Half Upon a Time (book 1) by James Riley

Review

Re-review time! And boy is this an old one. I read this book years ago and really did enjoy it, however it is definitely a book FULL of magic, weird creatures and plenty of monsters. But I wanted to review it again to see if I still liked it.

This book is about Jack. An ordinary boy who lives in an ordinary world except it’s a fantasy world full of magic, adventure and plenty of monsters! So when a girl falls out of the sky at Jack’s feet, it isn’t all that usual. Except this girl is a princess! Or at least that’s what her shirt says. May (the princess!!!) claims to be from a normal world, full of normal people; except her grandmother was kidnapped! Now Jack is on a quest he never wanted to go on, with a princess he never wanted to meet and he might just be unlocking secrets to his past he never wanted to know… Fun right?

I read this series as a teen and I really loved them! The adventure is amazing, the characters are hilarious, and the way the author wrote the world is amazing!!!! I just love the story-line and how all the fairy-tales get jumbled up. It really is a fantastic fantasy adventure for kids 10 and up!

However, this book is full of magic. There are witches with no bodies and just a shell for a face. Plus that witches “children” are toddler sized monsters with sockets for eyes with claws and fangs. There are genies called devils and fairies who have no irises just white creepy eyes. Plus a fairy sheds her human skin to become a dragon. Now, I actually stopped reading this series a few years ago because it was too much magic. But after reading it now, it’s not too bad. Yes there is lots of magic plus some violence, however it isn’t voo-doo or dark. (I mean yeah, the candy witch is pretty creepy but the rest of it is surprisingly good!)

Overall, this is a series that I will be re-reading and possibly enjoying! But it is also a series that I will leave up to you if you want to read it. I enjoy magical adventures so it doesn’t bother me, but I also that it can bother others. So if you are interested in the Half Upon a Time series I think you would like it! If not, then have a great day. -The Young Llama Reader.