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Liberty Boston (93 KP) rated Hocus Pocus and the All-New Sequel in Books
Mar 15, 2021
It's a very sad thing when the book you were so excited about lets you down. Such is the case with Hocus Pocus & The All-New Sequel. The book, written by A. W. Jantha is split into two parts.
Then.
Now.
Then is a novelization of the movie which I very much enjoyed. 90 percent of the dialogue is taken directly from the movie while there's just enough added detail to give the characters some new depth and set up for the second half of the book.
Now: the second half of the book, the sequel was...
well, It was disappointing.
How?
First, there's the bizarre jump from third person to first and later second POV.
It just throws you into Poppy's world with minimal backstory on who she is and why we should like her or her friends, Travis and Isabella.
Secondly, the characters are STUPID!
Stupid choices left, right, and, center.
As a writer, I understand there needs to be some way to kickstart the conflict but going to the Sanderson house has danger written all over it.
Oh, let's talk about the Sandersons,
The witches are back in all their evil glory with added sister Elizabeth who turned her back on the family legacy of darkness.
Then there's their mother. Their mother who they could not shut up about. Mother this and Mother that.
All the hype got me excited about Sanderson's sister's flashbacks. Backstory. Entire chapters dedicated to them.
it didn't happen.
I was treated to brief remembrances but no backstory.
Then the Mother who was so hyped up made a one chapter appearance before going kersplat.
WHAT WAS THE POINT??
You don't hype a character that much for them to do NOTHING.
The book gets by on nostalgia alone.
Don't even get me started on the bizarre and unneeded cliffhanger.
Very sad.
Then.
Now.
Then is a novelization of the movie which I very much enjoyed. 90 percent of the dialogue is taken directly from the movie while there's just enough added detail to give the characters some new depth and set up for the second half of the book.
Now: the second half of the book, the sequel was...
well, It was disappointing.
How?
First, there's the bizarre jump from third person to first and later second POV.
It just throws you into Poppy's world with minimal backstory on who she is and why we should like her or her friends, Travis and Isabella.
Secondly, the characters are STUPID!
Stupid choices left, right, and, center.
As a writer, I understand there needs to be some way to kickstart the conflict but going to the Sanderson house has danger written all over it.
Oh, let's talk about the Sandersons,
The witches are back in all their evil glory with added sister Elizabeth who turned her back on the family legacy of darkness.
Then there's their mother. Their mother who they could not shut up about. Mother this and Mother that.
All the hype got me excited about Sanderson's sister's flashbacks. Backstory. Entire chapters dedicated to them.
it didn't happen.
I was treated to brief remembrances but no backstory.
Then the Mother who was so hyped up made a one chapter appearance before going kersplat.
WHAT WAS THE POINT??
You don't hype a character that much for them to do NOTHING.
The book gets by on nostalgia alone.
Don't even get me started on the bizarre and unneeded cliffhanger.
Very sad.
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Jeff Nichols recommended Hud (1963) in Movies (curated)
ClareR (5674 KP) rated The Wife Who Got A Life in Books
May 25, 2021
I loved this book. I’ll be honest and say that I thought I’d made a mistake when I first started reading it, but the further I read, the more I laughed (and cried), and the more I loved it!
Cathy the main character, is a 48 year old version of Adrian Mole. I’m sorry, but I had to go there! There are a lot of similarities: the humour, the long-suffering diary writer, the clueless and self-absorbed family. But this is most definitely written by a 48 year old woman.
Cathy is very relatable in an exaggerated way - but hey! This is fiction, not a memoir! She’s dealing with older teenagers, a husband that works away from home in the week and is utterly clueless as to what’s going on in his family’s lives, ageing parents, one sister who thinks she’s hard done by and should have everyone running around after her, and another who is detached from her parents and siblings and doesn’t understand what’s going on with them! Communication is a key skill in any family, and sadly lacking in this one.
When Cathy decides to put herself first for a change, I practically cheered out loud, and her cooking solution was genius!
I think I laughed through most of this book, had a good cry a couple of times, and by the end I was sure that Cathy Collins should have another book. I’m not sure though - I like where this ended. But I’d still read it (I’m beginning to sound like Cathy). It was a perfect balance of humour, sadness and the ridiculous - how can anyone not want more of that?!
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole for helping me out with my NetGalley reading (again!), Tracy Bloom for reading along, and Harper Collins for my e-arc through NetGalley.
Cathy the main character, is a 48 year old version of Adrian Mole. I’m sorry, but I had to go there! There are a lot of similarities: the humour, the long-suffering diary writer, the clueless and self-absorbed family. But this is most definitely written by a 48 year old woman.
Cathy is very relatable in an exaggerated way - but hey! This is fiction, not a memoir! She’s dealing with older teenagers, a husband that works away from home in the week and is utterly clueless as to what’s going on in his family’s lives, ageing parents, one sister who thinks she’s hard done by and should have everyone running around after her, and another who is detached from her parents and siblings and doesn’t understand what’s going on with them! Communication is a key skill in any family, and sadly lacking in this one.
When Cathy decides to put herself first for a change, I practically cheered out loud, and her cooking solution was genius!
I think I laughed through most of this book, had a good cry a couple of times, and by the end I was sure that Cathy Collins should have another book. I’m not sure though - I like where this ended. But I’d still read it (I’m beginning to sound like Cathy). It was a perfect balance of humour, sadness and the ridiculous - how can anyone not want more of that?!
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole for helping me out with my NetGalley reading (again!), Tracy Bloom for reading along, and Harper Collins for my e-arc through NetGalley.
BookInspector (124 KP) rated Twisted in Books
Sep 24, 2020
This book is a first stand-alone novel, written by Steve Cavanagh, following Maria, Paul, and Daryl in finding out who is the true LeBeau, a mysterious author, who writes amazing thrillers, but nobody ever saw him, and no one knows who that man really is. The book is told from multiple perspectives, and I really enjoyed the ability to read all the character’s thoughts. The characters chosen for this book were not very likeable and quite flawed as well, but the author manipulated them perfectly.
The plot of this book was absolutely insane. (In a good way!) It did not allow my mind to settle even for a moment. When I thought I knew what was going on, the author threw in gigantic twists, which changed EVERYTHING! This book was the twistiest book I ever read! The plot changes constantly and I really didn’t know what to believe anymore! 😀 I really liked, that the writer writes about a writer’s life. It is interesting to see, how much of the reality goes into the books. 🙂
Steve Cavanagh proved multiple times that he is amazing at what he does, and his writing style is absolutely absorbing. The chapters have a very decent length and didn’t leave me bored whatsoever. The book is set in a very peaceful environment, but it is not peaceful at all. The ending was an absolute jaw-dropper and I loved it!
To conclude, it is hard to review it without spoilers because this novel is a mirage, incredibly twisted, suspenseful, and you can not believe a single word you read. 😀 I absolutely loved this book, it left me shook and book hungover for at least a few days! Just get it and read it, I am pretty sure you won’t regret it.
The plot of this book was absolutely insane. (In a good way!) It did not allow my mind to settle even for a moment. When I thought I knew what was going on, the author threw in gigantic twists, which changed EVERYTHING! This book was the twistiest book I ever read! The plot changes constantly and I really didn’t know what to believe anymore! 😀 I really liked, that the writer writes about a writer’s life. It is interesting to see, how much of the reality goes into the books. 🙂
Steve Cavanagh proved multiple times that he is amazing at what he does, and his writing style is absolutely absorbing. The chapters have a very decent length and didn’t leave me bored whatsoever. The book is set in a very peaceful environment, but it is not peaceful at all. The ending was an absolute jaw-dropper and I loved it!
To conclude, it is hard to review it without spoilers because this novel is a mirage, incredibly twisted, suspenseful, and you can not believe a single word you read. 😀 I absolutely loved this book, it left me shook and book hungover for at least a few days! Just get it and read it, I am pretty sure you won’t regret it.