A Whole New World: A Twisted Tale

This is the "what if" retelling done right. It takes a story you think you know and flips it into something darker, richer, and way more interesting. I went in for nostalgia and stayed because it actually gives its heroine agency, stakes, and a whole arc that feels earned. What made it five stars for me is how it centers Jasmine. She's clever, brave, and furious in the best way, and watching her navigate a world gone wrong is so satisfying. The worldbuilding expands in ways that feel natural, the tension builds fast, and there are some genuinely surprising turns that had me gasping. If you love Disney twisted tales, feminist retellings, political intrigue in a familiar fantasy setting, and stories where the princess saves herself, read this. It's fun, fast, surprisingly emotional, and it made me fall in love with this world all over again. An easy, enthusiastic five stars.

At first, I did not think I would like this twisted tale very much. Byt I was wrong. This is one of the best twisted tales books. The section of the known story is small, just enough to make it work, and not so much it gets boring. And reading about Agragah from the poor peoples view and Jasmine was really fun. The romance between Jasmine and Aladdin feels much more heartfelt when they are actually spending a lot of time together. And both see the good and the bad side of the other person.

I absolutely loved this Twisted Tales retelling of Aladdin 🧞‍♂️✨ I was nervous it might disappoint since I love the original movie, but it completely delivered. The story starts close to the film, then flips everything with a “what if Jafar won?” twist 🔮🔥 Jafar is much darker and creepier, Jasmine is even more badass than ever 👑💪, and Aladdin is brave but not the brightest 😅. I really enjoyed seeing more of Agrabah and how the city comes together 🏙️🤝. The book is action-packed, magical, and emotional, with an unexpected and slightly sad ending 💔. Overall, it’s a fun, twisted take on a Disney classic and an easy recommendation for fans of fairytale retellings 📚✨

I guess this is the very first book in the twisted series and I read it after like 5 others. Anyway, it starts as others do, close to the movie it’s based on. Then it diverts wildly. Jasmine has always been tougher than other princesses and in this book, she’s badass. Aladdin is kinda dumb. Like not lovesick dumb, just he’s all brawn and no brains. The ending was not expected. Yes, Aladdin and Jasmine end up together but the rest of the ending is kinda sad. Loved the different Street Rats and the whole city joining together. We really see a lot of Agrabah from the view of Aladdin and Jasmine. Jafar is an absolute nut case. He’s more twisted in this book than in the movie. Genie is still funny but I did feel like the author was trying to impersonate Robin Williams and laying it on too thick in some parts. Definitely recommend if you like fairytale retellings.

~3.5/5 Given how huge a fan of Disney, and Aladdin in particular, that I am, I was hopeful but wary going into this. Depending on the author, this was either going to be amazing or terrible. And I’m surprised to find that I’m in the minority here, thinking it wasn’t that bad. Granted, the first twenty percent is pretty much word for word like the movie, only with a little more detail and depth added. But I didn’t mind that, actually quite enjoyed seeing it again and being more in Aladdin’s head for it. Plus, the small details that were changed made sense to me, though I might have liked some more changes. And, really, this is published by Disney and specifically references Aladdin—what were you expecting? But after the twist in the plot, everything changes. And I liked the thought put into each change. It’s made more realistic—Jafar, taking power like he wanted, is turned really evil. He kills people, including important characters in the movie who I won’t spoil. Jasmine is taken captive, unable to do anything. And that means she has to get smart and tactical really fast. Aladdin, on the other hand, is stuck inside the cave and has to figure out how to get out. Then he has to find a way to undo what Jafar did. The biggest change to me was Jasmine’s character. And by the end, I do feel like I lost a sense of who she was, and who Aladdin was as well. I don’t know if that was purposeful, because of everything that happened, but I didn’t like that. But there were also the little things. Like that Jasmine meets the Genie before Aladdin does. And I appreciated that the Genie stayed true to who he was in the movies. There was also the realistic look at what was happening. The Sultan was given a new perspective, as a ruler; Jasmine got to see what was happening in her city, what kind of ruler her father really was, and what to do about all the poverty. And from that, she had to stand up and rule her city like she needed to. We also saw realistically what the Genie’s-made guards and dancers were really like—identical and fake. There was also more insight to Aladdin’s childhood with a prologue, and we met other street rat friends of his. We got reference of where Genies/Djinn's come from. Overall, I enjoyed this book. I liked the new take on the story, with the twist and the new look at things. Some things could have been better, like the characterization, but I didn’t think it was too bad. [More of my reviews are available on my blog, Geeky Reading, to which there's a link on my profile.]

Good read. Great alternate storyline.

My daughter loves these books! Shes 10 and they are right at her reading level!

I absolutely love the Twisted Tales series. Aladdin is one of my favorites of the original Disney Classic cartoons. So I was afraid I would be disappointed by this book. Princess Jasmine has always been one of my favorite Disney Princesses. But I like this version of Jasmine even more. This book is action packed. There is a lot of tension and magic. Jafar basically becomes an evil dictator. A thoroughly enjoyable read for all ages.

O livro é lindo demais!! Eu to apaixonada na capa dele 😍😍 Por dentro a diagramação é normal, bem tranquilo de ler, não li ainda então não posso opinar nisso mas de resto vale bastante a pena pelo preço, por ser um livro em inglês!

I actually managed to read the whole story in one setting and I gotta say, I'm glad I purchased this book. Have a hard time putting it down each time I pick it up. Can't wait to add a few more of these tales to the collection. Can we get a graphic novel version of this story someday too?

Arrived on time & in great condition. A welcome addition to my Disney book collection.

Avec des " si " on referais le monde comme on le dit si souvent. Je suis bilingue donc j'ai pus commander ce livre en anglais ( apparemment il a pas encore été traduit ). La lecture ( en ce qui me concerne ) est facile et plaisante. J'aime les histoires modifier avec un petit détail qui change tout ! Attention cependant , dans cette version d'Aladin , certaines description / action pourrais choquer les plus jeunes.

A whole new world and a whole new story SOBRE EL LIBRO: (sin spoilers) El libro narra la historia de Aladdin que ya conocemos pero con un pequeño cambio que terminó afectando todo Agrabah, Jafar se hizo con la lámpara y el resultado es muy malo para nuestros protagonistas, Aladdin y Jasmín y para todo el reino del Sultán, las diferentes clases sociales de Agrabah tendrán que unir fuerzas para poder recuperar la ciudad y regresarla a la normalidad. OPINION DEL LIBRO: (posibles spoilers) Nunca había leído nada de Liz Braswell, pero la sinopsis del libro me llamó la atención y por eso me animé a leerlo. Como ya mencioné, el libro nos cuenta la historia de Aladdin, en algunas partes, sobre todo al principio, el libro va en paralelo con la película (llegando a usar los mismos diálogos de la versión en inglés) sin embargo no es completamente igual, porque en este re-telling de la historia podemos ver un trasfondo mas profundo con Aladdin y su madre, dándonos más detalles de ellos (si esa parte del libro se hubiese usado en la película hubiera quedado perfecta para darle más impacto al personaje de Aladdin y hubiese sido el momento perfecto para la canción Proud of Your Boy, que lamentablemente quitaron pero agregaron en el musical de Broadway) así como también de personajes del clásico animado (sobretodo el genio) también nos introduce a nuevos personajes que nunca vemos en la película animada pero que en esta historia serán cruciales. Las similitudes con la película cambian cuando Jafar logra obtener la lámpara del genio y desea ser sultán, lo cual crea mucha abundancia para Agrabah pero termina en una guerra civil donde las diferentes clases sociales de Agrabah se unen junto a Jazmín para hacer un golpe de estado. La verdad no esperaba mucho de la historia pero al final es muy buena y cumple con entretener, no supera al clásico animado de Disney por que son dos historias diferentes, una es una versión mágica y feliz mientras que esta es una historia un poco cruda y más oscura (similar a ese ambiente que tiene El Jorobado de NotreDame de Disne) que la que vemos en pantalla, a whole new world tiene cambios muy importantes y un final que dista mucho de la película de 1992. Recomiendo mucho el libro para la gente en general, en especial para los fans de Disney (como yo) porque como ya dije es una nueva versión, oscura y entretenida, pero sino quieren leer esta versión de Aladdin o quieren leer otras versiones de las películas de Disney, la autora tiene retellings de La bella durmiente y La bella y la bestia (a los cuales les daré una oportunidad). SOBRE EL SERVICIO DE AMAZON: Qué les puedo decir?, es AMAZON Mx y su servicio y envíos siempre sobrepasan las expectativas del cliente al llegar antes de lo esperado. El libro me llego en muy buenas condiciones y muy rápido. Sigue así AMAZON Mx.