Review: Harry Potter and The Cursed Child

Review: Harry Potter and The Cursed Child

J K Rowling, John Tiffany, Jack Thorne

Little Brown

301 Pages

Personal Copy

Rating: 3/5

Harry Potter will always be my favorite book series. I started reading the series when I was in highschool, I can remember getting the library book and sitting down to read it in the evening. I waiting patiently for each book to publish, and I went to the midnight book sale for the last book. When I heard about The Cursed Child, I was excited and couldn’t wait to get the book/play. I knew going in, that it was written as a play and J K Rowling wasn’t the only writer. However, I didn’t expect it to have such a different feel. It’s a character driven story, without much storytelling. There’s a lot of flashback storylines but not a lot of new material. That’s where I really felt like the story fell flat for me. I really struggled with the plot. I expected more from J K Rowling. If she was committing herself to continue the story, I expected her to give her readers more. This play felt like it was a “filler” project, something to just get done. It was not an eighth book in my mind, it didn't even come close. Yes, a play is meant to be experienced but I’ve read plays before, and I’ve enjoyed the plotlines. This script felt like a trip down memory lane and nothing really substantial was added. It wasn’t horrible, but it was just okay. I really don’t see myself going back and reading it again, not like the books themselves.

What were your thoughts? I’ve seen alot of mixed reviews. In a way, I wish I hadn’t read this one.