Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Book Review By J. K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany

     The first Harry Potter story actually was began a long time ago. Started to officially released on public by June 26, 1997 (UK) and September 1, 1998 (US). And over time continues with a total of seven other series that amazingly all of them were very famous and got as best selling of fantasies novels in the eyes of fans, especially in the world of fiction and magic. Fortunately not only that, all of the novel version or book version, eventually became filmed and all of them succeeded in gaining the hearts of its fans. The movie was started on 2001, that is “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” and finally ended up on 2011 as the last movie of its installment, that is “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2”. Just a little bit different from the novel version, Deathly Hallows became divided into two parts in the film. For me this makes people more curious about the sequel because it was divided into two parts which is something clever in my opinion.

    Just like the novel series did, Harry Potter movies franchise obtaining its popularity by becomes movie series that included on the list of the 50 highest-grossing films of all time. With proud all of them were considered as “Critically acclaimed” by movie reviewers or critics. Harry Potter movie series garnering positive reviews from fans and critics. Let’s say, trusted measurement of quality for movies and tv such as Rotten Tomatoes, IMDB, Metacritic, CinemaScore and others gave high rates and positive reviews for its series. It’s no doubt that the series were successful in so many aspects. Deathly Hallows two parts of the last movie series were considered as the last film of its installment.

    Behind of its success is the author itself, she is known as Joanne Kathleen Rowling and well known as J. K. Rowling. Rowling was born on 31^st July 1965 at Yate General Hospital near Bristol, and grew up in Gloucestershire in England and in Chepstow, Gwent, in South East Wales. Basically when she was young, she grew up surrounded by books. She was said “I lived for books.” She also said “I was your basic common-or-garden bookworm, complete with freckles and National Health spectacles.” So based on what she had already said, she really loves books since a long time ago before hit the world with Harry Potter series. However, the series has sold more than 450 million copies and was adapted into a blockbuster film franchise as I said previously. Her books especially Harry Potter, was regarded as children’s fantasy novel, but beyond all of that almost all ages outside the category of children all love it too. Moreover it became an international hit and Rowling became an international literary sensation in 1999 when the first three installments of Harry Potter took over the top three slots of The New York Times best seller list after achieving similar success in her native United Kingdom.

    Several facts about her that you may want to know and curious, her Harry Potter idea actually was came to her on a train. She was once ever rejected by 12 publishers before finally one of her masterpieces be accepted. She is also amazingly invented a magical fantasy sport called Quidditch. And surprisingly becoming the first billionaire author ever.

    Nevertheless, she was also developing several books that related to Harry Potter world, wizardry world. Which eventually the novel version of Fantastic Beats and Where to Find Them released on December 1, 2001. The events taking place 70 years before her original books that was released on 1997, Harry Potter and the Philosopher Stone. Fantastic Beasts is also the truly beginning and the origin of all before Harry Potter, Rowling called it an “original Story.” it can be said as Harry Potter’s prequel, and later after she was published the first Fantastic Beasts, she also developing other 2 books which is will be become trilogy. Eventually she was working in 2013 on a “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” film adaptation, which the movie finally released on November 16, 2016, and later the second movie “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” was finally released on November 14, 2018.

    People who following in the footsteps of Harry Potter’s Journey whether books or movies version, surely knew that Deathly Hallows marks the end of Harry Potter’s journey after defeating Lord Voldemort once and for all. Which everyone knows that there will be no additional stories anymore, because basically this series is indeed finished and had a happy ending like all fairy tales or fantasies did. Which is also showing that the main character doesn’t die and could survived the storm along with his friends and other characters that is very important in the series. All of it leads to a happy ending.

    However, surprisingly on the year of 2016, an original new story that related to Harry Potter’s world came out. It entitled “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” and our lovely author J. K. Rowling is the main person who wrote the original story. She was the main person because the story isn’t done by a person, but with 2 other figures. The first one is helped with a famous playwright named Jack Thorne which is he also involved in script writing and the story. The second one also helped up with a British person too, a director named John Tiffany who also wrote the story. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child dives straight back into the wizardry world we all know and love. And this is where the continuation of Harry Potter continues. By the way, this is not a novel or a book that you are think about, but this is a kind of play or drama. It is a two parts play which is quite long, considering the total pages is 328 pages in the form of the book version.  However, the book version is released but you’ll be see a fewer narration in here. Because almost 80% of the book, covered with dialogs or conversations among the characters.

    Previews of the play began at the Palace Theatre, London on June 7, 2016, and it premiered on July 30, 2016. The events of this new works takes time 22 years later after defeated Lord Voldemort at the Battle of Hogwarts. The book acts in a way like the eighth part of the Harry Potter series but with quite different way. This enabling both fans of the films or books (or both!) to join in the magic and enjoy it with wondering what will happen at the end.

    The story begins right where Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows epilogue left off. With Harry and Ginny saying goodbye to their second son Albus Severus Potter or “Al” as his nickname. He is an English Half Blood Wizard. He was born two years after his older brother James Sirius and two years before his younger sister Lily Luna. Harry and Ginny saying goodbye to Al when this will be his first year at Hogwarts. Albus become a passenger of a Hogwarts express at platform nine and three quarters along with Ron and Hermione’s daughter Rose Weasley. However, Albus meets the son of his father’s old school foe Draco Malfoy, named Scorpius Malfoy which also on that platform. Along the way on Hogwarts, surprisingly Albus is sorted into Slytherin house alongside Scorpius. There’s a silence when the son of the famous Harry Potter not joined Gryffindor. Eventually this pair strike up a friendship. This friendship, forged in part by their wanting to escape the shadow of their famous parents.

    Harry Potter’s son, Albus, wants to right one of Harry’s failures by going back in time to save Cedric Diggory from being murdered by the evil Lord Voldemort, which played out in the fourth Harry Potter book and movie “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.”

    Definitely if people who aren’t not familiar with the original books or the movies, they probably struggle in reading Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Though, if people haven’t read them or prefer to watch the play rather than read, they can catch up by binge watching through the Internet or any entertainment application to watch Movies or TV shows such as Netflix, Iflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu and so forth to streaming if available. However, you might want to consider that you need have a sufficient internet quota, otherwise you can’t complete to watch it. Or simply install a wi-fi on your home. There are no recaps at all, so definitely we recommended you to read or watch all of the stories before you embark on the Boy Who Lived next adventure.

    If you are already familiar with the Harry Potter installments. I can say that the combination that applicates inside of the story is extraordinary from the perspective of the dialogue and the storytelling which really feels something familiar but has slightly different style in it. Again, if you are haven’t seen the show, you can enjoy it by download the PDF on the internet, or you can appreciate the work by buy the book in bookstore. It shouldn’t drain your pocket because it is quite affordable. You can get it in Indonesia, in the local store of course. It will be cost around 130k Rupiah. Well of course I can’t see the show because I live on different part of the world whereas the drama played on Europe, specifically UK and other countries such as US and Australia.

    This story can be said perhaps will relieve your pain and longing towards Harry Potter series. This is played out against the backdrop of magic and mystery we have all come to love, with a refreshing twist of time travel thrown in for good measure. While it might not satisfy all fans because of the time travel element. For me it’s still enchanted me and won my heart because people like me may miss the story. I found that the story overall incredible, because people who hope that the story should be continue finally pays off with this play. Although people actually wanted to expect more from the new story but it is what it is. We can’t blame the authors who were wrote it, we can’t blame Rowling, Thorne and Tiffany. Because they were doing such a great job to make Harry Potter story came back to life. I’m definitely recommend reading it, because there is no magic like the magic of Harry Potter!