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zgonzale's review against another edition
2.0
The first star is for the nostalgia factor. Despite all that was disappointing and mediocre about this return to the Wizarding World, it was lovely to be immersed in the world again.
The second star is for some interesting themes on living in the past versus being consumed by the present, the relationship between a parent and their child, and the impact of buried and inherited trauma.
And basically everything else was simply uninteresting, deeply flawed, and hugely disappointing. This coming from someone who had no expectations, so I can’t even imagine how an excited fan would feel. This script is fluff that leans very heavily on the foundation laid by the original series with very few attempts at any original material. Even as somebody who’s a total sucker for the “alternate universe” trope, the way the alternate reality played out here was such low-hanging fruit that I found myself rolling my eyes multiple times. The story is littered with various and sundry plot holes that are incredibly jarring and took me completely out of the story. For example, the Minister of Magic hides a Time Turner somewhere that two Fourth-Years at Hogwarts can get with relative ease? The contestants have no protection from spellcasting by the audience during the Triwizard Tournament? Harry’s scar hurts even though the Horcrux part of him was destroyed during Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows? On top of all this, Bellatrix didn’t have time before the Battle of Hogwarts to give birth to a child! Much less a child of Voldemort’s... Not to mention the absolute character assassination of Cedric Diggory... He gets embarrassed and becomes a DEATH EATER? What?! Absolute nonsense.
TLDR: As nice as it was to return to these beloved characters and their magical world, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is an extremely poor and unoriginal showing by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany, & Jack Thorne.
The second star is for some interesting themes on living in the past versus being consumed by the present, the relationship between a parent and their child, and the impact of buried and inherited trauma.
And basically everything else was simply uninteresting, deeply flawed, and hugely disappointing. This coming from someone who had no expectations, so I can’t even imagine how an excited fan would feel. This script is fluff that leans very heavily on the foundation laid by the original series with very few attempts at any original material. Even as somebody who’s a total sucker for the “alternate universe” trope, the way the alternate reality played out here was such low-hanging fruit that I found myself rolling my eyes multiple times. The story is littered with various and sundry plot holes that are incredibly jarring and took me completely out of the story. For example, the Minister of Magic hides a Time Turner somewhere that two Fourth-Years at Hogwarts can get with relative ease? The contestants have no protection from spellcasting by the audience during the Triwizard Tournament? Harry’s scar hurts even though the Horcrux part of him was destroyed during Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows? On top of all this, Bellatrix didn’t have time before the Battle of Hogwarts to give birth to a child! Much less a child of Voldemort’s... Not to mention the absolute character assassination of Cedric Diggory... He gets embarrassed and becomes a DEATH EATER? What?! Absolute nonsense.
TLDR: As nice as it was to return to these beloved characters and their magical world, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is an extremely poor and unoriginal showing by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany, & Jack Thorne.
hager87's review against another edition
4.0
I missed Harry Potter and the magic world ever since the last novel and I missed the wizardry community and this book reminded of how much I loved this world as I grew up with it and always wished to receive the letter and always wished it is real and I could be part of it. I totally enjoyed this book
mirrandaaxo's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
ladyars's review against another edition
3.0
It read like a fanfic. A canon fanfic, but not in a bad way.
sgeologist's review against another edition
3.0
This was okay. I have read more plausible fanfiction. It was not poorly written but maybe I would have liked it better as a novel than as a script. Or, found it more believable.
lotusspages's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
evanprivet's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
leansdayaddams's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.75