Nineteen years later…

Time to do a little Harry Potter appreciation post. Because of course it doesn’t get enough of that already… Oh well, after yesterday, I simply had to write something about it. Who else caught the date?? I’ll give you a hint… the 1st September 2017…

…is nineteen years later exactly, from the end of the Harry Potter books!! At 11 o’clock, Albus Severus, along with the Potter and Granger-Weasley families, would be on Platform 9 3/4, awaiting the Hogwarts Express. Isn’t that crazy? This is it! The last ever reference from the initial HP books…ever! I feel like the world is now moving on from this giant, magical era.

What made these books so amazing??

I’ve thought about this many times before, and have actually reached the conclusion that it’s not because of the writing. Before you get mad at me for accusing J.K. Rowling of a bad author, let me clarify: Harry Potter isn’t badly written, in fact it’s fantastic, especially for younger readers. But, in saying that, I’ve read a lot of other things that have much better language and writing, and haven’t got half as much popularity as HP.

I think that the allure of Harry Potter comes from the sheer magical imagination that Rowling had. The enchanting Diagon Alley, with it’s magical moving-brick doorway. Intelligent owls swooping into the Great Hall, dropping mail onto the laps of wizards and witches. Flying cars, flying broomsticks, flying snitches, it was all so amazing. To watch it of course made everything more real, but the first read of it was a truly fascinating experience. I think it’s due time I re-read them all actually…

It was also that it was so big. The first book set everything up – setting, plot, characters, got everything started. And then, book after book, they just kept coming, with a new story in each one, adding characters, adding experiences, right up until Deathly Hallows, and it all comes together. So much planning would have had to gone into this series, to make sure everything played out in the end.

I think that’s what made it so impressive. Also that there really wasn’t anything like it at the time. Nowadays, all the magic type stories are said to be based on Harry Potter (which I don’t really agree with), but when HP was first released, it would have been so original. At least, I don’t really know of any other magic schools for witchcraft and wizardry from before it’s time. 

And to think, when I first began this series, I didn’t like it. Who knew that I would become just slightly-obsessed with its story. For me, it’s quite hard to believe what the world would be like without it. Luckily, we also have movies, and plays, and more movies to continue its legacy. While the world is moving on, continuing the story with characters such as Albus Severus, and Newt Scamander (Don’t get me wrong, I love Fantastic Beasts), I will never forget the wonder, and lure, and magic of Harry Potter. I hope you don’t either.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child – J. K. Rowling

Title: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

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

Genre: Fantasy, magic, young adult

Thoughts: So the eighth story is here!! How exciting was it for everyone??? After waiting so long without any new material, and now two more instalments!! This year is heaven for Potter fans everywhere. But all this fuss, was the book really that great? Now, the rating doesn’t really count for this review. J. K. Rowling could write anything, and I would read and rate it well, but it doesn’t mean it’s that great of a story. But don’t let this stop you, it wasn’t bad, it’s just that The Cursed Child didn’t really fit in with the rest of the series.

The story line, regardless of plot-holes, was enjoyable. I really liked reading it, and the characters were really great. It was also written well, as you would expect, and even the style wasn’t too bad after a while. The Cursed Child was written as a two-part West End stage play, and was presented as a script. At first, this took a little getting used to, as it is basically just made up of dialogue, with small explanations at the start of each chapter. But, after a day or two, I found myself just slipping back into the world, and not really noticing the strange set up on the page. So don’t let this be the fact that stops you reading it.

“The world changes and we change with it. I am better off in this world. But the world is not better. And I don’t want that.”
― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child – Parts One and Two

Other people are saying that this book is just like a really well written, (badly written, according to some people) fanfiction. And this is true. The plot is fine, and characters are great, and the book as a whole is actually a good, enjoyable book to read. But as I said earlier, it just didn’t fit in with the rest of the series. Now, the original seven book series was a masterpiece. The intricate magical world created by Rowling was literally a masterpiece, so I can see how hard it is for another book to slip back into it after so long. The Cursed Child just lacked the magical feeling of the originals. It was as if Rowling had kind of finished weaving her magical world at the end of the last series, and has just kind of added this to the end. There were no descriptive paragraphs about Diagon Alley, or the floating candles in the Great Hall of Hogwarts, but instead more focus on the character’s developments over the story. This isn’t exactly a bad thing; Books do need good character development, but it also needs to be balanced with the descriptions of the alternate world.

“They were great men, with huge flaws, and you know what – those flaws almost made them greater.”
― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Saying this, we must remember that this was written as a play, and so the vivid descriptions aren’t really needed because for people watching it, they can simply see what is going on. The most important part of a script is the dialogue and how the characters are saying it, as this is the only thing a script can determine. And this script did exactly that. So judging from a script perspective, this was an amazing piece, and watching the play would be an amazing experience. But judging it from a book’s perspective, it lacked some of the original magic.

“My geekness is a-quivering.”
― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child – Parts One and Two

Why should you read it: For all the Harry Potter fans out there, you’ve probably already read it. If you’re still uncertain, don’t let the fact that it’s a script stop you, as isn’t too bad after a while. Just remember, go into this thinking of it as a play, where you can see the destinations, and just read it as if the characters are standing there acting it out. I enjoyed reading it and I’m sure you all will too.

Book in a Word: Professional

Rating: 8/10 (don’t take this into account too much…)