Cursed Child - REVIEW
November 06, 2016
I have been a huge Potterhead since I was a child. The series means a lot to me and each time I read it I find new meaning within the words on the page and I love how magical the books are, despite having re-read them many times. When I heard that the Cursed Child was coming out I was a bit skeptical, would the book match up to the original series, would it add something new to the story? Well, since I got the book yesterday* I guess I've found answers to these questions...
Characters:
First let's talk about the characters and how they are almost unrecognizable from the original series! Harry has morphed into a parent who isn't concerned with the well-being of his children and similarly, not overly concerned with his job. I understand that Harry did not grow up with stable parent figures in his life and that the absence of his own parents would create challenges within his own parenting but there has to be a line drawn. Harry struck me as a person who would try to give his children the love he never received as a child, combined with the help of Ginny who, lets face it, had the best parents of the series should add up to pretty wholesome parenting. His kids would want for nothing and would be showered with love and affection, yet we see none of this within the book. Not only is Albus deeply resentful of his father but Harry's other two children are near enough absent throughout the whole plot! As a reader we see none of the parental bond Harry should share with all of his children and he comes off as emotionally absent.
Ron Weasley has become third-rate comic relief. He literally plays no part in the overall development of the plot and exists in the timeline to provide cheap jokes and to re-affirm the already tenuous Hermione-Ron love arc. It is kind of pitiful really considering Ron had so much to offer within the original series and he is reduced to almost nothing within this book.
Please don't even get me started on Delphi. That is a can of worms you do not wish to open as there are soooo many things wrong with her character it actually pains me.
However, I have to say Scorpius Malfoy was actually a pleasantly rounded character. Shielded from wizarding society by Draco who simply yearns for the quiet life, Scorpius is smart, attentive and a witty character which brought some well needed sarcasm to the dialogue. His and Albus' relationship was a high point within the book and I applaud J.K for exploring the 'what if' in regards to Draco and Harry being friends through their sons.
Plot:
For me the plot was too thin. I feel that J.K. and the other writers tried to do too much in a small space of time. I found that nearing the end of the book links to the original series were being thrown in, without any thought or finesse. Snape, Umbridge, and even Voldemort made their return which bordered on tacky the further into the plot I progressed. With this book I was expecting something fresh, something different from the threat of Voldemort yet through the addition of time turners and time travel, the plot was reduced to harking back to the original series. Instead of creating something new, this book literally took the reader back to previous storylines and created questions that didn't need to arise. Most notably, why is Cedric the main focus of the novel? Yes his death was tragic and upsetting but what about Sirius, Lupin, or even Fred whose deaths were closer to Harry's heart than Cedric.
I really disliked the whole Voldemort Child aspect of the plot. Voldemort who is incapable of love and who, at the supposed time of conception, was so focused on his power gain to think about anyone but himself supposedly fathered a child. What would have been his motive in doing so? At the time Dephi was supposedly conceived he would have been over 70 years old with at least 2 other Horcruxes (the diadem and Nagini) that would ensure his immortality, until the demise of Nagini he had no reason to suspect he was going to lose his life. Why would a wizard so confident in his abilities take precautions should he die? Tom Riddle was arrogant and overly confident, Voldemort even more so, so why would a child be necessary?
Overall the plot reminded me of Shrek 4, a forced time travel plot that actually didn't need to happen and was shoddy at best. I still love the Harry Potter franchise but this book devalued the characters I have come to know and love since I first read the series.
Lottie :)
*I wrote this post on August 1 when the book was released but didn't want to post it to avoid spoiling it for other people. Since it has been a few months, I thought it would be 'safe' to post now :)
Characters:
First let's talk about the characters and how they are almost unrecognizable from the original series! Harry has morphed into a parent who isn't concerned with the well-being of his children and similarly, not overly concerned with his job. I understand that Harry did not grow up with stable parent figures in his life and that the absence of his own parents would create challenges within his own parenting but there has to be a line drawn. Harry struck me as a person who would try to give his children the love he never received as a child, combined with the help of Ginny who, lets face it, had the best parents of the series should add up to pretty wholesome parenting. His kids would want for nothing and would be showered with love and affection, yet we see none of this within the book. Not only is Albus deeply resentful of his father but Harry's other two children are near enough absent throughout the whole plot! As a reader we see none of the parental bond Harry should share with all of his children and he comes off as emotionally absent.
Ron Weasley has become third-rate comic relief. He literally plays no part in the overall development of the plot and exists in the timeline to provide cheap jokes and to re-affirm the already tenuous Hermione-Ron love arc. It is kind of pitiful really considering Ron had so much to offer within the original series and he is reduced to almost nothing within this book.
Please don't even get me started on Delphi. That is a can of worms you do not wish to open as there are soooo many things wrong with her character it actually pains me.
However, I have to say Scorpius Malfoy was actually a pleasantly rounded character. Shielded from wizarding society by Draco who simply yearns for the quiet life, Scorpius is smart, attentive and a witty character which brought some well needed sarcasm to the dialogue. His and Albus' relationship was a high point within the book and I applaud J.K for exploring the 'what if' in regards to Draco and Harry being friends through their sons.
Plot:
For me the plot was too thin. I feel that J.K. and the other writers tried to do too much in a small space of time. I found that nearing the end of the book links to the original series were being thrown in, without any thought or finesse. Snape, Umbridge, and even Voldemort made their return which bordered on tacky the further into the plot I progressed. With this book I was expecting something fresh, something different from the threat of Voldemort yet through the addition of time turners and time travel, the plot was reduced to harking back to the original series. Instead of creating something new, this book literally took the reader back to previous storylines and created questions that didn't need to arise. Most notably, why is Cedric the main focus of the novel? Yes his death was tragic and upsetting but what about Sirius, Lupin, or even Fred whose deaths were closer to Harry's heart than Cedric.
I really disliked the whole Voldemort Child aspect of the plot. Voldemort who is incapable of love and who, at the supposed time of conception, was so focused on his power gain to think about anyone but himself supposedly fathered a child. What would have been his motive in doing so? At the time Dephi was supposedly conceived he would have been over 70 years old with at least 2 other Horcruxes (the diadem and Nagini) that would ensure his immortality, until the demise of Nagini he had no reason to suspect he was going to lose his life. Why would a wizard so confident in his abilities take precautions should he die? Tom Riddle was arrogant and overly confident, Voldemort even more so, so why would a child be necessary?
Overall the plot reminded me of Shrek 4, a forced time travel plot that actually didn't need to happen and was shoddy at best. I still love the Harry Potter franchise but this book devalued the characters I have come to know and love since I first read the series.
Lottie :)
*I wrote this post on August 1 when the book was released but didn't want to post it to avoid spoiling it for other people. Since it has been a few months, I thought it would be 'safe' to post now :)
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