A clever, sweet, hilarious, and flawlessly done fairytale mashup novella that dances across a number of classic tales but focuses largely on The Twelve Dancing Princesses.

That one is a favorite for fairytale reimaginings, to mixed results. The one is one of the very best, and blends in other stories from the same oeuvre beautifully.

The clever humor in this is rare for the genre and exceptional, and the story is sweet and enchanting without ever veering into the saccharine.

The tone is reminiscent of Melissa Albert and Margaret Owen, two of my favorites. I absolutely loved everything about this.

Ambrose and Imelda were a Prince and Princess who married and were given their own kingdom to rule. However, when Imelda got sick, they made a deal with a witch to give up their love for each other but stay together for a year and a day. Once the time is up, the witch makes another deal with them to give them their freedom if they can get her a special potion from another kingdom. The couple agrees to pretend they are still together until they can get the potion. They have to eventually learn what their hearts truly desire.

This fairytale story was short and concise. Though it was a novella, there was great character development. Ambrose and Imelda weren’t the heroes of their families, but they became the heroes of their own story.

This story was also hilarious. The narrator made sarcastic comments on what was happening and the fairytale tropes in the story. This funny narrator made the story so enjoyable!

Once More Upon a Time is a fun fairytale story!

Thank you Sourcebooks Casablanca for providing a copy of this book.

Gigantic thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca @sourcebookscasa and Netgalley @netgalley for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If you love a good fairytale, this is for you. I'm a sucker for them so naturally I snagged this as soon as it was available. This story was a blast to read. I laughed out loud so many times while reading this. The banter between the two main characters is to die for and the development of their old/new found relationship wholesome. The journey was quick paced making the plot snappy without taking away from the story. The writing was descriptive and completely perfect for this type of story. Truly, I needed this warm, comedic hug in my life.

Easy 4.75 stars. Take some time out to read this. You won't regret it.Gigantic thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca @sourcebookscasa and Netgalley @netgalley for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If you love a good fairytale, this is for you. I'm a sucker for them so naturally I snagged this as soon as it was available. This story was a blast to read. I laughed out loud so many times while reading this. The banter between the two main characters is to die for and the development of their old/new found relationship wholesome. The journey was quick paced making the plot snappy without taking away from the story. The writing was descriptive and completely perfect for this type of story. Truly, I needed this warm, comedic hug in my life.

Easy 4.75 stars. Take some time out to read this. You won't regret it.

This all felt very whimsical and lovely! I adored the relationship between Ambrose and Imelda. Their banter was adorable, as individual characters they were relatable and humorous, and their overarching story was interesting. The length of the book was perfect. I loved that it went into enough detail to paint the scene but was also vague like fairy tales are. The book is told very much like a classic fairy tale by starting with a broad backstory and including a meddling witch, a wicked family member, and a conflict-filled adventure. This story outline might be common for fairy tales but it's a formula that works. Combine that with Chokshi's writing style and you get this wonderful read. It does have some darker scenes but overall I found this to be a light tale with a great mix of humor, romance, adventure, and magic.

This was a sweet little book but honestly I had trouble getting fully into it. Maybe in a different mood I would enjoy it better, but it just doesn't seem to be my style.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Imelda was one of the twelve dancing princess. Ambrose was the prince who, instead of slaying a dragon, saved its life because it was trying to protect the kingdom. They fall in love, marry, and the day if their wedding are cursed that they would only love each other in marriage for a day and a night. And so it happens. Then the witch who cursed them returns almost a whole year later as they are officially splitting up and offers them their dreams if they'll get her a potion. Imelda and Ambrose take her up on her offer, and, while you can probably guess what happens, the getting there is sweet.

Netgalley gave me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a lovely little novella. A fun meshing of several fairy tales with some wonderful characters (including a cloak who thinks he is a horse). I would have read 50 more pages of this - it's delightful, but also I would have loved to see a little more between Imelda and Ambrose.

4/5

Once upon a time, Prince Ambrose and Princess Imelda fell in love, and that would have been the end of the story if they did not forget. After one day and one night of marriage, Imelda is poisoned, and the two forfeit the love between them in order to obtain an antidote to save her life. One year passes and not much has changed between the two rulers, yet a chance quest arising from the very witch that took away their love offers a possibility to reclaim what they have lost. Ambrose and Imelda may not know what that is, but together they will brave badgers, magical landscapes, and encounters with cannibals to try to restore what was taken from them.

With a story full of wit, magic, and romance, Roshani Chokshi has once again struck a chord deep inside my heart. Once More Upon a Time is riveting, exactly the kind of story I needed to kick off October and bring a smile to my face in the process. This was such a heartwarming read from start to finish, imbued with adventure and danger at every turn. Alongside a romance so frustrating at times, this novella is typical Roshani Chokshi, and I adored every exasperating moment in the rediscovery of love between Ambrose and Imelda. The alternating chapters present were such an added bonus to the narrative, switching up the points of view and contrasting the perceptions of the quest’s purpose. As with most novellas, my main criticism with this is that it was much too short. This is really just a personal preference, because of the degree to which I got drawn into the story and how fast it concluded. While I may have been left wanting more, this is absolutely a fantasy novella worth reading for the story alone. Once More Upon a time is swoon-worthy, a heartfelt take on a classic fairytale that attempts to reconcile what is lost with what is found and reclaimed.

Trigger Warnings: poisoning, attempted murder, cannibalism

Review is posted on Goodreads as of 12/02/21

Thank you Netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca for sending me this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

TW: cannibalistic encounters, poisoning, murder attempts, childhood trauma

Roshani Chokshi knocks it out of the park, delivering even more than I could’ve expected from this easily devoured novella. Coming in at a little under 150 pages, this fairy tale novella is a love letter for those of us who truly love fairy tales and their essence. In this we follow Imelda and Ambrose, a couple that was once happily in love, until well they aren’t. I enjoyed how the narration was from the Witch's POV, which offered witty insight and provoked thought. As an extra perk we also had alternating chapters split between Ambrose and Imelda. I like that Imelda’s fairy tale takes a spin on the classic ‘Twelve Dancing Princesses’ and how both her and Ambrose both struggle to comprehend and redefine what it is they are looking for both individually and together.

For a story this short it packs in a lot, in a manner that is both seamless and effortless that’ll make your heart fluttering, your smile wide, and a bit of anxiousness as you await the conclusion. It also has some of the best tropes:
-one bed
-lovers-strangers-friends-???
-animal companions (sorta)
-dark-haired Prince with a sad past
-curses
-powerful female protagonist

If you like fairy tales, banter, a good character profile and a quick read, pick this up!

Let me start with how much I enjoy Roshani Chokshi's gikded wolves series. I love her deep knowledge dive in the series. That said, this was a really short read. The book gets better once Ambrose and his wife are allowed to separate and they get to see everything in a new light. The cloak that thinks it's a horse was really funny.

Thank you sourcebooks and netgalley for my copy.

Once More Upon a Time is a quick little fairy tale that would be a nice palate cleanser between books. It didn’t take me more than a couple hours to read, and was interesting enough.

While I did enjoy the humor the narrator of the book possessed, I will say I was slightly disappointed overall. I’ve loved Chokshi’s other books a great deal, so I was expecting a bit more than just a regurgitated tale with a slight spin. There were definitely moments in the book that made me feel like my read was worth it, but I personally wouldn’t chose to read it again.

I think this is an excellent book for someone who really loves fairy tales, or doesn’t mind a slightly predictable book in between other more engrossing reads.

Once More Upon a Time definitely made me smile a lot. It was honestly a really cute book to listen to and I wanted to see where everything was going to go. If I could change one thing, it would be the length. With everything that was happening.. a longer book would've made me a lot happier. Not saying I didn't enjoy this book one bit - because I really did.

Grab a hot cup of whatever, a blanket, and enjoy a throwback to an good, old fashioned fairy tale (very, very slightly modernized).

Quick, cute, and fuzzy, when it comes to prose, this author is one of the favorites and she doesn't disappoint here

✨ 𝐑 𝐞 𝐯 𝐢 𝐞 𝐰 ✨⁣
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“What a witch takes, a witch does not give back!”⁣
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𝘖𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘜𝘱𝘰𝘯 𝘢 𝘛𝘪𝘮𝘦 by 𝐑𝐨𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐢 𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐤𝐬𝐡𝐢⁣
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You know, I pictured this going rather differently. The summary sounded quite interesting, and the cover is beautiful, so all of this pulled me in… only to spit me back out and make me feel miserable. 😅⁣
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This story has an incredibly fun premise, and I was excited to read a fairytale. Unfortunately, 𝘖𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘜𝘱𝘰𝘯 𝘢 𝘛𝘪𝘮𝘦 just doesn’t really live up to that. It honestly feels more like a fever dream than a fairytale.⁣
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The main characters are extremely unlikeable, and the only one who isn’t completely unlikeable is one that makes absolutely no sense - a magical cloak that thinks it is a horse. This is never explained. This would have been okay if literally every mention of it had not been along the lines of “this horse cloak’s existence doesn’t make sense.” We know it doesn’t make sense. You are beating a dead cloak.⁣
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Honestly, the only reason I didn’t DNF was because it’s such a short read. But you better bet there was a lot of skimming.⁣
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Thank you so much to @sourcebookscasa for my copy!

As many of you probably know, Roshani Chokshi is an amazing author. When I saw that she was writing another book I KNEW I had to get my hands on this baby.

Once More Upon a Time was such a cute short story and I loved it. I finished it in a few hours and LOVED IT. Roshani has done it again, transporting me to another universe that had me falling in love with the main characters and the magic that she creates.

This is a twisted tale of the old Grimm story "the twelve dancing princesses" that focuses on one of the 12 princesses, Imelda. Imelda meets her soul mate, Ambrose at her sisters wedding and the rest is history, or at least it was suppose to be. Imelda and Ambrose should be enjoying their "happily ever after" but after a year of marriage, it just isn't happening. The two now are set on a quest from a witch that could allow them to have everything they want and not be tied together any longer.

I loved that the narrator was the witch. I LOVED IT. It made me laugh during the book and really let you see the story from 3 points of view, the witch, Imelda and Ambrose. I also really enjoyed the magical world that Roshani created. A talking honey badger, a frozen city, a magical adventure that was perfect for a quick read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy of Once More Upon a Time in exchange for an honest review. This is a fun and quick fairytale romance novella. I think the novella aspect is what made me not completely love this story. I firmly believe that if this had been a full length novel, I would have give it five stars. But it was just too short for my liking. I wanted more of everything.
This follows one of the sisters from the Twelve Dancing Princesses and a prince that is the middle child of three brothers. They fall in love, but they are cursed before they really even get to be together. Their love is taken from them and because of that, they cannot rule the kingdom they’ve been given by the brides father. A year later is when this story takes place. Just as they are about to go their separate ways, the witch that stole their love makes them a deal. They must go on a quest to get a potion and in return she will give them both what they want.
Because this story was so short, I really had a hard time connecting with the characters emotionally. I wanted to know more about them and their relationship. I wished we had gotten to see the two of them falling in love previous to everything that happened in this book.
I especially loved the witch acting as the narrator. She was funny and added some humor to the story. She was interesting and a little bit mysterious and I wanted to see more of her. I liked both the main characters too. They both had really distinct personalities and well developed backstories that explained why they behaved in the ways that they did.
Overall, my biggest issue with this book was that I wanted more of it. I felt like it wasn’t long enough for me to really connect and get attached to the characters.

A really sweet second chance romance. I would have liked a little more world building, but I think there's only so much you can pack into a novella. If you are looking for a sweet fantasy romance, this book would be a great choice!

To start, let me say that I didn’t realize this was only 144 pages. It read more like a novella or quick, short story than the novel I was expecting.

That said, I thought it was really cute. Imelda and Ambrose both want different things. Ambrose wants to feel like he belongs somewhere and like he can trust someone. Imelda wants to be free to make her own decisions. She doesn’t want anyone or anything holding her down.

These two set out on a question a witch tasked them with in order to be rewarded everything they both dream of. In the end, they discover that they can have all the things they thought they couldn’t. Neither wants to compromise the deepest desires of their hearts for love, and their quest helps them both realize they don’t have to.

This was an adorable story with magical, fairytale vibes. I recommend if you’re looking for something quick and light-hearted.

Once More Upon a Time was a very quick and fun retelling of fairytales told in a unique way. I especially liked the narration, which was both witty and entertaining. However, as much as I liked the characters and setting, it was very predictable. There were no surprises and nothing blew me away. I was waiting for the shoe to drop (no pun intended) the entire time, but was disappointed. It was a fun read nonetheless.

Thank you to SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca and Netgalley for an eARC!

𝒪𝓃𝒸𝑒 𝑀𝑜𝓇𝑒 𝒰𝓅𝑜𝓃 𝒜 𝒯𝒾𝓂𝑒…

There once was a prince named Ambrose and a princess named Imelda and they fell madly in 𝓵𝓸𝓿𝓮, and get married of course. Then a witch came and screwed it all up. After a year and a day they’ve forgotten the impetus of their vows and things aren’t so happy ever after for Ambrose and Imelda. The fairy tale unfolds as they embark on a journey to find what their true heart seeks…once they figure out what that is.

Drawing inspiration from a multitude of childhood fairytales, Roshani Chokshi, infuses her novella with satire. Originally only available as a full cast audio from Audible, Chokshi has rereleased her tale in print.

It’s quick, light, and fun. The perfect antidote to a stress-filled day, paired with a delicious cuppa. Like most fairy tales, I would guess it makes for a better story read aloud to you by some professional narrators, but it was still fun to try and pick out bits of recognizable childhood favorites.

Thank you to the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review Once More Upon a Time by Roshani Chokshi.