I was very bored for the majority of this story which was very disappointing since I was very excited to learn about Bruno's past. I got characters mixed up constantly. I think this was because of the way the audiobook was narrated or possibly the way the chapters started. It always took me a bit to figure out which point of view I was in.

This book was just very blah in my opinion. I think most kids are going to have a hard time continuing with this one. Many kids may pick it up because of the Encanto intrigue, but most will not finish the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Disney Audiobooks | Disney Press for giving me an advanced copy for an honest review.

I was kind of disappointed by this book if I’m being honest. I expected it to follow the lore of the movie but it’s very loose on the details. In the movie for example, Bruno tells Pepa that “it looks like rain” on her wedding day as a joke because she was nervous, but in this book it explains that it was an actual premonition. I wasn’t a big fan of that because then it leaves readers confused when they want to watch the movie. Overall, it’s not bad and I really liked to see a little more insight on Julieta and Agustin’s relationship.

Thank you to the author, Disney Press, and NetGalley for this audiobook.

I LOVE Encanto, and Alex Segura is a great author, but this book felt like a cheap prequel to the Encanto storyline. At the beginning, getting a sense of time and pace was difficult, and soon after the whole thing became completely predictable.

So here's the thing with writing a prequel after the fact.... everyone knows how it ends. Sometimes finding out how characters got there in the first place is interesting, other times the conflict tension is lacking because you already know what happens. Unfortunately, that's what happens here. Also, if readers are not already familiar with Encanto, they're going to be very confused.

I was looking forward to getting more of Bruno's story, since he is definitely one of the more interesting characters in the movie. But so much of this novel focuses around the premonition Bruno has of living in the walls exiled by his family. Which was already know happens, so that takes any of the potential tension away from the mystery that's being solved in this book. Good idea, but this one didn't quite stick the landing for me.

Anthony Rey Perez does a decent job with the audiobook narration, though there are a few voices that I personally found very difficult to understand. Overall I had to keep messing with the volume because it was either too loud or too quiet.

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley, Disney Audiobooks, and Disney Press in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publish and NetGalley for the review copy.

I absolutely love the movie Encanto, which is probably why I had struggled a little bit with Bruno's story here. I liked getting background information, but a lot of the stakes was not there. It could also be that this has a younger target audience. It is well written and and does feel like is a part of that world.

Rating: 3/5

This book is for the Bruno fans!

I loved getting to get a peek in to Bruno's thoughts. Seeing the back story on what really lead to his disappearance was so fun. I loved Encanto and Bruno was always my favorite. The complete disappearance from his family was something I never really understood and wanted to know how a family who is "all about family" just let one go. If you are looking for just a little more about your favorite Disney family this is the book for you.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read and review.