Things to know:
1. In play script format.
2. Focused on next generation characters.
3. More Harry Potter related stories coming soon!

A sense of magic filled the air the day of the book release. A Target employee whistled the Harry Potter theme as I passed a display of the Cursed Child and, later that day, a Snapchat story went up displaying photos of people who now owned a copy of the script or saw the actual play in Great Britain’s Palace Theatre in London.

I got my hands on the copy soon enough, but before I did, rumors spread through posts online that the newest edition of the series was not as good as the previous ones. Of course, this was a given, mainly because of the text being in play script formatting. This left me curious and nervous to find out what happened to my favorite characters from the original books.

As I began reading through my copy, I discovered why so many negative reviews floated to the top. The focus of the novel clearly was not on the original trio, but their children. More specifically, Harry Potter’s middle child Albus Potter and his best friend Scorpius Malfoy. Many fans desired more resolution for our original heroes, but what they received seemed much less descriptive. The plot line jumped awkwardly from idea to idea, making it seem almost as if the plot was written in a rush.
Although, many qualities redeemed the read for me. Despite the lack of description, the characters that Rowling, Thorne, and Tiffany used contained the charm that made the reading enchanting. They used familiar objects and even some familiar villains to make the book feel more welcoming. The way the book was written provided a way to tie up the leftover loose ends from the epilogue, but also gave a way for the world to be revived with the next generation of characters.

The Cursed Child, despite the quirkiness of it, provided a great way for returning readers to learn about where Rowling’s ideas headed after the first books. It also helped add more content and a new addition to look forward to for new readers. Buying the book is well worth it for the people who want to continue to see what adventures lie within the magical series.

Much more is to come for the world of Harry Potter, as Rowling introduced three new ebooks to be released on September 5th through her interactive website Pottermore. These short stories feature a variety of things such as a history of the school, background knowledge of famous locations in the Wizarding World, and even writings from the perspective of Hogwarts Professors such as Remus Lupin and Minerva McGonagall. Rowling emphasizes the fact that not all of the writing is necessarily new, but a collection of some of her works that are already on the website. And with the new addition of the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them movie set to come out in November of this year, the world of Harry Potter continues to expand and welcome fans back with open arms.