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A review by aylea
Once a Queen by Sarah Arthur
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Eva is spending the summer in her English grandmother's manor and facing a lot of questions. There are secrets everywhere, and the tensions are high in the family. Eva learns that the staff are convinced that certain fairy tales known to just them and the family are true and that there are portals between worlds. They say Eva's grandmother had once been a queen in this world, but losing her sisters to a horrible tragedy has made her deny it all. Eva is determined to find out what really happened by uncovering family secrets and finding out if the stories are true once and for all.
This book is dealing with a real historical event, generational trauma, family relationships, magical realism, and other worlds. It's a lot to cover, and as a result, it feels a little bit like it doesn't cover some of it enough.
Once a Queen has obvious parallels to The Chronicles of Narnia, and the author is a major fan of C.S. Lewis. The writing style in a lot of ways reflects this. Unfortunately, this book doesn't have the adventure, excitement, or characters that Narnia does. The fairy tales in the story are highlighted through excerpts and the beginning of chapters and in mentions here and there from the characters. If you want to read a portal fantasy or about a new magical world, you should know that isn't what this book is.
The primary focus is not on the magical elements but about Eva's grandmother processing grief in tragedy. Considering that the main character is an observer in most of this, it's harder to feel a connection to the book. The sluggish plot and Eva's slowness to take action or put things together didn't help.
The world building is strangely lacking considering how much time the book spends discussing it, and we spend hardly any time in a different world. The stories from the world are mostly generic, and the characters are run of the mill. Even though everyone in the family and the staff are supposed to love these stories, including Eva who didn't know they were real and her father who is making them the topic of his academic studies, there isn't a spark to them.
The book was a slow read, and I wouldn't be particularly interested in reading more books in the series. It feels more like a prequel than an introduction to a series. To compare it to Narnia, this is more like "The Magician's Nephew" -- lots of setup but kind of boring if you don't care about the world it's developing. It's no "The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe".
This book is dealing with a real historical event, generational trauma, family relationships, magical realism, and other worlds. It's a lot to cover, and as a result, it feels a little bit like it doesn't cover some of it enough.
Once a Queen has obvious parallels to The Chronicles of Narnia, and the author is a major fan of C.S. Lewis. The writing style in a lot of ways reflects this. Unfortunately, this book doesn't have the adventure, excitement, or characters that Narnia does. The fairy tales in the story are highlighted through excerpts and the beginning of chapters and in mentions here and there from the characters. If you want to read a portal fantasy or about a new magical world, you should know that isn't what this book is.
The primary focus is not on the magical elements but about Eva's grandmother processing grief in tragedy. Considering that the main character is an observer in most of this, it's harder to feel a connection to the book. The sluggish plot and Eva's slowness to take action or put things together didn't help.
The world building is strangely lacking considering how much time the book spends discussing it, and we spend hardly any time in a different world. The stories from the world are mostly generic, and the characters are run of the mill. Even though everyone in the family and the staff are supposed to love these stories, including Eva who didn't know they were real and her father who is making them the topic of his academic studies, there isn't a spark to them.
The book was a slow read, and I wouldn't be particularly interested in reading more books in the series. It feels more like a prequel than an introduction to a series. To compare it to Narnia, this is more like "The Magician's Nephew" -- lots of setup but kind of boring if you don't care about the world it's developing. It's no "The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe".