❝ Once upon a time, there was a king and queen—and a horse cloak who lived in the stables nearby—in a land called Love’s Keep. Once, the king and queen had loved each other, but then they forgot, and then they remembered again. Much more than a year and a day has passed, but that does not stop them from remembering how to fall in love. ❞


I'm probably in the minority when I say that I did not enjoy this story. I loved the premise, I loved the storytelling and I enjoyed how it subtly mocked the fairytales that we know, but I didn't like how it played out. If I'm being honest, I almost DNF'd this on quite a few occasions. The story dragged for me and I really wasn't head-over-heels in love with the leads.



1 Star!

Once More Upon a Time is a cute, light-hearted romance centered around the two main characters, Imelda, a princess looking for adventure, and Ambrose, a prince who just wants the recognition that his brothers so easily receive. I really enjoyed the chemistry between the two main characters and the overall plot was what I expected it to be from the description. This is a novella, so the story does progress at a relatively fast pace, but I thought that the author handled the pacing well. I thought the novella was cute, but it was a bit formulaic for me as I wasn't really surprised by anything that happened. I wish the plot had had a bit more impact or an element of surprise, but overall, it was a decently good read.

2⭐️

I don’t know what to say.

Honestly, I was so excited to read this book and thought that I was gonna like it, but I did not.

I did not like the writing. The pace and the characters which honestly doesn’t have presence at all.

I was bored throughout the book but pushed it through because I thought there would be a twist or whatsoever and I’ll enjoy it but still no.


•

Thank you NetGally for letting me review this book in advance

This was so cute, while also having some interesting exploration of trauma. A wonderful magical world, it had everything I wanted from a short story. If you want to have your heart warmed, read it!

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC, all thoughts are my own.

Delightfully charming, this novella felt like one perfect bedtime story. Once More Upon a Time was exceptionally written; it was so easy to get lost in these pages. Plus, I never expected any author to ever make a CLOAK be my favourite character in their book, but here we are. The cloak is the absolute best.

If you’re looking for a lovely fairy tale to brighten your spirits and leave you feeling happy, I recommend you pick this up.

Once More Upon A Time is a charming novella featuring Imelda and Ambrose, two lovers cursed by a witch to fall out of love with each other. A year and a day after their curse is cast, the witch reappears and poses a quest to them. Can Imelda and Ambrose remember why they fell in love along the way? On their journey, they meet a hilarious cast of characters featuring a honey badger, cannibals, and an icy witch queen.

With threads from Twelve Dancing Princesses, this novella is a fairy tale all its own. Once More Upon A Time is so much fun and such a delightful journey! Ambrose is very well-meaning and tired of being the middle child, eager to finally have something for himself. Imelda is a powerful and strong princess, unwilling to give up her freedom. I loved her personality! Readers will be able to find something to relate to in both. Chokshi knows all the classic fairy tale tropes and how to poke fun at them. Traveling scenes are eschewed, a talking horse cloak is a loyal companion, and we finally hear things from the witch’s point of view. I loved how tongue in cheek it was, clearly showing a deep love for fairy tales and twists.

Roshani Chokshi writes incredibly sensory details and descriptions, painting a vivid picture in every scene. There is a good mix of funny and sweet scenes. I only wish it were longer, because I want to see more from these characters! I recommend Once More Upon A Time for when you are looking for a short, sweet, and hilarious fairy tale. It’s such a delightful treat! Once More Upon A Time releases on October 5, 2021. Thank you so much to Roshani Chokshi, Sourcebooks Casablanca, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For the publisher: My review will be posted on the publication date and I will publish it on Instagram, Goodreads, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble etc.

A prince and a princess are married for a day and one night before a witch takes their love away in exchange for saving the princess’s life... now a year and a day later the witch returns and offers them a chance to go on a quest and she will give them their freedom from their loveless marriage... and yet with all quests comes finding new things, and rediscovering old things... such as a love that is true. This was a super sweet and short read! It combines the classic “twelve dancing princess” fairytale in it and is told from both the POVs of the prince and princess. I thought this was such a delightful read and honestly, so sweet.

*Thanks Netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

I was provided with an eARC of this book in exchange for a fair review.

This was a delightful, fun, funny, and slightly irreverent short story. I went into it not realizing it was so short, so I was a little confused at the fast pacing and lack of deep plot, but it made sense once I took a look at the length and intention. It did a wonderful job of taking a well known fairytale (The Twelve Dancing Princesses) and giving us a spinoff that added to the original lore while still feeling unique and new. I dont know why, but reading this makes me want to go reread Ella Enchanted (but not the movie. Never the movie). All in all, Roshani Chokshi yet again gives us a fabulous story that I will be sure to revisit.

I looked at the synopsis, searched for other books by the author and was convinced by the beautiful cover. The truth? I was very surprised to realize that the book was short (my Kindle marked about an hour and a half to finish it, I read it in three days).

Despite its length, Once More Upon a Time tells a story that needs no more words. It's heartwarming, full of teachings and nods to fairy tales that I love. For starters, we have the twelve dancing princesses.
I was also very pleased with the narration. Except for the point of view of our narrator (who I won't say who she is because #spoilers) which is in first person, the book is in third person and focuses one chapter on Imelda and then we switch to the prince (whose name I don't remember, heh).


Overall, it was a book I really enjoyed and ideal for a quiet weekend.

ESP
Revisé la sinopsis, busqué otros libros de la autora y me dejé convencer por la bonita portada. ¿La verdad? Quedé muy sorprendida al darme cuenta de que el libro era corto (mi Kindle marcaba una hora y media aproximadamente para terminarlo, lo leí en tres días).

Pese a su extensión, Once More Upon a Time cuenta una historia que no necesita más palabras. Es reconfortante, lleno de enseñanzas y guiños a cuentos de hadas que me encantan. Para empezar, tenemos a las doce princesas bailarinas.

También me agradó mucho la narración. Salvo el punto de vista de nuestra narradora (que no diré quién es porque #spoilers) que es en primera persona, el libro está en tercera persona y se enfoca un capítulo en el sentir de Imelda y después cambiamos al príncipe (cuyo nombre no recuerdo, je).

En general, fue un libro que disfruté mucho e ideal para un fin de semana tranquilo.

Sometimes you just need a lighthearted fairytale.

This was a delightful novella that turned many a tale on its head. I loved seeing the different twists on common stories, and the differing perspectives of Ambrose and Imelda were fun. As always, Chokshi dazzles with her lyrical prose and lush descriptions.

On the last page, Chokshi says something very profound, something to the effect of how they lived not happily ever after, but hopefully ever after. And that’s beautiful.

Once More Upon a Time is perfect for fans of Stardust and Ella Enchanted.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review!

-Ande

This was intensely charming; it’s a deft, delicate little novella that charts a perfect path between contemporary snark, fairytale whimsy, and an emotionally sincere exploration of what it means to fall in love—the chances you take, what you give up, and what you gain.

The language is beautiful, the tone at once arch and earnest, and the characters—while lightly sketched—very likeable. As well as a freedom-hungry princess and an overlooked prince, there’s also a honey badger of dubious moral character, a sardonic witch, and an enchanted cloak which is convinced it’s a horse.

Basically, this book made me feel all sorts of happy things. Please do pick it up if you, too, would like to feel happy things.

Thank you, SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca, for an eARC. I received a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I did enjoy reading this book. It's a short spin-off retelling of The 12 Dancing Princesses fairytale. The book was relatively silly, and the author included lots of intricate details woven into the storyline. I didn't connect with Imelda and Ambrose. The reader did not learn a lot about them until the end of the book. I think this would make a great bedtime story to tell to children, but as an adult, I could definitely see myself forgetting I read this in a couple of months' time. Overall, I rate this book 3 stars.

This was a short story, but it was cute. I liked the retelling of the 12 Dancing Princesses. I liked the characters, and I thought it was a good story!

This was a silly story but still enjoyable. It almost gave me Princess Bride vibes, and I always like stories like this where it is mostly ridiculous for the majority, thereby making the serious and emotional parts that much more potent and impactful. Roshani Chokshi’s writing is always utterly beautiful. That being said, the story was still somewhat disjointed for me to fully enjoy. I get that this was originally an audio format, so I’m trying to give it some grace, but I felt lost a lot of the time and that prevented me from liking it more.

This was a quick and pleasant read. What a fun fairy tale! The plot was put together well and the characters were a joy to get to know. This book is a great way to pass the time if you're in the mood for a fast, lighthearted story.

Once upon a time, in the land of Love’s Keep, there was a king and there was a queen and once upon a time they loved each other.

But now? Now that love is a thing of the past.

They have a year and a day until they are ousted from their kingdom.

And a year and a day passes.

Imelda and Ambrose can’t remember why they got married. A year and a day ago, Ambrose traded their love to a witch to save Imelda’s life.

And so they’ve been stuck with each other, loveless, for a year and a day.

On the day that they are leaving Love’s Keep, the same witch reappears, promising them their wishes granted, as long as they venture on a short journey, and complete a small favour for her. With literally nothing left to lose, Imelda and Ambrose go ahead and tell her yes.

It’s a mad journey, but between mad honey badgers and a delirious quote, Imelda and Ambrose begin to remember why they fell in love in the first place.

When their journey comes to and end, Imelda and Ambrose must make the most difficult decision of all: to choose their deepest wishes- or each other?

I absolutely adored this, and can’t wait to listen to it (when Once More Upon A Time releases, it will be an audible original) If my synopsis has enchanted you enough, look out for Once More Upon A Time will be released on October 5th 2021!

(This is by Roshani Chokshi, by the way, as in The Gilded Wolves)

I really loved the characters personalities, and the way they grew on me in this. I kind of despised them both at first. To me, Imelda seemed boring, cliched and not like other girls, and Ambrose appeared to be bland, also boring, and devoid of personality.

But they were not. They were real, with well-written backstories that were almost common tropes, but played their own twists on them. I liked Imelda best.

Another thing I liked was the extra narrator we had: the witch herself. She was really…well, not funny, but she had quite a casual tone, and I had a lot of fun reading her input of the story- especially the bit where she talks about roads. (You’ll see)

This was a solid five stars.

Perfect for fans of The Lunar Chronicles, Roshani Chokshi’s writing in this is absolutely delightful, and leaves you wanting more.

I was provided with an ARC of this in exchange for honest feedback via NetGalley- Thank you for the privilege of reading and reviewing this book!

A fantastic little book that pulled me out of a reading slump. For some reason, I was disappointed with everything recently, but the cheeky tone, cheerful adventure and very faithful fairytale references of this one got me through it. I loved it and I definitely recommend it to teens and older. If you like fairytales, wild princesses, cute love stories and want to know what happens to the siblings of the princes and queens and heros that get to have a happily ever after. jump on this book. You won't regret it. It's a very fast read that will have you smiling in no time.

Once More Upon a Time is a light and fantastical fairytale reimagining that follows Imelda and Ambrose, a king and queen who have lost their love and have to venture on a perilous quest for a chance for freedom. First off, I’m just obsessed with this cover, and I absolutely loved the writing in this book. The prose flow so beautifully! The narrator is playful and witty, and Imelda and Ambrose are so vivid and strong—plus there’s a talking cloak that thinks it’s a horse that just never failed to make me laugh. The development of these characters is so great and organic, especially in a book that’s only 144 pages. I loved Imelda had a bite to her—she is headstrong and feisty and I love her take-control attitude. Ambrose too is so chivalrous and good-natured. My only complaint is I wanted more! Even with the shorter length though, nothing felt cut short or unanswered. The magic in it is whimsical, and the whole world built is beautiful and artistic and completely whisks you away as a reader. Truly, this is such a fun read!

This was a fun quick romance! Nice to read in between bigger books!
It is nothing really special, but I flew through it! Plot was fast-paced, and characters were interesting! I would have prefered a longer and more elaborated story though!
The writing is nice, just in Chokshi's other books!

An absolutely delightful novella. Some might even say charming…!

Honestly, Chokshi’s narrative is fantastic. There’s just the right balance of wit and humour applied to this topsy-turvy fairytale that makes it somehow brilliantly modern. The banter (or magic-induced-loathing…) between Imelda and Ambrose is entirely on point, the cast of eccentric supporting characters (such as the wickedly amusing talking cloak that believes it’s a horse…) are believable and hysterical in equal measure, and the work itself strikes just the right tone and is immersive from the very first line.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the ARC. - it was a privilege!