Contact CU Independent News Reporter/Grapevine Contributor Anna Blanco at Anna.Blanco@colorado.edu.
When I start talking to someone new about Harry Potter, the first thing they ask is, “Have you read the new book?” They’re usually shocked when my answer is, “No, and I won’t be reading it.”
The Harry Potter series has been very, very close to my heart since the fourth grade. I have more Harry Potter merchandise than one might think possible. I am currently reading the series for the seventh time. Needless to say, I love Harry Potter, a lot.
The first Harry Potter book was published in 1997, and since then, the world created by J.K Rowling had countless opportunities to grow and evolve. There were the movies, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios, many fan-produced and created works, and of course, the newest addition, “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.”
Why would such a devoted fan not read the newest installment of her dearly beloved series? It’s a fair question. Allow me to explain.
For me, the Harry Potter World resides in a happy little bubble, and I had my ending in 2007 when the last book was published. I was, and am, satisfied with it, and it remains that way to this day.
There was a time when I enjoyed reading newly-released snippets about the series on Pottermore, and looking at J.K Rowling’s Twitter for the newest Harry Potter updates was exciting. It felt like it was for the right reasons. As more and more things come out, it has started to lose that feeling.
The release of a new movie taking place before the books, and a play happening 19 years after, feels like too far of a stretch for me. Especially when they are being introduced to the public nearly a decade after the “final” book. I enjoyed reading about Harry’s adventures in school, and I liked that the rest of it was left to my imagination. It seems to me like an older movie is doing a remake solely for the purpose of having a second burst of popularity.
Most Harry Potter fans will soak up anything new concerning Harry Potter, especially if it is something as big as this, but I won’t be one of them.
