Once More Upon a Time is a brand new audio novella from Audible Originals. It follows the story of a royal couple who had to sacrifice their love for each other, and are now stuck in a loveless marriage. They end up undertaking a dangerous quest for a witch that may or may not awaken lost feelings in them.
According to Chokshi, the story is loosely inspired by the Irish story of Diarmuid and Gráinne. Imelda and Ambrose rule a land called Love’s Keep, which is ironic considering they have lost the one thing they need to sustain the kingdom, their love for each other. A year and a day ago, Ambrose traded their love to a witch in exchange for Imelda’s life. When the same witch offers them a quest and tells them that if they succeed she will give them what they desire the most, Imelda and Ambrose promptly accept. Imelda wants to be free, Ambrose wants a kingdom he can rule completely in his own way, without having to seek anyone’s approval. But on their journey, as they encounter a talking cloak who thinks he’s a horse, cannibals, honey badgers, and cursed tourist destinations, they rediscover each other, and begin to wonder if they really want to be free of one another after all.
From the synopsis, you can guess that the setup is, in fact, pretty basic; but Chokshi manages to put her own contemporary spin on an age old fairytale. The story benefits from her trademark hilarious and charming storytelling- a deft fusion of a sometimes sarcastic and sometimes goofy sense of humour and typical classic fairy-tale traditions and trappings. Think something like Disney’s Tangled, but for older teenagers and adults.
The core love story is also not something we haven’t seen before, but it’s delightful nonetheless. Stubborn, eccentric Imelda and reserved, severe Ambrose are opposites attracted to each other, their relationship is built on plenty of tropes. However, the predictability of the turns Imelda and Ambrose’s relationship takes never gets boring, instead it’s comfortably familiar like that book you love to reread again and again and feel the same joy every time, despite having memorised every twist and every turn by heart.
When it comes to the narration, Once More Upon a Time isn’t perfect, but it’s fun and enjoyable. The plot is pretty straightforward and the story never gets overwhelming or hard to follow, this is something you can just sit back and enjoy. The glee in each narrator’s voice comes through and the joy is infectious, I found myself smiling the entire time I listened to the book.
Overall, Once More Upon a Time is a simple, cute story of second chances that fits perfectly into the Disney movie formula. If you are on the lookout for an engaging, little story that will lift you up- especially in these troubling times- I’ll urge you to give this one a listen. Go into this novella as someone just looking for a good time, and that’s exactly what you’ll get out of it.
Once More Upon a Time is available on Audible.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
A dazzling fairy tale about falling in love again by the New York Times best-selling author of The Star-Touched Queen and The Gilded Wolves.
Once upon a time, there was a king and queen in a land called Love’s Keep who once loved one another, but alas, no more. Without love, they were doomed to be ousted from their kingdom at the end of a year and a day.
A year and a day passed.
This is where their story starts.
Imelda and Ambrose can’t remember why they got married. A year and a day ago, Ambrose consulted a witch, trading their love to save Imelda’s life – and they’ve been stuck with one another ever since. When that same witch pays them a visit on the day they lose their kingdom, she promises to make their deepest wishes come true in exchange for a simple favor and a short journey. With nothing left to lose, Imelda and Ambrose agree. But, over the course of their enchanted road trip peppered with a delirious cloak, cannibals, and at least one honey badger, something magical happens…little by little, step by step, they regain what they had forgotten.
They remember why they fell in love.
When the end of their journey nears and they confront parting ways forever, a new decision faces them. Will Imelda and Ambrose choose their deepest wishes, or will they choose each other – again?
