“In all the old stories, in those fairy tales I still half believed, this was how it happened. Ordinary kids were visiting relatives, maybe. Or stuck at boarding school. Alone. Uncertain. Yearning for adventure. And before long, adventure came to them. They took a wrong turn, were chased away from everything familiar- and suddenly a door opened to another world. That summer, at age fourteen, I was still too old to believe anymore, of course. But the ache, the yearning was still there. It never leaves us, really. The question is whether it will become our truest hope or deepest wound. Or both.”
Once a Queen, by Sarah Arthur
Told in an engaging first person narrative, Arthur weaves an enchanting story, one which is sweet and slow, pulling heart strings and lingering in your memory. It revolves around Eva Joyce, a realistic, inquisitive and vivacious American teen on a trip to her Grandmother’s home in Britain. A true fairy tale in which nothing is as it seems, or perhaps where everything actually is as it seems. Often this begins to feel impossible, and yet the only conclusion is that it is possible. A tribute to the beloved fantasy books and fairy tales of yesteryear, Sarah Arthur has crafted a tale which is uniquely her own and a breath of fresh air for the modern dreamer in today’s world. Through colorful characters and descriptive storytelling, Arthur builds a world where you will grow alongside Eva, where your heart will cry out at her pain, and where you will learn that fairytales are not only for the young.
As I read and reread Once a Queen, an element I have continued to love is the friendship between Eva and Frankie, the gardener’s grandson. Serious, hardworking, and a believer in magic and other worlds, Frankie makes a sharp contrast to Eva’s skeptical and unsettled personality. Along with the ancient and perceiving housekeeper, Mrs. Fealston, he helps draw her away from her unhappy belief that fairytales are simply stories, and together they find more magic than they could have ever dreamt of.
Though I did desire more when I finished the book, that was simply because I enjoyed journeying along with the characters so much. The story had plenty of closure and the book could be a stand-alone. However, there is a sequel and a third book in the series is on the way.
Told from a Christian perspective, Once a Queen is not a story in which Christ is ever mentioned. However it is an allegory, so I believe that this is why Christ is absent. However it can be confusing when considering this because Eva does go to church in the story, and yet there is the other world of Ternival that you are dealing with, which has a Christ-like figure, reminiscent of C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia.
A thoroughly enjoyable and engaging story, I believe this book is a perfect example of the fact that books don’t have to include crudity, language, or sexuality to be readable. Relatability to a sinful culture isn’t what books should be displaying. Rather they should be drawing out the best in us and encouraging its growth. Once a Queen certainly did this for me, and I frequently recommend this book to friends so that they can experience the wonder in this book themselves!
Overall Value: 4.75
Moral Value: 4.5
Artistic Value: 5
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