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Review: Once There Was

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Once There Was
By Kiyash Monsef
New York: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2023. Fiction. 406 pages.

Shortly after her father is killed, Marjan, a fifteen-year-old Iranian American, discovers her father was a vet not only to normal household animals, but also to magical creatures. As she begins her double life, one of schoolwork and normality, the other with griffins, witches, and magic, Marjan grapples with what really happened to her father. As she journeys to foreign lands and meets foreign creatures, Marjan will learn more about her heritage, and her ability to hope.

I thought this book was exceptional, but it definitely has more thrills, danger, and darker themes than I anticipated --it's similar to A Wrinkle in Time in that sense. Marjan is a grieving orphan, and her grief is sometimes angry and loud. Marjan's story is interwoven with Iranian tales of mythical creatures, referencing the stories that Marjan's father would tell her at bedtime. I loved the complicated feelings present in the story, and I enjoyed Marjan's journey with animals and self-discovery.
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