I don't fault Braswell entirely for her choices and the differences that existed among the characters. Now, as this is a retelling, it is perfectly reasonable to accept these changes in characters. Aladdin, however, was rather impressive, even if he had moments-albeit small-where he didn't quite fit himself.

I was most disappointed in Jafar, followed closely by Jasmine and the Genie. She simply did not have a great grasp of the original characters and struggled at times to write them in a way that remained true to their nature in the Disney version. More often than I would have liked, I found myself feeling as though the characters were not themselves, and it is here that I think Braswell hit her largest snag. Iago's role in the retelling also deeply upset me, again in regards to Braswell's portrayal of Jafar's character.

It was surprisingly dark, at times, and brought into play plot ideas that I didn't particularly care for, particularly with Jafar's army which I found idiotic and somewhat demeaning to the story and Jafar's character. I admire Braswell's boldness as well as her tenacity and while I do intend to read the two other Disney twisted reselling she has written, there are many things I would change about her Aladdin retelling. I enjoyed reading it, but would by no means call this an amazing story. In this, it had its goods and bads and very strong ones at that. It was interesting and showed a take on that particular branch of alternate universe in a way I personally never could have predicted. This is not to say that books for younger children aren't worth reading-there have been many I've picked up with my brother in mind and read myself simply because I am a sucker for any good story, be it meant for 10-12 or those categorized as young adult and I'll give just about anything a chance if it has piqued my curiosity.īraswell's reimagining of the story of Aladdin as though Jafar had actually gotten hold of the lamp was, as far as I'm concerned, well worth the read. I was admittedly rather weary of this novel, partially due to its obvious place in the younger of genres and because retellings are often incredibly hard to do well. Of course, since I have a rather large weak spot for the story of Aladdin (as noted by the lovely shirt I own from seeing the broadway play only two years ago), the second I noticed this particular book I immediately plucked it up. I'd seen Poor Unfortunate Soul by Serena Valentino before, having found myself curious but never curious enough to buy it. The other day in Barnes and Noble (my home away from home) while I was looking for something to happily blow all of my Christmas money on, I happened upon a display labeled Disney Villains with a smattering of books featuring many of the darkest of meanies from various Disney films from my childhood.

Once upon a dream a twisted tale