Harry Potter and The Cursed Child by JK Rowling, John Tiffany, and Jack Thorne *contains spoilers*

This review will be a little bit different due to the fact that Harry Potter and The Cursed Child is a script and not a novel. Thus, it will be difficult to critique it in the same way since it is mostly dialogue. Don't get me wrong, I love Shakespeare and a good play will garner a shining review from me any day, but this was not Shakespeare. I should have heeded my husband's warning and stayed far away.

When Harry Potter and The Cursed Child was announced my husband swore he would never read nor see the play because it was only based on Rowling's idea and not written by her. I defended the play saying that she would not have put her name to something she did not stand behind or believe in. Plus, if the ideas were hers and just written by someone else, what could be wrong? (I now remind myself that this is exactly what fan fiction is and that does not always turn out well.) After finishing the Harry Potter series I was dying for more and so I went out to purchase the play. I read it within two days. During that time I went from enjoying the play, to loving it, to absolutely hating it.

My biggest issue with the script was that it did not really answer as many questions as it presented. There was a lot of lacking description and, while I initially thought this was okay and chalked it up to the medium in which is was presented, in the end there was too much that I did not understand. One of the things I, and so many others, love about the Harry Potter series is that the world has logic. Everything in it makes a certain kind of sense and is explained fairly well. So to have various questions about the logic of the play come up and then never be explained, was very frustrating.

Some of these questions had to do with the massive amount of time jumping. There were inconsistencies with the time as well as how it all worked. I was wondering how all of this time jumping wasn't screwing up the minds of the people doing it. I was also frustrated by the portrayal of the old characters. Ron was made out to be some complete buffoon who only showed up for comic relief and had no real substance, which made his relationship with Hermione seem even weirder than it already was. Malfoy was believable and so was Hermione. Harry seemed overly whiny and heroic, more so than normal. There were odd moments where it felt like a Harry Potter novel and then even more odd and bigger moments where it felt like weird fan fiction. The sad thing is that I loved the two main characters of Albus and Scorpius. If Rowling herself wrote something about them I would definitely be up to read it.

Another disappointment was that the whole play focused on Cedric Diggory's death, which seemed like a weird focus. This was coupled with a strained father/son relationship between Harry and Albus which did not seem like a genuine problem and more a plot device. Not to mention the fact that Albus and Scorpius should have ended the play as boyfriends and then didn't, for reasons unbeknownst to me. And then there was the whole Voldemort having a daughter thing that was hardly explained at all and thus made no sense. Overall, it was a disappointing read.

If the play makes its way to America and I have a chance to see it, I will more than likely go. But do I see Harry Potter and The Cursed Child as true Harry Potter canon? No. If anything, it is a decent attempt at believable fan fiction that completely failed. Not only am I disappointed with the script overall, I am disappointed Rowling put her name to it. While her ideas may be fine, the interpretation of them did not do her world justice. I'd say skip this script and stick to the old Harry Potter books, that is where Rowling and her ideas shine brightest.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

I have finished! This was my first full read through of the Harry Potter series and I could not have loved it more. I had read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows before, but reading it along with the other books gave me a new perspective.

As always, J.K. Rowling created a beautiful novel, as well as a perfect end for her beloved series.While I am not a fan of the epilogue and overly exaggerated happily ever after, I do think it is nice that she tried to leave her readers with some, but not all, of the ideas for how Harry, Ron, and Hermione went on to live their lives. I also appreciated that J.K. Rowling was not afraid to kill her characters. It often irritates me when authors don't have the guts to kill their creations, because obviously that is not how real life works. So even though it is painful every time I read this book to re-live the deaths of so many beloved characters, I cannot be upset. Dobby has the saddest death next to Snape, but I also mourn the loss of Hedwig, Lupin and Tonks, and Fred.

Speaking of death, I have been waiting for six posts now to talk about Severus Snape!! I always loved him because I felt like he was the only teacher who saw Harry for the whining and entitled kid he was. Even though his loyalty was questioned multiple times, I felt like after awhile it became obvious that this was due to the fact that he was not a bad guy but made to look like one. Thus when I read the seventh book six years ago I was elated and had an "I told you so" attitude about the fact that Snape is the best character in the entire series. Rereading that chapter was painful but also fulfilling because this time I knew it was coming and was upset I could not stop his death but also excited to relive the moments when Snape reveals his true self.

In the past I counted the seventh book as one of my favorites, and I still do, but I think the official order of favorites goes: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and then Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The reason that this book is the last of my favorites is just because I felt it was a bit slow going in the middle. The scenes where Harry and Hermione (and sometimes Ron) are moving from place to place trying to figure out where Horcruxes might be is boring. There is a lot of drama between all of them and it demonstrates what the world has come to now that Voldemort is in charge, but it does not feel like it moves the story along. I don't feel like things truly get started until the visit to the Lovegood's house.

The scene breaking out of Gringotts is amazing as well as the scene where Mrs. Weasley kills Bellatrix Lestrange. Finding out about Dumbledore's past is also a favorite of mine because it proves he was not always a great person and not as well liked as many believe. Since I am one of the very few who did not like Dumbledore, then I appreciate these themes throughout the book. I also enjoyed that overall we learn about magic and its limits, or previously supposed limits. The small examples are too many to list but of course the biggest are the Horcruxes and the Deathly Hallows. It is fitting that in her final book Rowling would go beyond the limits of magic and explain and create elements that many in the wizarding world have not heard of or don't believe in.

In conclusion, this is a wonderful book. And the series of Harry Potter is a fantastic series. Although it took me a long time to read the entire series in order, I am glad that I did. I wish it had been earlier in my life. This is a series I now love. A series I plan to read to my children at an early age so they can grow up with the magic of it. If you somehow have not read this series, I encourage you to do so. I read them along with my fairy godmother who knows nothing of this series at all. It was so much fun to see a grown woman delight in the surprises and wonder of these books and it showed me that age is not a factor when it comes to feeling magic. I now understand why so many enjoy and praise these books, they are the Narnia of our generation.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling

The Harry Potter read through continues! I have just finished the last of the books I had not previously read. I will still be re-reading the seventh though as I promised my husband I would read them all and I also enjoy that book.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince surprised me. It has never been my favorite film, as it is so dark. Yet it is my husband's favorite book from the series. So I entered it with an open mind and actually loved it. I don't know if it beats out #3 but I do think I enjoyed it more than #4. Oddly, the book seemed less dark than the film, at least until the end. I don't know. I just loved it! I read this book really fast and stayed up late last night to finish it. And once again I am in awe of the layered writing of J.K. Rowling. She continues to open her world a little more with each book and this one took me to the communication between the Muggle and Magic Ministers. This was not only very neat but also gave me that "oh shit" moment. Voldemort is BACK guys.

Even though I agree that Harry should not have been "cheating" in Slughorn's class, I do love the Half-Blood Prince potions book and all that it allows the reader to learn about the Wizarding world.
I enjoyed seeing a vulnerable side of Malfoy for once. I will always believe he is more a victim of bad parenting than inherent bad traits. The Pensieve is one of my all-time favorite things about the Harry Potter world and so of course I enjoyed all of the lessons with Dumbledore in which the two dive into memories. As these lessons are also what finally reveal Voldemort's story, I enjoyed that as well. I think villains are fascinating and learning their origin stories reveals so much. Plus, horcruxes.


Tonks is one of my favorite characters and I liked seeing more of her in this book. Although not nearly enough. It was because of her that I learned how and why Patronuses can change. (Side note: Her and Lupin are the cutest couple.) Speaking of couples, I do hate how in the midst of all the shit going on everyone in this book starts hooking up. I know that its an age think and Rowling was just trying to remind the reader that these people are still kids, but it just seemed to fill a lot of empty space. And I'll never understand the Ron and Hermione thing. This is the crux of my issue with this series, that it is at its heart, for kids. There are so many neat things and details that could be expanded on, especially if the books were written with the detail of something like The Lord of the Rings, but she doesn't do that. Granted, her writing is so superb that anyone can enjoy the books, but I just crave the rich details of this world!! Maybe that is why everyone is so obsessed with this series though??

Last but not least, Dumbledore. He has been an interesting guy from the beginning and no doubt a great wizard, but, I don't like him. I know this is such an unpopular opinion, don't hate me. I just don't understand why he cares about Harry the way he does and I think he allows Harry to get away with things he shouldn't. Dumbledore also seems more conceited than wise and I feel that in a way he is selfish. I really struggled this book with Dumbledore. And while I know his death is sad for many people and strengthens Voldemort....I don't really care. So before you yell at me I ask that you help me. Explain to me why Dumbledore is so beloved. Do it in a comment. Send me a message. Because I want to understand, I do.

Overall, this was a beautiful book. I enjoyed it immensely and I am diving straight into the seventh book once I finish this post. Definitely a favorite and I cannot believe it took me so long to actually read Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.

Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix by JK Rowling

This is one of two Harry Potter books I've never read any part of. (Until recently I had only read small parts of the fourth book and I have no yet read the sixth book at all). You can look at some of my previous Potter posts to learn more of my story with these books, but today I am just going to remind you that I am reading the whole series for my husband who is a Harry Potter fanatic.

It took me a long time to begin this book. I finished the fourth novel back in May and did not start this one until the beginning of July. Then it took me the entire month to finish. I read it in pieces as I finished other books and only just sat to work through the remaining two-hundred pages. I think it took me some time to really dive into this book because it is the beginning of truly dark times in the wizarding world. What with my recent life experiences and struggles with anxiety, dark books can only be read at certain times. Once I was able to sit and dive into this story, I was not impressed. the first two or three hundred pages seemed to drag on and on and on. And through most of this book Harry is just whining and being angsty about life. Yeah, he has had some shit happen to him, but that doesn't give him the right to be rude to everyone around him. Reading that mindset was not fun nor did it make me want to know what happened next, unless whatever happened next was going to get Harry to STFU. Plus I am forever angry that Sirius died. So, I struggled, but I finally finished.

I will say that I enjoyed the continued progression Rowling makes into the wizarding world as this book focused a lot on the Ministry of Magic and St. Mungo's Hospital. She is a fantastic storyteller. I enjoyed the bits about occlumency the very best, as well as the scenes where I learned more about Snape. I loved Firenze becoming a teacher and the way he set up the classroom. Umbridge is and forever will be one of my favorite characters for the sheer fact that she is so ridiculously evil it is entertaining. The scene where Fred and George leave school is legendary.

Overall, Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix was an okay book. Out of the five I have read so far it is tied with The Chamber of Secrets for being my least favorite. (The Chamber of Secrets might even be better just because it is shorter). In context of the series it is an important book, just not the best one. The interesting thing is that many people claim this as their favorite. If you are one of these people, I would love to know why that is so that I can see this book from a new perspective. Until then, it is not one I plan to return to. I am still enjoying the series though! So stay tuned for my reviews on the final two books.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling

I told my whole Harry Potter life story here, so I am going to jump into this review. This is the first HP book I have not read all the way through as I always struggled to finish it. Once I got past the world cup this time I knew I'd complete the novel. I was actually surprised that I ended up loving this book as much as the third book!

I loved Hermione's obsession with saving house elves via S.P.E.W. (I've been scouring Etsy for spew pins because I need one!). I really enjoyed how much more in depth this novel was with Hogwarts education and how much more Sirius Black is in this book than in the fourth movie. The other schools were interesting to learn about, even if the knowledge was minimal. And of course I loved reading about the tasks of the Tri Wizard Tournament. The second task in the lake is my favorite, visually in the movie, and description in the book. (Although I hated that they changed who gave Harry the gillyweed. I always loved that Neville did it in the movie and even though I love Dobby, was kind of sad he was the one instead. Oh movie adaptations...sigh). I loved the Weasley's involvement in the book as well and also lamented the many scenes left out of the movie. Especially because the scene in the beginning when they come pick Harry up from the Dursley's was one of my favorite scenes I've read in any of the books so far!

I am really enjoying the unfolding of this world. Rowling has done a good job of pacing everything. Book 1, you meet everyone and get acquainted with wizarding customs. Book 2, expands on that a bit and the history of Hogwarts. Book 3, we see more of the world via Hogsmeade. Book 4, the world expands further and new schools are introduced. As a fellow writer I admire this slow and beautiful explanation of a world so vast I know Ms. Rowling hasn't written half of what is probably in her head. I can't wait to begin the fifth book as that is one I haven't even touched. Even though I have seen all of the films, there is still so much to be discovered in the novels that I am finding myself almost as excited as if I knew nothing about the series! Overall, The Prisoner of Azkaban is still my favorite, but The Goblet of Fire is a close second.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by JK Rowling

Oh, Harry Potter. I have such a long history with this book series, but I won't go into detail in this post. By the beginning of summer I should be done with the whole series and then I will post an epic rambling of my Harry Potter shenanigans. I am currently reading/re-reading the series because I had lie to my husband when we started dating saying I had read all the books. Now that we are married he has made me promise to actually read all the books. In the past I have only read #1, 2, 3, & 7. I skipped #4,5, & 6 which are, apparently, the best in the series. So here I am, finished with book three and ready to plunge into uncharted territory after this post.

So far Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is my favorite book. It has been in the past when I have read it and it has also been my favorite of all the films. Rereading it was a joy because there was more that I had forgotten than I realized. This book also marks the beginning, in regards to the films, where much is changed or left out. Thus, even though I have seen the movie recently, there was much to be rediscovered.

What I love about this book is that it really broadens the wizarding world for the first time. I love exploring Hogsmeade and learning more about Azkaban and The Leaky Cauldron. The depth of characters like Sirius, Lupin, and Snape is also an aspect of this novel that begins to showcase Rowling's true talent and transcends the book from "children's lit" to just "literature". Hermione begins to shine in her own right during the third year, not just in regards to her classwork and the time turner, but also in her opinions, loyalty, and confidence. She is my favorite character in the series so being able to see her growth and burst out of her shell is always exciting to read. (Plus, who wouldn't love a book where Hermione slaps Malfoy?!)

Harry Potter is a truly defining series of this generation. I am late to the ball game but happy to find that I am enjoying this rediscovery of the book series. Even though I have seen all of the films I am excited and eager to move on to the next book. There is something about reading through these adventures, as opposed to seeing it, that lends the series its magic. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is where that magic begins to pull me in every time.