Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts 1 & 2 in Dumbledore's Army

Aug 01, 2016 BigTreesAndBigBooks rated it really liked it · review of another edition

All was well

Well that didn't last that long did it?

Harry Potter is back in this new play that people for some reason love to hate and bash, but I will have to disagree. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was absolutely not what I expected but it was enjoyable nonetheless. It had its flaws, some of which I can't overlook, but to be fair it was funny at times, quirky and from the stage directions must be an amazing show to watch with a very good production.

Let's start with the good parts shall All was well

Well that didn't last that long did it?

Harry Potter is back in this new play that people for some reason love to hate and bash, but I will have to disagree. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was absolutely not what I expected but it was enjoyable nonetheless. It had its flaws, some of which I can't overlook, but to be fair it was funny at times, quirky and from the stage directions must be an amazing show to watch with a very good production.

Let's start with the good parts shall we? The story revolves around the friendship of Albus Severus Potter and Scorpius Malfoy. Both boys find themselves isolated mainly due to the bigger than life shadows of their fathers that they can't get past from. They both feel like they don't belong and their only friend they have and person to turn to is each other. I loved both boys and their relationship, but Scorpius stole my heart. From the moment he appears on the page you can't help but love this adorable, awkward sweetheart of a boy. You can say anything you want about the plot, but I will fight you if you dislike Scorpius.

My favourite thing that the book did is give you closure on a couple things. Even though we had 7 books and 8 movies, we didn't get to resolve all issues. In this play, we get Dumbledore finally saying to Harry that he loves him, even though it's just his portrait and the scene is nothing less than heartbreaking. Also, we get a better redemption for Snape than I could ever imagine. Snape was always one of my favourites in Harry Potter from the beginning, which is why I felt a little cheated with the revelation that he was an undercover good guy all along and loved Lilly. If that was the only reason he was a good guy why was he such a major asshole to literally everyone? Here, with a couple of scenes of dialogue we get a better look of the man Snape really was and how he trully believed in the cause which I really appreciate. And finally, Draco. Oh, Draco you really broke my heart. When Draco explains how lonely and difficult his time in Hogwarts was I couldn't help but tear up. When he joined the group and was part of them fighting next to them, must be the highlight of the play for me.

And of course. Ron and Hermione. Oh, my poor heart. In every universe, I will find you and I will love you . Ron and Hermione are made for each other, and are miserable and twisted versions of themselves when they are apart, and no matter what universe, time, circumstances they always end up finding each othe. It felt like their scenes were like an apology from J.K for the horrible, terrible, no good comment she made, about how they shouldn't have ended up together.

Now let's go with the bad...

I have read a lot of fanfiction over the years. A lot. And this felt like a really weird fanfiction of 2009. However, I didn't mind it. I get that so many things happened for no reason other than to advance the plot but I was ok with it. What I didn't agree with was the handling of the golden trio.
It was really disappointing to see the heroes of your childhood reduced to bad imitations of themselves. Ron was more like the comedy-relief, food-stuffing idiot we saw in the movies that never really was part of anything than the brave, loyal and flawed friend we all loved. Hermione was so stuck up and narrow minded. I can't believe that the smartest witch of her generation would hide something so important into her bookcase. I get it, it's cute because she likes books, but it's not practical, it's not Hermione . And Harry. Oh my god, what happened to Harry. I'm not even that mad about what a bad father he was, because as he mentions he never had a father and grew up in a very abusive home so he didn't really know how to be one. But the way he talked to Mcgonagall is unforgivable to me. How could Harry ever say the words "you don't have children, you don't understand" to her? To the woman who stood outside his house to see what kind of people the Dursleys were. To the woman who gave him his first broom. To the woman who gave him cookies and words of sympathy when he was at his lowest. To the woman who stood up for him time and time again and never stopped fighting for him. She may never have given birth to a child but she Minerva Mcgonagall is a MOTHER, and was always a mother to Harry.

To sum it up, I know this is technically part of the canon now but I don't view it that way, which is why I could give it 4*. It may have started at the same spot we left it off, and have involved the same characters but something was off. Like it wasn't really the characters we loved and grew up with but their imitation. My headcanon from now on, is that this is not how the story continued but a play written within the Harry Potter universe by a wizard-screenwriter about Harry Potter and his family. And if I think about it like that, I can enjoy it more :) ...more

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Aug 02, 2016 Mitchel Broussard rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

Despite how thinly plotted and emotionally straightforward Cursed Child is, it got me right in the gut, multiple times. It's utter fan-baiting every single time (especially the climax), but if you ever had love for any of these characters - and are willing to give the format a chance - it's quite easy to get lost in. ...more

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Feb 20, 2016 Maggie Needham rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

I would prefer that this book did not exist.

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Feb 12, 2016 Tiffany rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: series

Probably 3.5-I think it seemed more fan-fictiony than I wished it was. Most of the characters ended up exactly where you would expect them to be based on the previous books (and especially the epilogue). It just seemed like we weren't given any more insight into the characters past the original Harry Potter series. That said, of course I liked the story. I mean, it's a revitalized taste of Harry Potter! I was never a fan of Albus Severus even from the epilogue but he was a perfectly fine main ch ...more

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Aug 04, 2016 Paras rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Dont even get me started on what a disappointment this book was.

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Aug 01, 2016 Janice rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2016

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Aug 01, 2016 Angela rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I really enjoyed having another Harry Potter book in my hands again. I really liked this book. It was different for me. I can't put my finger on it. It does read a lot like fan fiction. But to be with Harry, Ron and Hermione and the rest of the cast of characters I have loved is the best gift JK Rowling could have given us. ...more

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