Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: Parts One and Two

As someone who read the books after watching the movies, I completely devoured each and every Harry Potter book, taking in the details the movies so conveniently left out. In my excitement and emotions to read everything “Harry Potter”, I completely ignored the numerous warnings by my friends to not read this one.

I am not saying it was disappointing because that would be an understatement! This book was completely berserk, to put it mildly. I cannot, for even a second, believe that the same author who wrote the 7 Harry Potter books also wrote this one. It feels like a fan fiction written by a teenager. For starters, there is unnecessary drama, extremely high emotions, the writing is all off. It just gets worse as you progress through the story.

If I started listing everything wrong with the book, it will take me ages and a series of my own to complete this review, but here is a hint of why this book is everything that should not exist -

1. The book is less “magical” and more science fiction for the most part. The entire premise is based on changing the past to bring Cedric Diggory back, and ending up bringing Voldemort back instead, which on the face of it itself is quite stupid, to say the least.

2. The characters are so not themselves. For instance, Harry is an extremely bad father from what I could guess, and that does not sound like Harry at all. At few points he is even rude to McGonagall and Ginny without any justification. Ron is bumbling baboon and a complete and utterly useless idiot. Hermione, in one timeline (yes, there are different timelines) becomes DADA professor instead of Minister for Magic, and is rude, unfair, bitter, and “too eager” to take points from Gryffindor (a house she LOVED).

2. Albus is a spoilt brat. James and Lily (Harry and Ginny's other two kids) have absolutely no role after the first few pages. Rose (Ron and Hermione's daughter) only appears for namesake in few parts, and even ceases to exist in two timelines. Hugo Weasley and Ted Lupin are not so much as mentioned even once.

3. Draco has different sob story. He is suddenly better than Harry (physically, emotionally, as a father, as a person, as a reasonable prudent man). While this itself is hard to digest, he also falls in love with a woman who dies soon after the first few pages, and we never know exactly who she is. Draco has a son - who is funnily enough named Scorpius and who happens to become “best friends” with Albus daughter.

4. Scorpius, who otherwise is a good character, is rumored to be son of Voldemort. And if this doesn't sound bad enough, get this - the exact rumor is that Draco and his wife could not conceive so a time turner was used to send her back and conceive with Voldemort!!!! Who even thinks up this stuff?????? I was genuinely concerned about JKR's sanity at this point.

5. Now Scorpius is only rumored to be Voldemort's son, but guess what? We discover Voldemort actually has a daughter!!! And she is trying to change the past with Albus and Scorpius to bring Voldemort back, and now everyone - Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Draco are trying to prevent her from doing so. I gave up here.

The only positives? Well, there are none. But you could say it was good to see Snape alive in the timeline where Voldemort still exists, and the fact that he was still trying to secretly fight him along with an underground Hermione and Ron, years after Harry died. But the timeline was still ruined because suddenly Cedric Diggory (the most pure hearted boy) is a DEATH EATER!!!!!

Anyway, I do not completely regret reading the book because it gives me a sense of closure. I admit I even got extremely emotional at some points - Snape talking to Scorpius, and Harry talking to Dumbledore's painting, or future Harry seeing his parents being killed all over again.

However, everything aside, I cannot accept this book as part of the series. It just won't do. The author who gave us the previous 7 masterpieces cannot create this.