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Once was, once wasn’t.
Marjan’s father has always started his stories with these words — stories of a girl who sprung a unicorn from a hunter’s snare, or a nomad boy who rescued a baby griffin. They were tales of extraordinary beasts that used to fill her with curiosity and wonder, but Marjan isn’t a little girl anymore.
In the wake of her father’s sudden death, Marjan is trying to hold it all together: her schoolwork, her friends, her dad’s shoestring veterinary practice. Then, one day, she receives a visitor who reveals her father’s biggest secret. The creatures out of her father’s stories were real, and he traveled the world to care for them. Now, with him gone, the stranger insists that she must take his place.
Suddenly, on top of trying to balance normal life, Marjan finds herself thrust into a world of secrets. Where mythical creatures are sometimes cherished and sometimes trapped and sold. Where a charming British boy who grew up with a griffin needs her help. Where a runaway witch still seeking her own magic needs a home. The deeper Marjan gets into treating these animals, the closer she comes to finding out the dangerous truth of her own part in the tale. Her father’s death wasn’t an accident: Someone killed him, and they’re still out there.
At first glance, Once There Was appears to be a light middle-grade fantasy. It’s not. Its older character and serious tone definitely make this more appropriate for a young adult audience. In fact, many readers, including me, seem to agree that Marjan seems too young. In the story, Marjan is 15 and in high school, which causes many logistical issues and unrealistic situations that are difficult to take seriously.
However, there is an innocent magic to the story that is hard not to love, and the concept of a veterinarian for magical creatures hidden among the modern world is so original I was sucked into the story from the beginning. To add to the magic, Marjan’s adventure is interspersed with folklore about the different animals she comes to face, from griffin to manticore to unicorn to djinn. It is easy to imagine these tales being told her by her late father — making their presence feel more nostalgic.
Overall, while the story doesn’t end up among my favorite new releases of 2023, I would say that Once There Was is a strong example of magical realism at its best. Why? Because it’s full of a magic that felt like it could be real, and that’s a childlike magic I wish I could find in more books.
Rated: Moderate, for animal death, animal violence, and some fleeting gory descriptions. Violence also includes stories told of a man’s murder, while another includes a man being eaten by a manticore. An animal is euthanized. In scientific curiosity, reference is made to a fairy’s genitalia. Witch magic includes mentions of hexes and spellwork, and characters attempt a seance. There are 4 uses of mild language.
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