A Whole New World by Liz Braswell is the start of something fun and different. It is the first work published in the series A Twisted Tale. This series is all about the “what ifs” for Disney and Pixar films. A Whole New World follows the what if of: “What if Aladdin never found the lamp?”
The tagline is a bit misleading as Aladdin finds the lamp, he just isn’t the one to use it. The Cave of Wonders still collapses and Jafar gets the pleasure of having the Genie all to himself. That jerk! His first two wishes are to become the new Sultan of Agrabah and to be the most powerful magic user in the world.
The author does still incorporate some of the things the Genie does for Aladdin, like make a whole parade appear from nowhere. After that, things start to get weird pretty fast with the Genie being with Jafar. While we see some of Jafar, for the most part we follow Aladdin and Jasmine as they try to get Agrabah back from Jafar’s clutches.
We don’t plunge straight into the action of overthrowing Jafar right away, we get some backstory and buildup for a while. We get to see some of Aladdin’s childhood with his mother and how that changes and shapes him into the man he is in the book. One of her quotes is very impactful: “Don’t let life’s unfairness, don’t let how poor you are decide who you are. You choose who you will be, Aladdin.” Don’t let anything but you, yourself define who you are.
While we already know the main characters and setting, there is a vast expansion in the cast and worldbuilding of Aladdin. We get introduced to more street rats, citizens of Agrabah, and the citizens living in the poverty of Agrabah. The main setting is actually in the Quarter of the Street Rats, the place where “the poorest of the poor” live. It is a big contrast to what was shown in the movie. It shows how bad the citizens in poverty live and Jasmine gets to see what is happening to her people. She gets to know these people and starts wanting to change things in Agrabah. We also got to know more about the magic and the Genie’s background.
Jasmine is held captive for a time by Jafar and she decides to step up and become her own hero. Saying, she doesn’t need a man! She steps out of the damsel in distress box and decides enough is enough. This is her kingdom and she has to take it back! Amazing female rage moments from her. She is the one who got her own freedom and it just makes me feel good and want to yell “YES!”
The pace felt too fast and rushed in some places, especially with the relationship between Aladdin and Jasmine. I would have liked to see some fluff and them getting to know one another in moments of peace while they fight Jafar. The relationship was more told than shown. The timeline was affected by this too; the book said weeks had gone by and it didn’t feel like that. It could have used some fleshing out for me.
There were some things that I feel could be tweaked, but overall it is a very good reimagining. I was filled with nostalgia and saw all the characters in my mind as animated despite it not being so. 4.5 stars, especially for Rajah and Abu.
That’s all for now, ’til next time.
Happy Reading!
Lily