I wanted to love this. I have lived and breathed Harry Potter from the moment I took the first book off of my shelf when I was six years old. There's not a day that goes by that I don't immerse myself into the magical world- either by rereading the books, telling my children the stories, watching the movies, learning new facts, or perusing more fanfiction works than I rightly should. 
 That being said... 
 The entire premise of Harry Potter and The Cursed Child felt like outlandish fanfiction that I ordinarily wouldn't bother to read. (view spoiler)[ I wasn't impressed by the cliched use of time turners to change the past and draw out the plot. There were a few moving moments throughout- such as the scene where Harry witnesses the murder of his parents- but the emotion I felt was marred by how contrived and unbelievable it all was. I am skeptical that Severus Snape, double agent, right hand man of Voldemort, and Legilimens extraordinaire, would have failed to discover the nefarious plot to carry on Lord Voldemort's bloodline. I'm disappointed that, of all directions they could have taken an 8th installment about Harry Potter and his children, they went with time travel and illegitimate Riddle offspring. (hide spoiler)] The only saving grace to this story is that J.K. Rowling's name is stamped on the cover, lending it some small measure of authenticity.