by Bergen Eppers

Released July 31, 2016, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was bought by many eager people to continue what they read from childhood. After months of patient waiting, their trembling fingers turned the pages and they are all reacting. Written by co-authors J.K Rowling, Jack Thorne, and John Tiffany and called the fastest-selling book of the decade, the story once again follows the adventures of the three wizards Harry, Ron, and Hermione as adults, and Harry’s son, Albus.

According to tweets on Twitter, this book has touched many, “I have just finished Cursed Child and Cursed Child has finished me” (Megan Zimmerman), and “‘Would you like a bag for that one?’ ‘No thanks, I just want to stare at it until I get to the car'” (Rymocks Geelong). While reading, others developed an appreciation for the authors, “Thoroughly discombobulated. This writing is beautiful. New respect Jack Thorne” (Christina Johnson).

However, some were disappointed when expecting a novel and discovering Cursed Child was a script that J.K Rowling didn’t write herself, saying that the experience just wasn’t complete. “The fact that JK Rowling just helped with the book and it is play based on a story is turning me off [to be honest]” (Ella Bae). Kelly Lawler from USA Today gave the book a 3 out of 4 star rating saying, “While reading the script is an incomplete experience–noticeably lacking the richness that acting and staging would add to a realized production and the familiar Rowling prose a novel would have contained–it may capture just enough old Potter magic to please even the most skeptical fans.”

Even though small in number, some think that Rowling should just let go. According to headlines of Quartz, “After 20 years of Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived needs to die already,” and The Atlantic, “Harry Potter and the Curse of Continuation,” they agree along with Emily May on Goodreads who commented, “…it’s time to stop. This was a risky experiment and it turned out to be fun, but JKR needs to leave this world alone now. I really do not want to read about old-age Harry, Ron and Hermione rolling around in magical wheelchairs. So, just stop.” However, they may not get their wishes, even though Rowling did agree at the opening gala of the play, according to Metro News, when she said, “He goes on a very big journey during these two plays, and then, yeah, I think we’re done.”

Some fans just can’t get excited over another HP book; he hasn’t been gone long enough to be missed. The Deathly Hallows movie was released in 2011 and the book was 2007. That was only 5 years ago. This eighth installment of the series has an imprint of trying to reintroduce the new generation, but it comes across difficultly since most main fans have probably not started their own families. “The magic, so to speak, just isn’t there this time around,” notes USA Today’s Kelly Lawler. However, no matter how many comments or critics this book gets, Harry Potter has still woven its way into our culture. “In 2116, there will [still] be eleven year olds hoping to get their Hogwarts acceptance letters– and no amount of Cursed Child criticism can undo that.”