Review: A Whole New World by Liz Braswell

 

The beginning of the Disney Twisted Tales where characters and plots are twisted..... obviously. This one is all about Aladdin and what if he never found the lamp. That is the tagline for this edition... however, when this was published back in 2016, it had a completely different tagline this is not misleading AT ALL!!! The original tagline was What if Jafar was the first one to summon the genie?

I read this outloud to my kids and a quarter of the way in we were so bored and not interested because it is the same exact story as the movies. ALADDIN STILLS GETS THE LAMP but the old man who is really Jafar takes it and Aladdin never makes it out of the cave of wonders with Genie. Jafar used his first two wishes to become sultan and change Agrabah by making it rain gold coins and bread.

There is one twist that is a decent one and that is the parrot Iago is not around. He is mentioned and then we find out the reason for his disappearance. Jasmine becomes a revolutionary and bands together the wealthy citizens with the street rats of Agrabah to take down Jafar and his zombie ghoul army.

There was one section that made me laugh my head off and it was Genie apologizing to Jasmine and the Sultan because he thought they made a cute couple. Jasmine then informs him that the sultan is her father and Genie apologizes and says that he has seen old kings and young girls together... the whole May- December thing. Let me tell you that I screamed and my kids were like cringing. My husband was born in May 1990 and I was born in December 1990. Really going for the jugular. 

The ending I feel was a missed opportunity. I am just going to go ahead an say that this is still and happily ever after. This is supposed to be a twisted tale. Make the end not happy. Make it evil and TWISTED!!!!! 

I will be continuing with the series and other twisted tales but my expectations are low going forward and that the ends will be happy.