Warning: Minor spoilers ahead.

It’s been exactly nine years—nine incredibly long, meaningless-seeming years since the global phenomenon of Harry Potter was finally culminating into an amazing tale full of Horcruxes and the Deathly Hallows, and millions of "Potterheads" around the globe were diving into (what was believed to be) the final Harry Potter story.

Now, in a play set 19 years later, Potter fans all over the world get to see how Harry has settled into his middle-age years in post-Voldemort London, working at the Ministry of Magic and navigating his life as a father and adult. More importantly, though, we get to see a new main character—Albus Severus Potter—and follow his journey as he copes with the suffocating expectations that come with having a famous father, struggles with the inevitable hardships of growing up, and explores the roles that he and his best friend, Scorpius Malfoy (yes, you read that right—Harry’s son and Draco’s son are best friends!), play when dark forces once again threaten the fate of the Wizarding World.

Like all major Potterheads with an undying love for the series, I was incredibly excited when the news of an “eighth Harry Potter story” first spread, and was, of course, one of many, many customers in line for the new book on the night of July 31st at the Barnes & Noble midnight release party. Never mind that J.K. Rowling isn't actually the author of this new book (she merely helped shape the story as a collaboration with director John Tiffany and playwright Jack Thorne, who is the real writer of the script)—her involvement with the play, to whichever degree, legitimizes the contents of the book as canon in our eyes, and frankly, that's all we Potterheads really need to get on board. However, almost four hours of late-night reading and 308 pages later, I turned the last page of my copy of "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" with very mixed feelings—the most prominent of which was—regrettably—disappointment.

Admittedly, "Cursed Child"—without giving away too much of the plot—has a little bit of everything that’s both magical and compelling: a genuine struggle of a tense father-son relationship, heartwarming and funny interactions among characters, and a whole lot of time-traveling magic that’s somewhat reminiscent of the third book in the series. With all of these remarkable elements, "Cursed Child" certainly seems to have had the potential to become something that could endure the legacy of its sacred predecessor—and yet, for the most part, simply failed to do so. Personally, reading "Cursed Child," despite all its exciting twists and turns, felt very much like reading fan fiction (admittedly a well-crafted fan fiction, but a fan fiction nonetheless) that had somewhat of a convoluted time-traveling plot, included details that seemed just a little bit too shoehorned and forced, and featured characters that were undoubtedly familiar but felt, at best, like imitations of the originals. All this, and more, was what contributed to it feeling a lot like it was lacking the magic that I—and many other fans—had expected from yet another installment of the incredible, beloved franchise that had so extraordinarily defined our childhood.

And perhaps it’s because the new book is a script form, or because that very script form isn’t even written by Rowling herself—but overall, I find that my biggest problem with "Cursed Child" is that it is less of an authentic story than a sloppy remix of the existing Harry Potter series. Some of the best characters—the ones we’ve grown to know and love so dearly in the original book series—have actions and dialogue in the play that seem somewhat out of character, which ultimately contributes to some of the characters in the play feeling not very authentic (or at least, a lot more lackluster than in the original book series). There are shoehorned, slightly ridiculous details in the plot (like a blanket that Albus conveniently uses to send a message to his present-day father from the past) that seem to ruin J.K. Rowling’s perfect streak of well-written time travel. And there are twists that, although effectively making the story an exciting and fast-paced read, seem a little bit too outlandish to feel real. And perhaps worst of all, Albus’ motivation for going back in time—the major catalyst for the entire story—is, at best, shaky and unclear.

Of course, none of this is to say that the book itself wasn’t overall an enjoyable read. There were definitely some elements to "Cursed Child" that deserve tremendous praise—the best of which, arguably, are the new, next-generation characters (especially Scorpius Malfoy, who might just be one of the best parts about this new story). And there's no doubt that the plot, though dangerously teetering on the edge of contrived, is wildly inventive and imaginative.

But most of all, there are these great filler moments—little snippets of interactions among characters, whether it’s the funny dialogue between Harry and his friends, or the sweet relationship moments between couples like Harry and Ginny or Ron and Hermione—that ultimately make the script feel warm and nostalgic. So if there’s anything that saves the story from its slightly convoluted plot and superficial fan-fiction feel, it’s just that: the characters and the small details of their relationships, and the fact that friendship takes an important role in the story—a message that brilliantly and heartwarmingly echoes a very central theme of the entire Harry Potter series.

All in all, my overall impression of "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" is one that is extremely appreciative of the creative and imaginative continuation of its story (after all, we’ve all been dying for literally any new material that’s related to the Harry Potter world)—but ultimately a little too disappointed with its content. Of course, reading the next Harry Potter story in script form is an entirely different experience from reading it in the vivid prose that so many readers are used to from Rowling; and perhaps (hopefully) the story works infinitely better as a stage production than a book. Indeed, the play itself opened in London to raving reviews from critics, many of whom argue that the script alone is very much an incomplete experience of "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child"—and that it noticeably (and inevitably) lacks the richness and immersive amplitude that acting and staging would add to such a production.

But as a script/book form merely by itself, the story regrettably falls flat—ironically by being a little too overreaching and outlandish that it essentially rids itself of the sincerity and authenticity that an addition to a legendary, well-established series would need to be truly magical and spellbinding.

Even so, the truth is ultimately this: The people who were standing in line at midnight on Sunday waiting for a copy of the script, and then going home to devour the entire book in a single sitting until the break of dawn, already love this world and these characters—unconditionally. "Cursed Child," isn't, by all means, anything that would—or could—stand alone on its own; it's something that's giving Potterheads what they've so intensely desired and longed for after all this time: More.