[Once a Queen]: A Review

Hi y’all!

Hope you are getting into your back to school groove. We are having a great back to school season this year. I just wish it was a bit cooler and more like fall. But it’s definitely coming!

Today I am thrilled to be sharing my review of Once a Queen by Sarah Arthur. This book is incredible! Definitely one of my favorite reads of 2024. I absolutely loved it!

I love everything about this book — the characters, the setting, the magic, the storytelling, the fantasy elements, the way the author tells the story and gives parts of the fairy tales.

Book Summary: “An American teenager discovers that her estranged English grandmother was once a queen in another world in the debut novel from bestselling author and speaker Sarah Arthur. When fourteen-year-old Eva Joyce unexpectedly finds herself spending the summer at the mysterious manor house of the English grandmother she’s never met, troubling questions arise. Why the estrangement? What’s with the house’s employees and their guarded secrets? Why must Eva never mention trains, her father, or her favorite childhood fairy tales?

After strange things start happening in the gardens at night, Eva turns to the elderly housekeeper, gardener, and the gardener’s great-grandson, Frankie, for answers. Astonishingly, they all seem to believe the fairy tales are true–that portals to other worlds still exist, though hidden and steadily disappearing. They suspect that Eva’s grandmother was once a queen in one of those worlds.

But Eva’s grandmother denies it all. After a horrific family tragedy when she was young, her heart is closed to the beauty and pain of her past. It’s up to Eva, with Frankie’s help, to discover what really happened, whether family relationships can be restored, and if the portals are closed forever. As she unravels generational secrets, Eva wrestles with the grief of a vanishing childhood–and the fear that growing up means giving up fairy tales forever.”

This is written in the style of classic fantasy stories, and it is so well done. It feels like Narnia and Tolkien and classic fairy tales. The fantasy world is full and vibrant and connected to ours in unexpected ways. Sarah gives her world a full history, and we see the connections to our world through time. I loved piecing together both Grandmother’s history and the history of Terevail. It takes the whole book to truly piece together how all the pieces fit together and how each character’s journey is a part of the history of Terevail. It’s a truly remarkable journey. There is such a beautiful balance of fantasy and reality. This feels like it can happen to anyone who truly believes in magic.

The characters are compelling and beautifully developed. I was cheering for Eva from the moment we meet her and loved the depth of the people that she interacts with. I loved her belief in magic and how she searches for truth and beauty in the world around her. Her grandmother is perhaps the most fascinating character in the novel as we learn about the tragedy and heartache she has endured but also the joy and adventure she has experienced. I loved when Eva and her grandmother could connect whether on a shopping excursion to a neighboring town or on the grounds of the estate deep in the night. Seeing the different sides of the characters and the way magic affects them was fascinating. I also loved Frankie and seeing his friendship with Eva become so important to the story. His role becomes pivotal in the battle between good and evil as the fate of multiple worlds rests with those who believe in magic.

I loved the storytelling in this novel. The descriptions of places especially the details of Grandmother’s estate were exquisite. I felt like I was transported there and could see the topiaries move, the trees transform into dancing dryads, and see the majestic castle in the clouds. The midnight walks and the great stag. The door in the wall. And every interaction Eva has with the past. They were so beautifully described and captivating to read about. I was absolutely engrossed in this story from the first page. As the pieces of the past are woven together and we come to understand the full picture, I was in awe of the beauty of this story. Truly, a remarkable addition to the world of fantasy.

A new favorite in fantasy and of this year! My only disappointment is that this is the first book in a series and the rest are not yet published so I have to wait to experience more of this magical story. I can’t wait to read more in the series!