Once Upon Another Time

This is the first book of a new trilogy set in the same world as the Half Upon a Time trilogy. Fans of that world will see common nursery rhyme characters, such as Old Mother Hubbard, The Gingerbread Man, and Humpty Dumpty, mixed in with the fairytales characters of Pinocchio and mythological tales of King Midas and others to face a new problem set twelve years after the original series. We meet Lena, who is a short giant facing the hatefulness of the Giant king who tells her because she is different, she is no giant. We also meet Jin, a young genie that must serve a human master until he learns humility or serves over a thousand years to the demands of frail humans. Unfortunately, Jin’s master is the wicked Golden King who turns all his detractors into gold statues and is bent on finding the cursed city and defeating the last rebel, the Last Knight for total world domination.
The tale unfolds in alternating perspectives by Jin and Lena. Lena’s struggle to share her true self and not keep secret what she knows to be true in her heart about herself will resonate with many Middle-Grade readers also asking themselves where they fit in the world. Jin will also appeal to readers with his struggle to care or to see the importance of things that do not involve his own plight.
Having read the companion series, this story felt slower to build and a bit darker at first. With Lena feeling like an outcast and Jin’s servitude from an evil world-ending dictator it takes a while before any levity can be found in the situation.
I enjoyed the cursed city that was not what you would expect from a place with a name like that. Many of the residents have tasted from Mrs. Hubbard’s cauldron of truth to have their true selves come through, which means that characters like Humpty and the Gingerbread Man are finally showing their true selves and prefer to be “cursed”. In fact when a magical battle turns them human again, they have never been so miserable.
Throughout the tale, there is a mystery of who the Last Knight really is and what the Faceless soldiers are. I thought it was clear who it was going to end up being so I was very surprised with the reveal. I went most of the story wondering who from the original trilogy would be a part of this new story and was surprised with the answer. This story could be read without having to first read the Half Upon a Time series, but as these mysteries and the greater history of this world unfold, I think there is greater enjoyment if you have read the other series first.