Is “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” worth reading?

I was in first grade when my mother bought me as a gift the book “Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone.” I can’t say that it was love from the first sight but amazement and appreciation for this particular universe, that gradually developed through the years. 19 years later, it is time to review the “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.”

Rowling’s best “weapon” is missing

The book was published right in the period of my mandatory military service in Greece and frankly, I wasn’t keen on reading it (yea ok… at least for a while). I guess I wasn’t the only Harry Potter fan, who was turned off by the fact that the new book is a play. The fundamental component of Rowling’s writing style is the descriptions. I was always fascinated by the fact that she never gave the reader too much or too little information but still succeeded in conjuring images in the reader’s mind while conveying the story perfectly.

“You have to trust the readers. Give them the basic elements of the story, and they construct the rest, themselves”. — Paulo Coelho in the book “Tools of Titans."

I wonder why Rowling would decide to leave one of her best “weapons” behind.

The basic premise of the book

Harry Potter’s son, Albus, uses a time machine and travels several times back to the past, with the aid of his friend Scorpius so that they can save Cedric Diggory from certain death.

The unspoiled spoiler

When I started reading, I was 99% sure that the 3rd child of Harry Potter, Albus, would be somehow the son or a Horcrux of Vol..you know who. Rest assured, I was wrong. The book does a good job and fixes your attention to how good and simultaneously accused of being the cursed child Scorpius Malfoy is and how frustrated and angry Albus Potter is. Albus Potter: Hates Hogwarts, resents his father, and doesn’t like most of the people he meets. Scorpius Malfoy: Has a sense of humor, he is not afraid to express his feelings and makes new friends. Regarding the short description above and the characteristics of the Malfoy family, it’s safe to assume that the probability of Scorpius being adopted is higher than the cursed child. While I was reading the book, on the one hand, I was thinking, “Scorpius couldn’t be the cursed child, it would be too obvious,” and on the other hand, I was considering, that Albus has numerous characteristics that coincide with the Dark Lord. Nevertheless, the cursed child is with you several times in the book. Either that or I am not that smart.

Traveling back to different worlds — Best Feature of the book

Using a time machine Albus and Scorpius go back and experience different realities. While they are staying committed to their original goal (saving Cedric), they accidentally change the course of the story of Harry Potter as we know it, several times. My favorite “parallel universe” was the version of the Dark Lord winning at the Battle of Hogwarts. Not because I am a deatheater but because I always wondered, “How could it be if things went in a different course?”. In an era of endless YouTube videos with fan theories, this feature of the book stands perfectly timed. In a nutshell, if you enjoy fan theories and harry potter you will be in for a treat.

The last scene

I presumed that the “bad guy” in this book would change. Plus I thought that it would be a smooth transition between the old characters to the new ones. The perfect example of this is the new Star Wars series, in which the old characters we love give their place to the news ones gradually. Harry Potter, Ermioni Granger, Ron Weasley → Albus Potter, Scorpius Malfoy. Voldemort → Cursed Child I guessed wrong (we are 2/2). The purpose of the cursed child is to bring back Voldemort. Nevertheless, the last scene was pretty creepy because the reader realizes that the smallest wrong move could bring back Voldemort, thus erasing the course of events as we know them.

Can you enjoy Harry Potter and the Cursed Child if you are not a fan?

With one word: Νο With more words: If you want to start reading the Harry Potter series, I wouldn’t suggest that you start with the Cursed Child. The book doesn’t invite the newcomers since it’s a play. So there are no descriptions to set the world. For example, you don’t have a clue about Cedric Diggory and what happened the night he was murdered. As a result, you can not relate to the frustration and anger that Albus feels when he sees his father unwilling to go back and save him.

Summary

Harry Potter and the Cursed child is great if you are an enthusiast of Harry Potter and the rest this awesome world. The book is hard to understand if you are a newcomer. The book flows smoothly.