10 August 2016

Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus - Cursed Child Review

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Parts One & Two)
Harry Potter #8

by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany and Jack Thorne






What they say: Based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, a new play by Jack Thorne, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is the eighth story in the Harry Potter series and the first official Harry Potter story to be presented on stage. 



It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn’t much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband and father of three school-age children.

While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places.



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Buy links:

Amazon UK * Amazon US * Waterstones * Pottermore



Spoiler Free review #keepthesecrets


What I say: For anybody who knows me it shouldn't come as a surprise that I was giddy with excitement about getting my greedy paws on Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. I've been obsessed with all things Harry Potter since I wandered into my local Waterstones with three friends after school way back in June 1997. Where I spent my pocket money on a book about a boy called Harry. On a side note my friends spent their money on ear piercings, a burger and a biology book - so considering I've been offered upwards of £3,000 for my first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (yes it's been authenticated, yes it has the mistake on page 53, yes it's in great condition and lives in a locked box along with my first editions of all the other HP books) I wonder which of us made the best purchases... I then went on to have my own Angelfire HP fan page called Harry From Gryffindor and became a life long fan of J.K. Rowling and HP.
As you can see from the picture below I still have my original Harry Potter mug which was released once the first movie was announced. My HP obsession lead to me having a Harry Potter themed birthday party at University, which happens to be the same Uni as J.K. Rowling attended and to studying Latin so I could learn about classics and where the HP spells came from (see my favourite copy of Harrius Potter et Philosophi Lapis below).

The reason I've mentioned my history with the series and just how much the books mean to me is to explain how high my expectations for Cursed Child were and for you to judge whether I can be expected to give a balanced non-biased review of the script...




Harry Potter and the Cursed Child fits nicely into the HP canon and from the very first page I instantly felt as like a teenager again falling in love with Wizards and magic for the first time. As a literature graduate I've read numerous plays so had no problems with the script format (not that you need to have studied English to love plays). I know this has been a problem for some who didn't like the stage directions or the lack of 'novel style' flow as seen in the previous HP books. Does the play format make it difficult to connect with the characters? Absolutely not. Harry as a parent jumps off the page and reminds readers why we loved him in the first place. Albus and Scorpius shine as the new generation and made me completely rethink everything about the series.



There are twists, turns and lots of surprises. I loved falling into my favourite fictional world again (not that I ever left it) and found myself completely charmed by the story. Did I expect that ending? Not really but I love to be kept guessing.

I've seen several mentions of Cursed Child being like HP fan fiction - I'm not going to comment on that here as I feel it would be too spoilery, but if I had ever managed to write HP fan fiction like this then I'd be really flipping proud.


All the Stars in my Sky!




My Luna outfit from the Potter Party at YALC last weekend on Cursed Child release day!





From the Deathly Hallows release party all those years ago!



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