Originally Published: July 31, 2016

By: John Tiffany, Jack Thorne & J.K. Rowling

One of the problems for most readers is that they don’t realize this is the book of a play, so it reads like a script rather than an actual novel. Let me be clear, this is not a novel like the other Harry Potter books.

Starting at the epilogue of the seventh book, Harry’s son Albus travels to Hogwarts to begin his magic studies. He has a lot riding on his shoulders with the Potter surname and is shocked when declared a Slytherin.

With the use of a time-turner, this story jumps between past and present. While this allows us to have new moments with favorite characters and villains, it’s unnecessary. The story feels much more like fanfiction than canon.

Even though this probably looks incredible on-stage, the story on its own doesn’t hold up.

Final say: A sad disappointment. ★★☆☆☆