Book Review: Realm of Wonders
I’ve always been lucky. Disney’s Aladdin came out when I was two years old, so I’ve never really had to live in a world without Princess Jasmine. As an Iranian diaspora kid, I could find plenty of characters to connect with on a personality level, but there was this huge part of me that just remained virtually unseen in media. Except, of course, for Princess Jasmine. We’ve come a ways since then (not as long a way as I’d like but progress is progress), and so imagine my joy on learning that not only would Jasmine be the next princess to receive the Queen’s Council treatment, but that it would be written by Iranian-American author Alexandra Monir.
Realm of Wonders follows Jasmine sometime in the aftermath of Aladdin (and much as I love Aladdin and the King of Thieves, we’re bypassing the sequels for this one). She and Aladdin are set to marry within a few weeks, but her father’s unexpected death means she is suddenly planning a funeral and a coronation rather than a wedding. Complicating things further is the arrival of a new challenger for her throne, which throws the court into chaos as she must now prove her worthiness to become Agrabah’s first Sultana — while not forgetting what it is that makes her who she is.
As is usually the case, the more I love a book, the harder a time I have talking about it. Though I love movie Jasmine with all my heart, the story proper is Aladdin’s, and therefore doesn’t leave her with much to do. In Monir’s hands, Jasmine still feels like the same character we all know and love, with the added richness of us getting to be inside her head. She’s kind, attentive, and generally means well by those around her. But she can also be indecisive, she is allowed to make mistakes. There’s no pretense of perfection being the only path to relatability and competence. She learns as she goes and uses her intelligence and wit to win the day. Her romance with Aladdin is also extremely sweet — with him being the thing romance heroes are truly made of — and you get the sense that they really do complement each other and make each other better just by virtue of love and support.
As a Middle Eastern reader, there is a lot of comfort to be found too in how familiar so much of this book was. From the occasional Farsi word, to the familiarity of the names, the food, the architecture and textile. None of it ever feels “other” but instead lived in and right, inviting the reader to share in it, even if it might be unfamiliar to them. Monir also makes reference to two of my personal favorite stories: Ferdowsi’s The Book of Kings (albeit indirectly) and A Thousand and One Nights, both in a way that feels celebratory rather than something she is simply leaning on and trusting that it will be familiar.
The examination of gender politics at the heart of Agrabah’s court too is something that would have felt over the top in the hands of an author unfamiliar with the nuance. One who leaned too hard into the pain of patriarchal structures without stopping to consider how women in this part of the world have always asserted their power and continue to do so.
The premise of The Queen’s Council series is the titular council of female monarchs helping one another across time and space (and possibly worlds? I don’t think about it too hard, it gives me a headache). Naturally Realm of Wonders is no exception, though I won’t dare spoil how all that comes into play. With Realm of Wonders, Monir gives Princess Jasmine, and all of us who have loved her for so long, a story that is truly worthy of her.
Realm of Wonders is out now. Special thank you to Disney Books for the advance copy for review purposes.