Once There Was
- Downloads：8583
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2023-02-28 11:21:37
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Kiyash Monsef
- ISBN：1797150774
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
L
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Review probably tomorrow （27-Feb-2023） or Tuesday （28-Feb-2023）。Might go up to five stars when I've had time to assimilate it。 Review probably tomorrow （27-Feb-2023） or Tuesday （28-Feb-2023）。Might go up to five stars when I've had time to assimilate it。 。。。more
Megan
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4。5 stars。 This is a really well done middle-grade fantasy that is great for fans of some of the genre’s greats。 A young orphan has to take on the， until now， unknown family business of caring for mythical creatures after her father is murdered。 There is enough drawn from the classic storylines and enough originality to create a really great tale。 I find myself wishing it was a series but all indications seem to be that it will be a stand alone book。 I will recommend this to my young fantasy rea 4。5 stars。 This is a really well done middle-grade fantasy that is great for fans of some of the genre’s greats。 A young orphan has to take on the， until now， unknown family business of caring for mythical creatures after her father is murdered。 There is enough drawn from the classic storylines and enough originality to create a really great tale。 I find myself wishing it was a series but all indications seem to be that it will be a stand alone book。 I will recommend this to my young fantasy readers。 Thanks for Simon and Shuster for the Advance Reader Copy。 。。。more
Theda Nguyen
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Masterful and beautiful。 All of the characters were believable and I was wrapped up in how everything would unfold。 Monsef writes in a way where you can believe that it's exactly how it would happen in real life - unanswered questions， some sad endings， and friendships that are real。 It was a magical book that led to lots of late nights。 Highly recommend！ Masterful and beautiful。 All of the characters were believable and I was wrapped up in how everything would unfold。 Monsef writes in a way where you can believe that it's exactly how it would happen in real life - unanswered questions， some sad endings， and friendships that are real。 It was a magical book that led to lots of late nights。 Highly recommend！ 。。。more
watermelonreads
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Took me a very long time to get through because of how heavy it was。 Five stars for the profound messages。 My favourite was on the one about how animals find places that fit them， people who have empty places。
bookmehnia
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{19/2023} 4/5🌟Fantasy Fiction | 402 pagesRemember when were little， we loved gathering around the feet of our elders， while they were seated on the rocking chairs， telling us wonderful stories of magic， fantasy and magical beings？ Well， this book might bring you back down those memory lanes。Although slated for middle-grade readers， this is a book for all - especially if you enjoy whimsical， fantasy beings。 From griffon， manticore， unicorn， gnome， to yokai and djinn - there’s a tale of its own in {19/2023} 4/5🌟Fantasy Fiction | 402 pagesRemember when were little， we loved gathering around the feet of our elders， while they were seated on the rocking chairs， telling us wonderful stories of magic， fantasy and magical beings？ Well， this book might bring you back down those memory lanes。Although slated for middle-grade readers， this is a book for all - especially if you enjoy whimsical， fantasy beings。 From griffon， manticore， unicorn， gnome， to yokai and djinn - there’s a tale of its own in this story。Marjan’s life changed tremendously after her father’s death。 She was all alone in this world。 Her mother had passed away when she was young。 At fifteen， she had to manage the vet’s clinic， the only thing left by her father， and it wasn’t doing that well。 Marjan didn’t grief for her father， yet all she could feel was anger towards him。 Marjan knew there was something that her father hadn’t told her。 His work sometimes required him to travel to unknown places and unknown time。 Marjan was used to being left at people’s places when he had to go places。That was until she received a visitor who passed her an envelope， and to be told that she had to go to England and take a look at a griffon; and no， it’s nothing like a dog。 Of course Marjan wouldn’t trust a stranger just like that - not until that stranger told her that by doing this deal， Marjan could find out who killed her father。 Marjan’s father was murdered。 What did her father do and did it have anything to do with his death？ The stranger who met her at the clinic did mention something about Hyrcanian Line？ Who was her father， really？ Everything was strange， and became even stranger。 Upon chance and fate， through a meeting at the clinic， she accepted Malloryn， a runaway teenage witch as a housemate， who didn’t even know that her familiar was a nine-tailed fox。I would rather say that the book has quite a complicated storyline and I still have so much questions which need some answers， however， I do love the concept of the storytelling。 Marjan’s adventures were interspersed with stories of magical and whimsical beings， probably told by her father， as introduction to the magical beings that Marjan would encounter。 I also love the bits and pieces of a thriller element as Marjan raced against time to find out who murdered her father。 There was also introduction to Marjan’s heritage as her father was an Iranian and I wished the author would put more details on this part in connection to the whole story。 Nevertheless， it was an enjoyable and a magical read for me and it certainly brought me down to my childhood memories of fantasy and magic。 There was one part involving Marjan and Malloryn that was so musical， I wish I could see a visual version of it！ Most importantly， it taught us about being respectful。 The need to respect every single being in this whole wide world。 Every single one of them。 A recommended read for readers， young and old， who still very much have those magic in their hearts！Thank you #pansing for this review copy in exchange of an honest review。#FebruaryReads #FebruaryTBRs #justreaddontbawang #bookmehnia #bookstagrammalaysia #bookstagrammy #malaysiamembaca #bookstagrammer #bookgram #bibliophile #bibliophilemy #bookish #bookaddict #bookaesthetic #bookish #readersofinstagram #goodreads #bookrecommendations #bookreview #bookworm #fabulousfebruary #oncetherewas #kiyashmonsef 。。。more
Kimi Loughlin
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Loved the magical creatures in the real world vibe。 Reminded me of reading The Spiderwick Chronicles when I was young。
Ro
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Loved this book。 This was very much like fantastic beasts and where to find them but also brings up the very real question about what are the ethics of imprisoning animals in zoos so people can view them and the fact that these animals are meant to be in the wild。 I love the characters and the ending was perfect。
Israa
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Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy。 The Iranian-American Marjan has to take over her father's secret fantasy-animal vet life after his death。 The first chapter will make you think twice about unicorns， and the murder mystery and descriptions of magical animals keep the reader's attention。 The djinn appearance was my personal favorite。 The themes of grief， friendship， and resilience can all be discussed。 I appreciate that this is a clean novel that I can keep on my classroom shelf。 While th Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy。 The Iranian-American Marjan has to take over her father's secret fantasy-animal vet life after his death。 The first chapter will make you think twice about unicorns， and the murder mystery and descriptions of magical animals keep the reader's attention。 The djinn appearance was my personal favorite。 The themes of grief， friendship， and resilience can all be discussed。 I appreciate that this is a clean novel that I can keep on my classroom shelf。 While there is closure， I felt slightly unsatisfied with the ending and wished it could have been happier。 。。。more
Ms。 Yingling
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E ARC provided by Edelweiss PlusFifteen-year-old Marjan is struggling after her Iranian American father's murder， but knows she has to somehow manage to continue to go to school， keep her father's veterinary practice going， and take care of herself with the occasional help of her next door neighbor and guardian。 When she gets a strange visitor who demands she go to England， she decides to go on the spur of the moment。 Once there， she finds out that her father was not only a veterinarian for hous E ARC provided by Edelweiss PlusFifteen-year-old Marjan is struggling after her Iranian American father's murder， but knows she has to somehow manage to continue to go to school， keep her father's veterinary practice going， and take care of herself with the occasional help of her next door neighbor and guardian。 When she gets a strange visitor who demands she go to England， she decides to go on the spur of the moment。 Once there， she finds out that her father was not only a veterinarian for household pets， but also for magical creatures。 She meets Simon and Sebastian's family griffin， who is ailing， and finds she is able to diagnose him。 She and Sebastian really connect， and text each other even after she returns home to California。 She learns even more when she visits the palatial but oddly barricaded home of Horatio Prendergast to help heal his incontinent gnome。 Horatio actually has dozens of magical creatures locked up， claiming that he is trying to keep them safe because the world no longer will care for them properly。 His on site vet has botched the declawing of a manticore （who is NOT happy about it）， and Marjan tells them what they need to do to fix it。 Something's not right。 Her father's murder still hasn't been solved， the vet practice isn't doing well despite the help from her father's accountant and long time friend， David Ginn， and Marjan uncovers some clues with the help of Horatio's detective， Ezra。 Soon， she is reaching out to Sebastian for a plane ticket to Ithaca， where she feels something is going on。 Sebastian meets her there， which is a good thing， since he can drive and she can't。 They uncover a very important magical creature that is the key to many things， but which also puts them in contact with the Fells， long time brokers of magical creatures。 Are they good？ Are they evil？ How are they and Horatio connected？ Marjan tries to go home and return to school， but her friends Grace and Carrie are concerned about her frequent absences and lack of communication。 Strengths: I read a lot of fantasy， so when I say that this was something NEW， it was quite the relief。 Marjan has always had her powers， but her father was hiding things from her。 She's not the chosen one， but she does have a job。 There's a little bit of a quest feel， but it's more of a murder mystery in some ways， and the interplay of good and evil is delightfully gray。 Is everyone evil？ Who exactly is evil？ I loved that Marjan was randomly left to her own devices， since her mother had also died。 Is this likely to happen？ Nah。 But is the fact that she just up and flies to England， and then Sebastian sends her plane tickets and they meet up in the US a lot of fun？ Absolutely。 Even though I got a little confused， avid fantasy readers aren't going to be。 They are going to eat this up， and are going to love the ending as well。 Weaknesses: This cover was not my favorite， and the description doesn't quite do this one justice。 Starting this book， I thought it would be one that I would just skim， but I ended up really liking it。 Some reviewers mentioned that they couldn't quite place this as MG or YA because the character was 15。 It's perfectly fine for middle school， and I think it has enough depth for high school as well。 What I really think: This was absolutely fascinating， and would be the perfect choice for an avid middle school reader of fantasy with an interest in magical creatures。 This was dark， but not overly dark， and had lots of twists and turns， which I don't want to ruin。 This did remind me a bit of Coville's Into the Land of the Unicorns （1994）， which I remember being a bit dark as well。 Sadly， I don't think I have the readers at school for this one， so I might not purchase it， but will recommend it to the one student I can think of who will like it。 I'll be interested to see what else Monsef writes。 。。。more
CCReadsBooks
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Beautiful and magical。 I read this book and then my son （15） snatched my kindle and read it too！ We both found it utterly enthralling。
Rebecca
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Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Canada for an advanced electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review！I decided not to finish this book at 35%， but I don't think it's a bad book - just not something I'm in the mood for， and haven't been for the last few weeks that I've been reading it。 HOWEVER， I do think that this book would be perfect for middle grade/young adult fantasy lovers。 Here's why:Marjan is in high school and recently became an orphan。 Her mom died a few y Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Canada for an advanced electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review！I decided not to finish this book at 35%， but I don't think it's a bad book - just not something I'm in the mood for， and haven't been for the last few weeks that I've been reading it。 HOWEVER， I do think that this book would be perfect for middle grade/young adult fantasy lovers。 Here's why:Marjan is in high school and recently became an orphan。 Her mom died a few years ago from illness， but her dad's recent death was completely unexpected。 After he dies， she learns that he wasn't just a regular veterinarian， but rather， one who worked with magical creatures。 As Marjan learns more about her dad， his powers， and how he died， she begins to discover that she may have some of the same powers。。。。 so， now what？Bonus: Iranian American representation！ 。。。more
Raena Pellichet
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DNF 1/7/23 at 123 pagesSorry， I just can't be bothered to finish this book。 I was hoping for just a light and fun middle grade with magical creatures。 This book did have that feeling at some times but honestly， this book seemed really confused about what age it was aiming for。 We find out in the first few pages that the main character is a sophomore in high school but she also somehow inherited her father's house and his veterinary business after he died。 And for some reason， they just allow a 1 DNF 1/7/23 at 123 pagesSorry， I just can't be bothered to finish this book。 I was hoping for just a light and fun middle grade with magical creatures。 This book did have that feeling at some times but honestly， this book seemed really confused about what age it was aiming for。 We find out in the first few pages that the main character is a sophomore in high school but she also somehow inherited her father's house and his veterinary business after he died。 And for some reason， they just allow a 15 year old to live in a house by herself and be responsible for running a business。 It makes absolutely no sense to me and I was just so frustrated by this detail that I could not get into anything else。 The moments where she was running into these magical creatures were okay but I don't know， I just couldn't get into it personally。 It either should fully be YA or go fully middle grade。 I even think if they aged her up and made it like a cozy adult fantasy it would work but it just feels confused to me from the first quarter of the book I had read。 Maybe it changes later， but I don't care to find out。 。。。more
Shelli
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This review was written for an ARC I received at work。Right from the first page， I was really gripped by this book。 The scenes are beautifully descriptive and the characters feel real and wonderful。 But I have to admit I did have some troubles with this book。 First and foremost， I had so much trouble trying to identify just who this story is /for。/It's written in first person and focuses on a high school student， Marjan， who has inherited her father's vet clinic after he was murdered。 There's sc This review was written for an ARC I received at work。Right from the first page， I was really gripped by this book。 The scenes are beautifully descriptive and the characters feel real and wonderful。 But I have to admit I did have some troubles with this book。 First and foremost， I had so much trouble trying to identify just who this story is /for。/It's written in first person and focuses on a high school student， Marjan， who has inherited her father's vet clinic after he was murdered。 There's scenes of riding home from school in your best friend's new car。 Talking to and falling for a boy。 Allowing a roommate to move in with you。 All this seems like a type of things you would find in a YA novel。 And yet half the time the story sounds like an MG novel instead。 The back of the book classifies this as middle grade fiction。 Amazon says "ages 10 and up。" Clocking in at about 400 pages， I think most kids in that age range would be quite daunted by such a book。Another issue I had was the main character and her emotions。 She is so， so angry。 All the time。 Angry angry angry。 I'm not saying that's an angry character is always a bad thing， nor do I think it's unrealistic。 I think that's a very normal reaction for a teenager in her situation to have。 But it's hard for me to really like this character because she's just constantly angry at everything and everyone。 I'm trying hard to be sympathetic and instead I just find myself annoyed with her and her reactions。I can't help but remember the popular "Save the Cat！" advice for novels -- that the main character has to do something very early on in the story to grip us and make us like her。 As this story starts and we are introduced to Marjan and how her father was murdered and how absent he was her whole life and how her life is terrible and how she is just angry at the whole world， I struggle to find a "save the cat" moment that really makes me like her。I picked up this book because the mythological creatures that seem to play a significant part of the story。 Right from the start we get an intriguing prologue with a unicorn （the scene in the prologue is very similar to a prominent scene in my favorite childhood story， Into the Land of the Unicorns by Bruce Coville）。 And yet at first Marjan does not seem that interested in mythological creatures at all！Early on in the novel， Marjan flies to England to meet a real griffon。 At that point， she is pulled into this world where the fantastical creatures exist and are real， and she seems to have some sort of magical power to connect to them。 But then。。。 she just goes home， and doesn't do anything else with the magic or the mythical creatures for quite some time。 For weeks she just goes to school and tends to her father's failing vet clinic。 I don't understand。 If I was in her place， I would be freaking out。 Griffons！ Griffons are real！ I must research them！If this were any other MG novel， the scenes after Marjan returns home would be filled with a research montage in which she learns all about griffons。 She wonders about what other mythical creatures might be real。 She tries to use her powers to help other animals。 This is all stuff I would do if I suddenly learned griffons were real and I could connect to them！ But she does none of it。 She goes to school and argues with her friends。 I don't understand Marjan at all。But enough of me complaining about things， let me tell you the really good things about this story。 The word choice is beautiful。 There's a whimsy and a fairy tale aspect to this story that exactly fits the tone and the quality of writing， even among the mentions of high school and cell phones。And especially， I want to say that the strength of this novel is its characters。 I love so many of these characters。 Even when there's one that only appears for one short scene， Monsef always explores them and describes them to us and makes us really /see/ them。 My favorite was Malloryn。 I love her and the positive way she sees the world。This story is a poignant tale of dealing with grief and being ostracized from the world around you， either for your background or your circumstances。 I encourage anyone teen or older to read it， despite some of my personal frustrations I felt as I read it。 。。。more
Krista Dollimore
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Ooooo my goodness。 For any of my fellow bookish pals who love magical realism mark April 4 2023 into your calendar IMMEDIATELY and pre-order Kiyash Monsef’s debut YA novel “Once There Was”It’s SO GOOD。 For anyone who knows me they are aware that I’m not a big fan of e-reading。 I love feeling the pages in my hands。 But Simon and Shuster Canada （many many thanks 🙏） sent me an early e copy of this novel。 And I was hooked ！ Monsef’s writing brings this story to life。 It is rich and vibrant in world Ooooo my goodness。 For any of my fellow bookish pals who love magical realism mark April 4 2023 into your calendar IMMEDIATELY and pre-order Kiyash Monsef’s debut YA novel “Once There Was”It’s SO GOOD。 For anyone who knows me they are aware that I’m not a big fan of e-reading。 I love feeling the pages in my hands。 But Simon and Shuster Canada （many many thanks 🙏） sent me an early e copy of this novel。 And I was hooked ！ Monsef’s writing brings this story to life。 It is rich and vibrant in world building。 The way in which he weaves old stories and legends shared between our main character Marjan and her now deceased father were magical and captivating。 This book feels like slowly walking through a forest of secrets。 It is all of the elders bringing you into their ring of ancient wisdom and breathing it into your imagination。 I’m not quite sure I’ve read a story like this before 。 I think because I’m a massage therapist I absolutely adored that a component of the magic is done through touch。 Monsef brings us into the life of Marjan， a 15 year old girl experiencing a huge amount of loss in her life， the most recent one being the murder of her father。 This is compounded by the strained relationship between the two of them prior to his death。 Her father， an Iranian immigrant who followed his passion for animals was a veterinarian。 Through Marjan’s life he was always going away on mysterious business trips leaving Marjan feeling confused and abandoned。 Marjan is left with the stress of running a small vet clinic … and one day a mysterious woman shows up with an envelope embossed with a tea cup， and magical and mysterious things unfold。I don’t want to give too much away but this book beautifully explores : the feeling of being disconnected with your heart， grief and anger， of feel like a stranger to your family and yourself， and a sense of displacement from one’s culture。 and It is the journey of finding your way back to all of these things that allow you to live fully with yourself。It explores our relationship to animals and the planet， and the volatile nature of capitalism。 It shows how money and power disrupts balance and harmony。 And it explores the bravery of leaning into the chaos of it all and forging your own path。This novel is an absolute gem of a book and I can’t wait for you all to read it！！ 。。。more
Terri （BooklyMatters）
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** four and a half shiny starsA wildly imaginative ride through the past， and the present， and the silken threads that weave both together， featuring faeries， griffons， unicorns， giants and other creatures as strange and as wonderful as human dreams， hopes and imaginings are able to construct。 Once there was a girl named Marjan Dastani， our fifteen year old first-person POV narrator， and a descendant of Persia。 Marjan’s early childhood was a happy one - weaned on stories， myths and fables as anc ** four and a half shiny starsA wildly imaginative ride through the past， and the present， and the silken threads that weave both together， featuring faeries， griffons， unicorns， giants and other creatures as strange and as wonderful as human dreams， hopes and imaginings are able to construct。 Once there was a girl named Marjan Dastani， our fifteen year old first-person POV narrator， and a descendant of Persia。 Marjan’s early childhood was a happy one - weaned on stories， myths and fables as ancient and intrinsically-held-close as her bloodline and her heritage anticipated。 “A place that was real and not real at the same time A world that was bigger and older than the one I lived in。It had more light and deeper shadows， and there was room for things to be strange and wonderful。 Even when the stories ended， that world never quite went away。 “Marjan’s world implodes， when， wounded from the tragic early loss of her mother， teenage Marjan must also face the unexpected and violent death of her father， a veterinarian long-saddled with a struggling debt-ridden clinic。 It is not long before she comes to suspect that there are elements of her fathers practice that may be strangely and mysteriously related to the very stories she was raised on。 A wild and wondrous journey follows， a fantastical world as engaging as it is terrifying - rife with fascinations， puzzles， horrors， dangers and spells - and a missing link， just out of reach for Marjan， that may explain a life held apart， long experienced as profoundly incomplete。 “If you give the darkness a face， then maybe you can speak to it。 And if you can speak to it， then maybe you can control it。 And after all， isn’t that why we invented monsters？”I loved this deeply moving and engaging children’s book， sure to delight any-aged lovers of magic， myths and monsters。 A twisty， intensely lyrical sort of tale， this book is all-but-guaranteed to inspire feelings “shimmered with gold; like breathing something priceless and rare and warm into our chests。”A great big thank you to Netgalley， the author and the publisher for an ARC of this book。 All thoughts presented are my own。 **This book will be published on Apr 4， 2023 。。。more
Jmorenocidoncha
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En palabras del propio autor: «Hace nueve años， comencé a trabajar en una serie de relatos breves vinculados entre sí， acerca de un veterinario que trata a criaturas míticas。 Para ello me inspiré en la cálida autoridad de James Herriot y el deleite del raciocinio que hace que Sherlock Holmes sea tan atemporal。 Pero más que nada， quería intentar darle mi propia identidad a los animales y monstruos fantásticos que amaba desde que era niño。 Lo que descubrí mientras escribía estas historias fue un v En palabras del propio autor: «Hace nueve años， comencé a trabajar en una serie de relatos breves vinculados entre sí， acerca de un veterinario que trata a criaturas míticas。 Para ello me inspiré en la cálida autoridad de James Herriot y el deleite del raciocinio que hace que Sherlock Holmes sea tan atemporal。 Pero más que nada， quería intentar darle mi propia identidad a los animales y monstruos fantásticos que amaba desde que era niño。 Lo que descubrí mientras escribía estas historias fue un vasto mundo lleno de maravillas y secretos， y una heroína con unas dificultades únicas que， a pesar de todos sus defectos， se enfrentaría incluso a las más terribles y sanguinarias criaturas con coraje y compasión。 Y entonces encontré algo que no esperaba。 Encontré una conexión con mi propia herencia， un camino a través de las leyendas y las criaturas de la antigua Persia que me llevó directamente al presente。 «Una vez fue， una vez no fue» （yeki bood， yeki nabood） es la forma en que comienzan todos los cuentos de hadas persas y es la forma en que mi abuela iraní comenzaba las historias que me contaba cuando yo era muy joven， y también es una invocación que me acompaña desde entonces。 Durante mucho tiempo， esta historia fue y no fue。 Estaba en estado de fluctuación。 Pasó por muchos cambios。 Creció y se redujo。 Los personajes aparecían y luego desaparecían。 Nunca quise renunciar a ella， pero ha habido momentos en los que podría haberme alejado fácilmente， pasar a otra cosa。 Me ha llevado nueve años contar esta historia de la forma en que quiere ser contada。 Y ahora está lista»。Comparada como la mezcla entre Todas la criaturas grandes y pequeñas con Animales Fantásticos y dónde encontrarlos， Neil Gaiman y Philip Pullman， esta emocionante novela sobre una niña estadounidense de origen iraní que descubre que su padre era， en secreto， un veterinario de criaturas mágicas y que ella debe reemplazarlo， a pesar de los muchos peligros que esto supone， es una reivindicación del arte de contar historias y de las leyendas mitológicas de los pueblos más antiguos del planeta。 。。。more
Jenny Suzanne
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Loved this。
Hilary Scroggie
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Magical， surprising， splendid。
Tory
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