This book me some time to get into but it is so BEAUTIFULLY written and fascinating. We get to see Marjan’s travels (and struggles) and she travels in search for a magical bird. I had not realized the book was the second in the Once There Was series prior to reading; however, I think this can be read as a stand alone book.

I was lucky enough to win an e-ARC of BIRD OF A THOUSAND STORIES by Kiyash Monsef in a Shelf Awareness giveaway. Thank you for the early look, and have a safe and healthy 2025!

Marjan who has a feeling for what a mythical creature needs, must track down the fabled Bird of a Thousand Stories before someone with more nefarious plans finds it. But as she travels the globe, the less she seems to know about connecting with the world’s mythical creatures, the more danger she’s in, the more she is betrayed and the more she risks losing her few close friends.

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.

In “Once There Was”, Marjan takes up her father’s calling of traveling around the world taking care of mythical creatures. In this sequel, Marjan searches for a magical bird which is in danger but if not saved, the future of the world could be in danger. The story flows between the retelling of a fairy tale/myth and Marjan’s travels which kind of follows the old fairy tale to find the bird while coming in contact with more mythical creatures. While it can stand alone, I found better as I’d read “Once There Was”. Regardless you definitely should read this one.

An interesting story of one woman’s search for herself interspersed with the story of two orphan’s search for a phoenix. I like the touch of Islamic story telling, like Blood of Flowers.

I loved this book just as much as the first in the series. I was captivated by it and could not put it down. Kiyash is a master storyteller and her world building is amazing.