Once More upon a Time

RC has written some of my favourite fantasy books, so i was so excited to see how she would approach a classic fairytale story.<br /><br />for what this is, its fine. its cute, quick, and stays true to fairytale storytelling. but thats all. RC is capable of really amazing world-building and characters, so im sad that this feels pretty shallow. but again, this is how most traditional bedtime fairytales are. so as long as you going into this expecting that kind of story, nothing intricate, you wont be disappointed. <br /><br />i personally would have liked something more but, for a short story, its adequate.<br /><br /><i>thank you sourcebooks casablanca for the ARC!</i><br /><br /><b>↠ <i>3 stars</i></b>

A quick fabulous tour in fairy tale universe : Grimm Brothers’ famous Twelve Dancing Princesses combined with Little Briar Rose ( dark version of Sleeping Beauty) and Dragon’s Tail, Two Brothers with Maleficent vibes! <br /><br /> This is a story about cursed and unforgettable love of an unfaithful prince who loses everything he has in his life and a princess who only prays to gain her own freedom without being trapped in a place or being condemned by any other man! <br /><br />Imelda was one of the twelve princesses who was roused up from her sleep at each night, found her slippers scuffed at the each morning as if she’d danced all night. You may already know the fairytale about princesses or you may read the modern version: “ House of Salt and Sorrow” ( highly recommended if you didn’t read it yet) Those girls found a passage to the fairyland where they danced till they passed out! One of her sisters already found her prince who was also a gardener’s assistant tipped by witch about how to solve the curse.<br /><br /> But this story is not about that sister. This is Imelda’s story. Imelda who found love and lost it against the curse.<br /><br /> Her love of her life was prince Ambrose. He was one of the three sons of the king, who loses the battles for being kind, good hearted. He aims to do the right thing for the benefit of the kingdom including saving a dragon’s life in expanse of losing the throne.<br /><br /> And now he’s about to lose his kingdom at Love’s Keep. For staying as a king of the place: he must be in love with his queen. But for saving Imelda’s life who is poisoned, he makes a deal with the witch in expanse of forgetting his love for her forever! <br /><br /> Now they’re two strangers who can’t bare to be in the same place. Imelda doesn’t want to go back home because she wants to be free from her overprotective father and his strict methods to trap her in the place. <br /><br /> Ambrose lurks around the woods, sulking, lost, unhappy. Their one year and one day long time is about to end. They’re so close to be ousted from their kingdom.<br /><br /> But the very same witch who cursed them makes an offer they can be both benefited. Imelda and Ambrose will work together to steal a potion from ruthless witch queen and if they succeed, they can move on with their lives: Ambrose can have his own kingdom and Imelda can finally earn her freedom.<br /><br /> But what if this long, adventurous journey is the way to remember what they meant for each other! <br /><br /> I’m stopping right here! The smart, sarcastic cloak of Ambrose is my favorite character at this book! <br /><br /> I liked the combination of different fairytales and conclusion of the story but I wish it could be a little longer. <br /><br />I’m giving four careful what you wish for, tribute to Grimm Brothers, fairytales, fables stars! <br /><br />Special thanks to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

I probably should have DNF'd this one... I usually like listening to audio over reading, but this one might have been better if I could have read it. Honestly, I was pretty bored.

**Received from NG. Please note: I share a publisher with this author so please bear that in mind when reading my review**<br /><br />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. <br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.

A small, sweet fairy tale novella.

<b>↠ 4 stars</b><br /><br />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.<br /><br />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. <br /><br /><i>Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review</i><br /><br /><b>Trigger Warnings:</b> poisoning, attempted murder, cannibalism

This was pretty cute.<br /><br /><i>Once More Upon a Time</i> 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.<br /><br />Imelda and Ambrose were really cute together. I mean these two went through a lot and their adventure, in a way, brought them back to one another and they found love once again. Along the way, they find a honey badger.. who was just creepy and the horse jacket.. thing.. I don't know what he was but he made me laugh a lot.<br /><br />

<b>reasons to read this book</b><br /><br />— it centres on a second chance romance and all the angst that entails.<br /><br />— it's roshani chokshi! if you've not read anything by her before, now's the perfect time to start. if gorgeously evocative language, with the occasional perfect configuration of words to rip you to shreds, is your thing, then why haven't you read her books yet?<br /><br />— if you want to read more fantasy romance (and, really, don't we all), look it's right here! read this and then help me in my quest to convince roshani chokshi to spend the rest of her career writing fantasy romance and only fantasy romance.<br /><br />— a talking honey badger. no more words needed.<br /><br />— it's just a whole lot of slightly chaotic fun, which really is all you need in a novella, right?

I want to read this book again and again and again! <br /><br />The witty and spirited relationship between Imelda and Ambrose reminds me of Rapunzel and Flynn Rider and the humor was perfect for the setting. Add on a magic fur cloak who thinks it is a horse and a scheming, wannabe ruffian honey badger. Because you know, “honey badger don’t care!”<br /><br />I laughed, smirked, and swooned, but humor and absolutely likable characters aside, I truly feel as though Chokshi knows what true love is. Thank you for pointing out and demonstrating how love frees us, rather than binds us! -Sara S.

This was a fun, whimsical fantasy. It had a lot of humor and action packed a lot into a short story!