It’s been nine years since Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows was released, and nineteen years since the Sorcerer’s Stone came out. Since then, Harry Potter fans have been wishing for more, for more of the magic that exploded with the first ones.
Jul. 30, 2016, talented writers J. K. Rowling, John Tiffany, and Jack Thorne delivered Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, written as a play. According to Scholastic, over two million copies of the Cursed Child were sold just in the first two days across the US and Canada. This best-selling novel is set twenty-two years after Harry defeated Voldemort, with Albus Severus Potter and Scorpius Malfoy as the two new protagonists. After reading the story, there have been some controversies over whether it fits with the rest of the series or it should be kept separate.
The Cursed Child immediately plunges back into the extraordinary and much-loved world of Harry Potter. Readers are given the chance to revisit their favorite trio, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger, along with several supporting roles such as Draco Malfoy and Minerva McGonagall. Added to the mix is a new generation of young witches and wizards.
Immediately, themes such as family and friendship are prominent through the characters’ actions and words. Magical objects are brought back from the original series, such as the Polyjuice Potion and a Time-Turner.
Although The Cursed Child is a welcome step back into the world of Harry Potter, it could be compared to adding a splash of bright yellow to a canvas painted in purple. It’s fresh, it’s new, but it doesn’t really fit in. Every book strives to break away from tradition, but for many Harry Potter fans, it seems wrong to twist the Harry Potter world into something else. The book pulls many random, and not very well thought out details from the original seven books. Many would say it’s a little out there.
Sequels can be hard to write, but once a book series as well-known as Harry Potter is created, it is expected that all other books connected to the original be just as good, if not better. All in all, the story contains elements of suspense and excitement that make it enjoyable, but the Cursed Child might have not been as popular and successful if it didn’t have the rest of the Harry Potter fame behind it.