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3.4 AVERAGE
3.4 AVERAGE
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I gave it 3 stars because it was basically just the first movie. I honestly could’ve skipped to the sequel. There were only minor differences between the movie and the book; like Elizabeth Sanderson.
I did enjoy the sequel, though it took most of it before it really picked up its pace and got quite good. I also enjoyed the ending and how it is set up for another book. I hope it continues.
Overall it was kind of predictable (obviously the first part is if you’ve seen the original movie). Obviously the good guys are going to win and defeat the bad guys.
There is a bit of… not completely romance, but like a high school crush kind of thing which was kinda cute, but overall didn’t add much to the story aside from being LGBT.
I did enjoy the sequel, though it took most of it before it really picked up its pace and got quite good. I also enjoyed the ending and how it is set up for another book. I hope it continues.
Overall it was kind of predictable (obviously the first part is if you’ve seen the original movie). Obviously the good guys are going to win and defeat the bad guys.
There is a bit of… not completely romance, but like a high school crush kind of thing which was kinda cute, but overall didn’t add much to the story aside from being LGBT.
I DNF’ed this at chapter 2 of the sequel after skipping the recap of the film. The main protagonist is too much of “not like other girls” trope for me and the bullying is super contrived. Not to mention the unironic use of “witch please” more than once. I’m a fan of quirky and campy but this felt beyond juvenile.
adventurous
funny
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
Spoiler-free Portion: Great new characters with Travis, Isabella, and Poppy. LGBT+ romance in the sequel and some fun updates on the original cast as well. I finished the book almost entirely for them and if I rated it just on the new characters and Disney approving a queer relationship, this book would be a solid 4 stars.
But the plot is unfortunately lackluster and the novelization of the movie is just kind of meh.
I've said for years that modern Disney could never make Hocus Pocus. Virgins, black magic, the costume cop joke. All of it is too grown up for modern Disney to greenlight and this book sort of proves it. The sequel is more "Halloweentown" than "Hocus Pocus".
The Good: In the novelization we get more insight into what the characters are thinking and a deeper version of Max. The sequel brings us a much more diverse cast with two Black characters, female characters with a variety of personalities, and an LGBT+ romance between Poppy Dennison and Isabella Richards. Even better, their romance is simply accepted by all rather than turned into a new source for drama. Also, there's a bonus "Gravity Falls" reference early on in the sequel.
The Bad: The author misquotes and incorrectly describes several portions of the original movie. She also cuts a few memorable scenes (goodbye Costume Cop) while spending a lot of time on scenes that don't translate well to book form. These issues aren't possible in the sequel since it's not actually a movie (yet) but there are still issues. The plot isn't particularly intriguing and a few things about Allison and Max don't feel like choices they would have made, even after growing up.
The Ugly: The musical numbers we get the entire City Hall music number from the original, including focus switches between Winifred on lead and backup sung by Mary and Sarah. Then in the sequel Mary gets her own musical number that is way more Mary Poppins than Hocus Pocus. They don't work well for the novel and hold up the story.
I love Hocus Pocus and this it deserved better than this sequel.
But the plot is unfortunately lackluster and the novelization of the movie is just kind of meh.
I've said for years that modern Disney could never make Hocus Pocus. Virgins, black magic, the costume cop joke. All of it is too grown up for modern Disney to greenlight and this book sort of proves it. The sequel is more "Halloweentown" than "Hocus Pocus".
Spoiler
The Good: In the novelization we get more insight into what the characters are thinking and a deeper version of Max. The sequel brings us a much more diverse cast with two Black characters, female characters with a variety of personalities, and an LGBT+ romance between Poppy Dennison and Isabella Richards. Even better, their romance is simply accepted by all rather than turned into a new source for drama. Also, there's a bonus "Gravity Falls" reference early on in the sequel.
The Bad: The author misquotes and incorrectly describes several portions of the original movie. She also cuts a few memorable scenes (goodbye Costume Cop) while spending a lot of time on scenes that don't translate well to book form. These issues aren't possible in the sequel since it's not actually a movie (yet) but there are still issues. The plot isn't particularly intriguing and a few things about Allison and Max don't feel like choices they would have made, even after growing up.
The Ugly: The musical numbers we get the entire City Hall music number from the original, including focus switches between Winifred on lead and backup sung by Mary and Sarah. Then in the sequel Mary gets her own musical number that is way more Mary Poppins than Hocus Pocus. They don't work well for the novel and hold up the story.
I love Hocus Pocus and this it deserved better than this sequel.
I loved this book!! I never knew there was a book till this year. And it’s mostly the same as the movie
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated