Review of... Once Upon A Legend by Mary Ting

 Okie dokie. I posted this one yesterday but was unable to read it and get up the review I'd planned to do. So, I'm making up for that now. 

Once Upon A Legend

Mary Ting

March 20th 2023

YA Fantasy

 

A story of love and a power that echoes through time.

A prophecy foretold by the Council.
A sword forged by the Ladies of the Lake.
A child born from love and the hope of thousands.

Seventeen-year-old Idrisa is a student from Dumont Orphan School. When the Emperor of Dumonia invites all citizens to a birthday gala for Prince Merrick, she attends and becomes entangled in a world beyond belief.

At the party, Idrisa begins to hear strange voices that urge her to go to the lake. A student from school follows and tries to kill her, but in the fight for her survival, Idrisa gains possession of an eternal sword—gifted by the Ladies of the Lake.

The Emperor demands it, but only Idrisa can wield the sword, so he imprisons her. Her only hope is Prince Merrick, but he is grieving the death of his mother and doesn’t care about anything happening around him.

While held captive, Idrisa uncovers secrets that challenge everything she thought she knew about Dumonia. Enemies and allies emerge when they hear news of the sword, and she must unlock the mystery of the weapon before darkness descends on the empire forever.

Goodreads / Amazon

MY TIDBITS

I've read several works from this author and always look forward to see what's coming next. This time, her tale took an exciting, new direction.

Idrisa is an orphan and as normal as can be, or at least, so she thinks, since only royals and elites possess magic. But when she attends the kingdom-wide birthday gala of the prince, strange things begin to happen. Not only does she feel awful, but there's something pulling her toward the lake. Giving in, she follows the call and ends up with a powerful, mythical sword only she can wield. Her secret doesn't stay as such for long, and soon the king is doing what he can to gain possession of the sword himself.

This is the first book in a brand, new series (as it appears) and a great start. While the writing came across as a bit too flowery to me, at first, I soon found myself being pulled in by the characters. It's an exciting ride with tons of subplots, twists, intrigue, magic and more. While this is a type of King Arthur re-telling, it has a life of its own right along with an original world, characters and plot. I expected something more fitting for the original tale's setting, and I'm so glad the author followed her very own direction.

I can't wait to see where everything goes from here because it promises to be quite the ride.

And here she is....

Born in Seoul, Korea, author Mary Ting is an international bestselling, multi-gold award winning author. Her books span a wide range of genres, and her storytelling talents have earned a devoted legion of fans, as well as garnered critical praise. She is a diverse voice who writes diverse characters, often dealing with a catastrophic world.

Becoming an author happened by chance. It was a way to grieve the death of her beloved grandmother and inspired by a dream she had in high school. After realizing she wanted to become a full-time author, Mary retired from teaching. She also had the privilege of touring with the Magic Johnson Foundation to promote literacy and her children’s chapter book: No Bullies Allowed.

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