This is a beautiful back story that could go either way. Yes, we know that Jafar turns into a villain but his brother we have never heard anything about and there are times in this story where you question what his motives are. This is a beautifully crafted story that gives readers a deeper look into one of the most devious villains in Disney lore. I think that readers are going to love reading this back story and are going to be asking for more.
Thank you to Disney Publishing Worldwide and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

Having Hafsah Faizal write a Jafar book was a stroke of genius. Fans of the movie and the character will find so much to love here!

This was a story I never knew I needed!

The Wishless Ones follows the Villain Jafar and his sibling as they go through every trial life throws at them.

We get to see a side of how Jafar became the Villain we know from the movie!

**3.5-stars rounded up**

The Wishless Ones is the 3rd-offering in Disney's Dark Ascension Series. If you are unfamiliar with this series, they can be read in any order, as they are each an independent story following a different cast of characters. Much like the Twisted Tales series, this follows characters we all know and love. It just shines a light on different aspects of their lives that we may not know about.

As the title of this series alludes to, these are Villain Origin stories; a concept I absolutely adore. This story in particular follows one of the greatest villains of all time, Jafar, Grand Vizier of Agrabah. This man would do anything for power, but I was definitely curious as to what pushed him to such extremes.

This starts when Jafar is around 10-years old. We're also introduced to his little brother, Rohan, and his parents. We then progress to a time when the boys are in their late teens. It was really interesting seeing Jafar in this family context. As a brother, he was protective and loving, but it's true as the boys aged, they did grow apart due to miscommunications and misunderstandings.

Nevertheless, they were still very much a bonded pair, so when a fire takes everything from them, Jafar is forced to bring his brother along with him as he journeys to the House of Wisdom in the faraway kingdom of Maghriz.

Jafar has always dreamed of studying alchemy, and there's no better place to do it than the House of Wisdom. When he discovers he's been accepted, he's elated. Although it didn't go as smoothly as he would have wished, regardless he makes the long journey to his new life with Rohan in tow. Maghriz holds more danger and intrigue than they could have banked on though. The Sultana ends up roping them into a grand deception and the rest spirals from there.

As far as this type of Disney series goes, I think this was a very well-crafted story. There's no doubt that Hafsah Faizal is a talented writer and I definitely appreciated the quality of storytelling she brought to the page.

Honestly, I think I was expecting something a bit more drastic to be the cause of Jafar going full-blown villain. This seemed a little tame in regards to the cause. I mean, I get why he was angry, but such an extreme shift in his personality? I'm not quite sure I was sold on that. My other minor grudge with this story would be Jafar's little brother, Rohan.

I was here for Jafar, but we do get a 50/50-narrative split between Jafar and Rohan. Even though he is only 2-years younger than Jafar, his behavior would lead you to believe he was 10-years younger. He was a whiner and started to get on my last nerve. IMO, he was holding Jafar back from the start and I don't blame Jafar for going as far off the edge as he did, putting up with that guy all the time.

With this being said, everything else was entertaining and well-constructed. I feel like Faizal nailed the setting and I absolutely love that she chose to include Iago in such a prominent manner. The relationship between Jafar and Iago was definitely one of my favorite aspects of this story. I could just picture the both of them, and loved it. That was really fun. Iago is so funny, and through this, I felt like I got to understand him as a character even more. I also enjoyed the palace intrigue and the entire plot involving the Sultana. I wasn't sure what to expect in that regard and I did enjoy the direction it took.

I've dappled in a lot of these different Disney series over the years and I've got to say, the quality of this one is quite high. I think for fans of Villain Origin stories, fans of Aladdin, or specifically fans of Jafar, this is a must. I would recommend it as excellent supplemental material. If you aren't any of those Readers listed above, you could probably skip this one, as I feel it is most suited to true fans of the above-listed things.

Thank you to the publisher, Disney Press, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I'm glad I picked this up. It was a good fit for my Winter mood!

Growing up in poverty, Jafar and Rohan provide for the family, often through theft. Things only get worse when their mother dies. Bearing the brunt of his father’s disdain, Jafar struggles to cope with his father’s abuse. Although his father’s business eventually grows and the family becomes well off, Jafar still hatches an escape plan. His plan: to win a scholarship to the House of Wisdom in the kingdom of Maghriz. His father’s parrot, Iago, however, reveals to Jafar that his father sabotaged Jafar’s ambition. Defying their father, the two head to Maghriz together. What will happen to Jafar and Rohan? Will they escape their father’s clutches?

The portrayal of Arab culture is richly drawn and engaging. This adds depth and memorability to the novel’s world building. Told through alternating point of view, the character development, however, is disjointed and inconsistent. The plot is intriguing, insightful, and helps readers to sympathize with Jafar. Readers who like Aladdin, fantasy, and villain origin stories will want to pick this one up. Recommended for library collections where such books are popular. Gr 7 and up, 4 stars.

This captivating tale goes into the complex and troubled past of Jafar, The story weaves together themes of ambition, brotherhood, and the blurred lines between good and evil. The narrative is expertly paced, with a focus on the relationship between Jafar and his younger brother, Rohan. Their bond is both heart-wrenching and toxic, as Jafar's desire to protect Rohan often shown as manipulation and control.
As the story unfolds, Hafsah skillfully introduces the dark and mysterious world of Maghriz's House of Wisdom. The Sultana's grand deception adds an layer of complexity, raising questions about the morality of ambition and the true cost of power.
Overall, this origin story is a must-read for fans of the original Aladdin tale. It offers a thought-provoking exploration of Jafar's backstory, adding depth to the character.

The Wishless Ones tells the backstory of Jafar and his rise to villainy. The story focuses on Jafar and his younger brother Rohan, dealing with the aftermath of their mother's death while growing up with a ruthless father. Jafar is determined to protect his soft-hearted brother from the world's cruelties but still feels held back. His dream is to study alchemy at the esteemed House of Wisdom. When the opportunity comes, Jafar does not hesitate to get what he wants.

I love a good villain's backstory, especially when we gain insight into their thinking and understand, almost sympathize, how they came to be. However, this story doesn't provide any complexities to Jafar. He and Rohan are both flat, one-dimensional characters. I know we're not supposed to like Jafar, but usually, a villain story gives us some empathy for the villain and leaves us conflicted with our feelings! This book didn't do that at all. None of the characters were likable to me.

This was such a shame because I love Faizal's writing SO much! I've read all of her books; her writing style is beautiful. She brings that metaphorical style to this story, but writing for someone else's IP is hard. I don't think this book accurately reflects her as a writer.

I adore this villain backstory series from Disney! In the latest installment, the amazing Hafsah Faizal takes us to Jasmine's realm and kingdom, long before we ever met the famous street rat Aladdin. In THE WISHLESS ONES, we see Jafar's backstory: from poverty to grief to wealth to difficult decisions, we learn that while Jafar may have always had an evil streak, it was also his childhood and upbringing that shaped him into the villain we love to hate. Faizal created a truly immersive world, delving into the culture, politics, and socioeconomics of Jafar's world to really provide context to his decisions. We also get to meet his sweet brother, Rohan, whose love of Jafar helps humanize him, even as we see him descend into the villainous spirit we know so well. All in all, a fabulous addition to the series!

This is such a fun series! Love seeing how the Disney villains became the scoundrels we know and love.
This is the story of Jafar and his brother, Rohan. And sadly, as with the other, villains, Jafar is a product of his environment and the people he is supposed to be able to trust. Instead of the quest for the magic lamp, Jafar is determined to get to the House of Wisdom to refine his alchemy. There are a certain pair of rubies he has set his sights on first...

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Hyperion for this digital e-arc.*

Poorly developed characters and a spotty storyline left me wanting more. I do think this book had a very strong beginning but it slowed down significantly. Also the villain of said story had strange motivation that lacked little sense, Iago's plot went nowhere, and in the end it felt more like he became a villain due to heartbreak than society casting him as one.

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.
#TheDarkAscensionSeriesTheWishlessOnes #NetGalley

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.