There are book series and THE BOOK SERIES. For me, there are only few series that belong to the second group and Harry Potter and Experiment in Terror definitely belong among them. So imagine my joy when I found out that there weas 8th Harry Potter book as well as EIT spin-off novel coming out this summer. How do I feel after reading them both? Read on.
(check my Rating System for detailed explanations of my quick rating)
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (HP #8)
Written by: J.K. Rowling, J. Thorne, J. Tiffany
Published by: Pottermore
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy / Play
Release date: July 31st 2016
The Eighth Story. Nineteen Years Later.
Based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, a new play by Jack Thorne, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is the eighth story in the Harry Potter series and the first official Harry Potter story to be presented on stage. The play will receive its world premiere in London’s West End on July 30, 2016.
It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn’t much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband and father of three school-age children.
While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places.
MY THOUGHTS:
I’m starting this review with two (subjective) facts: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child reads only like really good fanfiction and Albus Severus got on my nerves even more than Harry did in original books.
I know that this book was written for theatre in different format than other Harry Potter novels so I should not compare them. But this is 8th book and part of series, not a standalone, so I’m going to treat it the same way as previous books. All in all, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a far cry from first seven Harry Potter books and definitely did not do original series a justice. And I can’t believe that I would ever say no to more from this world but in my opinion, Harry Potter series should have ended with book #7.
Yes, there were some scenes that I enjoyed. And yes, it was lovely to revisit my childhood heroes. However, whole storyline was way over the top. It brought nothing new only recycled old storylines. And worst of all, all characters seemed like caricatures of their old selves. And that was very very disappointing.
Would I recommend it? Yes and no. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is not a bad book on its own, but as huge Harry Potter fan I have to say that this is absolutely unnecessary addition to otherwise one-of-a-kind series.
Veiled (Ada Palomino #1)
Written by: Karina Halle
Genre: Horror/ Paranormal Romance
Release date: July 28th 2016
Death.
It’s something that Ada Palomino has always known so well, having grown up in a house of horrors, surrounded by a family plagued by ghosts and demons and things that go bump in the night.
But after the sudden and tragic death of her mother two years ago, death has never felt so personal.
Or so close.
Now eighteen, Ada is trying to move on with her life and the last month of summer holds nothing but sunshine and promises with her first year at a Portland design school just around the bend.
That is until her increasingly violent and realistic dreams, dreams of other worlds, of portals and veils where her mother is tortured and souls bleed for mercy, start to blend into reality. Ada has to lean on her older sister, Perry, to try and make sense of it all but even then, she’s never felt more alone.
Then there’s Jay. Tall, handsome and deeply mysterious, Jay would be just another stranger, a familiar face on the bus, if it wasn’t for the fact that Ada has met him before.
Every night.
In every single dream.
And the more that Ada is drawn to him in both worlds, the more she’s in danger of losing everything.
Including her heart.
And her very soul.
***Veiled is a new adult paranormal romance/urban fantasy with sex, bad language and violence. It is a spinoff of the EIT series, however it can be read as a standalone. You do NOT need to have read EIT to enjoy Veiled***
MY THOUGHTS:
Karina Halle is back with what she started with (and what she does the best in my opinion) – paranormal romance with horror elements.
Unfortunately, this spin-off to Experiment in Terror series doesn’t have the same x-factor that original series has. The fact that appearances of main EIT duo (Perry & Dex) were highlights of the book made me realize that even though I love spending time in EIT world, Ada’s story didn’t stand on its own for me. This book failed at making me fall in love with Ada as a narrator and I didn’t live her romance with Jay either. Still storyline was interesting enough and I would read a continuation if there ever is one.
Veiled is a book that won’t offend and if you enjoy paranormal romances it will definitely entertain you.
VERDICT?
As lovely as it was to revisit characters from my favorite series, none of the above reviewed books blew my mind. And since I have very high expectations in both cases, I was disappointed.
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT SPIN-OFFS?
DO YOU LIKE IT WHEN AUTHORS ADD BOOK(S) TO ONCE FINISHED SERIES?
