Haunted Ever After by Jen DeLuca (2024)Looking for a new start, Cassie buys a house in a small town called Boneyard Key. She likes her new town - and also Nick, who owns a local coffee shop. But when she discovers her house is haunted, will she stick around? This has been on my TBR since last fall, and I finally got a chance to read it - unfortunately, I was pretty underwhelmed. Is it bad that I was more interested in the ghosts than the two main characters? Cassie and Nick were just bland - I never really felt like I got a clear picture of who they were or what they wanted, or if they were truly on the same page as each other. I thought the backstories of the ghosts haunting their homes were much more intriguing; there's a twist involving the ghosts that I clocked almost immediately and I was disappointed that it took the characters so long to realize it. Cute idea for a seasonal romance, but didn't really work for me. 3 stars
In this installment of the Disney Twisted Tales series, Mari Mancusi explores what might have happened if Sally had discovered Christmas Town instead of Jack Skellington. Sally is entranced by the village, but she soon discovers an evil undertone to the cheeriness of the town. I have to admit, I'd never seen The Nightmare Before Christmas before I read this book, but I love this series and so wanted to try it. For me, this was an incredibly successful story. I felt like there was enough background from the original movie incorporated that I understood the basic premise, and I enjoyed Sally and Jack's adventures in Christmas Town. Both Sally and Jack feel a bit stunted in Halloween Town, so figuring out the mystery of this new place and helping new friends along the way really helped them. I thought the writing was fantastic and the story was clear (some of the Twisted Tales can get a bit convoluted). And don't get me started on that last chapter - so many happy tears! 5 stars
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I liked Haunted Ever After more than you, but I felt the paranormal aspect didn't feel organic. It was a distraction from the main romance for me.
ReplyDeleteInteresting! Funny how we can see the two main elements of the story so differently!
DeleteSally is up there with my favorite twisted tales of all time!
ReplyDeleteSame!
DeleteThanks for the heads up about Haunted Ever After being a little underwhelming. Almost picked that one up, but went with Play Nice instead, which was really spooky!
ReplyDeleteI know lots of other people have loved Haunted Ever After, so maybe it was just a me thing!
DeleteI'm sorry to hear Haunted Ever After was a bit underwhelming. I loved Jen DeLuca's previous series, and I've been wanting to pick this one up too so it's good to know and set my expectations.
ReplyDeleteI hope you do love it if and when you decide to read it, Lindsey!
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