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Once There Was

Once There Was | Kiyash Monsef

1 post | 3 read | 2 to read

Discover a world of extraordinary beasts and unexpected heroes in the dazzling debut from Kiyash Monsef. Perfect for readers aged 9+ and fans of Philip Pullman, Neil Gaiman, J.K. Rowling and A.F. Steadman. Once was, once wasn't . . . So began the stories Marjan's father told her as a little girl - tales of mythical beasts that filled her with curiosity and wonder: Griffons. Unicorns. Dragons. But Marjan is not a little girl anymore. After her father's sudden death, she is trying to hold it all together: her schoolwork, her friendships and her dad's struggling veterinary practice. But a mysterious visitor soon reveals that Marjan's father was no ordinary vet. The creatures from his stories are real - and he travelled the world to care for them. Stepping into a secret world hidden in plain sight, where magical creatures are bought and sold, treasured and trapped, Marjan must take her father's place. The deeper in she gets, the closer she comes to a shocking truth that will put both humans and beasts in terrible danger. Pre-order now!

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underground_bks

Once There Was | Kiyash Monsef

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When Marjan‘s father is mysteriously murdered, she discovers he was a veterinarian to the kinds of mythic creatures in the stories he once told her…and she inherited his power to care for beasts like griffons and gnomes herself.

Once There Was is an emotionally rich, beautifully told story, full of adventure, mystery, and magical realism, with great Iranian-American representation, about the paradox of living—wonder and responsibility, grief 👇

underground_bks 2) and connection—that I‘d love for readers of all ages to enjoy and engage with, however I do think younger readers (this is rated ages 10+) will struggle to maintain interest over the 400 medium-paced pages and more mature plot lines, and I worry that, despite how utterly realistically and compassionately she‘s written, more privileged readers will find Marjan “unlikeable” because of her grief and anger. 1y

underground_bks 3) Spoiler:
I found the villain‘s motivations both a bit murky and kind of pat and the murderer reveal may also be a bit confusing for younger readers—and it felt a little uncomfortable to me concerning the human-creature binary in the world of the book…and possibly problematic from the perspective of mental illness representation. 1y

underground_bks Finally) This book is special, ambitious, and one-of-a-kind and I‘m hopeful it will enchant and challenge readers in a major way. 1y

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