Author(s): J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany
Publisher: Little, Brown UK
Year Published: 2016
Year Published: 2016
Description:
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.
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.
It starts off at the moment of the epilogue in the last book which takes place nineteen years later. Harry and Ginny are married with children, as are Ron and Hermione. Harry's middle child, Albus Severus, who struggles with living in the shadow of his father's fame is sorted into Slytherin and befriends the son of an old nemesis, Scorpius Malfoy. They have a rough time at Hogwarts and both are unpopular outcasts; Albus is mocked for being a Potter in Slytherin, while Scorpius is bullied with a nasty rumor of him being Voldemort's son.
***
I want to preface this post by saying: I'm not what you'd call a "Potterhead" or anything. Don't get me wrong, I love Harry Potter. Like a lot of people my age, I basically grew up with Harry Potter and I am glad I did. This is a huge part of my childhood and will always be. I've read all the books and seen all the movies, so far HP is one of the best fantasy series ever made. When it was announced that there would be an eighth story in the series, unlike some others, I wasn't really excited about it. Why? Because I think Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is a fit end to the series although the epilogue is a bit corny, so I personally wasn't expecting another book. But then again, since it's Harry Potter, why not give it a chance?
Well, I don't know where to even begin. I'm going to keep it brief. Something to keep in mind, Cursed Child is not a novel. It is a play script that obviously makes it different from the seven other books and I myself don't find it hard to follow. It's literally just straight dialogue and not actually written by Rowling (it's written by Jack Thorne and she has approved it), so don't expect it to have the same feel as her other writings.
Having read it in a day, I'm feeling conflicted about Cursed Child. First, the characters. Because it's written as a script, they are not fully developed as in a novel would be. All of the original characters are horribly out of character. I get that people change as they get older, but their personalities are completely different and unrecognizable. For example, Ron is sadly portrayed as a bumbling idiot! Seeing him like that just really breaks my heart. A few old characters from the series make an appearance as well, although none of them feels like the characters we all know and love.
As for the story itself, it begins quite well and the first part of the script seems promising, until Ministry of Magic seizes an illegal Time-Turner from a Death Eater.
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| Hang on, we're going home! |
Well, I don't know where to even begin. I'm going to keep it brief. Something to keep in mind, Cursed Child is not a novel. It is a play script that obviously makes it different from the seven other books and I myself don't find it hard to follow. It's literally just straight dialogue and not actually written by Rowling (it's written by Jack Thorne and she has approved it), so don't expect it to have the same feel as her other writings.
Having read it in a day, I'm feeling conflicted about Cursed Child. First, the characters. Because it's written as a script, they are not fully developed as in a novel would be. All of the original characters are horribly out of character. I get that people change as they get older, but their personalities are completely different and unrecognizable. For example, Ron is sadly portrayed as a bumbling idiot! Seeing him like that just really breaks my heart. A few old characters from the series make an appearance as well, although none of them feels like the characters we all know and love.
However, since Cursed Child centers around the next generation of wizards and witches, it's time for us to move forward. In this installment we get introduced to two new main characters, Albus and Scorpius, along with a new controversial character named Delphi who pretty much comes out of nowhere (seriously, her entire existence is just ludicrous). Speaking of Albus, he is pretty annoying and unlikable most of the time. I literally don't understand why Albus hates his father. Just because he ends up sorted into Slytherin and not that great on magic, he doesn't need to be so rude and disrespectful to Harry! There's no particular reason to feel sympathy for him. On the other hand, Scorpius is just plain adorable. Who would have expected Draco's son to be a wonderful geek?! He is like a breath of fresh air for the Malfoys. Scorpius now becomes everyone's new favorite character, and it's easy to see why. So throughout their time at Hogwarts, Albus and Scorpius are outsiders and both are struggling to live in their fathers' shadows. At first look, you might want to label their relationship as "gay" because the dialogue between them is somewhat too romantic and very ambiguous. They indeed are best friends forever, but what is the point of telling us over and over again how much they need and care for each other? It's hard to believe that teen boys would talk like that in a normal conversation every single time. More than 50% of the script, they are too busy hugging each other. I mean come on, they are definitely in love! For all the Scorbus shippers out there, relax dear, it's just a bromance.
About the other new characters, however, I have very little to say. We barely get to know anything about them; some just disappear halfway through the script, some are even forgotten ☹ We learn almost nothing about any of the new kids except the main characters. Probably because it's a stage play in a theatre, the cast of characters should not be too large due to the limited stage area. Fine, then.
About the other new characters, however, I have very little to say. We barely get to know anything about them; some just disappear halfway through the script, some are even forgotten ☹ We learn almost nothing about any of the new kids except the main characters. Probably because it's a stage play in a theatre, the cast of characters should not be too large due to the limited stage area. Fine, then.
As for the story itself, it begins quite well and the first part of the script seems promising, until Ministry of Magic seizes an illegal Time-Turner from a Death Eater.
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| It turns out this kind of Time-Turner is entirely different from Hermione's. |
Hmm from what I can vaguely remember, the Time-Turners have all been destroyed during the events of Order of the Phoenix, but now.. they’re back! There are special Time-Turners in this story that break all the rules of time travel set in Prisoner of Azkaban. In Cursed Child, this new Time-Turner can be used to go back years at a time, not just hours. It also can change the past, creating alternate timeline that leads to a series of butterfly effects. Leaning so heavily on time travel, the story is more focused on revisiting some of the key events of the past: the Triwizard Tournament of 1994, the Halloween of 1981. In short, nothing new gets really added to the Potter universe.
Aside from the time travel nonsense, this script contradicts several elements presented in the previous installments. Too many plot points and other events that feel forced, unrealistic and unbelievable. Some things are just random. The dialog is pointless, choppy and overly dramatic. It also has a good amount of cringe-worthy moments that seriously make me want to slam the book shut many times and be done with it. Hate to say it, but Cursed Child is chock full of plot holes, blatant inconsistencies and deus ex machina that bring up more questions rather than answers.
A few good moments even cannot save this script from mediocrity. And the whole thing about Voldemort having a child is the worst and most ridiculous part for me. I have always considered him asexual and aromantic. I can't imagine He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named engaging in sexual act with anyone. I need explanation. It's so dumbbbbb.
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| Ugh. I can't, Snape! |
Don't ask me how it ends. The more I think about this the sadder I get. Can't believe Rowling had anything to do with this.
Overall, it isn't a terrible read. It just leaves me feeling a bit empty afterwards. Others have described it as reading like fan fiction and sadly, I have to agree. And it has a bit too much fanservice for my taste. Well guys, Cursed Child is not something that meant to be read, but to be watched and played on stage (this play would probably be totally awesome to see!). In any case, I want to see more...more background story, more characters development, more details, more adventure and more magic. It is always amazing to come back to the HP world, however I simply can't accept this as being canon in the series. The whole Harry Potter story should have ended with the Deathly Hallows. Let the story end where the story ends.
It hurts my soul to give Harry Potter anything less than five stars, but here we are.
Should you read it? I suppose so, if only to know what everyone's talking about. You might end up loving it!
**Disclaimer: All gifs on this page are taken from Tumblr.
**Disclaimer: All gifs on this page are taken from Tumblr.
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