I will never get tired of consuming retellings of my favorite fairytales and this one did not disappoint! I absolutely loved this new take on my favorite princess.

The narration for this book threw me off right from the beginning. I'm pretty particular about the narrators that I listen to though. I read the other two Queen's Council books, and enjoyed them very much. Since putting this audiobook aside, I have started reading the physical book and love it! I plan to recommend it through readers advisory at my library, as well as purchase a copy for our collection. Thank you for allowing me to try the ARC of the audiobook!

"Realm of Wonders" is a sequel to the movie Aladdin that centers Jasmine's role as the future Sultana of Agrabah. Jasmine is my favorite Disney princess, and I'm always thrilled to read more stories about her. I liked this one because it focuses on the importance of stories, imagination, and using your voice. It's a great message for young readers, but it's also a good reminder for adults. The story is adventurous with lots of intrigue. I recommend it for readers who love the original movie and Princess Jasmine, readers who are looking for strong female characters, and readers interested in a fast-paced adventure.

As most people know by now, I love books presented from an alternate perspective, or that take a familiar story and give it a twist, and this book does both of those things. It's a continuation of the Aladdin story we all know and love from Disney but from Jasmine's perspective. It's her story, and I'm all there for it!

All of our favorite characters are back, but in supporting roles, and we actually get some back story for a few of them. Jasmine has to find her strength in this book and it's a great ride to take with her.
She is strong and determined, and sneaky and wise. This is definitely a book I would recommend to middle school students, especially girls, but not solely. It's not a "girly" book - the main character just happens to be female. It is solidly YA and I don't think my high school students would particularly enjoy it - definitely not after grade 9 (it's perfect for grades 5-7).

Apparently this is the third book in the Queen's Council series. I have not read the other two and did not feel like I missed anything (although I do want to go and read the others now) - Realm of Wonders is definitely a stand-alone novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Disney Audiobooks for the ALC in exchange for my honest opinions.

Realm of Wonders (The Queen’s Council, #3)
by Alexandra Monir
A fractured fairytale of the original Aladdin story. As Jasmine has to compete for her throne, she has to struggle with her past. She has to show her ability to lead, to show courage, and heart to survive. The story is what makes it possible to for Jasmine to show her own nature, and save her kingdom.
It's a great resource for showing how to overcome challenges. Linking the original Disney back to the original tale of 1,001 Arabian Nights, and Shahrazad.
The audible presentation would be great for the classroom. Allowing the students to be absorbed with the performance.

Love this extended story focusing on Jasmine instead of the male lead Aladdin from the Disney classic. Jasmine is a strong female and has always known she would rule once she was older and ready. Suddenly her father passes away and her right to the throne is being questioned. Jasmine is torn between her advisors and what she knows she is capable of, with a little help from her friends and looking deep within she realizes she can outwit, out think and outshine any challenges thrown her way.

After the loss of her father, Jasmine has inherited the throne and is set to become the new Sultana, and new bride to Aladdin. But in the middle of her coronation someone new shows up claiming to be the rightful heir. While attempting to separate truth from lies trying to figure out if this man is a contender for the throne- they settle on a trial to determine who will rule the kingdom.

Jasmine finds herself locked in a battle made for a man, with all odds stacked against her. As the trials proceed, an evil threatens the land… a familiar evil targeting the people of Agrabah. Jasmine must find a way to prove herself worthy of becoming Sultana and save her people at the same time.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Disney Audiobooks for this audio e-arc.*

I don't read many Disney retelling. I do, however, read a lot of fairytales
retelling but not based on Disney movies. But Aladdin has always been
one that I have enjoyed since I was a little kid. Magic carpet, Abu, Rajah... the beautiful settings. I have read quite a few 'One Thousand and One Nights' retellings which is what Aladdin is based on.
So when I heard of Realm of Wonders and told from Jasmine's point of view, growing up needing to become ruler; I knew I wanted to give it a go. I do have to say that about half of this book was exactly what I thought it was going to be. The passing of her father, a male person wanting to step up and take her place as ruler... and so on. There are some tournaments and I do love tournaments. It is something I usually enjoy and felt this one was done well.
But what got me was something that happened towards/at the end. (Not going to say as I do not want to spoil it. It made the story feel different, I like how it played out and unfolded.) I haven't read the other books in 'The Queen Council' series and I don't know if that would affect my thoughts or feelings. I also don't know if I will read the others. Disney princesses aren't really my thing I just love Jasmine so much.
Overall, if you are looking for a quick read filled with dramas, familiar faces, and fighting for what you believe in, then this is a read for you.

I love the voice, Monir does such a great job of voices, building up drama and tension.

I loved this next book in the Queen’s council series! As an adult who adores Disney I love getting to see what happens after the song and dance to our favorite characters. Getting to see them in a more mature (not cartoon) setting is my favorite part of this series.

I especially enjoyed getting to see Jasmine prove to be a strong empowering woman and and a great example of girl power …even when the odds were against her.

Thank you to NetGalley and Disney Publishing for the chance to read and review.

As a big Disney fan, I’ve seen all the movies from my childhood a bunch of times and I really enjoy the new versions and live action movies, so this book is definitely right up my alley. I like that this story brings up all the characters we know and love from the original but is focused on Jasmine as the main character and heroine of her own story. As part of a series of books that highlight the women of our beloved classics, this story does a great job of showing the struggles women face in a patriarchal society and the lengths to which one must go to create change and ensure the safety of a people overall. The story balances political intrigue and magical forces while also establishing character growth and maturity, primarily for Jasmine. I’m happy that Aladdin was a part of the story and their love, while a background factor, still shone through. I think this book is a great addition to a classic story and its feminist outlook offers more insight to a Disney princess fans love. This story is not a light, happy read but I would definitely recommend it to YA readers who want to be captured by a Disney story that is a bit different from the ones they know.

Rating: 3.5/5

Thank you NetGalley & Disney Publishing for the ARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really liked this book. I liked the way that the story was told. You hear from all the characters that surround Heracles but you never actually hear from him. I thought this was really cool. Every person had a different view of him. Parts of this book are heartbreaking. Hearing from his wives, lovers, and many other family members was very interesting. The reader gets to know Heracles through the stories of all those who lived by and with him. You get the story of Heracles and all of the things he did but you see that some people were hurt and/or killed because of him and nothing was done. You hear from the family member of the people that he has hurt and it really adds to the whole picture of who Heracles is.
This is a solid 4 STAR book!

This novel starts where Aladdin leaves off. It felt like a balanced mix between the live action and cartoon version of the movies. I absolutely LOVED the allusions to the original Arabian Nights and the original storytelling. That made me super happy.

This story starts rather tragically. The sultan has passed and Jasmine has to face a series of trials to prove she's worthy to ascend to sultana of her realm. Each task gets harder and harder to achieve and the judges are not always unbiased.

Can Jasmine prove she's worthy of the throne and keep Aladdin by her side? Read on to find out how this feisty princess fights for her realm.

*Personal note: I didn't love the twist at the end.*

Thank you to Disney Publishing, Disney Audiobooks, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book!

This book is a continuation of the Aladdin movie we all know and love. In this book, the Sultan has recently died, and Jasmine must fight both for the throne that is rightfully hers as well as an unknown darkness threatening her kingdom.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I went back and forth between reading and listening to it, and the story worked well in both formats. What’s more, the story was narrated by the author, which I always love. I loved the deep dive into Jasmine’s inner thoughts as well as the feminist bent and the twist on Jasmine having to fight for her kingdom. Aladdin, Abu, and Raja are all in the story, but everything definitely centers on Jasmine. I loved her character (I mean, I’ve always loved Jasmine, but I really enjoyed the depth in this book) and learning more about her.

However, I would have liked more adventure and fewer politics in this story. The book heavily focuses on the political intrigues in the palace after Jasmine’s father dies, and I wanted more emphasis on the creepy darkness that Jasmine was exploring. I also felt like the pacing was off - the really interesting plot lines received less attention, while chapters were devoted to the scheming of royal and noble characters vying for power in the wake of the new power vacuum. And the ending - it gets wrapped up very quickly and feels very anti-climatic. Also part of the ending is just flat-out dumb, but I don’t want to spoil anything!

Even with the issues I had, I would still recommend this book to YA readers who love Disney, political intrigue, mystery, and dismantling the patriarchy!

This series is just so interesting. I really enjoy looking at the princesses we know and love and continuing their stories outside the scope of the movies we grew up with. Jasmine's father has died, under mysterious circumstances. On top of that her cousin has come into the kingdom claiming that he is the sultans long lost son putting Jasmines reign in question. Can Jasmine figure out the mysterious clues that are being sent to her in time to save her kingdom?
Overall I liked this book. I think it is a very unique twist on Jasmine, and I appreciated that Jasmine gets to show that her time with Aladdin has made her more aware of how unfair some of laws of Agrabah are. She comes off as a very caring and compassionate ruler. I understand some of the choices she had to make, but I loved that she was able to grow and find strengths within herself to help her kingdom.
Thank you to Disney Publishing and Netgalley for allowing me to have an advance copy of this book.