📕 Title: Bird of a Thousand Stories
✏️ Author: Kiyash Monsef
📖 Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy
⭐ Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
📝 Sequel to Once There Was, but can be read as a standalone novel

BOOK BLURB

“In an adventure that takes her across continents and connects her with the wildest of mythic beasts around the globe, Marjan must track down the fabled Bird of a Thousand Stories before someone with more nefarious plans finds it. But the more closely she connects with the world’s mythical creatures, the more danger she’s in of losing her friendships-and all that tethers her to the life she’s known.”

REVIEW

Bird of a Thousand Stories picks up soon after the events in Once There Was and is a fantastic sequel. Though the first chapter provides enough information to dive right into this as a standalone, readers will have a richer experience reading the prior book first.

Marjan is on summer vacation, now sixteen, so she has more free time than in the previous book and her travels become increasingly dangerous. I loved the premise of this book and how the stories play an even more significant role in Marjan’s quest to find the Bird.

There are more secrets to discover and more stories to be told. In reconnecting with her father’s family, Marjan learns more about the Hyrcanian line, highlighting how her own life has begun to echo the lives—and mistakes—of those who came before her.

Marjan’s work also begins to cause a rift between her and her friends. She struggles to share her truth with them, torn between her desire to protect them and her desire to do the right thing. I love Malloryn so much, and we get to see more of her in this book.

The culmination of Marjan’s quest was emotional, with pain and sadness and yet still some hope. An excellent fantasy story for upper middle grade or young adult.