This review is for those who have read or are familiar with the previous books, Disney After Dark, and Disney At Dawn, or don't mind knowing major spoilers for them.
SPOILER ALERT
With the adventures set forth in the first books now behind them, Kingdom Keepers 3: Disney In Shadow follows the five teens, Finn, Philby, Willa, Charlene, and Maybeck as they search to find Wayne, their mentor and head Imagineer who has mysteriously gone missing. Concerned Wayne has been abducted by the Overtakers-Disney villains, who along with other Disney characters, take over the parks when the turnstiles stop spinning, and want desperately to steer the parks to a far darker place-the five kids pick up a major clue from a close friend, Jess, whose dreams (nightmares, really) often accurately predict the future.
The very few clues from Jess's dream lead the kids into Disney's Hollywood Studios and Epcot--through imaginary worlds that become real, by imaginary kids who are real. Each clue seems tied to the last, and with the stakes growing ever higher, what starts out as a puzzle ends up as a fight for their lives. Through a transparent paper box, a quest for a sword, rides on Soarin' and Maelstrom, life-and-death encounters with giant snakes, and a devious Maleficent, the Kingdom Keepers not only begin to decipher deeper meanings to the clues, but discover new truths about themselves and their ever-growing friendships.
I have do doubt whatsoever that this series was started before a plan was fully mapped out. And I'm not saying that's automatically a bad thing, but if you're gonna change something between book 1 and books 2, 3+, you'd better have a good explanation for how/why it changed.
The Kingdom Keepers series, unfortunately, suffers from not having this carefully laid out plan. Not only do characters and technology change (which can be explained somewhat with the passage of time) but so do facts about the world, magic, and terminology. I'd totally let it slide if there were reference to it (like, "we used to think it was... but Wayne told us it was actually...") but rather than acknowledging past statements, they're just bulldozed over with new lore.
For example, why was there never any mention before now that the DHI's couldn't be holding the remote when they clicked it? The same reason that cell phones now work in DHI mode - stuff you're holding crosses over with you, both going and coming. WHY it was a big deal that the remote wound up with one of the DHI's overnight, when they all planned on crossing back over together, I have no idea. No, wait, I know: Plot convenience!
And that's really what bugs me about the series. The characters are getting better little by little. It helps a lot that the 'camera' moves between the kids more and more, not just focusing on Finn all the time. But the constant retcon of the magic, the villains, or even family members (since when did Finn have a baby sister?!) just makes the whole concept feel bogus and lazily written. I want the same dedication and drive that the real Imagineers and cast members have in these stories, but it falls way, way short.
That's the other thing that has bothered me throughout all three of these books: where the hell are the good characters?! I mean good Disney characters, not just well written characters, though I guess that also applies. There are references here and there to characters putting up a fight against the Overtakers - Tigger spying on Ursula, for example - and we're even told that the characters in the parks are THE characters, protected by bodyguards posing as handlers. BUT WHY HAVEN'T THE KINGDOM KEEPERS SEEN ANY ACTION FROM THEM!?!?!?!?!?
You would think that all the heroic characters - Peter Pan, Prince Philip, Robin Hood, Aladdin, Hercules, Mulan, Tarzan, & Stitch (I assume he's a villain only because of the ride), just to name a few - would at least want to lend a hand, if not wage war against the Overtakers. Why has there been zero action from them whatsoever? Why have we not even SEEN any good characters?
And why is this whole thing still a secret at Disney!? They wanted proof in the first book, they captured Maleficent, why aren't more long-term employees helping out?! The characters are obviously VISIBLE if they're wandering the parks with bodyguards and starring in Fantasmic (another retcon not explained at all), so what the hell are the park workers doing? Why are these kids working alone and in secret? The adventures aren't cool anymore, they're just dumb.
Sorry if I'm over-analyzing things. It's just you would think something branded with the Disney name, published by Disney Hyperion, and featuring the Disney parks and characters would be better researched and planned out than this. I've read plenty of middle-grade books that have much more fantastical elements that I never once questioned, yet I am constantly pulled out of this story by stupid inconsistencies. Finn has a little sister? They can't hold the remote to get back from DHI-ness? Finn's mom NOW cares about what he told her two books ago? Kids actually call themselves Fairlies? The characters can be seen by everyone? Finn is suddenly a chick magnet? Temperatures that would melt and set fire to the plastic of a car would not burst its tires?
Okay, okay, I'm done. These books are okay for little kids. Like, kids who don't know much about physics and tech, but old enough to know what girls and boys holding hands means. I don't think the inconsistencies will get past most kids, but they might not care about it as much. Or they might want to write their own better stories! The adventures are fun, and the characters are definitely filling out more, but I think a lot will find it hard to turn their brains off enough to get fully immersed.
I'll be continuing eventually, mostly out of curiosity in where these books and the subsequent series go. I'll probably still get bugged by things, but as much as I gripe, I kind of like griping.
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
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