Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Review (SPOILERS)
I am a HUGE Harry Potter Fan. And that might even be a bit of an understatement. I first picked up the series in Elementary School and they literally have changed my life. So many friendships started and strengthened by a shared love of Harry.
When it was announced that there was going to be an eighth story, a play, I was excited. Then it was announced that it would be published and I was thrilled. I pre-ordered, I made plans to be at the midnight release. I remained spoiler free, refusing to read reviews of the play or to read any of the leaks that made their way into the Internet. I wanted this to be pure. HP is like a close friend and I didn’t want anything to ruin this experience for me.
I just finished Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. It took me less than 3 hours to read through it, and to be honest, I wish that I hadn’t read it at all.
My first thoughts as I read the book were “I can’t believe I’m reading a NEW Harry Potter book!” Within the first few scenes my thoughts changed to “I can’t believe I’m reading a new HARRY POTTER book.” To be honest, I’ve read fan fiction that held truer to the original books and characters than Cursed Child. I’ve read BAD fan fiction that was more accurate than Cursed Child.
This book, to me, read like they had taken every bad fan fiction troupe and threw it all together. Time travel? Really?? That is the most used deus ex machina in fan fiction. To have some one go back to the past and completely screw things up? Been there. Done that. Voldemort having a child? With Bellatrix Lestrange of all people? Honestly, not surprised. Dead characters miraculously revived by a butterfly effect? Seen that fan service before.
The fan fiction vibe is really just the tip of the iceberg here. Albus kissing his Aunt while disguised as her husband? Was that really necessary? How did that further the plot? Scorpious and Rose becoming an echo of James and Lily? Why?
While there are parts of the book I was pleased with (Hermione as MOM, Ron and Hermione still being happily together, Ginny being sarcastic and witty like book Ginny) there are far more instances of characters feeling out of character than in. While a lax student, Harry doesn’t strike me as someone who would shirk the responsibilities of being Head Auror. Professor McGonagal and Ginny were very quick to pass judgement and place blame. Ron told awful Dad jokes and really served no purpose other than comic relief (which is a true injustice, but that would require a whole other post to truly get into).
I am very disappointed with Cursed Child, and I am perplexed as to how JKR could have had anything to do with this mess. She treated the original series like those books, like those characters were her children, and I can’t believe what she has done to them now. I wish that I had never read this book, not because it was that bad, but because I fear that this will forever alter my perception of a woman and a series that shaped my childhood. Was this story just cranked out to generate revenue? What can we expect form Fantastic Beasts? Will those characters and plot lines be treated as loosely as these, or was it just a struggle to return to old characters?
I think I might pull a wand on myself and obliviate this from my cannon. 8th Harry Potter story? What 8th Harry Potter Story?
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