The newest installment in the Harry Potter universe, “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” was presumed to be written by J.K. Rowling herself,

However, fans were surprised to find that screenwriter Jack Thorne was behind the pen.

The book, the eighth in the series to be published, was released on July 31 and met with mixed reviews.

Fans all over the world were excited to discover the events of their favorite characters’ futures.

The story is written as a play and tells the story of Harry Potter’s second son, Albus, and his best friend, Scorpius Malfoy.

The story received some minor changes from Thorne.  The Time Turner (a necklace device used to travel time) is altered to only be able to travel in five minute increments.

Prior to the book’s release, Rowling stated that she had all Time Turners destroyed in the series to prevent any abuse of them later on.

It was exciting to learn about Harry Potter’s character  and  to see him as an adult.  But, readers perception of Harry was an out-of-touch father who seemed to have become closed minded in his old age because he is blind to see any good in Scorpius, who he constantly compares to his unliked father, Draco.

He even goes so far as to ban Albus from seeing Scorpius, his son’s best friend.

Scorpius seems an unexpectedly well liked character. He seemed to have come from nowhere with his awkward humor and relatable charm. Fans cannot stop raving about him. His character is definitely one of the better parts of the story.It’s almost hard to believe Draco Malfoy produced such a perfect specimen.

Albus is a less likeable character. Even as the protagonist, he is overshadowed by Scorpius. Albus has a slightly whiny attitude and has a victim persona, despite nothing tragic happening to him.

“Some of the characters were out of character and used as plot devices to keep the story moving.” said sophomore Sophie Bacher.

For example, Hermione Granger, a beloved character from the series, became a stereotypical woman of authority in the new book.

Many fans of “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” were upset that the live action play version features Albus and Scorpius’ relationship as a bromance, while in the book they had a lot more romantic chemistry, many fans were disappointed about this revamp of thier relationship.

The book, written in the style of a play, was also made into a live show in London. Not only did the show bring back the lively world of Harry Potter, but it also brought some refreshing diversity.

African American actress Noma Dumezweni has taken the part of Hermione Granger, which caused some backlash from fans who preferred Granger to be caucasian.

But Rowling and other fans defended Dumenzweni  by showing support through social media.

“White Skin Never Specified. Rowling loves Black Hermione, ” tweets Rowling.

Throne tried his best to revamp the Harry Potter Universe, but certain fans think he fell flat.

Where Rowling strived to make her work clever, Thorne was unable to do so. He tried to be clever with his writing but it turn out was dense and confusing.

But, Rowling and many fans thought that the book embodied the Harry Potter universe.

“Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” was is spirit of our favorite wizard.