I grew up watching the Aladdin cartoon, it’s still one of my favourite Disney movies and I absolutely adore Robin Williams as the genie. Then last year I went to see the Aladdin musical with friends and I walked out of the theatre in the mood for Aladdin in book form, I knew A Whole New World was a twisted version of the story and it sounded like it would hit the spot perfectly so I couldn’t wait to dive in.

The beginning of this book follows the movie pretty much word for word, apart from a little extra from Aladdin’s childhood fans of the cartoon will easily be able to picture events as they unfold so I can understand why some people have said the beginning is a little on the slow side. That didn’t stop my enjoyment at all because it was exactly what I’d picked up this book hoping for.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a Twisted Tale if the story stayed exactly the same as the original though and it doesn’t take long for the story to go in a completely different direction. What would have happened if Jafar had stolen the lamp before Aladdin had discovered the genie and made his wishes? Well you’re going to have to read the book for yourself to find out that but it does involve a street rat and a princess who join together to lead a revolution.

I really enjoyed Liz Braswell’s take on such a familiar story and I’m looking forward to seeing how she twists other familiar fairytales on their head.

SO annoyed my time was wasted on this piece of junk. Some of the most juvenile, uninspired writing I've read in years, and like others have said it reads verbatim of the movie for about the first 1/4. Every time Genie opened his mouth I cringed, because he was not funny AT ALL.

Also, the dialogue is godawful --- it can't decide it's culture or time period, & keeps using oddly displaced modern phrasing. Honestly what made me the most angry was bringing Aladdin's Mom into it for no obvious reason & name dropping Cassim at LEAST three or four times I can remember. Not only did this book attempt to defile Aladdin, it attempted to drag King of Thieves (one of like three Disney direct-to-video sequels that are good vs garbage fire) down with it. Braswell could have used the Forty Thieves in the plot, to her advantage, if she had any imagination. Nope, didn't happen.

Also, that ending of hers has a shock-value little twist and just falls off with a whimper of dull boringness. Just, ugh. My feelings on this book are just that it needs to be wiped from existence.

I received a review copy from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, all opinions are my own. Thanks NetGalley!

This was kind of meh. It kept my interest at first but it went downhill fast and the characters had no depth.

This book had an interesting premise. It stuck very closely to the movie at the beginning, but then when Jafar gets the lamp it veers in a darker direction. I liked the street rats and how they helped, I liked the genie and how he felt badly about what was happening, but despite my like of the characters I just didn't feel compelled to read the story. It will be popular with young adults who are fond of the movie characters from childhood. I just felt that part of the story felt forced.

To say I was disappointed is putting it mildly.

Now, I love me some retellings. I am drawn to them like a moth to a flame. And I was super excited to read this series. It had been on my radar for awhile but I just hadn't gotten around to it. Now, I'm wishing I would have postponed it longer. The gimmick for this series is that one detail has changed from the story we all know - in Aladdin's case, Jafar got the lamp after Aladdin retrieved it from the Cave of Wonders. Interesting right?? And it really could have been.

I think my main problem with this book was nothing was backed up. We were told information but nothing was shown to us or given a reason. For instance, Aladdin & Jasmine's "romance". We buy it in the movie because it's a Disney movie and that's just how they go. But this is a book. The author could have taken time to really develop the characters and their relationships, but she didn't. Aladdin and Jasmine pretty much fall in love right as they see each other and it lasts all the way through the movie - but I never saw anything that showed love. Maybe friends - and that's pushing it.

And speaking of character development, can we talk about Jafar? Jafar and his evilness. So much could have been done! But the author just went with you good ole cookie cutter villain who, while doing horrendous things, only apparently wanted people to love him - most importantly, Jasmine. He spends the ENTIRE book trying to get her to marry/love him. WHY??? It's never explained why he wants her so much. Wait...power? But he's already sultan and the most powerful sorcerer in the world, but sure, marrying Jasmine will build on that... It doesn't make sense. There is literally no reason for him to keep chasing her. It would have made more sense if he was chasing her to shut down her rebel forces, but nope, marriage.

The author also seemed to really want to go for shock value in certain scenes and these just stuck out like sore thumbs because they didn't go with the rest of the feel of the book. But I guess if you're throwing in murder, torture and mutilation then this must mean you're villain is truly evil.

I don't buy it.

Lastly, there was the first 20% or so which was literally word for word the Disney movie (without the songs). Sure, why not. Do yourself a favor, just watch the movie.

I started this book and was unable to finish due to never feeling invested in the characters or the story. I was a bit confused the whole time and could just not get into what was happening.

I was so looking forward to this book once I read the blurb. I have to say though that I am disappointed and was not able to finish the book.

This was just a retelling of Aladdin. I thought that it was going to be a little different than the movie and that we would maybe get some more of Jafar's story or something like that, but this was just like the movie basically. I was so hoping for this one to be a good read and looking forward to it.

I will try the other books in this series, just hope that they will be different than just a retelling of the movies.

Thank you for accepting my request. I’ve tried to read this book a number of times but due to time restraints and a change in interests it’s just not something I’ll be picking up anytime soon.

At first I found the story to be pretty interesting, though the first seventy pages were a little bit boring, as it was a complete retelling of the beginning of Aladdin, until he got trapped in the cave, this time without the lamp with him. Which is when the story finally started to get much more exciting. The beginning was still a bit different, though, and I loved getting to know about Aladdin's mother when he was a child, whom later died. I liked reading about his first meeting with Jasmine. I did like how they liked each other right away, but I also found it to be a bit of insta-love, and I'm not sure I really liked that very much. Sigh. But the book did get better.

Hmm, I am still very half and half, sitting on the fence about this book..
'A Whole New World' is suppose to be based on the story of Aladdin which is most definitely is. But I feel like it is a bit TOO similar to the Disney film. Not quite a 'whole new world'..

I did find it an enjoyable read though, maybe this is because I am not a die hard fan of the animated film?
I do wish that we got to see more from the main character's backgrounds, instead of just the storyline? We already know what happens, so I would have liked a different perspective, maybe?

I honestly did not like this book. I ended up DNF-ing around 40% simply because I felt like it didn't live up to my expectations. The characters felt very flat to me. I expected a lot more from the story simply because it was supposed to be an Aladdin re-telling. The beginning of the story was very slow which made it really hard to push through. The concept of it was really amazing. I think the book lacks the magic that was promised to come with it.

2/5 Stars - DNF'D

This was definitely an interesting spin on the tale of Aladdin, in a parallel-universe kind of way. I will admit, for the first half of the book I felt like I was reading a word-for-word version of the Disney story, but it did manage to make its own quite nicely and I overall enjoyed the way the tale was told.

I wanted to love this book, but honestly couldn't get past the first few chapters. It was boring and the characters lacked full development.

Who doesn't love Disney movies? I mean, sure, sometimes they're so sugary sweet you want to gag, but they are also intrinsically linked to many of our childhoods in a way that is only rivalled by the Harry Potter books. It is us 20-something year old millennials who are queuing up for Finding Dory and hosting Disney movie nights. And Disney is stepping up its game in bringing out better and better movies (yes, I'm talking about Moana, it's awesome!). So, being as tied to Disney as I am, of course I had to read A Whole New World, an adaptation of the classic Aladdin. And boy was I positively surprised! Thanks to Disney Book Group and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Adaptations aren't easy, especially when the source material is as beloved as the 1992 Aladdin that gave us Robin Williams as the Genie. Him, more than anything, made this movie a favourite for many children, his sheer enthusiasm and spirit making the Genie an unforgettable character. How do you go about adapting a fairy tale so classic, or any Disney-adapted fairy tale really? Liz Braswell set out to adapt a number of fairytales but with a crucial twist. She calls this series Twisted Tales and has adapted Aladdin, Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast. This may genuinely be one of the cleverest ways to adapt age old tales; change an aspect and change the whole story. Explore what the characters would do in vastly different situations that are still set in a familiar world.

When A Whole New World started I was a little bit skeptical. It seemed to be following the film way too closely for my liking, even down to dialogue it seemed. Sure, we got some more insight into especially Aladdin's personality, but would that be enough to carry a whole novel? Would the change mentioned in the blurb be enough to actually make this book stand alone? Thankfully, from the moment Aladdin enters the cave, A Whole New World really takes off. Each of the characters now develops along a completely different path and the novel is a lot more complex because of it. Braswell manages to address a whole range of utterly important topics in a book meant for the years 12 and up. Braswell uses Aladdin's position as a street rat to show the face of poverty, the lack of options and choices, the stark divide between the rich and poor within a single city. How should a good sultana look after her people, what should a good government do? How does power corrupt, and is anyone incorruptible? I was consistently and positively surprised every time that Braswell managed to introduce one of these topics and let it resonate within her story. It is social commentary done right for a younger audience, not too obvious or didactic but clear enough that young minds can walk away inspired.

I need to dedicate a few words to how much I loved Jasmine in A Whole New World. While she is an interesting character in Aladdin, she is also a lone female figure in a male world and therefore can't be as active as she would wish. Braswell gives her a lot more agency in a way that never feels disingenuous. As an only daughter without a mother, Jasmine is headstrong and has made sure to educate herself as far as possible. Braswell allows for her to be smart and strong, outspoken and decisive without ever letting male characters "allow" this. As the blurb says, 'a princess becomes a revolutionary' and I loved every second of it. Also, unlike Aladdin, Jasmine isn't the only female character in A Whole New World. There are some people moments with other female characters in this book which made me want to cheer! I would quote some of them but that would be spoiling the fun.

Braswell's writing is perfect for the age she is aiming for, without limiting herself to a children's audience. In this way she definitely does follow in Walt Disney's footsteps, whose movies somehow only get better with age. She describes the fictional Agrabah beautifully, has some great twists and turns and builds up anticipation very well throughout the novel. Although Jafar occasionally feels a little bit like a cliche villain, even he gets a hint at a more extensive backstory. Braswell isn't afraid to go dark, to add real danger to her story and, for once, this danger doesn't feel fake. You're genuinely not entirely sure all her characters will survive until the end. There are real moments of deep emotion, as well as light moments of humour and fun, balancing each other out very well. Here I also must admit to getting a bit emotional while reading about the Genie. I still miss Robin Williams and I adored the way Braswell paid homage to his amazing incarnation of the Genie, as far as she could within her own take on the taleI can't wait to dig into the rest of her Twisted Tales series, if this is what I can expect from Braswell.

I really loved A Whole New World! It was a great take on a beloved classic which added a lot to Disney's tale. I adore how she changed the tale and how she trusted her readers to be able to grapple with some rather serious issues. More authors should trust their readers that way, no matter their age. I'd recommend this to fans of Disney's Aladdin, fairy tale adaptations and YA fiction.

A Whole New World by Liz Braswell was 3.8 stars. Aladdin is my favorite princess movie ever!! This book was written spectacularly and had a great background to start it off. I just was expecting something equal/ exactly like the movie so I’m a bit biased. That’s the authors creative mind though putting a twist on a famous story. I think if you really love Aladdin like I do you’ll enjoy this story. It was good, and it was written beautiful, quite descriptive.

Sorry, requested but didn't find the time to read.

I did not finish this book. I found it too similar to the Disney movie Aladdin (I know, I know what did I expect). All I could do was hear the 'street rat' song and picture Aladdin's street chase. The only difference seemed that his mother was more present as a character, even in memories. Ultimately, felt let down by this book and DNF.