Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany, and Jack Thorne - Review

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It's always been difficult being Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived, and now that he is a husband, father, and a Ministry of Magic employee, life hasn't gotten any easier. As Harry struggles to keep the past where it belongs, his youngest son, Albus Severus, struggles under the weight of a family legacy that he never asked for. As the past and present begin to come together, both Harry and Albus realize that sometimes darkness can come from the most unexpected places.

As soon as I learned that there would be a new Harry Potter story, regardless of the format it would take, I was absolutely enthralled. Obviously, I grew up with these characters and I couldn't wait to see what they were all up to as adults, as well as their children. In this particular case, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is the script of the play in London's West End. Of course, it's going to be quite a different reading experience from when I lost myself in the original series. After finishing this, I can honestly say that I want to travel to London right now and see this at the Palace Theatre immediately. Chances of that are pretty low, so maybe if it comes to Broadway in New York actually seeing the play could be a little more feasible.

As much as I could go on and on about the story, I don't want to give away any major spoilers for those who haven't had the chance to revel in J.K. Rowling's newest release. The fact that this involves time travel shouldn't be too much of a spoiler. I can never resist good time travel and, for the most part, it's handled well here and I enjoyed the could have beens (view spoiler)[although, I'm not entirely sold on what Cedric could have become and with that reasoning (hide spoiler)].

My favorite part of this story, though, are the characters. As excited as I was to see the Golden Trio again, I was looking forward to seeing what would become of their kids. Of the core group, I loved Scorpius Malfoy, Draco's son. He isn't at all how I expected him to be. He's the antithesis of what you would expect a Malfoy to be, and you can clearly see what the adults and fellow classmates think he should be based on his family history alone. The one character that disappointed me the most, though, was Rose Granger-Weasley - and I think a large part of that is her treatment of Scorpius, plus the fact that that's the attitude that her family has instilled in her. So many great characters have cameos, but one that doesn't make it back that I think was a real missed opportunity is Teddy Lupin. That could have been so cool to see what he's been getting up to.

Overall, if you're a fan of Harry Potter, you need to read this as soon as possible. It's quite a satisfying journey, and an emotional one at that. I hope to have the opportunity to see the production on the stage because I fully expect that it would be absolutely amazing. If that doesn't work out, I am beyond excited for the release of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them at the movie theater this November.

I read this book from August 15 - 16, 2016 and my review is also on Goodreads.