A Spoiler-Free Review of "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child"

By Peyton Carper on August 3, 2016

July 30 marked the debut of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child at the Palace Theatre in London, England, and the very next day heralded the release of the companion book, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: Parts One and Two. The book, written in script form, is considered an extension of the original story rather than an eighth novel, but that didn’t stop Potterheads across the country from pouring out into their local bookstores to pore over the new story at the stroke of midnight.

And what a magnificent story it is.

Image via Pottermore.

The story picks up right where it left off in the epilogue of Deathly Hallows, with the Golden Trio sending their children off to Hogwarts for the very first time. To instantly be reunited with old characters – no, old friends – is an incredible and surreal experience after their absence all these years. Our favorite characters have just as much love for each other now as they did from the moment we met them, and it is a genuine privilege to be introduced to their children, who we only briefly met in the epilogue of Deathly Hallows.

The beginning of Cursed Child gives us a more in-depth introduction to Harry Potter’s son Albus Severus, who is leaving for his first year at Hogwarts. Along with him come Rose Granger-Weasley, a young girl with the same biting wit as her mother, and Scorpius Malfoy, whose intelligence and charm will easily have readers falling in love with him. Though, based on the novels, we would never expect such a delightful son from Draco Malfoy, it seems that perhaps some of Scorpius’ kindness has rubbed off on his seemingly sinister father. The moment the new generation of witches and wizards leaves for Hogwarts, they become involved with adventures far too large for children their age, making them more like their parents than they could ever know.

Harry Potter, Albus Severus Potter, and Ginny Potter, as portrayed by Jamie Parker, Sam Clemmett, and Poppy Miller, respectively. Image via geek.com.

Cursed Child is not a new novel, but is instead the script for the play of the same name, a fact about which many Potter fans had understandable reservations. Reading only a few pages of the new book, however, immediately sets the reader’s mind at ease. Despite the unusual format, complete with stage directions, the story is enough to carry readers into that trance we all felt the first time we read Sorcerer’s Stone. The stage directions actually help to bring readers further into the story, to feel as though we really are there, watching our new favorite characters brave challenges they never anticipated. They contain caustic digs at characters when they are acting foolish, giving us that sense of familiarity with the book, but can also contain heartbreaking swells of emotion and profound expressions of joy and sorrow alike.

Though Cursed Child is not an eighth installment in the series, nor is it a novel in its truest form, it is an incredible addition to the Harry Potter world. We are reintroduced to characters we love deeply, some of whom we never thought we would see again, and the pure nostalgia and joy that emanates from this book is a feeling only J.K. Rowling could produce. She, along with co-authors Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, have created something far more than a book or a play; Cursed Child is truly a completely new experience. This book turns things we were once certain of completely on their heads, and in the most delightful way possible. Harry Potter lovers have been given closure for storylines we didn’t even know needed resolving. It’s everything we could have dreamed of and more. The book describes itself best with stage directions from Act 1, Scene 13: “This is chaos. This is magic.”

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