Fans of the Disney classic Aladdin will love Liz Braswell’s new novel A Whole New World, which offers a fresh and twisted take on the beloved tale.
What if Aladdin fell back into the Cave of Wonders without the lamp? What if Jafar got his hands on the lamp and the genie precisely when he planned to?
The first novel in the new Twisted Tales series re-imagines Disney’s Aladdin, demonstrating how one small change can impact everything.
When Jafar steals the lamp, he uses his first two wishes to overtake the throne of sultan and become the most powerful sorcerer in the world, just like he does in Disney’s Aladdin. However, things go downhill quickly from there. Agrabah is plunged into dark times, its residents living in fear of his power and of his pending third wish.
Knowing just how dangerous Jafar can be, Aladdin and Jasmine must team up and, with the help of Agrabah’s entire Street Rat population, stop the madman before the whole city burns.
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‘A Whole New World’ book review
A Whole New World is like candy for Aladdin fans.
The first 75 pages or so of the book are like a novelized version of Aladdin, at times word-for-word or action-for-action. And yet, Liz Braswell makes the story that we know so well her own, adding in her own voice and flourishes. While the Disney film is bright and magical, A Whole New World is gritty and realistic, yet hopeful. So, while reading the first chunk of the book may feel like watching the movie in your mind at first, it goes deeper than that.
Thanks to the movie, we all know how Jafar deals with magic and the genie. But the really interesting aspect of this book is watching Aladdin and Jasmine interact with each other and the city of Agrabah without magic on their side. They just seem more real. It’s fascinating to “watch” them solve problems with their humanity rather than magic because it makes them more relatable. Though magic exists in this retelling, it really takes a backseat to humanity.
This shift in dependence on human strength and ability changes the tone of the story as well. Though the events in Aladdin are actually pretty dark (with a madman threatening to take over the city and kill anyone in his way), the presence of magic allows for the story to be more lighthearted because, with magic, anything is possible.
Yet, without magic, the story takes on a more realistic tone which is actually very fitting. Plus, the tone of A Whole New World organically feeds into its exploration into the darker and dirtier parts of Agrabah. Parts that the original movie neglected to delve into.
The great thing about having Disney’s Aladdin as a basis for this novel is that the novel doesn’t have to work as hard to flesh out the characters. The canvases and outlines of the characters are already in the readers’ minds. Instead, the novel is free to (and does) explore particular traits and attributes of the main characters, providing already well-known characters with more depth and making for a more engaging read.
All in all, A Whole New World is a thought-provoking, and, in a lot of ways, a more adult and mature retelling of a beloved Disney story. After reading A Whole New World, fans of Disney’s Aladdin will never look at the tale the same way again.
A Whole New World by Liz Braswell is available now from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and your local independent bookstore. Oh, and don’t forget to add it to your Goodreads “to read” list!
Will you be picking up a copy of Liz Braswell’s ‘A Whole New World’?
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