This review is for those who have read or are familiar with the previous books, Disney After Dark, Disney At Dawn, Disney In Shadow, and Power Play, or don't mind knowing major spoilers for them.
SPOILER ALERT
As the Disney Fantasy joins the cruise fleet, a special treat is in store for guests aboard its inaugural sail from Cape Canaveral to Los Angeles: the Disney Host Interactive teenage guides will be part of the Fantasy crew.
Finn, Maybeck, Charlene, Willa, and Philby are to attend the cruise as celebrity guests, and to perform a ribbon cutting for the DHI server to go live. The Fantasy is now the most advanced cruise ship in the world.
But all is not right belowdecks. Strange things are happening. Unexplained phenomena. Only the Kingdom Keepers know the truth behind their invitation: nearly every Disney villain is represented onboard the new ship: whether on its decks or in its theaters. It's believed the Overtakers have infiltrated the cast and are "stowaways." Worse: it is believed they have stolen an important journal that once belonged to Walt Disney himself--Finn has been having dreams about this--and that some kind of mission is planned.
The ship sets sail filled with enthusiastic guests and crew, and the battle is on in new and exotic arenas: the beaches of Castaway Cay, the caves of Aruba, the locks of the Panama Canal, Costa Rica's rain forest zip line . . . But the end game is far more complicated and intense than anything the Kingdom Keepers had planned on. If the Overtakers get their way, a power will be unleashed that no one will have the ability to vanquish: Chernabog, dormant for years, is about to have his full powers restored. . . .
First things first, this series has no concept of continuity, as further evidenced in Book 5. And I don't even mean stuff that's changed from previous books, I mean stuff that happens all within this book.
Most prominently, the DHI's have upgraded the holograms to version 2.0, which allows them to go "all clear" much much easier. Thing is, they're never consistent with how clear vs solid state works. Sometimes the kids are solid unless otherwise specified (usually walking around), but other times, especially in fights, they seem clear unless they consciously go to hold or hit something. At one point they're floating in the water (don't ask me how holograms float) and they're being circled by sharks, one person POINTS THEIR FINGER, the act of which makes their hand solid enough to be attacked. Pointing a finger makes it solid? Wouldn't that mean gesturing or moving in general makes them solid? Under that logic, the only way to go all clear is standing perfectly still.
Wait, logic? What's that? Don't even get me started on the "science" that they keep trying to jam in here. You know, actually, I'd be fine if they stuck to the science/physics of light particles and broadcast signals and whatnot, but only if the science applied at all times. If magic comes in and suddenly makes the rules not apply, you can just keep science out of it completely. I don't care about things that apply only part of the time. Save some space for more important things.
Like advertisements for the Disney Cruise line! Yeah, I saw a review that mentioned them beforehand, so I was super keyed into them when reading. Call me cynical, but I don't think I need to know about all the bells and whistles inside the ship, or about room service, catering, size, etc. of something if it doesn't play into the plot. Why do I need to know what kinds of foods are in the corner of the teen lounge? There's atmosphere and then there's pandering and advertising. Unless Maleficent's weakness is strawberries and they happen to be in the corner of the room, I DON'T CARE ABOUT THE FOOD SERVICES!
And I'm still not 100% on the Disney references here. Tia Dalma plays a big role here, and though it's been a while since I've seen the Pirates films, she didn't seem all that in-character to me. I mean, she's the goddess Calypso trapped in human form...until she's released in the 3rd movie (which was out by this time). Why is she still human? For that matter, when (in their storylines) are any of the villains based? All the big bads die in their stories, save for Cruella and Stitch (who is suddenly good now???), so at what point in their stories are they drawing from? Or do they exist both within and without their media? WHY IS NONE OF THIS EVER EXPLAINED?!
Okay, okay, enough negatives. The characters have grown into distinct people with their own personalities and problems, finally! Sure, there's some stupid teenage drama thrown in for good measure, but I was excited that we actually got some character growth here. Not that the growth was necessarily consistent with previous books, but I've gone over lack of continuity already. Philby and Maybeck are still my favorites, but the other three mains are getting better, and this book introduced some great new characters. We may not know everything about them, but they're certainly more interesting than the kids started out.
I actually had some trouble reading this one (due in part to the problems mentioned above) such that it took longer than it would normally to finish. There were points that I didn't want to read because I was bored. Even nearing the end (which isn't even an ending, just a literal cliffhanger cut off) I felt like I was slogging through. There are some thrilling sections that had me glued, but when I'm constantly thrown out of immersion (due to problems mentioned above) it was a chore to keep going. I'm literally only reading for plot at this point, the world is f***ed, and were I not already halfway through the series, I probably wouldn't continue.
I'll probably be back with another rant following the conclusion of Book 6, but until then, C ya real soon!
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
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