#a whole new world by liz braswell
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“You said you wanted a new Agrabah. A better Agrabah. Where people are free and the laws are just and everyone takes care of each other and no one slips through the cracks. That means everyone — even [Jafar.]”
—A Whole New World by Liz Braswell
#writeblr#bookblr#books#book quotes#quotes#a whole new world#liz braswell#a whole new world by liz braswell#a whole new world quotes#jamietukpahwriting
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Book Haul
A Whole New World
#mybooks#booklr#bookblr#books#book haul#funko pop#funko and books#a whole new world#liz braswell#February 2024
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"In public you shall address me as 'My Lord'. Now continue, old man, before I set your lungs on fire."- Jafar at his wedding, A Whole New World (Liz Braswell
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A Whole New World, by Liz Braswell
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ _
It's still a good story, but I felt like this time it went off from the original story to an extreme degree. It was interesting to see the new characters added, and give Jasmine and Aladdin some more time to get to know each other for real rather than as Prince Ali. I also liked the development of the slums of the city and how the people living there fight for a better life. There's a major death that happens relatively early that really threw me for a loop and I think that's where I lost the 5th star.
[This is a shorter review because I read this a while ago. Soon I'll have more in-depth reviews from books I've just finished!]
#bookblr#book blog#book reviews#book recommendations#a whole new world#liz braswell#twisted tales#disney#disney princess#aladdin#jasmine
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a little rant
This might be weird but I've really gotta restrain myself from editing a library book. I'm currently reading "A Whole New World" by Liz Braswell from Disney's "Twisted Tales" series, a Finnish translated version. And it reads so clunky, like, it feels weird, like it was translated with Google Translate and then it just got the grammar fixed so that it technically works, but it still seems off, like I can easily tell what the original English version read like and they were so straightforward/linear and literal with the translation without taking too much into account how it reads to Finns.
Besides that I really wish they'd used up the 10 empty pages (like why waste paper, at first I thought that maybe they bind the books in certain volumes of pages, but it resulted in the book being 336 pages, like...?) at the end of the book to maybe have some sort of dictionary/explanations for some of the concepts. Like, I know what "ghouls" and "djinns" are, but I'd assume the target demographic for these books are like preteens and they might not? Not to mention many of the other words/concepts from the (assuming here) Arabic culture (since this is a book based on Disney's Aladdin...). Really wanted to take a pencil and mark them and write explanations at the back for the next person for these things... (I'm assuming that this is the case for the og English version as well, so this isn't on the translation)
Anyway, rant over, still gonna read other Twisted Tales books (at least some of them)
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Recently read this on my kindle. It was fantastic, I couldn't put it down. It was a wonderful twist on the familiar tale. Currently you can read it for free on Kindle Unlimited.
#book reads#a whole new world#liz braswell#aladdin#twisted tales#kindle unlimited#kindle#there are more#quick reads
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Sharing the books I read in February.
** Means it's a reread.
The dates are the dates completed.
The Vagina Bible: The Vulva and the Vagina: Separating the Myth from the Medicine by Dr. Jen Gunter – Feb 1
American Revolutions: A Continental History, 1750-1804 by Alan Taylor – Feb 3
What If? 2: Additional Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions by Randall Munroe – Feb 4
Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston – Feb 7
Claudia and Mean Janine by Ann M. Martin** – Feb 8
Boy-Crazy Stacey by Ann M. Martin** – Feb 9
Darkness on the Edge of Town by Adam Christopher – Feb 10
The Ghost at Dawn's House by Ann M. Martin** – Feb 11
Logan Likes Mary Anne! by Ann M. Martin** – Feb 13
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus – Feb 16
A Whole New World: A Twisted Tale by Liz Braswell – Feb 19
The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros – Feb 21
Black Girls Must Die Exhausted by Jayne Allen – Feb 21
Why You'll Never Find the One: And Why It Doesn't Matter by Sarah Akinterinwa – Feb 23
Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories by Sandra Cisneros – Feb 24
Honey and Spice by Bolu Babalola – Feb 27
Bummer Summer by Ann M. Martin – Feb 29
Starter Villain by John Scalzi – Feb 29
#ashleybenlove posts#also: in case anybody is like 'Hey Alan Taylor the director wrote books?' different Alan Taylor lol#Just thought I would specify
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'The very blood of the earth comes up through here.'
Book Quotes #118 - A Whole New World by Liz Braswell
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I like this style of cover better than what's on the other Twisted Tales books I have
Book 110/365 (May.14-15)
A Whole New World by Liz Braswell
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Four Must-Read Books Based on “Alice in Wonderland”
I know I just finished my “Artists in Wonderland” event, but I’m still in an Alice mood, and especially in regards to literature. So I decided to cover another topic in terms of Wonderland in writing: different books based on the “Alice” stories.
Of course, movies, video games, and TV shows have given us countless reinterpretations of the “Alice” stories and characters, but there have been just as many - and probably more - in writing. From stories based on the real-life events behind the scenes, to sequels, reimaginings, and prequels of the Carrollian classics, literature has provided an abundance of different takes on Wonderland. What’s interesting is that - beyond children’s picture books and such other things - many of these reinterpretations take a darker and more adult stance with the story, creating unique lore and diving into the characters in a way Carroll’s stories do not do. This is nothing new, of course, but literature can do this in a way that most screen-based versions either cannot or do not.
Now, there are numerous books based on Wonderland, like I said, and I’ve read my fair share. Today, however, I wanted to provide a short “must read” list with four key books that I feel anyone interested in “Alice” should take a look at. Again, there are a LOT more than four. Some books I enjoy that I won’t be mentioning here are The Splintered Trilogy, The Alice Chronicles, The Queen of Hearts Saga, Still She Haunts Me, After Alice, and Grin: The Unauthorized Biography of a Cheshire Cat. These are just to name a few that aren’t included here: all of them have their own unique merits and are worth looking up if you have time. These are just four books that I would classify as the cream of the crop.
I should add that I won’t be including non-fiction books on the list, such as biographies, analytical or informational texts, etc. I’m specifically looking at works of fiction inspired by the stories. With that said, here are Four Must-Read Books for Alice in Wonderland Fans.
4. Alice I Have Been.
I’m starting this off with the most unique and arguably the most fascinating of the whole bunch. “Alice I Have Been,” written by Melanie Benjamin, is NOT an “Alice in Wonderland” story. It isn’t about the Mad Hatter, the White Rabbit, the Queen of Hearts, or any of the characters in the books. Instead, this is a piece of historical fiction that effectively tells the life story of Alice Hargreaves (nee Liddell), the young lady who inspired Charles Dodgson (a.k.a. Lewis Carroll) to write the Wonderland books to begin with. The novel focuses on Alice’s relationship with Carroll, of course, but also just on her life in general, as she squares off her own desires and simple humanity with the fact that she is seen as someone she isn’t. In a way, the book is a lot like the movie “Dreamchild,” but while that film occasionally brings people into the fantasy of Wonderland and mostly focuses on Alice as an old woman, “Alice I Have Been” sticks entirely to the real world, and traces her life pretty much from birth to death. It’s not a biography, as it IS written in the form of a novel, and does take some liberties here and there based on the writer’s presumptions and the themes and ideas they want to play with. However, it does paint a very sincere and true-to-life portrait of the young woman, whose life story so many people never really paid attention to. If you’re more interested in reading about the actual Wonderland characters and world, then the other three books on this list are going to be more to your taste, but I felt I simply could not leave Melanie Benjamin’s gorgeous story out of the running.
3. Unbirthday.
This book is part of a series by Liz Braswell, called “Twisted Tales.” The series is published by Disney, and in each novel, a question is asked about a particular Disney movie. The novel then riffs on that question, usually by presenting a sort of AU or “What If?” scenario, but sometimes by creating a new story, a prequel or sequel, to provide a new spin on the world and characters. The latter is the case with “Unbirthday.” Admittedly, Unbirthday’s premise is not the most inspired: a grown-up Alice returns to Wonderland, and finds it has become a darker and more dangerous place than ever before. She thus joins forces with a group of freedom fighters to battle the Queen of Hearts and save Wonderland. This exact premise, in those two sentences, can sum up a LOT of different “Alice” works. And I mean A LOT: most of the more prominent darker reinterpretations of Wonderland follow that basic formula. This book isn’t the first, and it isn’t the last. So, what makes it special? One simple little thing: all other darker Wonderlands with this premise are essentially their own invention. They aren’t based on any specific pre-existing version of the stories, they’re really their own thing, with their own special spin on the setting and characters. “Unbirthday” is interesting because it’s actually based on a very particular version of Wonderland, the Disney one. This makes the story unique, because we aren’t simply seeing newer, darker takes on the Mad Hatter, the White Rabbit, the Queen of Hearts, and other characters. We’re seeing the Disney ones - the ones so many of us know best and are familiar with from childhood, beyond all the rest - being corrupted and twisted in various ways. Similarly, we aren’t simply seeing a grown-up Alice, we’re seeing the Disney Alice all grown up. It’s a bit like watching “Spider-Man: No Way Home” versus “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.” Both are films with similar concepts at play, but they take very different approaches, and a big part of this is that one uses versions of the characters we’ve seen before and have a pre-established connection with, while the other is totally original. The best part is that Braswell’s writing is so meticulously handled, the characters really DO feel like those Disney versions, from the way they speak to the way they are described as generally behaving. If you’re a fan of dark Wonderlands, a fan of the Disney film, or both, check this one out.
2. Heartless.
This book by Marissa Meyer is a rare example of a prequel to the “Alice” stories. This is something that actually isn’t as common as you would think. Sequels to Wonderland and reimaginings of the story are pretty easy to come by, but prequels - stories that detail the world before Alice - are quite rare. I think this is mostly because, in the books, Wonderland is supposedly just a dream Alice had. And in many strict adaptations, it’s left ambiguous, at best, how much of Wonderland was a dream and how much of it was real. So what’s the point in creating a backstory and lore to a world that doesn’t exist? Well, of course, these works base themselves on the idea it DOES exist, and while they are not common, they are out there. In my opinion, “Heartless” is the single best Wonderland prequel I’ve ever come across. The story ostensibly tells the tale of how the Queen of Hearts - here named Catherine - became the fat, pompous, bad-tempered old tyrant we all know and love to hate. In other words, it’s essentially “Wicked” (the novel, not the play), but for the Queen of Hearts. And much like “Wicked,” it not only gives us the skinny on the main villainess, but also involves multiple other characters from the books, most notably the Mad Hatter, the Cheshire Cat, the Duchess, and the King of Hearts, although other characters show up here and there, too. The primary reason I think Meyer’s book tops other prequels to the stories is simply this: with other prequels I’ve encountered, there’s always this sort of inconclusive feeling. Like, it’s hard to imagine these characters becoming the ones in the Carroll stories. That ISN’T the case with “Heartless”: not only is Catherine’s petulant, furious, rage-filled personality perfectly understandable, giving a once comically cruel and violently nasty villain a sympathetic and complex persona, but other characters feel very natural in their progression from where they start off to where we next see them. They’re written in such a way that they really do feel like those Victorian caricatures of madness we all care about so much, while still existing in their own unique space. This, above all else, makes Heartless one of my favorite Wonderland-based books. Check it out if you ever wanted to know what life was like before Alice’s fall.
1. The Looking-Glass Wars.
Frank Beddor’s “The Looking-Glass Wars” Trilogy is, without a doubt, my favorite book based on the “Alice” stories. It’s another dark reimagining of Wonderland that, on the surface, has the same basic formula “Unbirthday” and so many other stories have, but the way it interprets the world and the characters is totally its own, and wonderfully creative. The premise of “The Looking-Glass Wars” is that the story we all know and love so well is a boldfaced lie: the tale begins when Alyss Heart - the Princess of Wonderland, rightful heir to the throne - has her parents killed and kingdom usurped by her evil Aunt Redd. With the aid of Hatter Madigan, her loyal bodyguard, Alyss escapes through the Pool of Tears to our world…but because of some problems in-transit, Hatter is thrown all the way into France, while Alyss ends up in a slum in England. She is eventually taken in by the Liddell family, and meets Charles Dodgson, who writes a story inspired by the “wild fantasies” she tells him about. This story, of course, becomes the “Alice in Wonderland” we all know and love today. As time goes on, Alice forgets her old life and world entirely…until she’s finally rediscovered by her people, and brought back (along with Hatter M.) to Wonderland, to join the resistance and take back the crown from her traitorous aunt. In essence, the first book is “The Lion King” but with a Wonderland motif…but that’s only where the story starts, as the book would have two sequels, and not one, but TWO spin-off comic book series. I love the imagination and unique perspective Beddor’s books have, and the way it reinterprets classic characters. Some of them - like Aunt Redd, Bibwit Harte, and Blue the Caterpillar - feel very much like the Wonderlandian characters we all know and love, just a bit darker than usual. Others - like The Cat, Hatter Madigan, and Dodge Anders (Alice’s love interest, based on the Dodo, of all characters) - are radically different from the ones we know and love, but that’s kind of the point. The way the books mesh fantasy and history, tradition and new ideas, and so on really is one-of-a-kind, and it’s by far one of my favorite takes on “Alice” in general, and one that I wish more people knew about. I would love to see these books adapted to TV or cinema, or even to video games. Until that day, the stories stand on their own well enough. Admittedly, I’m not a huge fan of the comic book spinoffs I mentioned, but the original novels are truly fantastic. Read this trilogy as soon as you can.
#recommended reading#literature#list#countdown#best#favorites#top 4#must-read#books#alice in wonderland#lewis carroll#alice i have been#melanie benjamin#unbirthday#twisted tale#liz braswell#heartless#marissa meyer#the looking-glass wars#lgw#frank beddor
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Part of Your World - Liz Braswell
It has been five years since Ariel lost the battle with the sea witch and King Triton was killed. Now, Ursula rules the coastal kingdom of Tirulia as Princess Vanessa, and Ariel has taken her father's place as the mute Queen of the Sea.
But when Scuttle brings word that Triton might still be alive, Ariel mounts a rescue mission to free her father from Ursula's clutches, break the hypnosis spell on Prince Eric, get her voice back, and stop Ursula once and for all before she declares war on every kingdom on land and in the sea.
I really enjoyed seeing this slightly more mature version of Ariel who acknowledges and learns from her mistakes of the past. And I think the ending is arguably a better 'happy ever after' than the one in the Disney movie!
Twisted Tales series: A Whole New World | Once Upon a Dream | As Old As Time | Reflection | Part of Your World | Mirror, Mirror | Conceal, Don't Feel | Straight On Till Morning | So This Is Love | Unbirthday | Go the Distance | What Once Was Mine | Almost There | When You Wish Upon a Star
More fairy tales
Mer🧜May
#part of your world#liz braswell#twisted tales#fiction#fantasy#fairytales#little mermaid#mermaids#bookrecs
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There were piles of books on the floor, stacks on the tables, shelves stuffed with books lining all the walls. Dozens of urns held hundreds of rolled-up scrolls. Wax and clay tablets with ledgers in strange languages sat in open drawers. Maps of colorful oceans and strange countries lay unrolled on special slanted tables.
The room was dim, just as Jasmine had predicted; only two small lamps burned at the door, far away from any of the flammable parchments or precious scrolls. It was hard to tell just how big the library was or how much it held. Aladdin began to understand a little more about Jasmine. She had access to all of that knowledge — all of the collected information and wisdom of the world — and couldn’t go out to see it for herself.
—A Whole New World by Liz Braswell
#writeblr#bookblr#books#book quotes#quotes#a whole new world#liz braswell#a whole new world by liz braswell#a whole new world quotes#jamietukpahwriting
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My Library📚
A Whole New World, Liz Braswell
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So I'm flipping through A Whole New World by Liz Braswell again, underlining Jafar's name because I'm bored- and this bit made me laugh harder then it probably should have!!
~
Jasmine did the only thing she could think of: she leapt forward to kiss Jafar.
Jafar struggled away from her, turning his head and making little pfft pfft noises.
~
Pfft pfft noises??? Can you picture it? Thats so funny XDD This is how that scene shoulda gone honestly. Like oh- god- pedophilia, no no no-
ACK
#other fun jafar lines in this to come probably#this woman writes him SO WELL i love it#she's built the world so beautifully and amazing in general too she's so so so great#Liz Braswell#A Whole New World#A Disney Twisted Tale
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Book 2 of 2024
2. A Whole New World (book 1 of Disney's A Twisted Tale) Book 1 - Liz Braswell
This book is amazing. If you are into Twisted versions of Disney stuff like the TV show "Once Upon A Time" then this is the book series for you. It's such a good book I couldn't put it down when I had the chance and time to read it. There were so many twists and good parts of the book. At first it pretty much starts off like the original/movie but there are twists along the way. It's a lot grittier than the movie of course, lots of death and causing physical pain, murder, all sorts. It's age range is from 10 - 13+, if your child understand that it is not real death then that is a book they will love. There was one like that made me giggle the most and that is towards the end of the book when Jasmine fake agrees to marry Jafar. In the beginning the story seems a bit boring and as mentioned before, the same as the original. However, the end battle is something to look forward to. At times it felt like I was just watching the film but it was Jafar's version of events instead…but somehow the story kept me gripped and wanting to know more. Every time I put my kindle down after reading a chapter or two I felt an urge to stop what I am doing and carry on reading.
As I mentioned before, not your standard fairy-tale but I loved it. There are so many more books to read in this series and I cannot wait to read them all. If you are interested in Twisted Tales then I would recommend these. Especially, since they are Disney inspired ones. It's pretty easy to read since it's written for pre-teens which is nice, but still enjoyable, even as an adult.
Rating: 4/10
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As Old as Time, by Liz Braswell
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ _
I wasn't really big on Beauty and the Beast growing up, but oh my goodness this book added so much lore! I love the twist, and you get more backstory on Belle's mother. It adds a whole new layer of story that I think fills out the world so much! In the original story, the Enchantress just shows up, curses the prince, and then leaves. She is never brought up again! This version ties in so many loose ends and really enhances the story.
So far, all the Twisted Tales by Liz Braswell have been my favorites. I absolutely love the way she writes and this book is no exception! Got me, a non-Belle-fan, to really enjoy it.
[This is a shorter review because I read this a while ago. Soon I'll have more in-depth reviews from books I've just finished!]
#bookblr#book blog#book reviews#book recommendations#as old as time#liz braswell#twisted tales#disney#disney princess#belle#beauty and the beast
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