~ Firstly, I am always so happy to get more Harry Potter universe content. As I’m sure all of us did, I grew up on these books, I grew up with the characters and I very passionately love this wizarding world. What I think the biggest issue for me was that those characters that I loved and grew up with didn’t seem like the same people anymore. Whether that was because they had suddenly jumped to an age that I, myself, haven’t hit yet (and therefore have no idea how to relate to their more complex problems); or whether it was the fact that this story was written in a different format, as script rather than chapters (which is certainly off-putting at first); or whether it was the more glaringly obvious fact that these characters I loved had been handed over to writers who weren’t J.K. Rowling. Her approval and original story aside, this is absolutely and clearly not a Rowling book.

Secondly, this is probably going to make a brilliant play. I have been trying my hardest to get tickets to see the play. As the only member of the Bomb Squad actually in London, I feel that it really is my duty. But, alas, I haven’t yet managed to get my grubby little hands on any. However, reading the book, I don’t like that it’s a play. I’m not sure that it’s even fair for me to judge this book because it’s a play. I just don’t like the play format but what did I expect? IT’S A PLAY, MICKEY. YOU KNEW THAT WHEN YOU BOUGHT IT! I don’t know why I was so surprised. It’s meant for the stage. That means it’s up to the skill of the actors to portray what is implied. It’s up to the audience to interpret nuances. It is almost entirely based on dialogue, and I hate that. I miss Rowling’s writing. I love Rowling’s writing, and I wanted more of it. That being said, “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” asks you, as the reader, to entirely imagine some wonderful scenes that I’ll bet are spectacular once actually played out in front of you live. However, most of those scenes fell flat for me for that very reason.