t take away much from the story. (Like tasks that are supposed to be almost impossible for full grown adults to accomplish being pretty dang easy for a couple of adolescents.)
But speaking of those adolescents, the two main characters are amazing. Their friendship is brilliant and I loved their banter. I loved seeing Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Draco all grown up. Loved. It. (Ron and Hermione are exactly how I pictured them as an old married couple. So glad!)
Verdict: Go. Read it. Love it.
Extras:
The cast of the play in London!
TL;DR:
Harry Potter? Always.
Have you read it?? What did you think? LET’S TALK ABOUT IT.
August 1, 2016 at 9:36 am
I haven’t read it yet! But it’s currently my coffee table book, so when I have a chance I sit down and read some pages. I’ve read about 25 pages so far (in the car on the way home from the book store…), and have loved what I’ve read. Can’t wait to finish it!
August 1, 2016 at 10:10 am
IT GETS CRAZY. You’ll love it!!
August 1, 2016 at 9:50 am
I finished it really quickly too! I’m literally in a state of shock. (One thing I know for sure? I <3 Scorpius SO MUCH!)
August 1, 2016 at 10:11 am
Right?!?! What an awesome dude!!! I love him so so much.
August 2, 2016 at 2:55 am
But could dementors actually have souls?
August 2, 2016 at 6:53 am
I just read the Harry Potter wiki about them and no, I don’t think so! Haha!
August 2, 2016 at 7:21 am
Like gingers, maybe that’s why they steal souls (not offencive, apparently I’m ginger)
August 6, 2016 at 2:48 pm
Same here i thought the book was well done and a super easy fun read.
August 9, 2016 at 12:06 pm
I’m glad we agree! 😁
August 9, 2016 at 11:35 am
Here is my sad, sad tale:
I pre-ordered this as a birthday/retirement present to myself. SO excited and waiting on pins & needles for it to arrive on the 5th of August that I started meeting the postman at the street beginning on my birthday, which was the 3rd! Yayyy!!????
Not.
It didn’t arrive on Friday the 5th, and nor did it get here on Sat. the 6th. And my internet was down last week so I couldn’t check on Amazon for delivery/tracking until yesterday…Mon the 8th.
“Delivered Aug 5, left on porch by door.” – that’s the postal notice listed on Amazon. How could that have been, when the mailman never had a chance to step out of the mail truck to deliver OUR mail for 4 days, what with me standing at his vehicle door, blocking him?!
Called USPS. Lady said, “It was scanned in the truck and noted left on porch.”
“Lady,” I said, “I met him at the truck for FOUR days. He never got out of the truck…he did NOT deliver it.”
She: “Sending someone to your street to investigate and ask your neighbours if it was accidentally delivered to them.”
“When will you do this?”
“I’m sending someone to your street now.” (this is Mon. at 12:40 in the afternoon, mind)
Tues (today): have approached all my neighbours…no one knocked on their door, no one has contacted them in any other wise, either. Cursed Child still missing as of mail delivery today.
Called post office today to ask why no one came to street to investigate. Response: “She left right after I got off the phone with you Monday.”
“I sat outside all day waiting. No one came. All 10 of my neighbours will corroborate this.”
……
(click, went the phone.)
At least I got to read a review. 😞😭😭
August 9, 2016 at 12:08 pm
I’m weeping for you!!! What a nightmare!! I can’t believe they are giving you the run around like that!
I hope you’ll be able to figure out what in the heck is going on soon 😭😭😭
Maybe it’s coming by owl?
August 9, 2016 at 12:56 pm
At least by owl they could track the thief…thinking Veritaserum sprinkled on Owl Nuts??!!
The book was scanned just before I walked over and met the truck. It’s obvious where it is. Oh! and I updated a few minutes ago on my blog 😠
August 10, 2016 at 2:52 pm
Hahah Veritaserum would be perfect! 😁
August 11, 2016 at 4:08 am
😄😄😄
September 7, 2016 at 10:55 am
So glad you enjoyed this book, I’m happy to see a positive review about this, there are so many negative ones. It doesn’t feel like the next harry potter book, but like a Pottermore story, as you said, and it’s perfectly GREAT this way. I loved seeing them all grown-up, yet stil being the same characters we always knew, with their flaws, humor and… I LOVED IT. 🙂
September 7, 2016 at 12:10 pm
Yes, totally agree! It’s not comparable to the original series at all, but as a nice little PS at the end it works just wonderfully.