Though it seemed that the last Harry Potter book and the movie, ”Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows,” left the majority of its audience with a satisfactory ending, J.K. Rowling has recently announced a new upcoming addition to the series. What was originally just a two part play, ”Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” will be released in the form of a book on July 31 of 2016.

The decision to turn the play into a book was due to a “massive public demand.” Among the UMass Boston students, who have been dedicated Harry Potter fans, also known as “potterheads,” reactions vary to the new book. Hena Rana, who is a Business Management student, expressed mixed feelings about the news: “Not going to lie, but I was pretty darn excited when I heard that there was a new Harry Potter book coming out. However, I feel pretty content of the way the series ended.”

Continued Rana, “Some fans might be aching to find out what happens next but I think it leaves the reader up to their own imagination. What if this new book doesn’t live up to the Harry Potter series? It could make millions of fans (including me) disappointed. J.K Rowling took a risky choice and I guess I’ll have to read the new book to find out.”
Another big Harry Potter fan, who studies Biology and Psychology at UMass Boston, Nilam Thaker is very happy about the release, though she feels disappointed that the book won’t be very detailed. “I mean, Harry Potter was such a big part of my childhood and getting to read more of the story is always exciting, but I wish it were a continuation of the books or the story of Albus Potter and all the other kids as opposed to a play.” Similarly to Rana, Thaker expressed a feeling of concern; she stated, “I am also a little worried it won’t be as good as the original series, but either way I definitely will be reading it as soon as it comes out.”