J.K. Rowling set the world whirling with the announcement in February that she would release another book into the Wizarding World. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child came out in script form on July 31 for those of us who couldn’t cross the pond to see the play, of the same title, in London. The book is the most pre-ordered book of Barnes & Noble since the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in 2007. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was written not only by J.K. Rowling, but with two additional playwrights, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany.

Since the release and overtake of the Wizarding World in 1997, J.K. Rowling has not been a name to take lightly. She is the creator of the world that taught so many young people that curiosity is a good thing, intelligence can save your life, and a life without love is barely living. That being said, the eighth book of the Harry Potter series had high expectations surrounding it with Rowling’s name. Unfortunately, I believe the other two names let it down. Since Ms. Rowling collaborated with others, it is evident to me that some of her own logic and flow was lost in the “creative process.” The eloquence of Rowling has always been her capability to have a sincerely complex book make thorough sense. Thorne and Tiffany diverged Rowling from writing so masterfully by condensing a complicated tale of time-travel and family issues into one book that could, and should, have spanned several.

In the time between the finish of the series and the release of the newest edition, readers have craved to know the inner-workings of the Potter-Weasley family. Freshman Jordan Ladd said, “I have been wondering since the end. . .what Harry’s kids would turn out like.” Obviously we were not let down with Albus being sorted into Slytherin and Harry’s struggle with that, but as DCHS senior Carol Johnson said, “I was a little disappointed that it didn’t talk much about Harry’s other kids or Teddy.” However, part of the story was redeemed as we see Harry and Draco enter the fray as concerned fathers. “I did really like it that they showed growth between Draco and Harry,” Carol also stated. Senior Tanner Pearson commented, “Scorpius is less arrogant than Draco, and more mature than Albus.” This contrast allows growth for both Draco and Albus as Scorpius encourages them to be themselves. Even with the Golden Trio’s appearances in the book, Jordan and I “really wish they would have put some older, more loved characters in, such as Hagrid or Neville.” Where was the beloved half-giant or the confident herbology teacher?
And yet I have still to discuss the largest confusion of the entire book: why was there another time turner? In the original series, J.K. Rowling destroyed all the time turners to eliminate any possibility of confusing time travel and the plot holes that go with it. Therefore, it makes no sense as to why Rowling allowed the other two authors to bring time turners back. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child “didn’t have the ‘Fantastic!’ feel as the first couple of books did,” Jordan noticed. However, as Carol so ingeniously put it: “After waiting ten years, I refuse to let myself be disappointed.”