[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] The Titan's Curse (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #3) - Rick Riordan

Author: Rick Riordan
Original title: The Titan's Curse (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #3)
Publisher: Disney Hyperion Books
Release date: Januray 1st, 2007
Finished date: March 11th, 2015
Pages: 320
Read in: English

Synopsis

When Percy Jackson receives an urgent distress call from his friend Grover, he immediately prepares for battle. He knows he'll need his powerful demigod allies at his side; his trusty bronze sword, Riptide; and... a ride from his mom.
The demigods reace to the rescue to find that Grover has made an important discovery: two new powerful half-bloods, whose parentage is unknown. But that's not all that awaits them. The Titan lord, Kronos, has set up a devious trap, and the young heroes have just fallen prey.
Hilarious and action-packed, this third adventure in the series finds Percy faced with his most dangerous challenge yet—the chilling prophecy of the Titan's curse.

Source: GoodReads

Final Rating: ★★★★ out of 5

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again - I wish I had read this when I was younger. It’s not that I cannot completely appreciate Percy Jackson at 21, it’s just that I feel like this series was missing in my childhood. Maybe if I had read this when I was 12 and waiting for the next Harry Potter release, - yes, because Harry Potter was all I read when I was 12 - I would have found another thing to fangirl and obsess about.

This was another awesome adventure in the Olympian world. I’m going to be really sad when I end this series. It was action-packed and so exciting, I found myself on the edge of my seat several times. Highly recommended! 

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.