Part of Your World, Liz Braswell’s newest installment in Disney’s Twisted Tales series, poses (and answers) the question “What if Ariel had never defeated Ursula?”
Similarly, my Part of Your World review poses (and, again, answers) the question “Should I read this new Little Mermaid book?”
I just want to say right up front that my answer is a resounding yes.
This is one of those books that you’ll just want to hug tightly to your chest while squealing internally. I know this because it’s exactly what I did. Multiple times.
Reading Part of Your World is a very cinematic experience. This novel incorporates so many characters and settings from Disney’s 1989 animated classic that the novel doesn’t have to spend a lot of time with world-building. Our familiarity with the world allows us as readers to lose ourselves in the story and relish the expansion of a world we know and love.
Even though the beginning of the story deviates from the end of the movie, reading this book felt a lot like watching a Little Mermaid sequel. That is, one that isn’t The Little Mermaid II. I don’t know about you, but I was so excited about the release of The Little Mermaid II back in the day but then found myself incredibly disappointed when I saw what it actually was. It introduced too many characters and didn’t spend nearly enough time with the ones we already cared deeply for.
But Part of Your World? It does everything a Little Mermaid sequel should. Practically every notable character we met in the Disney movie returns or at least makes an appearance here. We get a glimpse of everyone from Ariel’s sisters to Max, Carlotta to Threll (the adorable and faithful seahorse). And, of course, Ariel, Eric, Ursula, and Triton are back as well.
And we definitely do spend more time with characters we already know instead of focusing too much on new characters. In fact, some of the tertiary characters from the movie get much meatier roles here. Take Carlotta, for instance. She’s pretty awesome in this. She’s intelligent and is a huge help to our heroes as they try to retake their respective kingdoms.
The only downside to fleshing out these smaller characters is that it comes at the expense of beloved secondary characters’ “screen time.” Sebastian and Flounder don’t make nearly as many appearances in this book as I would’ve hoped (considering how large a role they played in the original story). And Scuttle is relegated to the background, with just a few tender moments thrown in to make sure we haven’t forgotten about him. As much as I enjoyed seeing more of smaller characters (as well as meeting new characters), I missed Ariel’s aquatic friends.
Because this novel takes place five years after the events of The Little Mermaid, character growth and interpersonal relationships really take center stage. It’s really fascinating to track just how much they’ve all changed in such a short amount of time.
After her Ursula takes her father, Ariel is forced to become Queen of the Sea. This Ariel is much more thoughtful and much less impulsive than the one we know from the movie (although that side of her hasn’t disappeared completely) because of all of the responsibility that has been thrust upon her. She also frequently reflects upon the choices she made and how they affected all those around her, demonstrating that she has matured far beyond her 21 years of age.
Eric, on the other hand, has slowly become a little more immature over the years, but through no fault of his own. Being under Ursula’s spell for five years has caused him to stagnate and become complacent with his surroundings, at least at the beginning of the novel. He’s known as the “Mad Prince” by all those in the kingdom because of just how badly Ursula’s spell addled his brain. So, throughout the course of the novel, he has to fight to regain his sensibility and rationality. While his stunted-ness can be a bit frustrating at times, his progression is interesting to watch.
Out of all of the Disney princesses and princes, Ariel and Eric’s relationship has always been my favorite. So, needless to say, I was a little worried with how this sequel would portray it. But I’m pleased to say that Liz Braswell’s handling of it is incredibly satisfying.
Five long years have passed since they last saw each other, but there are still glimpses of the young and in-love couple we all fell for. Ariel may be less impulsive and Eric may be a little scatterbrained, but the sparks between them and the sweetness of their interactions are still as prevalent as ever. The couple is just smarter and more mature at this point in their lives and after everything they went through. They see each other for who (and all) they really are and love each other despite their shortcomings.
One of the best aspects about their relationship in this novel is just how slow-moving the romance between them is this time around. Yes, they still obviously care for each other deeply, but their past failings hang over their interactions like a storm cloud. They want to be together but they don’t want to make the same mistakes that got them into their current predicament, so everything about their new relationship moves slowly and carefully.
Though I enjoyed this change of pace, I wish we would’ve gotten more scenes with them together. However, I’m so very happy to get a glimpse of what their relationship would look like as adults (again, not counting The Little Mermaid II).
Speaking of that less-than-stellar movie, the premise of this novel is so much more gripping than that of the official sequel. Liz Braswell’s execution of this powerful “What If?” premise demonstrates just how much thought she put into everything. Instead of just writing in terms of “if this, than that,” Braswell takes everything a couple steps and many more “than that”s further with every aspect of the novel.
And it’s those “than that” consequences that really make this Little Mermaid retelling hard to put down. Even the smallest details and decisions from the movie come back and play a part in this story, changing some characters’ lives almost beyond recognition. Out of all of the books in the Twisted Tales series that I’ve read so far, Part of Your World is by far the most well-executed.
That being said, the amalgamation of all of these “What if?” threads and the story itself is just okay. It sadly isn’t as epic as I would’ve liked or thought it was going to be while reading the first half of the novel. The big battle at the end isn’t quite what I imagined and doesn’t feel as urgent as the stakes are supposed to be. That and it leaves a lot of characters’ arcs and relationships a bit too open-ended for my liking. Because I’m pretty sure we’re never going to get a sequel to this Little Mermaid novel, I wish the story could’ve wrapped things up a little better.
But, honestly, I’m really just happy that Liz Braswell expanded on this really great premise and gifted us all with this Little Mermaid sequel of sorts. The character moments alone make it worth reading and squee-ing over.
All in all, I’m beyond pleased with this Twisted Tale and dream to see it on the big screen someday. Part of Your World is cinematic from start to finish and, if you love The Little Mermaid, you’re going to have a very difficult time putting this book down.
‘Part of Your World’ by Liz Braswell is available now from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and your local independent bookstore. Also, don’t forget to add it to your Goodreads “to read” list!