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.

This was a fun and light hearted fairytale. I enjoyed it! I had no idea it was such a short read! This would be perfect for an afternoon in the park or at the beach.

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!

Extremely well written as I'd expect from Chokshi. I was less enamored by the general narrative and characters. Overall, a good fairy tale style story.

roshani is one of my favorite authors and there’s no surprise that i absolutely love this book. i was thrilled when she first announced it and i absolutely loved every bit of it

Once upon a time there was a prince and a princess who loved each other very much. That is, until the princess died. A witch appeared and granted the prince her life back, but in exchange she took away their love. They are sent to Lover’s Keep, where the land only prospers if the King and Queen are in love. A year and a day pass and they are being kicked out. The witch appears again and offers them their hearts desire, but again happiness has a price. Join Imelda and Ambrose on a journey to claim their hearts desire. Along the way, they may figure out what that truly is.


The prose in this was absolutely wonderful; the words flowed beautifully! This fairytale was a quick read and also exhibited some valuable life lessons. This definitely was a fairytale like any other! Love can be taken away, but can it be reclaimed?

I loved how strong Imelda was. She was not going to take any crap from anyone, especially a man. Imelda has been controlled by her father her whole life, what she wants is to be free.

Once More Upon a Time was a quick, easy read that hit all the right buttons when it comes to fantasy romance novellas. It was fun and engaging, with a sweet romance executed between the main characters. I love Roshani Chokshi’s evocative, clever writing and OMUAT didn’t disappoint in that regard. My only “complaint” is that I wish it was longer, I felt there wasn’t quite enough pages to truly fall in love with the characters and the story, but under the page constraints of a novella it was certainly engaging enough to keep me interested. As a quick taster of her writing before her much anticipated The Bronzed Beasts releases, it functions perfectly. I’d recommend if you’re looking for a short, single sitting type of read that is still chocked full of whimsical fantasy romance.

*Copy provided by NetGalley* I've loved everything I read by Roshani Chokshi so far, and while this wasn't quite as good as some of her other works, it was still a charming read. I really liked how she used this novella to explore one of the other sisters from the 12 dancing princesses fairy tale and what affect it had on her her. But I also really enjoyed how Chokshi used that as a starting point for her own new fairy tale. The ending isn't surprising, but I enjoyed the trip there, especially with the beautiful and whimsical writing and the adventures the MCs have along the way. Left me feeling happy.

I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH! Roshani is a phenomenal writer. This book is perfect for fans of second chance romance or readers who enjoy angsty books. I loved Imelda and Ambrose.

This is delightful. Very fun and romantic fairytale novella about no-longer-in-love married royals falling in love on an enchanted road trip. There is an off-page sex scene and an on-page removing of a bodice before they jump into bed! Romance readers, what else do you need?

I'm struggling to categorize the genre. It's a fairytale/fantasy romance but it reads like YA (that bodice part was like 2 seconds and then it's fade-to-black). I think both teens and adults would enjoy it. Lots of hijinks and humor, but also vulnerability and a solid romantic arc. I'd recommend it for fans of Shrek, Ella Enchanted, and all other fairytale subversions/retellings.

4/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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Thank you to the publishers and Net Galley for giving me a copy of this book! This is my honest review, all views are my own.
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Once More Upon a Time is a charming tale that weaves together some existing fairytales with an original story: the cursed king and queen of Love’s Keep. In order to save his newlywed wife Imelda, Ambrose sacrifices his love of her to a witch, turning them into near strangers. A year and a day later, the same witch asks the two of them to collect a potion for her and in return receive their hearts’ desires.
The story was a lot shorter than I expected, but that didn’t take away from the plot or the romance. The writing style was casual—the Witch narrated half of the story, while it otherwise switched points off now between Ambrose and Imelda—and it was very readable. I quickly read through 25% without realizing I had gotten so far in the book! Both of the main characters were strong-willed and intelligent, and I only wish I got to know them better! The plot itself was fine; it’s a relatively simple adventure where the reluctant couple travels to secure a prize and falls in love in the process. The side characters were more two dimensional simply because they were not as relevant to the story as the romance and the couple’s relationship, but they served their purposes as plot devices very well. There were a as few points where I got confused or disagreed with the author’s choices (such as the horse cloak), but overall I think it was a sweet story about re-falling in love and how sometimes one’s desires in life change. 4 stars.