Review: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany, and Jack Thorne

626F6F78747265616D=7474747474727576707<7473Title: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Author(s): J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany, and Jack Thorne

Genre: Fantasy; Play

Pages: Hardcover, 343

Publication: July 31, 2016

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.

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When I bought this beautiful book that was originally priced at $29.99, I turned to my friend and said, “This better be worth $30.” While I was extremely skeptical about the play, truth be told, it was definitely worth the money I paid for it.

Like a lot of people, I went in to this book with high hopes, yet with cautious expectations. I had been excited about this story since it was announced, but after listening to MuggleCast’s spoiler-free review, I was scared. They said that it was very “fan fiction-esque,” in its plot, and that terrified me.

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So, I went in cautiously, but as soon as I read the first scene with Harry, Ginny, and their kids at King’s Cross station, I started crying. I was crying because the nostalgia was so strong. I had missed these characters, and they welcomed me back to them with open arms and open hearts.

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While the writing didn’t contain some of that J.K. Rowling charm (mostly because the play itself wasn’t written by her), most of the characters still felt authentic.

The reading experience itself was immensely enjoyable. I flew through the pages, partly because it was extremely entertaining and partly because of its script format. The plot, however, was much less… believable.

This play definitely had its ups and downs. Some of it was very hard to take seriously. You need to be prepared to suspend your disbelief. However, it was a very entertaining story.

Just like JK Rowling said, I think that you need to see the play in order to get the full effect.

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Spoilers/Me ranting/Me loving Scorpius Malfoy

What annoyed me the most was the fact that as soon as Albus and Rose step onto the Hogwarts Express and meet my precious baby Scorpius, a stupid ass theory is stated and accepted by the characters like it’s no big deal.

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Rose was just like, “Oh yeah people think that Scorpius is Voldemort’s child nbd.” It didn’t make any. damn. sense.

This theory that Voldemort had a child is a common thing that I’ve seen in a lot of Harry Potter fan fiction, and that’s where it needed to stay. Sure, I’m a Bellatrix and Voldemort shipper, but that doesn’t mean that I want it to be canon.

Another thing that made the story less enjoyable was the usage of time turners.

THERE WERE SO MANY PARADOXES BEING MADE THAT I WAS SURE THE DOCTOR HIMSELF WOULD APPEAR AND SLAP ALBUS WITH HIS SONIC SCREWDRIVER.

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This play used time turners like it was no big deal that several people went into the past several times and fucked with several things.

Despite the problems that I had with the plot, I really enjoyed the portrayal of a lot of the relationships in the play. My favorite, of course, was Albus and Scorpius. There was so much chemistry there, and, because of that, whenever they would have a conversation, the play would come to life in my head.

However, I think that J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany, and Jack Thorne missed a huge opportunity with Scorpius and Albus’ relationship. Throughout the play, I got the impression that there was more than just friendship between the two characters.

Even when Delphi was introduced as a “love” interest (and I use that phrase lightly) to Albus, I still thought that the play would show some sort of romance, other than subliminal, between him and Scorpius. Additionally, at the end, when Scorpius asked Rose out, it did not make any sense to me at all.

Was Jack Thorne appealing to the Dramione shippers out there? I have no idea, but whatever the decision, I just didn’t understand it.

There was a palpable romantic tension between Scorpius and Albus, and the creators missed a huge opportunity to include the first LGBT relationship in the Harry Potter universe.

Despite everything that I’ve bitched about in this review, I still really enjoyed reading it. It drew me any, just like all Harry Potter stories do. I just really hope that someday I’m able to see the play in person, so that I can experience this just as J.K. Rowling intended.

What did you think of The Cursed Child?

4 thoughts on “Review: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany, and Jack Thorne”

  1. Madeline @ The SFF Bookshelf says:
    Reply

    Wonderful review! You have mentioned absolutely everything that I was thinking, especially when it came to Scorpius and Albus. The writers definitely missed an awesome opportunity to write about a homosexual relationship. The characters certainly possessed a lot of chemistry, so it was disappointing that their friendship didn’t blossom into something more. Great review!

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