Series: Standalone
Pages: 320
Genre: Script,fantasy
Rating: four and a half stars
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.
“The truth is a beautiful and terrible thing, and should therefore be treated with great caution.”
When I heard about this story coming out, I was excited. No, it's not totally written by the queen herself, but she had a hand in it and that was okay with me. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a script. It's not an actual story, written in the typical book style. It is a script. I know many didn't realize this before going in, and probably let that cloud their judgement. But for me, I liked it. Let me tell you why:
Albus Severus Potter is almost the complete opposite of his father, Harry. I wasn't quite expecting this when I went into it, thinking that a son of Harry's has to have the same virtues and courage he himself showed at a young age. But it was the opposite and let me tell you, I liked that. Albus wasn't another Harry, and I think that made the story itself a grander one. Albus is his own character with his own thoughts and words. It was interesting to be in his mind when we've been in Harry's for so long. Now, that doesn't mean Albus is perfect. In fact, he's quite the little brat, and yet, a part of me can see why. What would it be like to have Harry as a dad? Everyone would watch you, waiting for you to be exactly like him. Pressure much?
Scorpious, Draco's own child is the opposite of his dad. See what happened there? It's like everything is kind of different, the characters did the old switch-a-roo on us. Scorpious is timid, nervous, and a sweetheart. I found that to be a huge contrast to the type of man his father is. I did like the differences in characters. They weren't written in the way we expected them to be written.
“SCORPIUS: Thank you for being my light in the darkness”
Many of our favorite-and least favorite-returned in this play. I enjoyed reading about our favorite trio as adults with their own kids, trying to figure out how to manage them and remember what it was like for them as kids. I espeically loved Harry. He's kind of angry, as he should be thanks to what all he's been through, yet he's trying to figure out how to be a good dad. He doesn't have the reference on how to act like one, so it comes hard to him and steps in the way of his and Albus' relationship.
“Those we love never truly leave us, Harry. There are things that death cannot touch.”
There were a few decent surprises I certainly wasn't expecting in this! One in particular grossed me out. The villain in this wasn't surprising but other parts that were revealed about the villain were very much so. I didn't really see it coming, and I liked that about it.
Albus and Scorpious take it in their own hands to change something about the past, causing such a change to the present time, that everything gets messy. These moments were both great and silly. They just kept going back, hoping to put everything back to the way it was. Albus goes through many emotions and changes throughout this book, leading to a smart young man who learns what it's truly meant to be as a Potter, and I'm glad both he and Harry figured their stuff out.
As this is a script mostly written from Jack Thorn and John Tiffany, the original feeling of the old characters isn't the same. Their personalities are a bit off, the way they speak or act can seem a bit wrong. The magic is kind of set aside and doesn't have that huge fantastical feel to it like JK wrote. It happens, these characters come from someone else mind and of course they'd be different. I know many who are quite upset about this, but I for one am grateful. This work isn't a true JK work. I feel that it's really a it's own story and shouldn't be included as an 8th book in the series, but that's just me.
Anyway, if you can get past the script writing and tilted characters, I would recommend you read this. It certainly can't hurt you!
“The truth is a beautiful and terrible thing, and should therefore be treated with great caution.”
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