Reviews tagging 'Torture'

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Parts One and Two by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne

14 reviews

proza's review

adventurous emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Child abuse, Grief, Child death, Murder, and Death of parent

Moderate: Torture, Bullying, and Chronic illness

Minor: Alcohol, Car accident, Dementia, Adult/minor relationship, and Infertility

epeolatrist's review

adventurous

• 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, and Murder

Moderate: Violence, Death of parent, and Torture

Minor: Child death, Adult/minor relationship, and Child abuse

briochebun's review

adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

1 out of 5 ☆’s.

“I didn't much like my life without you in it either.”

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Note: I want to preface this by stating that I am not much of a theater person — and I don’t have much experience reading playscripts — so it’s entirely possible that this just wasn’t my cup of tea!

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Where to begin with this one? I guess I’ll start off with mentioning that I wasn’t a big fan of the way that the original HP characters were portrayed in this story…

While I understand that these characters have grown older - there are things that I just cannot see them doing (and Harry being a horrendous father & saying horrible things to McGonagall are two of those things).

This is the same Harry James Potter that used the cruciatus curse on Amycus because he spit in McGonagall’s face, and you expect me to believe that adult Harry would speak to her the way that he did? Belittling McGonagall for not having children of her own, and then ordering her around as though he’s her boss? Never in a million years.

I also wasn’t a fan of most of the dialogue in this story — it felt rather lackluster and left me wanting more depth.

(I also have issues with whoever thought that it was ok — or funny — to have Albus kiss his aunt on the mouth multiple times. There was no reason for that to happen?)

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The one shining light throughout this playscript was Albus & Scorpius’ relationship. I enjoyed reading about them and their care towards one another!

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Note: It’s possible that I would feel differently about this story if I were to watch the actual play (perhaps it’s something that needs to be seen to be fully enjoyed) but that’s not possible for me at the moment - so this will have to do.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Torture and Violence

Minor: Child abuse, Child death, and Adult/minor relationship

bookerbride's review

adventurous emotional funny tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I liked - not loved - it and it made me want to start reading the series again. I agree with some of the criticism others mention. Some characters are not well-written. I was especially bothered by how Ron was just a funny, dumb presence who had nothing to contribute. Overall, I felt entertained. I enjoy stories including time travel, attempts to set things right, seeing the consequences, exploring how characters turn out different under changed circumstances. For me, it was ok for the story to focus on Albus and have his siblings be less present. This is his story.
Regarding format: I'm used to reading plays, so it was "interesting" to also have them explain feelings, thoughts and memories - and not just the visible part.
Finally, I felt the target audience of this book/play must have been younger than for the last books. The themes seem less mature and as someone else put it "unnecessary [teenage] drama" about identity and family relationships. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief

Moderate: Bullying, Violence, Death, and Torture

daisy1_f's review

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Murder, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Bullying, Mental illness, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Grief, Infertility, Kidnapping, Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Torture, Child death, and Death of parent

annapox's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.5

It reads like mediocre fanfiction and blatantly contradicts the canon of the novels in terms of the magic system, characters' personalities, and even some dialogue. It was interesting enough to keep me from abandoning it, though.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Body horror, Car accident, Cursing, Death of parent, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Torture, Adult/minor relationship, Medical content, Ableism, Child death, Chronic illness, Dysphoria, Grief, Racial slurs, Violence, War, Child abuse, Bullying, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Infertility, Murder, Terminal illness, and Hate crime

lilith_hmr's review

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

0.5

Honestly, whatever Rowling says about this being canon, I cannot accept it. This book was absolutely shit. Definitely not the Harry Potter I read in the Series. But not going to lie there were at least 2 lines in the book that added a nice touch to it, but the rest of the book contained a lot of loopholes, and definitely not going to re-read it ever again.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child death, and Death

Moderate: Murder, Violence, and Torture

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, and Death of parent

leilaliw's review

adventurous dark lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Torture, and Child death

Moderate: Death, Murder, and Violence

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, and Death of parent

lily1304's review

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I liked the Cursed Child more than I expected to. It isn't, like, stellar, but it's worth reading. There's a little too much talking and not enough action or room for interpretation - but it's a play script, so I guess it has to be dialogue-heavy. I don't find Harry and Draco's friendship super believable. There's a lot of heterosexual "nagging wife" humor between Ron & Hermione and Harry & Ginny. There's not enough time to really get invested in Albus and Scorpious' friendship. I'm not sure who the target audience is because we spend a lot of time with the two boys and I saw the plot twist coming a mile away, BUT we also

see and hear multiple people be murdered.

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But, that's also the case for the Goblet of Fire, which the Cursed Child draws heavily from - it's a kids' adventure, until it absolutely isn't. There is some interesting reflection on who Harry, Draco, and Ginny become as adults and how they grapple with the trauma they experienced - and how they pass it onto their children.

Also fuck TERFs like J.K. Rowling. Harry, Ron, and Hermione are obviously all trans.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Death, Death of parent, and Child death

Moderate: Torture, Bullying, and Violence

Minor: Terminal illness

Whatever the whole Muggleborn/Pureblood conflict is

izzettl's review

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: War, Violence, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Torture, Stalking, Pedophilia, Murder, Mental illness, Homophobia, Grief, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Death, Bullying, and Adult/minor relationship