After hearing all about “the new Harry Potter book,” I was persuaded into reading this new book by one of the greats. I, however, have not read any of the books in the previous Harry Potter series, so my reading and evaluation of J. K. Rowling’s newest novel is unique in itself. I have an opportunity to critique her newest work without any possible bias, because of my lack of following the mainstream and reading her previous books.

That being said, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child presents itself as an alluring and captivating read. Although I’ve never read the other Harry Potter books, I was able to catch on easily and follow the storyline. The plot, which follows Albus Potter and Scorpius Malfoy on their journey through the past, hooks the reader with the it’s riveting twists and turns. Plus, having a continuation of the series keeps readers interested in J. K. Rowling’s stories and may make the reader want to reread the entire Harry Potter series so as not to forget any important details.

The story is action-packed even though it follows two not-so-active boys. It references events from the previous Harry Potter books, such as the Battle of Hogwarts, to keep the story going. It also gives some background to a few of the characters that were not mentioned in the previous books. Such as a more in-depth look into Harry Potter.

The same characters, Hermione, Ron, Harry, and Snape, who appeared in the original Harry Potter series show up again in the new story and grip the reader’s attention. The storyline gives further insight into how the characters’ lives could have turned out had certain events, like the defeat of Voldemort, not occurred. This fact makes the reader happy for the way Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows ended; with Harry’s victory.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was originally written and performed as a play, but J.K. Rowling’s devoted fans wanted to read the story instead of watching it on stage. In turn, instead of stating ‘Harry Potter said’, it says ‘Harry:’ because it is in a play-script format. The format can make it difficult to read at first, but it is relatively easy to catch on and be able to read it like any other book. Since it is written in script format there is a space between each line making it a rather short book.
Overall, the novel is immensely entertaining and keeps the reader on the edge of their seat as it twists and turns through different characters’ past and reseals the future.