A Whole New World by Liz Braswell

What if Aladdin had never found the lamp? This first book in the A Twisted Tale line will explore a dark and daring version of Disney's Aladdin. When Jafar steals the Genie's lamp, he uses his first two wishes to become sultan and the most powerful sorcerer in the world. Agrabah lives in fear, waiting for his third and final wish.To stop the power-mad ruler, Aladdin and the deposed princess Jasmine must unite the people of Agrabah in rebellion. But soon their fight for freedom threatens to tear the kingdom apart in a costly civil war. What happens next? A Street Rat becomes a leader. A princess becomes a revolutionary. And readers will never look at the story of Aladdin in the same way again.

I’ve read some pretty unflattering reviews of this book. All I can say is, I don’t think they were reading the same book I was. I’m not even kidding. Many of the things people complained about didn’t seem to even be a part of the book.

Yes, the beginning of the book gives a recap of events at the beginning of Aladdin. It is not word-for-word as some have claimed and things were added to the story as well. When the story does branch away, which is well before most reviewers claimed it did, it immediately and completely changes. For the better, in my opinion.

Honestly, if Aladdin had gone like A Whole New World, I think it would be one of my favorite movies, even more than it already is. The action scenes are awesome. The feeling of pity for Street Rats, hatred for Jafar, and heartbreak at certain events make this a must read book. Five stars for this magnificent what-if version of Aladdin.