You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.4 AVERAGE
3.4 AVERAGE
Entertaining, but I definitely think it is more suited for movies than a book.
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Disclaimer: I bought this book on my own! Yay me!
Rating: 5/5
Publication Date: July 10, 2018
Genre: YA Paranormal
Recommended Age: 13+ (slight violence, some campy moments, some cheesy and slightly adult jokes, witchcraft, virgins, and black flame candles)
Pages: 521
Author Website
Amazon Link
Synopsis: Hocus Pocus is beloved by Halloween enthusiasts all over the world. Diving once more into the world of witches, this electrifying two-part young adult novel, released on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the 1993 film, marks a new era of Hocus Pocus. Fans will be spellbound by a fresh retelling of the original film, followed by the all-new sequel that continues the story with the next generation of Salem teens.
Shortly after moving from California to Salem, Massachusetts, Max Dennison finds himself in hot water when he accidentally releases a coven of witches, the Sanderson sisters, from the afterlife. Max, his sister, and his new friends (human and otherwise) must find a way to stop the witches from carrying out their evil plan and remaining on earth to torment Salem for all eternity.
Twenty-five years later, Max and Allison's seventeen-year-old daughter, Poppy, finds herself face-to-face with the Sanderson sisters in all their sinister glory. When Halloween celebrations don't quite go as planned, it's a race against time as Poppy and her friends fight to save her family and all of Salem from the witches' latest death-defying scheme.
If you were anywhere in the 90s or if you watch any TV during the Halloween season, then you know the story of the Sanderson Sisters from Salem Massachusetts. They’re famous and they’re one of the most quotable shows ever. So when I heard about this book which would feature the original story and then a new story (with a movie to follow) I was super skeptical that it would be any good. But damn I was wrong. It added so much to the original story that made it feel like the movie literally came from a book and the sequel was super good as well. The characters were developed and came to life, the sequel didn’t feel too campy, and the plot kept me interested in both stories until the end. There’s also excellent LGBT+/POC representation in this book.
The only complaint I would say about this book is that it does leave the reader on a huge cliffhanger and the book does have a lot going on in it. I think maybe it could have been even more expanded out and spaced out, but that’s a personal preference of mine because I want to read more.
Verdict: If you love Halloween you’ll love this book.
Rating: 5/5
Publication Date: July 10, 2018
Genre: YA Paranormal
Recommended Age: 13+ (slight violence, some campy moments, some cheesy and slightly adult jokes, witchcraft, virgins, and black flame candles)
Pages: 521
Author Website
Amazon Link
Synopsis: Hocus Pocus is beloved by Halloween enthusiasts all over the world. Diving once more into the world of witches, this electrifying two-part young adult novel, released on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the 1993 film, marks a new era of Hocus Pocus. Fans will be spellbound by a fresh retelling of the original film, followed by the all-new sequel that continues the story with the next generation of Salem teens.
Shortly after moving from California to Salem, Massachusetts, Max Dennison finds himself in hot water when he accidentally releases a coven of witches, the Sanderson sisters, from the afterlife. Max, his sister, and his new friends (human and otherwise) must find a way to stop the witches from carrying out their evil plan and remaining on earth to torment Salem for all eternity.
Twenty-five years later, Max and Allison's seventeen-year-old daughter, Poppy, finds herself face-to-face with the Sanderson sisters in all their sinister glory. When Halloween celebrations don't quite go as planned, it's a race against time as Poppy and her friends fight to save her family and all of Salem from the witches' latest death-defying scheme.
If you were anywhere in the 90s or if you watch any TV during the Halloween season, then you know the story of the Sanderson Sisters from Salem Massachusetts. They’re famous and they’re one of the most quotable shows ever. So when I heard about this book which would feature the original story and then a new story (with a movie to follow) I was super skeptical that it would be any good. But damn I was wrong. It added so much to the original story that made it feel like the movie literally came from a book and the sequel was super good as well. The characters were developed and came to life, the sequel didn’t feel too campy, and the plot kept me interested in both stories until the end. There’s also excellent LGBT+/POC representation in this book.
The only complaint I would say about this book is that it does leave the reader on a huge cliffhanger and the book does have a lot going on in it. I think maybe it could have been even more expanded out and spaced out, but that’s a personal preference of mine because I want to read more.
Verdict: If you love Halloween you’ll love this book.
I feel like they should've just left the story alone.
It started off strong. Well, part two did anyway. Part one offered very little in the way of differences and mostly felt like a hurried retelling of the first movie. But part two, I had hopes. I liked Poppy. I liked all the throwbacks and seeing old characters again, and I liked the new characters and that it was a queer relationship and that there was diversity this time.
But the plot... It slowly spiraled more and more into bad sequel territory. It set up several leads which then died, like Mary wanting to break out of her sister's shadow. That was one of the story threads that became irrelevant, which had me asking, "Well, why was it included in the first place?" I would've liked to see more done with Elizabeth or where the sequel ends with the book, that honestly sounds more like an original and interesting idea. But bringing all witches back? And then the two VIPs the sisters wanted to bring back... didn't happen? They waited awfully late to bring back their mother, and Master never arrived. And hell seemed uneventful, not scary at all other than location. An inconvenience at best.
But the plot... It slowly spiraled more and more into bad sequel territory. It set up several leads which then died, like Mary wanting to break out of her sister's shadow. That was one of the story threads that became irrelevant, which had me asking, "Well, why was it included in the first place?" I would've liked to see more done with Elizabeth or where the sequel ends with the book, that honestly sounds more like an original and interesting idea. But bringing all witches back? And then the two VIPs the sisters wanted to bring back... didn't happen? They waited awfully late to bring back their mother, and Master never arrived. And hell seemed uneventful, not scary at all other than location. An inconvenience at best.
adventurous
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:
Complicated
Loved the retelling of the movie, which was the first third of this book. I couldn't get into the sequel at all, which is a shame because I was so looking forward to it. What a disappointment. First book on my DNF list for the year.
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
3.5
With Halloween coming up and Hocus Pocus playing on TV like every day I thought it was finally time for me to pick up Hocus Pocus and The All-New Sequel (not the catchiest titles but the cover is perfection so I’ll let it slide).
The first story was an almost word for word (“it’s all just a bunch of hocus pocus”) retelling of the movie with a few minor plot points added in to make the sequel work (my favorite was the next Halloween costume bribe by Dani if she agreed to go to the Sanderson house with Max and Allison and I LOVED how it was brought up again in the sequel, so cute).
The sequel was fun and I thought written in the same vein as the first movie/story. It was a quick read and I thought it was cute, although to be fair I wasn’t expecting much so maybe I’m just easily pleased. I thought the way Max and Allison’s daughter Poppy ended up bringing the Sanderson sisters came back was creepy and the adventure the teens went on to send the sisters back where they belong was fun although a little to easy and not nearly as clever as the first story. I actually thought the sequel got a little deeper than the first story but there was a lot of everyone telling everyone else it would be okay and they could do it was a little annoying. The f/f will they won’t they was super cute, I loved the best friend (and really want to steal his Halloween costume idea) and the mean girl in school who turns out to be so much more really made the sequel about growing up, friendship, and working together as much as it was about Halloween. The addition of the technology both worked and didn’t and I thought the author might have tried a little too much to include it in the new story. The sequel also wrapped up the repercussions of Max leaving Ernie and Jay hanging in the sisters house in the movie which I had had a problem with. I was a little confused by the one year later part at the very end.
Overall I think it’s a cute revisit to the world of Hocus Pocus and while it wasn’t perfect it was a fun Halloween read. Just don’t expect the perfection that was the original movie!
With Halloween coming up and Hocus Pocus playing on TV like every day I thought it was finally time for me to pick up Hocus Pocus and The All-New Sequel (not the catchiest titles but the cover is perfection so I’ll let it slide).
The first story was an almost word for word (“it’s all just a bunch of hocus pocus”) retelling of the movie with a few minor plot points added in to make the sequel work (my favorite was the next Halloween costume bribe by Dani if she agreed to go to the Sanderson house with Max and Allison and I LOVED how it was brought up again in the sequel, so cute).
The sequel was fun and I thought written in the same vein as the first movie/story. It was a quick read and I thought it was cute, although to be fair I wasn’t expecting much so maybe I’m just easily pleased. I thought the way Max and Allison’s daughter Poppy ended up bringing the Sanderson sisters came back was creepy and the adventure the teens went on to send the sisters back where they belong was fun although a little to easy and not nearly as clever as the first story. I actually thought the sequel got a little deeper than the first story but there was a lot of everyone telling everyone else it would be okay and they could do it was a little annoying. The f/f will they won’t they was super cute, I loved the best friend (and really want to steal his Halloween costume idea) and the mean girl in school who turns out to be so much more really made the sequel about growing up, friendship, and working together as much as it was about Halloween. The addition of the technology both worked and didn’t and I thought the author might have tried a little too much to include it in the new story. The sequel also wrapped up the repercussions of Max leaving Ernie and Jay hanging in the sisters house in the movie which I had had a problem with. I was a little confused by the one year later part at the very end.
Overall I think it’s a cute revisit to the world of Hocus Pocus and while it wasn’t perfect it was a fun Halloween read. Just don’t expect the perfection that was the original movie!