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3.4 AVERAGE
3.4 AVERAGE
It’s a fun read, tho it doesn’t quite feel the same reading about Witches in this instance as it would to watcb them.
Still a fun witchy sequel to the OG story
Still a fun witchy sequel to the OG story
This was such a delightful read! I thought it was done fabulously both with the retelling of the original movie and with the new “part-2” of the book. I loved all of the witchy puns. Super cute and would highly recommend to anyone who loves the Original Hocus Pocus.
The beginning half of the book is the movie verbatim. It was enjoyable and made me happy.
Overall, I enjoyed the sequel. I did find myself losing interest at times which is why I only gave this four stars. I might be rating too generously, but I do think this would translate to a better movie than a book. It was not as good as the original, but it brought back all of the old characters in some form and still had the vibe I hoped for.
Overall, I enjoyed the sequel. I did find myself losing interest at times which is why I only gave this four stars. I might be rating too generously, but I do think this would translate to a better movie than a book. It was not as good as the original, but it brought back all of the old characters in some form and still had the vibe I hoped for.
Since this is basically a two part book i'll be rating them separately. Spoilers below.
Hocus Pocus. 5/5 stars.
I grew up watching the movie and when i heard there was going to be a book, i was so excited. The movie had been such a big part of my life ever since i was a kid and any adaption it got i was sure to love.
I enjoyed the movie script being turned into a book, it was very interesting to see. It was like i was reading and watching the movie in my head, and in their voices. We got a little more relationship build between Max and Allison then we did in the movie; and i enjoyed that greatly.
The All New Sequel. 2/5 stars
“Hello Poppy, I’m guessing you’re dad’s no longer a virgin.”
That quote was probably the only thing i liked about this book honestly.
When i heard the sequel was going to be about Max and Allison's daughter i was so excited. My first ever OTP stayed together and had a kid..... Yeah this book did not do it justice...
In my opinion there is so much wrong with this book. For starters the ending of Hocus Pocus should not have been changed. It was changed so that there could be a sequel. They didn't have to do that. If you're taking a movie and turning into a book format, DON'T ADD ON TO THE ORIGINAL ENING!!!
That really pissed me off.
Max was really different too, he barley talked in this book! Hell Allison and Dani had more lines then he did. I think he said maybe 10 words altogether.
The beginning of the book was oh so slow, it was basically a overview from the first but from Poppy's POV. Not to mention that after what happened to Max, Allison, and Dani i did not think they would ever stay in Salem: but that's just me. And don't even get me started on Mother Sanderson, Elizabeth, the other witches, and Hell. Really? They get sent to Hell. Just.. Wow..
What the hell what that musical number?!?!? Honestly it was like it was thrown in there for the hell of it! It was stupid and pointless!. Ohh it pissed me off man. And the stupid Epilogue, what the hell was that??? He never had a brother in the movie, nor how would he be a witch? Or have the book? And was that his eye in the book? Who knows not like it'd be answered.
I almost want a sequel but honestly i don't. That stupid musical number almost made me drop the stars to 1. (less)
Hocus Pocus. 5/5 stars.
I grew up watching the movie and when i heard there was going to be a book, i was so excited. The movie had been such a big part of my life ever since i was a kid and any adaption it got i was sure to love.
I enjoyed the movie script being turned into a book, it was very interesting to see. It was like i was reading and watching the movie in my head, and in their voices. We got a little more relationship build between Max and Allison then we did in the movie; and i enjoyed that greatly.
The All New Sequel. 2/5 stars
“Hello Poppy, I’m guessing you’re dad’s no longer a virgin.”
That quote was probably the only thing i liked about this book honestly.
When i heard the sequel was going to be about Max and Allison's daughter i was so excited. My first ever OTP stayed together and had a kid..... Yeah this book did not do it justice...
In my opinion there is so much wrong with this book. For starters the ending of Hocus Pocus should not have been changed. It was changed so that there could be a sequel. They didn't have to do that. If you're taking a movie and turning into a book format, DON'T ADD ON TO THE ORIGINAL ENING!!!
That really pissed me off.
Max was really different too, he barley talked in this book! Hell Allison and Dani had more lines then he did. I think he said maybe 10 words altogether.
The beginning of the book was oh so slow, it was basically a overview from the first but from Poppy's POV. Not to mention that after what happened to Max, Allison, and Dani i did not think they would ever stay in Salem: but that's just me. And don't even get me started on Mother Sanderson, Elizabeth, the other witches, and Hell. Really? They get sent to Hell. Just.. Wow..
What the hell what that musical number?!?!? Honestly it was like it was thrown in there for the hell of it! It was stupid and pointless!. Ohh it pissed me off man. And the stupid Epilogue, what the hell was that??? He never had a brother in the movie, nor how would he be a witch? Or have the book? And was that his eye in the book? Who knows not like it'd be answered.
I almost want a sequel but honestly i don't. That stupid musical number almost made me drop the stars to 1. (less)
Hocus Pocus est mon film préféré ! ❤️ Pas de surprise si j’ai retrouvé ce coup de coeur pour les soeurs Sanderson. Bien que la deuxième partie ne soit pas à la hauteur et qu’une suite est laissée entendre, j’ai vraiment passé un moment magique avec ce livre ✨.
What a fun read! Whatever you do, don't skip the first part, even though it's the movie retelling! There are some fun plot points in there that aren't in the movie that you'll need for the sequel. The sequel itself was a great romp through a story I love with some new characters who I adored just as much! Poppy, Max and Allison's daughter, is the star of this show with diverse friends and a girl she's crushing on hard. I enjoyed the modernization that still hearkens back to the original enough so that I feel nostalgia with every word. This won't be winning any awards or anything, but it's worth reading especially if you're a Hocus Pocus nut like me! :)
First half of the book is the classic hocus pocus movie lived by many, the second half of the book, the sequel, was not as exciting as expected. It lacked a firm plot and seemed to drag on. I only finished because I wanted to finish what I started. Overall enjoyable but a one time read.
Oh, I'm very torn on how to feel about this book...
Let me preface this by saying, I knew this book wasn't going to completely floor me or win any literary awards anytime in the near future. I knew that, of course, and I went in with just as wary expectations. I was still really interested in reading this though, as one of millions of 90s kids who grew up watching and adoring Hocus Pocus. I mean, how can you not be at least a little curious to read this?
Hocus Pocus
The first third or so of this book is basically the original film Hocus Pocus in book form. And honestly, it's as good as you could make a novelization of a super cheesy 90s Halloween movie, let's be real here. In combining the original movie with the sequel into one book, you're also forced to be concise. You can't go in expecting it's going to be this enchanting, lyrical story full of exposition and ultra lush, descriptive writing, especially if said story is based on an actual film and you're confined to a script. So, with all that said, it was as good as it could've been, given the space it was allotted.
Still, it was so much fun getting to relive the movie all over again through writing. I felt such a deep sense of nostalgia as I read, and I found myself smiling as I replayed certain cues from the movie in my head and read lines exactly how they played in the movie. While writing-wise the narration was pretty straight forward, there were definitely still moments where the writing felt descriptive enough to where I could hear the rustle of leaves and visualize hues of red and orange that totally brought all the fall feels. All in all, the novelization was a nice little nostalgic comfort and a return to simpler times.
...And the All New Sequel
Aaaand this is the portion of the book where I felt the most hesitant—as predicted. I actually started off really enjoying this story. There was something I loved about Max becoming a history teacher and having his daughter in his class. I thought that was really cute, and it was definitely fun to be reunited with these characters again and see where they are now, twenty five years later. I also love how Max and Allison's daughter, Poppy, is totally crushing on a girl in her class. So, so cute, and a nice nod to more diverse characters and storylines since the original film's release.
Here's the thing: there wasn't one thing that made me iffy about this sequel, but more like a bunch of little things that gradually made me go "eh... ehhhh" more and more as the story went on.
1. For something that's a sequel to a highly, hiiiighly adored film, there weren't that many references from the original Hocus Pocus to where it felt like a continuation for the old characters. Max has his little bit as a history teacher in the very beginning, then Allison has a heart-to-heart mom talk of sorts with Poppy. And then... something happens to where Max and Allison are trapped somewhere and it's up to Poppy to save them, and this is basically their exit until the veeeerry end of the book. So pretty much, there's very little interaction of Max and Allison with the rest of the story, which is incredibly disappointing! But honestly, even when they were in the story, their presence felt soooo lacking. Like, they could've literally been any other character and I wouldn't have been able to tell. There was nothing about them that was brought to life or that made me think, "Oh my god, it's Max! It's Allison!" Nothing. And yeah, I realize they're not teenagers anymore, but still you'd think they'd bring something to the story that sparked a memory of them from their Hocus Pocus days. I did really like Binx's return and found myself smiling whenever he talked, like he was the same ol' Binx. But even so, I still would've liked a little more... There can never be too much Binx!
2. Again, given the original source material, this is bound to happen, but the sequel definitely brought the cheese factor to a whole other level, to the point where I read some lines of dialogue and physically cringed. And there were times when it was just too 2018-slangy. Like, I don't want or need to constantly be reminded of what era I'm in. It just felt pretty tacky.
3. There were certain points where it felt like the author was trying to build more off of the story, particularly from the Sanderson sisters, but it never feels like it does that fully. We only get bits and pieces. And frequently Winnie mentions "Mother" and "Master" but—and unless I somehow missed something along the way—we don't truly know who "Master" is?? I can only assume it's their father? But he never makes an entrance into the story and we don't learn more about him at all. It would've been nice to have had a chapter dedicated to a brief summary of their early lives so as to build a larger picture. But the best we get throughout the story are a handful of vague lines slyly thrown in by the author that don't truly tell us anything.
4. The ending dragged for sooooo long. It just felt like obstacles kept getting in their way and I was at a point where I was getting impatient and just wanting them to FINISH IT ALREADY. Do the thing! Overcome! But no, it just kept going and going and going...
Less important things
5. I could've done without Mary's musical number. (Really? Really?)
6. I thought the fact that Jay absolutely required a redeeming character arc was kind of pointless. Like, was that a thing that people in the Hocus Pocus fandom actually demanded and needed??
7. *reads the last page* I swear to god if there's going to be another sequel... Sometimes it's fine for things to just end. Please don't end up beating a dead horse out of this wonderful movie from my childhood! None of us deserve that!
Let me preface this by saying, I knew this book wasn't going to completely floor me or win any literary awards anytime in the near future. I knew that, of course, and I went in with just as wary expectations. I was still really interested in reading this though, as one of millions of 90s kids who grew up watching and adoring Hocus Pocus. I mean, how can you not be at least a little curious to read this?
Hocus Pocus
The first third or so of this book is basically the original film Hocus Pocus in book form. And honestly, it's as good as you could make a novelization of a super cheesy 90s Halloween movie, let's be real here. In combining the original movie with the sequel into one book, you're also forced to be concise. You can't go in expecting it's going to be this enchanting, lyrical story full of exposition and ultra lush, descriptive writing, especially if said story is based on an actual film and you're confined to a script. So, with all that said, it was as good as it could've been, given the space it was allotted.
Still, it was so much fun getting to relive the movie all over again through writing. I felt such a deep sense of nostalgia as I read, and I found myself smiling as I replayed certain cues from the movie in my head and read lines exactly how they played in the movie. While writing-wise the narration was pretty straight forward, there were definitely still moments where the writing felt descriptive enough to where I could hear the rustle of leaves and visualize hues of red and orange that totally brought all the fall feels. All in all, the novelization was a nice little nostalgic comfort and a return to simpler times.
...And the All New Sequel
Aaaand this is the portion of the book where I felt the most hesitant—as predicted. I actually started off really enjoying this story. There was something I loved about Max becoming a history teacher and having his daughter in his class. I thought that was really cute, and it was definitely fun to be reunited with these characters again and see where they are now, twenty five years later. I also love how Max and Allison's daughter, Poppy, is totally crushing on a girl in her class. So, so cute, and a nice nod to more diverse characters and storylines since the original film's release.
Here's the thing: there wasn't one thing that made me iffy about this sequel, but more like a bunch of little things that gradually made me go "eh... ehhhh" more and more as the story went on.
1. For something that's a sequel to a highly, hiiiighly adored film, there weren't that many references from the original Hocus Pocus to where it felt like a continuation for the old characters. Max has his little bit as a history teacher in the very beginning, then Allison has a heart-to-heart mom talk of sorts with Poppy. And then... something happens to where Max and Allison are trapped somewhere and it's up to Poppy to save them, and this is basically their exit until the veeeerry end of the book. So pretty much, there's very little interaction of Max and Allison with the rest of the story, which is incredibly disappointing! But honestly, even when they were in the story, their presence felt soooo lacking. Like, they could've literally been any other character and I wouldn't have been able to tell. There was nothing about them that was brought to life or that made me think, "Oh my god, it's Max! It's Allison!" Nothing. And yeah, I realize they're not teenagers anymore, but still you'd think they'd bring something to the story that sparked a memory of them from their Hocus Pocus days. I did really like Binx's return and found myself smiling whenever he talked, like he was the same ol' Binx. But even so, I still would've liked a little more... There can never be too much Binx!
2. Again, given the original source material, this is bound to happen, but the sequel definitely brought the cheese factor to a whole other level, to the point where I read some lines of dialogue and physically cringed. And there were times when it was just too 2018-slangy. Like, I don't want or need to constantly be reminded of what era I'm in. It just felt pretty tacky.
3. There were certain points where it felt like the author was trying to build more off of the story, particularly from the Sanderson sisters, but it never feels like it does that fully. We only get bits and pieces. And frequently Winnie mentions "Mother" and "Master" but—and unless I somehow missed something along the way—we don't truly know who "Master" is?? I can only assume it's their father? But he never makes an entrance into the story and we don't learn more about him at all. It would've been nice to have had a chapter dedicated to a brief summary of their early lives so as to build a larger picture. But the best we get throughout the story are a handful of vague lines slyly thrown in by the author that don't truly tell us anything.
4. The ending dragged for sooooo long. It just felt like obstacles kept getting in their way and I was at a point where I was getting impatient and just wanting them to FINISH IT ALREADY. Do the thing! Overcome! But no, it just kept going and going and going...
Less important things
5. I could've done without Mary's musical number. (Really? Really?)
6. I thought the fact that Jay absolutely required a redeeming character arc was kind of pointless. Like, was that a thing that people in the Hocus Pocus fandom actually demanded and needed??
7. *reads the last page* I swear to god if there's going to be another sequel... Sometimes it's fine for things to just end. Please don't end up beating a dead horse out of this wonderful movie from my childhood! None of us deserve that!
I ADORED THIS! Okay first of all, the book part of the film was surprisingly wonderful. I was a little doubtful that one of my favorite movies could be captured down into just pages when so much of it was a visual creation, but it took me right back into that nostalgia, and the little things added really made it enjoyable for me. I've always found the kids a bit on the annoying side, but I think this look more into their thought processes kind of fixed that for me, if that makes sense? And without spoiling anything, there was one brief conversation added that was so important, I was elated.
As for the sequel... again I was nervous. How can anyone make a sequel to something already so close to perfection that won't just seem like it's trying to hard? But in my opinion, I LOVED it. There was a slightly scarier vibe-- or maybe it just seemed that way because I didn't know what was going to happen next. There's a lot of paralleling to the original storyline, and old favorite things brought back, but it still had a fresh new plot to keep my attention. I also loved the added diversity of the new characters, and Poppy's crush stated very early on in the book was just the WLW content I needed in my life. Not once in this book was there even a hint of homophobia, which is refreshing to find in literature.
As for the sequel... again I was nervous. How can anyone make a sequel to something already so close to perfection that won't just seem like it's trying to hard? But in my opinion, I LOVED it. There was a slightly scarier vibe-- or maybe it just seemed that way because I didn't know what was going to happen next. There's a lot of paralleling to the original storyline, and old favorite things brought back, but it still had a fresh new plot to keep my attention. I also loved the added diversity of the new characters, and Poppy's crush stated very early on in the book was just the WLW content I needed in my life. Not once in this book was there even a hint of homophobia, which is refreshing to find in literature.
3.5
Rápido de leer y entretenido, me gustó que toda la primera parte fuera volver a relatar las aventuras de la peli para continuar con los 25 años después. La novelización de la peli, por lo que recuerdo de esta es exacta, y me dejó sonriendo con las excentricidades de las Sanderson.
El problema de continuar después con la historia de la hija de la parejita de la peli, es que se nota que las brujas pasan a un plano totalmente secundario y pierden un poco su chispa. Y si la peli fue un exito fue precisamente por estas. La nueva historia aporta cosas nuevas, como representación lésbica en primer plano, cosa que no suele pasar; una dinámica nueva de bulliyng y modernización.
Sinceramente la presentación de la hermana buena Sanderson está cogida muy con pinzas, por no hablar del final con el ¿brujo resurrecto hermano de Billy al que pertenece el ojo del libro? Eso es obviamente meter nueva trama al final para ver si continua la serie.
Los protas me parecieron auténticos, la reacción de Poppy al perder a su familia merece un aplauso. Poppy y Isabella son adorables y me gustó ver el desarrollo de Katie de antagonista a amiga.
Aunque tuvo algunos problemas de consitencia de acciones con diálogos, es una buena lectura para Halloween.
Rápido de leer y entretenido, me gustó que toda la primera parte fuera volver a relatar las aventuras de la peli para continuar con los 25 años después. La novelización de la peli, por lo que recuerdo de esta es exacta, y me dejó sonriendo con las excentricidades de las Sanderson.
El problema de continuar después con la historia de la hija de la parejita de la peli, es que se nota que las brujas pasan a un plano totalmente secundario y pierden un poco su chispa. Y si la peli fue un exito fue precisamente por estas. La nueva historia aporta cosas nuevas, como representación lésbica en primer plano, cosa que no suele pasar; una dinámica nueva de bulliyng y modernización.
Sinceramente la presentación de la hermana buena Sanderson está cogida muy con pinzas, por no hablar del final con el ¿brujo resurrecto hermano de Billy al que pertenece el ojo del libro? Eso es obviamente meter nueva trama al final para ver si continua la serie.
Los protas me parecieron auténticos, la reacción de Poppy al perder a su familia merece un aplauso. Poppy y Isabella son adorables y me gustó ver el desarrollo de Katie de antagonista a amiga.
Aunque tuvo algunos problemas de consitencia de acciones con diálogos, es una buena lectura para Halloween.