Graphic Novel Review--Part of Your World by Liz Braswell, Adpt by Stephanie Kate Strohm, & Ill. by Kelly & Nichole Matthews

 

What if Ariel had never defeated Ursula? Discover a new side of The Little Mermaid in this darkly romantic reimagining of the classic Disney film--now available as a graphic novel!

Five years ago, Ariel defied her father, King Triton, and traded her voice for the chance to meet Prince Eric. But when Ursula attacked and defeated Ariel, the sea witch took everything: the little mermaid's voice, her prince, and her father's life. Now, Ariel rules as the silent queen of Atlantica, while Ursula, disguised as a beautiful human woman, runs Prince Eric's kingdom on land.

But when Ariel discovers that her father might still be alive, she finds herself returning to a world--and a prince--she never imagined she would see again.

On land, Ariel learns that Ursula has been making the most of her role as princess: plotting, scheming, and waging outright war with neighboring kingdoms. And after Ursula catches wind of Ariel's resurfacing, she threatens to obliterate both land and sea. Will Ariel be able to overthrow the murderous villain bent on destroying her home--along with the world she once longed to be a part of?

In this adaptation of one of the most popular books in the New York Times best-selling Twisted Tale series, brilliantly adapted by Stephanie Kate Strohm, illustrator duo Kelly and Nichole Matthews breathe new life into this story of power, love, and a mermaid's quest to reclaim her voice.

As I wait for my next read, I dove into the graphic novel adaptation that shares the same title of Part of Your World by Liz Braswell! It's the first graphic novel to be adapted from the Twisted Tales series and it was phenomenal! Stephanie Kate Strohm adapted the full length novel into this graphic novel format and it was illustrated by Kelly Matthews and Nichole Matthews to bring us a delightfully twisted Disney tale!

If you're familiar with the Twisted Tales series, you know that it poses a "what if?" question to beloved Disney movies. In this instance, it's what if Ursula won? And that is the story we see here! Five years after the events of The Little Mermaid, we see Ursula married to Eric ruling his kingdom with an iron fist while he's somewhat bespelled and writing plays, remembering the time before...before Vanessa came into his life and he was besotted by a red-haired girl.

Meanwhile, Ariel has taken over the throne under the sea, for the part she played in Triton no longer being able to rule. He's believed to be dead after Ursula turned him into seaweed. Then Scuttle happens to see Eric's opera and he thinks it means he might remember Ariel, so Scuttle tells Ariel this and it's not long before the two meet once again!

They unite in order to put a stop to Ursula once and for all, and of course, they fall back in love as Disney characters are wont to do!

This was such a fun novel to read and see! It was a little different seeing the drawings of beloved Disney characters looking not like how we know them. But for obvious reasons, they have to be different and I totally get that. They still have the essence of the characters that we all knew, they have just been hardened and changed by the events of the five years we were not privy to! The Matthews did a tremendous job on that front! 

It has been many years since I read the novel version, so I am having a hard time trying to compare and liken them to each other, but as I suspect with most graphic novel adaptations, we get the heart of the novel story told in a condensed format. All the right moments were there and it makes for a wonderful story!

For fans of the Disney novels like the Villains series and Twisted Tales, these graphic novel adaptations are sure to delight you as much as their novel predecessors! These are great ways to experience a favorite novel all over again in a new way! Highly recommended!

Overall Rating 5/5 stars