Tori Talks Books & More

4/4.5 🌟 What's that, you say??? A new Hocus Pocus book? Yes, indeed. Something we've all been waiting 25 years for. And here it is! I actually bought and read this one as soon as it came out, but was waiting to review it until now because... well... duh, it's October. It's officially the Witchiest season of the year! I went into this book with a completely open mind so as to be able to enjoy it for what it is.  The first half of the book has the Original story as we know it. For the most part. The author took a few liberties to be able to set up for her sequel. We start off in Salem, when the Sanderson Sisters were in their heyday. It alternates between then & 1993, with the rest of the story we already know and love. Alison, Max, and his little sister Dani go to the sisters' house where Max proceeds to light the black flame candle and bring the witches back from the dead. They team up with Binx, a boy who was turned into an immortal black ...

4🌟 I really enjoyed this book. Nora, Estella, and Hester were all characters that felt like real people you'd meet in everyday life. I liked that they all had back stories that caused trust issues but they all found they could open up to each other and become close frends. Loneliness was no longer something they had to face... And for Nora especially, the realization opened up the possibility of yet another emotion. Hope. Not just that she could make new friends in a town she had fled to, or clear her new friend's name when she fell accused of crimes... But that she could also potentially have feelings for another man after the emotional wreckage her ex husband left her with.  The plot line, while slightly predictable, was very well written. There were enough small plot twists and turns throughout that helped retain an air of mystique. The conclusion was quite action packed, which I loved. I'm excited that this is a series since we were left with such an awes...

3.5🌟 "When Elizabeth Andes was found bound, stabbed, and strangled in her Ohio apartment in 1978, police and prosecutors decided within hours it was an open-and-shut case." I received Accused free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The book is comprised of transcripts from a podcast the authors did based on the murder, and includes interviews with some key players in the victim's life, as well as a few of the investigators who actually agreed to talk about the case.  Unfortunately this wasn't many, as all the investigators thought they knew who had murdered Elizabeth right away. They were disgusted when not one, but TWO separate juries found the suspect not guilty. The case soon went cold. When Amber & Amanda decide to dive into the case, they realized there were multiple other potential subjects. However, none of them can ever be tested against forensic evidence, as it has all somehow managed to vanish... I enjoyed reading this on...

5🌟 ♪Who-o-oa, Vampirina... Coolest ghoul in the human wo-or-orld ♪ We LOVED this Little Golden Book adaptation of one of the episodes from the Disney Jr series. It's got two of LO's favorite things... Vampirina herself AND a baby. Vampirina is recruited to help babysit when her aunt comes to town with baby Nosferatu. Her dad is too busy watching the fangball championship featuring his favorite team, The Trolls. Vampirina should have it handled... after all, how much trouble could a baby vampire be???

Bruce Wayne is a senior in HS when we first meet him in this story. His best friends are Diana and Harvey Dent. Since his parents died, it has been up to Bruce to continue their annual gala where they contribute to different charities. This year's gala is different though... it's held on Bruce's birthday, on which he decides to go for a ride in one of Wayne Tech's exotic new cars. Unfortunately he rides straight into a path that ends up leading him to a sentence of working the summer at Arkham. While there, he encounters the mysterious Madeline. She's more trouble than Bruce realized. 4/5🌟 Rating I'm really enjoying this series so far. I can't wait to get my hands on a copy of Catwoman! 

We all know the Disney movie and how it turns out... But what if it were totally different? What if Mulan had to travel through the underworld?   In Reflection , the opening scene takes place in the Pass during the battle with the Huns. Mulan quickly thinks to shoot a firework at a cliff, thus breaking it and causing an avalanche. This much stays true to the Disney version. It's the subsequent events that show the complete diversion from the tale we are most familiar with.  Shan Yu tries to attack Mulan with his sword for causing the avalanche and the loss of his army, but Li Shang jumps in and takes the hit. It is soon obvious that Shang is dying, but Mulan - still in disguise as Ping - refuses to leave him behind. She takes care of him as their army marches toward the Emperor to celebrate their victory over the Huns. Until, that is, Mulan is sent on a journey to Diyu.  Diyu is the Underworld, ruled over by King Yama. It is he who ultimately decides whet...