A Whole New World

3.5 StarsI'm not slamming this book at all when I say that it feels like Disney is trying to cash in on the popularity of Jeftoon's Twisted Princess stories. There was more than one moment when I caught glimpses of imagery similar to that– the tiger claw marks, Jasmine nearly turning to the dark side definitely made me think of Jeftoons and other iterations of “dark Disney”.But I'm definitely not putting the book down for it. Braswell writes an engaging plotline that will probably have young and new adults fascinated. She doesn't skimp on the violence– the plotline follows an altered timeline, where Jafar gains the lamp and wishes and becomes sultan, and people die, sometimes in horrible ways (and the things Disney allowed her to do to Genie and the Carpet startled me). But there are still some funny and very human bits.Also, a very pleased nod for the occasional acknowledgements of Aladdin's origins (his street rat friends are named for other characters in 1001 Nights, and there are a few other bits where Braswell alluded to middle eastern origin of the story). It's no [a:Saladin Ahmed 4025591 Saladin Ahmed https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1325700680p2/4025591.jpg], but it has its moments.