Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald by J.K. Rowling

Pages: 272

Intended Audience: Tweens and up

Genre: Screenplay / Fantasy

Notes for Parents: Contains some violence and mature scenes.

The Inside Cover

The powerful Dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald has been captured in New York with the help of Newt Scamander. But, making good on his threat, Grindelwald escapes custody and sets about gathering followers, most unsuspecting of his true agenda: to raise pure-blood wizards up to rule over all non-magical beings. In an effort to thwart Grindelwald’s plans, Albus Dumbledore enlists Newt, his former Hogwarts student, who agrees to help once again, unaware of the dangers that lie ahead. Lines are drawn as love and loyalty are tested, even among the truest friends and family, in an increasingly divided wizarding world.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

This is the second book in the Fantastic Beasts series. Originally planned as a trilogy, the series will now, apparently, consist of five movies.

What’s good?

The continuing adventures of Newt Scamander has plenty of adventure and enchantment, this time in France, as he pursues Grindelwald. There’s definitely that familiar Harry Potter feel to the story with quirky characters, dangerous spellcasting, magical creatures, and a handful of familiar faces. The pacing and script format make for a quick and easy read.

Best Part: The beautiful cover and illustrations.

What isn’t good?

I’m so confused! I don’t want to give anything away, but I definitely have questions about McGonagall, Queenie, Nagini, magic being invisible to humans, and the whole revelation about Credence, just to name a few. Perhaps I missed something, but there seem to be a lot of inconsistencies with what we know from the original Harry Potter stories. Descriptions were vague and many scenes were difficult to visualize, so maybe the movie irons-out a few of these issues, but there were definitely discrepancies that need some explaining.

Worst part: Queenie’s behavior.

Recommendation ☺☺☺ (3/5)

I enjoyed the story and I’m definitely looking forward to seeing the movie, but I’m disappointed that it brought up more questions than answers. In reading other reviews, it’s apparent that I’m not the only one who noticed some of the strange contradictions that plagued most of the story. Despite feeling confused, however, I was still entertained.

Rowling, J.K. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. New York: Scholastic, 2017.