Book Review: Far From Agrabah by Aisha Saeed + GIVEAWAY!

Far from Agrabah

by Aisha Saeed
Published: April 2, 2019
Genres: Fairy Tale, Young Adult
Format: Hardcover (336 pages)
Source: For Review

This stunning original novel will tell an all-new story set in the world of the new film, featuring Aladdin and Jasmine. A magic carpet ride full of adventure, suspense, and wonder written by New York Times Bestselling author Aisha Saeed, this story will be a must-read for any Aladdin fans who find themselves drawn into and enchanted by the magical world of Agrabah and beyond.

I received this free book for review from Disney Books in exchange for an honest review. I was not told what to say, I was not paid to write this review and all the opinions expressed are my own.  This giveaway was also sponsored by Disney Books. Thank you!

I thought Far From Agrabah was a novelization of the new live-action Aladdin movie. It’s actually an expanded carpet ride where we get to see them fall in love and it starts in the middle of the plot of the movie. It just refers to their first meeting and we don’t see it in this story. Now I’m wondering if this story is even in the movie at all. If it’s not, you should definitely read this book because it’s a charming love story with a fairy tale adventure.

The first thing I noticed when I read Far From Agrabah was there were fairy tales spread throughout the book. They are children stories from Agrabah kind of like Tales of Beedle the Bard for Harry Potter. They were interesting but it took a while to see why they were relevant to the story. My favorite one was about Zayn the Tenth that had a Beauty and the Beast type of beginning.

Jasmine and Aladdin felt like authentic characters in a magical setting. I could see the double meanings behind what Aladdin would say sometimes. Like when he comments that he should get one of those books. As a prince, it sounds conceited but as a poor boy it sounds wistful. Aladdin gives humble advice to help others and asks for Jasmine’s input. She’s flattered and surprised that someone sees her for her wisdom and not just her status. I could see why Jasmine starts to like him. And when his prince disguise comes off as strange she decides to think kindly of him anyway. In fact, Jasmine said my favorite quote in the whole book.

“Be careful not to judge others simply because their worldview is different from your own. Others have not lived your life, just as you have not lived theirs.”

-Aisha Saeed, Far From Agrabah pg 98

When Jasmine starts to realize who Aladdin really is, she has already seen his good heart on their adventure together and she decides to trust that he has a good reason for not being up front with who he really is.

Aladdin decides on their adventure to act with integrity even though he doesn’t have to. But that’s what’s great about reading books. You get to see the motivations and thoughts of the characters and this book did a great job with both Jasmine and Aladdin. I got to know them in ways that it’s hard to do in a movie.

And the end is when I saw the connection to the fairy tale. The sultan in the last fairy tale acts like Aladdin did. He shows integrity when he doesn’t need to.

This book added such depth to their romance and to the characters that I’m so excited to see the new Aladdin movie now!

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Giveaway!

SHINING, SHIMMERING, SPLENDID!

Enter for a chance to win this dazzling prize pack! One (1) winner receives:

• a copy of Aladdin: Far from Agrabah,
• a glittery cosmetics case and set of makeup brushes.

Giveaway open to US addresses only.

Prizing and samples provided by Disney Book Group.

To enter, use the rafflecopter entry form below. Please leave a comment if the rafflecopter form isn’t working for you. Ends April 24, 2019.

a Rafflecopter giveaway