So, there’s a new Harry Potter book out in the world. And it seems like the world has been completely divided by it. People either seem to hate it completely, or they enjoyed diving back into Harry’s world. I’m not going to say many loved it though because, based on reviews, because there doesn’t seem to be anyone who’s completely happy.
Where do I stand? Well, I can definitely say that I didn’t hate it. On the whole, I enjoyed it. But if you’re planning on reading it, don’t go in expecting another Harry Potter novel because that is not what it is. Honestly, I’m not sure we can even call it a “Harry Potter” book. If I could, I think I’d rename it “Scorpius Malfoy and his Best Friend”.
Yes, I liked Scorpius a lot.
And now I’m jumping ahead of myself! I should start again.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is the story of Albus Potter, and his friend Scorpius. The plot? They head on an adventure involving time turners and things get messy. That’s all I’m telling you when it comes to the story. I don’t want to spoil anything!
I actually finished it the week it was released, but it’s taken me a while to gather my thoughts. When I first finished it, I had a feeling of enjoyment from being back in Harry’s world but, as time’s passed, I’ve realised that I have a lot of issues with it.
As I’m sure most people know, this is a play which was created by J. K. Rowling, Jack Thorne, and John Tiffany, and written by Jack Thorne, which means it’s totally different to the original Harry Potter books. For one thing, it’s a very different reading experience because of the format. I was actually a fan of this – it made it so easy to read. However, because it’s not actually written by Rowling, a lot of the magic from the original novels is missing – I guess that’s partly because of the format too. So, although I really enjoyed reading a play for once, I do wish that this had been a novel.
The actual plot itself? Well, I won’t go into detail. All I’ll say is that it was a bit of a mess. Many fans are looking at the Cursed Child as fanfiction rather than canon, and I’m definitely jumping onto that ship. Parts of the plot seemed absolutely ridiculous, and it just doesn’t compare to the original novels.
HOWEVER, this book had one saving grace, and that was the wonderful Scorpius Malfoy. He was probably the main reason why I liked the Cursed Child. He was funny, he was sweet, he was just adorable. Plus his friendship with Albus was the best thing! Basically, Scorpius was great and I loved him.
The other characters? Well, they were more of a mixed bag. On the one hand, I loved seeing the trio and co all grown up. On the other hand, they just weren’t always the same as their younger selves. Sometimes they seemed to do things that were out of character. So the characters did confuse me a bit. And also the Weasley children should have made more of an appearance, but oh well.
So, the Cursed Child had me falling in love with the world of Harry Potter all over again, but it also left me a bit disappointed. Do I want to see the play? Yes, because I’d imagine it’s a whole lot more magical than just reading the play, and the reviews have all been singing its praises. But I’d only recommend reading the play if you’re a big Harry Potter fan, and really want to dive back into the wizarding world.
What did you think of the Cursed Child? Were you a fan, or were you disappointed? Would you like to see the play one day?
The Dragon Reader 
I enjoyed reading this book, but it certainly did have its issues and I didn’t feel as connected to the characters as I was with the series. I did love Scorpius though!
Yeah, I was a bit disappointed with some of the characters. And I really would’ve liked to see some of my favourites turn up, like Neville and Luna! Scorpius was definitely fantastic though – I loved getting to know him.