What makes a villain? How does a person get to be so . . . wicked?

This is the story of a young Jafar and his younger brother. Raised by a loving mother and an appalling father, a teenage Jafar desires nothing more than to make something of himself and to learn more about the world around him. When Jafar and his brother find themselves alone and working to create a new life, they know there is only one place to go if they want to learn more about the alchemy Jafar's mother spoke of when they were little. What they didn't count on was becoming pawns of the queen and being set against each other in their quest for greatness.

Who doesn't love a good villain backstory? And this is one of the best villains of all time, with so many ways it could have gone. However, the storyline is spotty and hard to follow, the emotional development between the characters is so flat as to be nonexistent, and the development of a villain just never actually . . . developed. This had such great potential and was a huge flop for me. It was readable and had complete sentences and was a quick read, but not one to waste time on if you are hoping for an engrossing and rewarding villain story.

I seriously can't get enough of these villain origin stories! Hafsah Faizal has such a great grasp of storytelling and uses rich, emotive descriptions. I zipped right through this in one sitting.

Hafsah Faizal has written an empathic and magical backstory for Jafar, the future evil vizier with a parrot on his shoulder. Even the parrot gets a backstory. Jafar and his younger brother Rohan are raised in a poor home with a sickly mother and neglectful and manipulative father. Once their mother dies, the father only becomes in abuse. Jafar holds on to himself, until something he can’t forgive happens, setting the two brothers on a course for destruction. Loved it!
Thank you to NetGalley and Disney Publishing Worldwide for this DRC.
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Hafsah Faizal, an author I have long admired for her previous works, unfortunately presents a considerable disappointment in her latest book. Having followed her career closely and cherished her earlier novels, my expectations for this work were understandably high. Regrettably, it falls short on numerous fronts.

The book suffers from uninspired writing, with prose that lacks both vitality and nuance. The plot, which revolves around two brothers, Jafar and Rohan, on a quest to recover magical artifacts and restore their fractured family, is fraught with inconsistencies. The narrative progression feels disjointed, and the characters are poorly developed, moving through the story with little depth or coherence. Their ambitions, as portrayed, seem misguided and fail to engage the reader emotionally, both at the beginning and the conclusion.

It is particularly disheartening to see such a promising premise and a richly conceived world fall flat. Faizal's previous works have showcased her considerable talent, making this novel's shortcomings all the more apparent. There was an opportunity to explore and expand upon an intriguing story, yet the execution here does not do justice to the potential that the concept held.

In summary, this book is a notable disappointment, characterized by lackluster writing and a poorly executed plot. Despite the rich background and potential for a compelling narrative, the final result is an uninspired and disjointed story that fails to resonate.

I have read and purchased every Dark Ascension book, so to be fair, I was already excited for a new on, but a Jafar book? My elation went through the roof, an entire book about Jafar and Iago instead of Aladdin and Jasmine , something I sorely longed for but thought would never exist. And this did NOT disappoint! Murder, intrigue, torture, romance, mystery, so many dark and delicious flavors.

When their home mysteriously burns to the ground, Jafar and his seemingly more innocent younger brother Rohan set out with the parrot they gifted to their now deceased father to find a few familiar magical items. Young, clever, vengeful, and cunning Jafar has a soft spot for his little brother which may be his only weakness, but that does not stop him from going after everything he has ever wanted with full confidence and the support of his wise cracking wicked little sidekick Iago. The question is, who is the real enemy, the rival standing in his way? Is it the one person eh has sought to protect his entire life? And how far does the bond of blood stretch when everything you ever dreamed of is within your grasp?

The alternating points of view between Rohan and Jafar are fascinating and very well done. There is a lot of sympathy to be garnered for Jafar and his less than enviable past. But I mostly enjoyed his growing friendship with Iago. They two are very different but very entertaining to watch as they comradeship blossoms from nothing to openly enjoying internet another’s company. And getting a glimpse of how Iago became who he is was also well done and a treat. I am not sure if we were meant to be annoyed by Rohan but instead of being sympathetic he just felt to be a typical teenage younger brother constantly, petulantly trying to undermine his older brother in a selfish and immature manner. Not Jafar does not cross lines, but anyone who knows Jafar, even from a young age, can clearly see his ambition for power and recognition. These aren’t necessarily BAD traits until they are twisted by repeated betrayal, abuse, and disappointment to the point of no return. And unfortunately Jafar does not see the lines being crossed when it comes to power and knowledge. That part of him , that moral compass, just no longer exists. But regardless the book is fun and enjoyable and fast paced and MUST own for a Disney fan because it’s SO well written and intriguing.