About the Book
Book Title: The Beginning of Once Upon a Time
Author: Kristy Dixon
Series: Once Upon a Time
Genre: Fantasy, Fairy Tale
Published: July 16th, 2024 by Meegore Publishing LLC
Pages: 267
Format: Kindle
Source: ARC (Advanced Reader Copy)
My Rating: ★★★★★
Disclaimer: This is an unsponsored review. I received a digital copy of this book from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Summary
Fairy princess Izla loves using her magic to create happy endings for human couples. Unfortunately for her brother Thane, their father fully supports her “projects” and assigns him to accompany her in her matchmaking efforts. Together, the siblings end up crafting happily ever afters for several pairs of mortals from Snow White to Sleeping Beauty.
My Review
This book was a wild ride, and I mean that in the best way. It felt like a series of vignettes all woven together to form a bigger story. In a way, the pacing reminded me of Kiki’s Delivery Service by Eiko Kadono (the book that inspired the Ghibli movie), but with more fairy tale hijinks.
My favorite part of the story was trying to guess which fairy tale would be the next to be featured. I’m a big fan of fairy tale retellings, and this one was a lot of fun. I won’t spoil which ones get featured, but they’re all pretty faithful to the original tales, and actually manage to improve on some of the details in a few.
I also really enjoyed the characters. Izla and Thane were a lot of fun to follow around this crazy fantasy world. I could totally picture Thane as the exasperated older brother. I felt bad for him at times, having to help his sister avoid ruining the lives of various humans. Luckily for everyone, they all end up living happily ever after.
The world building was captivating as well. I loved seeing the abundance of human princes and princesses. In a way, it reminded me of the setting and vibe of Cursed Princess Club by LambCat on WEBTOON, and I compare the two in the best way possible. Both stories have a certain charm to them that’s hard to describe unless you experience it.
In conclusion, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It’s not long, but I finished it in a day because I liked it that much. I give it a 5/5 stars.
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