Reviews

A Whole New World by Liz Braswell

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rballenger's review

medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

2.0

Type of read: Commuter Read.

What made me pick it up: Disney + alternate ending = TBR. I've been wanting to start the Twisted Tales series and 'A Whole New World' was next on my list.

Overall rating: My least favorite part of 'A Whole New World' was how word for word the first quarter of the book was to the movie we all know and love. When I get a retelling or an alternate story, I expect just that, a retelling, not a script reading. After the letdown that was 'Go The Distance,' I really wanted to like 'A Whole New World' but it was extremely meh. I have never been one to shy away from YA or to say that certain books shouldn't be read or won't be enjoyed by certain audiences; however, I think that for me, the Twisted Tales series just isn't what I want it to be. Maybe a younger me would enjoy these more? Or a me that doesn't already have every Disney movie memorized so that when the book literally regurgitates the first quarter of the movie it doesn't feel like nails on a chalkboard as you silently scream 'WHERE'S THE WHAT IF' as you wait for the "real" beginning of this supposed to be twisted tale. But with both books that I've tried in the series, I've gotten about halfway through and literally just hoped for a swift end. Which never came. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. I don't think I'll be continuing with any more of the Twisted Tales series, at least for right now, they just aren't my vibe.

hungrybrainz's review against another edition

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4.0

I generally enjoyed this book, finished it fairly quickly. However, I felt as though at times I went from reading a published novel to a story on a fan-fiction website. I know the intent of this novel is generally the same premise as fan-fiction...but I feel as though there should be a distinct difference in the feeling that reading a novel gives you vs. if you were reading a story online. It should feel more refined vs. raw. Especially a book backed by Disney.

I was pleased with the focus on a strong female lead and how much empowerment Jasmine and Morgianna had as characters, even though some things seemed a little too nonchalant for the time period and region this story is supposed to be based in. But hey, "suspension of disbelief"...right?

I immediately noticed that there were a lot of new characters introduced without building on the already established characters that we know and love. We "visited" Aladdin and Genie's backstories, but the book could have benefited from including more of that material instead of continuing to introduce multiple new characters. For the size of the book and the purpose of the book, I really didn't understand why so many new characters were created. I almost felt as though the book was attempting to introduce a series - but I knew going into this collection of "What-If" books that it was definitely just a one-shot for this particular story. It didn't ruin the book for me, but it distracted me at times while trying to figure out who was who and the significance of their characters (other than a couple short conversations with the princess).

I personally got a little lost during the combat scenes because I didn't feel that they had to be THAT detailed, but honestly that could just be material preference.

I will not say anything specific so that I don't ruin the book for anyone who hasn't read it yet, but I was definitely left feeling a little hollow in the end. I knew with the obvious chain of events that things wouldn't turn out "perfect" but I'd hoped they would turn out a little better than they did...

Overall, it was a fun little bit to read - but I'd honestly expected more from it. I'm hoping the rest of the series will be a little more refined than this first one.

ashleylynnreads's review

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4.0

It's such a good retelling the new story is so much better than the old one and the new characters I loved it

lidotchka's review against another edition

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3.0

English review below

|FR|
⭐⭐⭐: J'ai bien aimé, mais il y a encore des choses à améliorer
Ce que j'ai aimé :
J'ai toujours adoré le dessin-aminé "Aladdin" de Disney. Retrouver les personnages de mon enfance était très agréable. Le personnage de Jasmine a été vraiment développé, et a pris une toute nouvelle dimension dans cette réécriture. Quand dans le dessin-animé elle est très peu visible et n'apporte au final pas grand-chose à l'histoire, elle est au contraire un personnage central dans ce livre.
Le livre était plutôt facile à lire et conviendrait très bien à un jeune public.
Ce que je n'ai pas aimé:
Le problème majeur de ce livre, c'est qu'il ressemble beaucoup à un genre de fanfiction fantasmée d'adolescent. L'histoire n'est pas si mauvaise que ça, mais ces histoires de goules dans la ville, les nouveaux personnages secondaires légérement insipides, l'humour du génie qui est quasiment méconnaissable... Ce n'est pas ce à quoi je m'attendais.
D'ailleurs, tout le début du livre n'est qu'une réécriture des dialogues du dessin-animé. Le début est vraiment ennuyeux et même si relire des répliques cultes fait sourire, je n'avais pas envie de lire ce qui ressemble à un script.
Dommage donc, je pense qu'il y a plusieurs aspects du scénario qui auraient pu être améliorer, et certains personnages auraient pu être approfondis (je pense surtout à Jafar, Morgiana, et au Génie).

|EN|
⭐⭐⭐: I liked it, but there are a few things to improve.
What I liked:
I have always loved Disney's "Aladdin". Meeting my childhood's favorite characters again was very pleasant. The character of Jasmine has been particularly developed and became very important in this rewriting. When in the cartoon she was almost invisible and, let's be honest, pretty useless for the story, she became a main character in this book.
It was quite easy to read and I'm sure many young people would like it.
What I disliked:
The main problem of this book is that it looks way too much like a kind of fantasized teen fanfiction. The plot is not that bad, but all these stories about ghouls in Agrabah, the new and dull characters, the unrecognizable Genie's sense of humor... It is definitely not what I was waiting for.
Moreover, the entire beginning of this book is just the cartoon's dialogues. Even if I was happy to read those cult lines, it was a little bit boring and I did not know I would have to read what looks like a movie script.
I think some aspects of the plot could have been improved, in particular concerning some of the characters like Jafar, Morgiana or Genie.