I was curious about the premise and thinking of Once Upon a Time, so I went in with high expectations. Overall it was a fun read, but found the writing to be more YA than adult and ended up not being as engaged in the story as I had hoped. I had requested this story early on in my NG process and have since fine tuned it to prefer thrillers over anything else. I may just not be the right audience for this story.

2.8/5 🌞
I liked the book but can't completely give it a 3.

The first pages was slow and it took me a while to get through them. At the same time it was a bit confusing what the story was about but it came clearer after a few chapters when the book really kicked off.

I liked the ide of the story and for a second published book, Llyn did a great job.
I will continue read here books and can't wait to se what she has in store for us.

I'm not a huge fan of first person (ironic because that's how I've started this review). I ended up DNFing because I struggled with the POV.

I was initially intrigued by this book but it just didn't work for me. I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would.

Honestly, I had to dnf this early on. I thought the writing was really bad. I was cringing through the first little bit.

Definitely a different take on a fairytale.
Kind of like a YA Once Upon a Time.

I felt like something was missing tbh.
Overall tho, it was a good story.

"Spell Borne" by Auden Ilyr offers a captivating reimagining of classic fairy tale themes such as fate, prophecies, and free will. Ilyr's unique creativity and distinctive writing style set this retelling apart from the usual fare. It's evident from the narrative that Ilyr invested significant research and effort into crafting a fresh and engaging perspective.

I really wanted to love this book. The premise sounded so enticing, but I felt it ended up falling flat. I was not prepared for the SA, so I feel like more trigger warnings should be included. Overall, I fell for the idea of this book, but not the execution.

I believe this was one of the first titles I ever requested. Not really interested anymore. I should probably make some sort of organization system to keep track of these

Gosh this was the fairytale I needed right now! It absolutely hooked me and had me devouring it from start to finish!! I absolutely love and recommend this book!!

This is a dark read but I had a great time with it. I really liked the fairytale elements that were dotted throughout this novel.

We were learning everything alongside the character which I had a fun time with and I enjoyed the female main character taking matters into her own hands and choosing the life she wants to lead.

love the twist and meta converstaion about fairytales, well written and a great fantasy book in the new adult range

I was really intrigued to read this book but for some reason it didn‘t catch me. I tried for so long to enjoy it and sadly can‘t say what I didn‘t like.
I didn’t feel the vibe at all, would love to listen as an audiobook some day and see if I like it better then.

We are all familiar with the fairy tales of princesses, knights, and villains who strive to ruin everyone's lives. These stories were read to us as children, and we all watched the Disney versions that became gospel to most of us. The original stories are lost on most people. But what is they were all true to a degree and part of a family tree's fate? That is where the main character finds herself in this story. Her grandmother lived a Sleeping Beauty life story as did her mother. Is she doomed to follow in their fabled footsteps? Not if she can help it.
The description of this book is what got my attention. I love fairy tales, but the same old stories are getting boring. This one put a fresh new twist on it. The stories continue through the generations but can vary enough to mesh multiple stories into one. The Magic in the area feeds upon thoughts and actions to direct one's fairy tale life. But as a group of individuals try to change their fate, secrets are revealed and mistakes are made. 
At first, this story began very slow. Not much was given to the reader to get them caught up with the characters. Little by little, information is revealed. I think it would have been better if the reader had learned the fairy tale news at the same time as the main character. So much would not have been as confusing. 
As the story progressed, I found myself wanting to know what would reveal itself on the next few pages. There were so many secrets and opportunities as they attempted to redirect the path the Magic was intent on taking. Could the simple of act of wearing the right colored clothes be enough? What about the actions of others? There were so many variables that I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see what the impacts would be. That doesn't take into account the other characters who wanted to change the story to fit their own narratives. 
Without revealing too much, I found myself surprised at the end only because so many tales are similar and I was not looking at everything that happened. An enjoyable read that had me wanting to know more about the families and ask a million questions regarding the magic.

I received this book for free for an honest review from netgalley.

Witchy magical fun. I can't wait to reread this one. The setting and characters were so complex.

This was one of my favorite reads of 2023. I loved this so much! I adore fantasy and reimagined fairy tales. This was done so well! The cover is gorgeous as well. This is my favorite retelling I've ever read. I look forward to reading more by this author because her writing style really worked well for this genre.

Trigger warning for SA.

Loren finds herself pulled into a real life fairytale, with only her friends and overbearing grandmother to help her find her way to happily ever after.

I wanted to like this book more than I inevitably did. This book has a lot of connections to fairytale retellings, unsurprisingly for the premise. However, at times it felt a bit overwritten or disjointed with all the different elements going on that made it somewhat hard to follow at points. Despite this, it was an interesting read that I would not recommend for anyone who avoids SA triggers in books.

This was a NetGalley review.

I am embarrassed it took me so long to read this book. I should have read it a long time ago and just failed.

But, I am so glad I finally got through it. My semester is over and my grading is finished and I thought it might be the perfect time to dig into this one. It seemed on theme. :)

I loved this unique and fresh take on the fairy tale. We get to see old stories interwoven together from a brand new perspective and that's just lovely. I look forward to seeing the next.

Llyr has a talent for immersive writing and clearly took time in building such an authentic tale.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

This is a wonderful story. Sometimes all the details bogged me down a bit but it was amazing. The world building was phenomenal. All the rules and guesses keep you on your seat wondering what will happen. The characters are deep with many facets. There is a learning aspect to this that I loved going through the different fairytales. The plot is a very twisty one that I really enjoyed. I really enjoyed this story.