Throwback Thursday: A mini book reviews post

I don’t know if this is actually already a thing, but at the end of the month I do a collection of mini book reviews for books I have not reviewed yet at the end of the month.

Hocus Pocus and the All New Sequel.

Here’s what it’s about according to Goodreads: 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.

My thoughts: I really liked the Hocus Pocus aspect of this book very much. That part of the book stayed true to the movie, we only got extra thoughts added to it, like what was really going on in Max’s head that first day he and Allison had class in the movie and when he lit the black flame candle, etc.

I liked finding out what happened after the movie ended. We never got answers to what happened to the boys that were put in the cage or how the clan dealt with their Halloween experience that night.

I liked reading about all the next generation kids, but I felt like I couldn’t connect with them as much personally as I had for the original. Still, it was a nice little reunion and I will probably reread this book sometime soon.

This book was a 3.5 for me because I did have some personal misgivings to the book, but still liked it overall.

This was a Kindle ebook.

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The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas. Here’s what it’s about according to Goodreads: There are no more cheerleaders in the town of Sunnybrook.

First there was the car accident—two girls gone after hitting a tree on a rainy night. Not long after, the murders happened. Those two girls were killed by the man next door. The police shot him, so no one will ever know why he did it. Monica’s sister was the last cheerleader to die. After her suicide, Sunnybrook High disbanded the cheer squad. No one wanted to be reminded of the girls they lost.

That was five years ago. Now the faculty and students at Sunnybrook High want to remember the lost cheerleaders. But for Monica, it’s not that easy. She just wants to forget. Only, Monica’s world is starting to unravel. There are the letters in her stepdad’s desk, an unearthed, years-old cell phone, a strange new friend at school. . . . Whatever happened five years ago isn’t over. Some people in town know more than they’re saying. And somehow Monica is at the center of it all.

There are no more cheerleaders in Sunnybrook, but that doesn’t mean anyone else is safe.

My thoughts: I was really into this book at first because it was kind of like another Pretty Little Liars type of thing. (Show, not the books!) It started off really strong because it was one of my anticipated reads, but after about 5-10 chapters I started losing interest and it ended up not being for me at all. I don’t think young adult mystery thrillers are my taste since that’s the third one I did not really like.

This was a library ebook. This was a DNF.

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Invisible Ghosts by Robyn Shneider. Here’s what it is about according to Goodreads: Rose Asher believes in ghosts. She should, since she has one for a best friend: Logan, her annoying, Netflix-addicted brother, who is forever stuck at fifteen. But Rose is growing up, and when an old friend moves back to Laguna Canyon and appears in her drama class, things get complicated.

Jamie Aldridge is charming, confident, and a painful reminder of the life Rose has been missing out on since her brother’s death. She watches as Jamie easily rejoins their former friends–a group of magnificently silly theater nerds–while avoiding her so intensely that it must be deliberate.

Yet when the two of them unexpectedly cross paths, Rose learns that Jamie has a secret of his own, one that changes everything. Rose finds herself drawn back into her old life–and to Jamie. But she quickly starts to suspect that he isn’t telling her the whole truth.

All Rose knows is that it’s becoming harder to choose between the boy who makes her feel alive and the brother she isn’t ready to lose.

My thoughts: This book was a fast paced read for me and I liked the plot very much! I thought it was similar to The Mediator series by Meg Cabot, though some parts of it were too similar to it and it felt like fanfiction to that even though they are different.

I liked that the girl’s brother came back as a ghost and then the surprises we get after a long lost friend shows back up in the picture. This was a four star rating.

This was also a library ebook.

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Roar by Cora Carmack. Here’s what Roar is about according to Goodreads: In a land ruled and shaped by violent magical storms, power lies with those who control them.

Aurora Pavan comes from one of the oldest Stormling families in existence. Long ago, the ungifted pledged fealty and service to her family in exchange for safe haven, and a kingdom was carved out from the wildlands and sustained by magic capable of repelling the world’s deadliest foes. As the sole heir of Pavan, Aurora’s been groomed to be the perfect queen. She’s intelligent and brave and honorable. But she’s yet to show any trace of the magic she’ll need to protect her people.

To keep her secret and save her crown, Aurora’s mother arranges for her to marry a dark and brooding Stormling prince from another kingdom. At first, the prince seems like the perfect solution to all her problems. He’ll guarantee her spot as the next queen and be the champion her people need to remain safe. But the more secrets Aurora uncovers about him, the more a future with him frightens her. When she dons a disguise and sneaks out of the palace one night to spy on him, she stumbles upon a black market dealing in the very thing she lacks—storm magic. And the people selling it? They’re not Stormlings. They’re storm hunters.

Legend says that her ancestors first gained their magic by facing a storm and stealing part of its essence. And when a handsome young storm hunter reveals he was born without magic, but possesses it now, Aurora realizes there’s a third option for her future besides ruin or marriage.

She might not have magic now, but she can steal it if she’s brave enough.

Challenge a tempest. Survive it. And you become its master.

My thoughts: I have to be in the mood for fantasy. Fantasy books are such a challenge for me. This book was an anticipated read for me because I thought the plot was unique enough and I still liked it. There were parts between Roar and Locke that I liked, but the book sadly fell a little short and just ended up being ok to me.

Out of all of these I liked Hocus Pocus and the all new Sequel best. I’d recommend that and reread it along with watching the movie over and over again during the month of October.

This was a hardback and library ebook.

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What do you think? Have you read some of these? Do books that are popular end up working for you most of the time or not? Feel free to leave a comment! 

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