Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Not Waiting on Wednesday (#3)

Maybe you've noticed that instead of reading WoW, this meme reads Not WoW? Worry not: you're not going crazy, you're not hallucinating, it really does say that! You've got to admit that WoW posts every week can get kind of boring, right? So what better way to get to know your blogger better than to find out a book they're NOT waiting for!

This week's pick is:

A Whole New World
by Liz Braswell
Series: Twisted Tales #1
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Retellings
Publication Date: September 1, 2015
Publisher: Disney Press
Pages: 384 pages

Welcome to a new YA series that reimagines classic Disney stories in surprising new ways. Each book asks the question: What if one key moment from a familiar Disney film was changed? This dark and daring version of Aladdin twists the original story with the question: What if Jafar was the first one to summon the Genie?

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.



Why I'm NOT Waiting...

So first off, this is the final cover of the book and I'm not a hundred percent sure how I feel about it. The first time I saw it I though it was abhorrent. I thought, at the time, that I would have preferred either of the ARC covers. However, now that I've been looking at it for a while through my peripheral vision, it's kind of grown on me. I suppose it's quite pretty, actually. Right. The cover was supposed to be one of the reasons I wasn't waiting on the book, but it seems I've changed my mind in the few seconds I took to write this paragraph lol. Score one for the book.

Now. The synopsis. The very first time I heard that there was a book going to be released that was a twist on Aladdin, I was screaming with joy along with everyone else. Aladdin has always been a favorite Disney movie of mine, and having it in book form would be wonderful. A while after that happy scream, I actually took the time to slowly read through the blurb, and I found myself in doubt of whether this was actually my type of book. For one, the plot sounds a bit like many other rebellious YA novels out there, with a couple falling in love while leading an uprising. Bo-ring! Also, while I think it would be interesting seeing the characters in a new form, when it comes down to it, are they really the same characters if they're reimagined?

Finally, I read some of the reviews, and I was hard-pressed to find a good one. There are lots and lots and lots of two-star reviews out there, and they worry me. One of the main things I've read is that the tone of the novel is a bit immature and childish, and that's not what I'm looking for when reading a Young Adult novel. I've seen so many DNF's of this book and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't beyond hesitant to pick this one up in light of everything.

If I ever do get the courage to check A Whole New World out someday, I sincerely hope I end up loving it, but as for now, I think I'll keep my distance from this one.

What book are you waiting (or not waiting) on this week?

Link me up to your WoW post below! I'm always in the mood to find some more books to add to my TBR :)