Quirky Cat
Written on Aug 26, 2019
Before I start my review, I want to be a bit clear about this series. I know that there hasn’t been a lot of hype about the series, and I think that also resulted in some confusion for what these ebooks are. These ebooks were not written by J.K. Rowling (but they were inspired by her works, which is why she is included as an author). They were written by the staff at Pottermore and were inspired by the History of Magic novel that came out.
Each ebook in this series has taken one or two subjects known to be taught at Hogwarts, and put a direct focus on them. Harry Potter: A Journey Through Care of Magical Creatures is unique in that it’s the only one that focuses on a single subject. But given how many amazing creatures there are, and the increase in popularity thanks to the Fantastic Beasts franchise, this actually makes quite a lot of sense.
I will say that this novella doesn’t do a deep dive into any one creature or subject. But it is a fun starting point for many. Maybe it’ll inspire readers to do more research on their own.
This ebook is broken into six main sections, each with a different focus of creatures (real or magical). The magical creatures sections explore all of the lore and historical influence on the creatures that J.K. Rowling so charmingly brought to life. Everything from unicorns to trolls and giants. It was interesting to see her works put in different contexts like this.
The final segment of the ebook focused entirely on bestiaries; books that solely talk about beasts. Much like Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. It was fascinating to see the historical references here and let’s not forget the number of mythical creatures that made it into these real books. Newt would have been proud.
On the whole, Harry Potter: A Journey Through Care of Magical Creatures was a fun and fascinating read. I certainly wouldn’t have complained had it been a little longer – giving more attention and focus to each of the creatures mentioned. But it is a good starting point, if nothing else.
As mentioned above, this ebook is the last one in a series. I’m actually a bit sad to see the series end – and hope to see other renditions of it at some point in the future. In the meantime, feel free to go check out the other three ebooks: Harry Potter: A Journey Through Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts, Harry Potter: A Journey Through Potions and Herbology, and Harry Potter: A Journey Through Divination and Astronomy.
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