Disney After Dark by Ridley Pearson Review

 Good Morning Friends :)

I pray today finds you all doing well, and I want to thank you all for joining me for another book review here on The Preppy Book Princess.

Today I want to have a chat about Disney, that will eventually lead into today's book review.

If you've been reading my blog for awhile, then you probably already know that I've loved Disney for as long as I can remember. I've loved the movies, the music, the theme parks, the characters, the clothing, etc. etc. I'm one of those weird adults that has a Mickey Mouse toaster, and more Disney shirts than I probably know what to do with.

However, the last couple of years you might have noticed I haven't been mentioning it as much, and that's because I was going through some stuff that caused me to reevaluate my love for the company.

I have to be honest that until two years ago, I never really understood what the Bible meant about "idols." I had this image in my head of Christians praying to sculptures of false gods, and I couldn't understand really why this would be an issue for so many. Yes this sounds completely ignorant, but I hadn't yet had my eyes opened to what these verses actually meant.

During the past two years, as my faith deepened I started to understand what an idol truly is for a Christian, and I kind of panicked at just how many things I'd truly made an idol of, but my love of Disney was definitely one I was worried about. Especially since I'm hugely saddened by the current direction the company is taking with putting inappropriate content in materials aimed at children, and becoming greedier and more dollar focused with each passing day.

I basically came to the conclusion at the time that I could still love certain parts of Disney, and just stay away from the stuff that made me uncomfortable, and make sure above all else that Disney stayed a fun hobby and never again came close to being built as an idol in my life.

Unfortunately, as Disney continues to push its company in ways that make my heart heavy as a Christian, I've decided to step away, and stop spending my money on an organization that doesn't seem to have much left of light within it.

The new information that has since surfaced about Disney putting out a show about Satan and his family on one of their adult streaming surfaces definitely is additional proof that I made the right decision. 

This is probably the longest winded intro I've ever done for a book review, but I promise it does connect with today's review.

For many years, The Kingdom Keepers series by Ridley Pearson was one of my all time favorites, and I've mentioned it on my blog many times prior. However, I haven't had anything to do with it for two years because of everything I was feeling with Disney, and I wasn't sure if that would ever change.

I initially started to reread this series back when I'd made the decision to still keep Disney a part of my life a few months back. Obviously, things have changed since then, and I only ended up rereading the first two books, and don't really plan on changing that.

I wasn't sure if I even wanted to post this review on my blog, as like I've said, I've pretty much walked away from Disney cold turkey.  However, I thought I would still share this review since once upon a time I did really love these books, and they remind me of a time when I could still feel joy towards this company before they became so money possessed, and turning towards darker forms of content. 

Keep reading below for my full review.

Disney After Dark by Ridley Pearson:

Source: Gift From my Hubby

Publisher: Hyperion Books

Publication Date: June 28th, 2004

Genre: Middle Grade/Fantasy

Series: Kingdom Keepers

Synopsis:

In this fantastical thriller, five young teens tapped as models for theme park "guides" find themselves pitted against Disney villains and witches that threaten both the future of Walt Disney World and the stability of the world outside its walls. Using a cutting-edge technology called DHI--which stands for both Disney Host Interactive and Daylight Hologram Imaging--Finn Whitman, an Orlando teen, and four other kids are transformed into hologram projections that guide guests through the park. The new technology turns out, however, to have unexpected effects that are both thrilling and scary. Soon Finn finds himself transported in his DHI form into the Magic Kingdom at night. Is it real? Is he dreaming? Finn's confusion only increases when he encounters Wayne, an elderly Imagineer who tells him that the park is in grave danger. Led by the scheming witch, Maleficent, a mysterious group of characters called the Overtakers is plotting to destroy Disney's beloved realm, and maybe more. This gripping high-tech tale will thrill every kid who has ever dreamed of sneaking into Walt Disney World after hours and wondered what happens at night, when the park is closed. 

(synopsis from goodreads)

My Review:

As someone who has been a fan of Disney and especially the Disney theme parks for as long as I can remember, The Kingdom Keepers has been a favorite series of mine ever since reading the first book during my first year of college quite a few years back. I'm currently rereading these in anticipation of the release of the new spin off series, and I have to say that I'm enjoying them just as much as I did back then.

I don't personally feel the first title is quite as strong of a story as some of the later titles, but I love how it sets up the DHI process, and includes many spooky and fanatical moments in the Magic Kingdom, which is my favorite of the WDW parks.

While some may not expect that much out of this one with it being middle grade, it's actually a pretty complex story, with many intricate details woven throughout the story, and I know that I definitely didn't catch on to everything my first read through. That being said, you definitely have to go into this one not expecting a realistic type story, as the DHI technology itself would be a little hard to grasp if that's what you're expecting.

If however, you love Disney and the theme parks, and you're looking for a fun adventurous read that includes many plot twists and turns, and a pretty great developing friendship between the five main characters with plenty of fun Disney trivia thrown in for good measure, this book is definitely for you, and I'd encourage you to check out not just this title, but the entire series.

That being said, I do want to touch on the fact that the premise is largely the idea of good verse evil, and since Walt Disney did create quite a few dark villains, some of the content may not be for everyone.

Final Rating: 5/5.

I'm definitely enjoying my reread of this series, and I look forward to continuing on with book two.

Thanks so much for reading guys! Have a great rest of your day :)

This is not a sponsored post. All thoughts and opinions my own. The photo does not belong to me, and all rights to the respective owners.