Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

SPOILERS AHEAD.  You’ve been warned.

I am a product of the Harry Potter generation.  Ever since the book release of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, I’ve been completely hooked and obsessed with the series.  I remember going to Borders (RIP) and Barnes and Nobel for all the midnight release parties (sometimes in costume)…I walked around The Taste of Chicago reading Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and stayed up until the wee hours of the morning the day before my friends wedding finishing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

For as long as I can remember, this book series has been an integral part of my life, so when I learned that J.K. Rowling was working on a new Harry Potter project, I was beyond excited!  While I decided to forgo the insanity of the book release party, I did pre-order my copy and dove in to Harry Potter and the Cursed Child as soon as it arrived on my doorstep…

And I kinda wish I hadn’t.

While Cursed Child is not technically meant to be the 8th Harry Potter book and was openly advertised as a much more mature, less magical story, I still found it kind of…dare I say…boring.

Similar in style and feel to A Christmas Carol, Cursed Child tells the story of Harry’s son, Albus, and his desire to right a wrong that his dad was involved with years before (remember Cedric?  Heeeee’s BAAAAACCCK!!).  Together with his best friend, Scorpious (who ironically is the son of Harry’s enemy, Draco Malfoy), the two troublemakers travel through time and try to save Cedric from ever having to be killed by Voldermort.  Why, you ask?  Great question.

I just didn’t feel this story was necessary to the Harry Potter canon.  It didn’t change my feelings about any character and didn’t resolve any unanswered questions from the series itself.  To me, Cursed Child read more like fan fiction…like someone’s attempt to finish a small story line that was abandoned in the HP series…but I really felt no different after reading it.  The story just moved right through me like a House Ghost.

However, despite all the criticism, I do have to say that I was quite impressed with Harry’s character and his very realistic and relatable flaws he has as a parent and a spouse.  There’s no denying that Harry’s past is heartbreaking, and seeing how it has affected him as an adult was quite interesting…but again, didn’t need it.

If you read the end of Deathly Hallows, you know that the storyline wraps up quite nicely.  We see the happily ever afters…all the kids of the kids we knew and loved ready for their next adventures at Hogwarts…and all was well.  J.K. Rowling said it herself!  And sometimes, I think you just have to let a good thing be.

Looking for a new book to read? Check in every Friday for a “Bee Happy” post, where I share reviews of books I’ve read or other book-themed lists.