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

Author: Jack Thorne, John Tiffany & J. K. Rowling

Original Title: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Publisher: Little, Brown

Release Date: July 31st, 2016
Finished Date: January 5th, 2017
Pages: 343
Read in: English

The Eighth Story. Nineteen Years Later.

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.

Source: GoodReads

Rating

The reading experience of this book did not go as I expected it to. In fact, with the sole exception of one of the characters, I pretty much hated it.

I am an incredibly hardcore Harry Potter fan, and as I’m sure many fans have, I have been eagerly waiting for a continuation of some kind. As such, when this play was announced I was immediately excited to read it (although not as excited as I would have been with some Marauders content).

Anyway, I knew I had no hope of actually going to London to see the play, so I would have to make do with reading the script. And I have to say that although a lot of people complained about the format, it really didn’t make that much of a difference to me - we knew the world already, and we’d spent seven books following most of the characters so that we would automatically understand what would not be written. Or we would have, if the world’s rules hadn’t been overlooked for the sake of this (lack of) plot and the characters hadn’t been completely unrecognisable.

I truly believe that J. K. Rowling did not write this in order to squeeze the cash-cow, as she literally has no financial need for it. In fact, I do not, or better yet, I choose not to believe J. K. Rowling wrote this at all.

There are so many plotholes in this story that it is hard for me to believe this was even allowed by her to proceed to publishing and performing. And most worrying, everyone is out of character. I simply can’t imagine that J. K. Rowling would ever let her characters talk and behave as they did.

I have spent many hours of my life reading Harry Potter fanfiction, and I can with all certainty say that some of those fanfictions are much more believable than this script is. And trust me, this is hard for me to say. You have no idea how much I wanted to love this book. Unfortunately, that was not the case. Maybe I’m being too critical, or I’m looking at it through a magnifying lens and nitpicking, but that is my nature. You might actually find it entertaining. I just couldn’t overlook these flaws enough to actually appreciate the story’s entertainment value.

The following extended review contains spoilers

If you have not yet read the book and/or do not wish to be spoiled, please do not read any further.

[Review] Tangled (Tangled, #1) - Emma Chase

Author: Emma Chase

Original Title: Tangled
Publisher: Gallery Books

Release Date: May 20th, 2013
Finished Date: April 13th, 2015
Pages: 256
Read in: English

Synopsis

When rich, handsome, and arrogant meets beautiful, brilliant, and ambitious, things are bound to get tangled.

Drew Evans makes multimillion-dollar business deals and seduces New York's most beautiful women with just a smile. So why has he been shuttered in his apartment for seven days, miserable and depressed? He'll tell you he has the flu, but we all know that's not really true.

When Katherine Brooks is hired as the new associate at Drew's father's investment banking firm, every aspect of the dashing playboy's life is thrown into a tailspin. The professional competition she brings is unnerving, his attraction to her is distracting, his failure to entice her into his bed is exasperating.

How can one woman turn a smooth-talking player into a broken, desperate man? By making the one thing he never wanted in life the only thing he can't live without.

Source: GoodReads

Rating

Despite the spoiler warning down below, I wouldn't worry too much about spoilers. And that's because I only managed to read about 20% of the book. Nothing had happened between the main characters yet. Why didn't I read more?, you ask. Well, it seemed to me like Drew had a cronic case of asshole. And I really dislike reading about presumptuous pigs who enjoy degrading women and think of them as lower beings only fit to have sex, cry and be, as he called them, bitches. No thank you.

The following extended review contains spoilers
If you have not yet read the book and/or do not wish to be spoiled, please do not read any further.

[Review] The Perks of Being a Wallflower - Stephen Chbosky

Author: Stephen Chbosky

Original Title: The perks of being a wallflower

Publisher: Pocket Books
Release Date: February 2nd, 2009
Finished Date: March 31st, 2015
Pages: 232
Read in: English

Synopsis

"I walk around the school hallways and look at the people. I look at the teachers and wonder why they're here. Not in a mean way. In a curious way. It's like looking at all the students and wondering who's had their heart broken that day...or wondering who did the heart breaking and wondering why."

Charlie is a freshman. And while he's not the biggest geek in the school, he is by no means popular. Shy, introspective, intelligent beyond his years yet socially awkward, he is a wallflower, caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it. Charlie is attempting to navigate his way through uncharted territory: the world of first dates and mixed tapes, family dramas and new friends; the world of sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, when all one requires is that perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite. But Charlie can't stay on the sideline forever. Standing on the fringes of life offers a unique perspective. But there comes a time to see what it looks like from the dance floor.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a deeply affecting coming-of-age story that will spirit you back to those wild and poignant roller-coaster days known as growing up.

Source: GoodReads

Final Rating: ★ out of 5

Please don’t hate me for this. I mean to offend no one.

I had heard wonderful things about The perks of being a wallflower. And by that I mean that it is many people’s favourite book ever. Yep. I was expecting greatness. I was expecting mindblowingness (And no, I don’t even care that that word does not exist. It does now). Instead, I got the meh of an awkward teenager’s life. And note that teenager is a term applied loosely here, considering Charlie sounds like he is a seven year-old.

Don’t get me wrong, it is a very real portrait of the (very) early years of teenager awkwardness. It is also kind of boring. Especially if you see the big twist/reveal at the end coming from the beginning, like I did.

I am a very strong advocate of reading the book before watching the film/tv adaptation, so even though I knew there was a film I did not watch it, but I seriously believe its potential to be better than the book was.

The following extended review contains spoilers

If you have not yet read the book and/or do not wish to be spoiled, please do not read any further.

[Review] Hush, Hush (Hush, Hush, #1) - Becca Fitzpatrick

Author: Becca Fitzpatrick

Original Title: Hush, hush

Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Release Date: October 13th, 2009
Finished Date: April 5th, 2015
Pages: 391
Read in: English

Synopsis

A SACRED OATH

A FALLEN ANGEL

A FORBIDDEN LOVE

Romance was not part of Nora Grey's plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how hard her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch comes along. With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Patch draws Nora to him against her better judgment.

But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure whom to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is and seems to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.

For she is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost Nora her life.

Source: GoodReads

Final Rating: ★ out of 5

I would like to start by saying that I do not wish to be offensive  but as you can see I really did not like this book. Therefore, I'll try my best to warn others about what I thought, so that they won't be disappointed and don't spend money in a book that they might not like. You are welcome to defend the book if you so wish.
Now that you are warned I have to say I do not understand people. This piece of crap novel has a 4.01 rating on GoodReads, which is unfathomable to me. I expect great things of novels that have these kind of ratings.
This is a sexist, abusive story, and it certainly does not deserve all the hype surrounding it.

The following extended review contains spoilers

If you have not yet read the book and/or do not wish to be spoiled, please do not read any further.