The Cursed Child is a Dry but Entertaining Fan-Fiction

By Chloe Frantzis

Managing Editor of Arts

Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

Many people would agree that this summer’s blockbuster movies have been a bit of a drag. Between all the sequels and remakes, it was impossible to find that singular movie that could claim the title of “blockbuster of the summer.”

Furthermore, unlike past summers, there wasn’t really a song of the summer either.  Although the catchy, upbeat melody of Justin Timberlake’s “Can’t Stop This Feelin’” came close, it didn’t have the previous success and popularity that songs like “California Girls” and “Cheerleader” did in earlier summers.

Curiously, though, this trend was entirely reversed in terms of highly anticipated summer book releases– most notably J.K. Rowling’s newest Harry Potter installment, The Cursed Child.

Although the book is formatted as a script for the play currently playing in London, the fandom circling the release of the novel has not been seen since the opening of previous Harry Potter installments.

Countless fans dressed as their favorite Potter characters and waited in lines outside bookstores the day of the release, counting down the seconds until the doors opened and they could all buy their copies and find out what happens to Harry’s middle child, Albus Severus, as he enters his first year at Hogwarts.

I myself read the Harry Potter series about a million times as a kid, and I felt as though I owed it to my younger self to read the newest book.

As it turns out, I’m questioning whether or not I should have.

We learn quickly that Albus is extremely nervous about fulfilling his father’s legacy, as he is very shy and a bit awkward, while his older brother, James, has already made a name for himself. On the Hogwarts express, Albus befriends another first year named Scorpius, the son of Malfoy, Harry’s greatest in-school rival. They quickly become best friends and are both sorted into Slytherin, a surprise to Harry and the rest of the wizarding world.

Albus continues to struggle both inside the classroom and out and is quickly labeled an outcast. Eager to prove himself worthy of the Potter name following a fight with his father, Album decides to use one of the last remaining time turners to save Cedric Diggory from Voldemort.

As expected, everything goes terribly wrong. Albus and Scorpius are forced to make multiple trips into the past, each time creating more problems than they fix.

The loophole created by going back in time confuses the reader and opens many plot errors. Despite a relatively clear-cut ending, the story opens the door for many sequels and fan-fictions, for better or worse. Considering how much of a letdown this piece was compared to the original seven books, I’m going to assume it’s for worse.

To begin with, all the characters– even the ones we’re already attached to– seemed a bit dry, and the plot line was extremely predictable. I also think it wasn’t as good because it lacked description found in the previous books. To be fair, it is written as a script, but it still lacked the magical and mysterious vibe projected from all the other books.

Maybe it was just weird seeing Harry, Ron, and Hermione as adults, or maybe the whole going back in time thing messed with my head, but the book just felt like fan-fiction. The elastic band of the magical world was just pulled a little too thin for my liking.

Although I’ve given the book a harsh review, I still think it’s worth a read. The book is still about Harry Potter, and anything by J.K. Rowling is going to be a great read. It just didn’t live up to the expectations of her previous novels. It is an A for books, but a C for Rowling books.

Maybe seeing the play will help, but good luck getting tickets. For now, I can settle for the book.