Harry Potter and the Cursed Child By J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany & Jack Thorne | Review

Book Details
Author: J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany & Jack Thorne
Ages: EVERYONE
Rating: 10/10
Number of Pages: 330
Plot: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is the eighth story in the Harry Potter series set 19 years after the events of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. After having an eventful childhood, being the boy who lived and fighting You Know Who, Harry's life hasn't gotten any easier but now he's a husband, a father and an employee of the Ministry of Magic. But now it's not just Harry struggling with the Potter fame. Albus Severus Potter couldn't feel any more different from his famous father and his elder brother, James, and his younger sister, Lily. As both Harry and Albus struggle with both the past and the present, the two must work together in order to finally vanquish the remaining darkness in the wizarding world and rebuild their broken relationship. Thrown back into the wizarding world, this story allows any Harry Potter fan to learn how the original trio have grown and made their own ways in the wizarding world, whilst being introduced to a whole new generation of witches and wizards.

Review: Well, I have waited, for what seems like forever, to get this book. After having one of the most stressful academic years ever, I had totally forgotten to pre-order the book. Fast forward to the 30th July and it suddenly hits me that I haven't pre-ordered the one book that I have been literally dying to read. After frantically worrying about getting my hands on a copy, I raced to a local bookshop and was surprised to see so many copies on the shelves. I mean I'm not complaining, I did get a copy. But where were all the Potterheads? I digress, back to the review!

So, as a Harry Potter fan from a young age, I had grown up on the traditional format of the first seven books. For me, the play format didn't bother me too much. Yes, it was a bit strange not having the same magical depictions of Hogwarts rising above the hills every other chapter, but, I felt that the same magical sentiment remained. I've read a few reviews on Goodreads and other websites which all complain about the play format but honestly I think it was a fresh take on the Harry Potter franchise. Of course, being designed for the stage, it will be up to the actors to be able to truly bring these characters to life. From the stills I have seen online I think that the cast really lives up to the characters that are created in the script.

"Those we love never truly leave us, Harry. There are things that death cannot touch."

One aspect that I completely loved was the incorporation of elements from the past books. I feel as if that by incorporating elements such as the time turner and some surprise characters (which I will not spoil here) added a real nostalgic atmosphere to the play. As well as this, I feel that the writers were able to develop aspects that were loved y readers originally in the first seven books. For me, the adventures with the time turner in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban were one of the favourites of mine as a child and I really hoped that more would be done with the time turner. By incorporating the time turner, therefore, I was immediately taken back to when I first read Prisoner of Azkaban.

When I first found out that this would be a play I was a bit worried how any comic interludes would be added, as the original seven books included instances with Peeves etc. The incorporation of one-liners from both Ron and even Scorpius Malfoy offered comic relief in times that were quite dramatic. Again, I have seen some people complain that these one-liners seemed disjointed alongside the drama but, for me, they really added to the characters of both Ron and Scorpius. Especially with Ron, I felt that, as it was in play format, we didn't really get to see enough of him and his wonderful personality that was created in the original seven books.

To be honest, despite the negativity I have seen, I really did enjoy this play. It offered a new perspective to an already amazing franchise that allowed a generation of readers to return to their youth. If you haven't read this yet, be prepared for the change of format that takes the franchise in a whole new direction. I hope that the stage adaptation is able to add a whole new dimension to the play, developing the new characters into icons like the films did so many years ago. I just hope I will be able to get tickets for the play!

Have you read Harry Potter and the Cursed Child? Leave your thoughts and opinions in the comments section below.