Once a Castle, the second book in Sarah Arthur's series, is the rare sequel that surpasses the first book in the series. I struggled with Once a Queen, in part because of the changing time lines. Once a Castle, however, was a real treat. I loved seeing how the characters developed in the story and interacted and intertwined with each other. The book followed a consistent timeline, but shared the story for several different perspectives, which added to the character growth. Although a second book in the series, I do think that the book could stand alone.

I don't want to share spoilers, but I loved the reveals in the last third of the book. I look forward to seeing where the author takes the series next. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the free e-arc.

I love this story! It’s so magical and interesting, it had such a large cast of characters. It was such an engaging story, I read it almost in one swoop! Happy to see more with these characters, it was a nice reunion. Great job, more please!

Fantasy adventure that reads similar to Narnia. I enjoyed the book, but it did seem to have a lot going on. It takes a bit to iron out the story lines and characters and everything, but it’s an entertaining story. I’m glad that I got an advance reader copy to read.

First of all , thanks to netgalley and Ms. Arthur for the opportunity to reading this ARC ahead of publishing.
Once a Crown" dives into the realm of Ternival, where magic and dangers await. The story follows various lines, who finds themselves entangled in the dangers that Mindra brings with, when she goes searching for the gems at Carrick Hall.

The narrative kicks off some years after The original book and even if I enjoy the depths of the new characters i missed more of Eva and the new relationship with Frankie.

Despite its imaginative settings and engaging premise, "Once a Crown" suffers from pacing issues. While the supporting characters are intriguing, they sometimes feel underdeveloped, leaving readers craving more backstory and motivation behind their actions.

In conclusion, "Once a Crown" presents a richly woven fantasy adventure that captures the essence of heroism, friendship. and found family However, its pacing and character development leave something to be desired, making it a solid read for fantasy enthusiasts but not an absolute must-read. Readers looking for a blend of action and magic may find enjoyment.

I want to thank the author and netgalley for allowing me the privilege to be able to read an ARC of this book I really appreciate it. It wasn't until I started this book that I realized they allowed me the privilege of reading the first book which from what I could remember had a similar structure to my review I'm about to make for this book. But with the previous one it was a lot harder to get through it and so I was no able to finish it before it archived in order to properly review it and I'm sorry.

In regards to this book there's a line in this book that really actually summed up this book perfectly it's not word for word as I couldn't find it again but it's a character talking about their dad saying similar to, 'dont worry dad will say a whole lot of nothing, walk around it all and they'll all forget about what they originally wanted to know' . That's kind of what this book is like. Don't get me wrong this is a good book, the writing flows everytime I'd come to an issue I still didn't want to put the book down so my general consensus is a 4.

There are a lot of characters in this book, and technically they each have their own stories with in (which is on purpose I believe once you get to the end of the book) but it's all disjointed you'll get full chapters of a character back to back and than you'll get a chapter with the previous chapter character, than a scene from another, and a scene from another. Than a new chapter will be one of the other characters, than a scene from another and so on. It's a lot. Also this is important because it drove me nuts the three times it's at least used in this book right at the beginning might I add, in all purposes for this book it should have completely been snuck and not sneaked.

Over all this book felt like I'm assuming it was suppose to maybe be intended as someone reading a child bedtime stories, with all the random switch out and the way the story goes. Everytime it stops and starts it feels like someone continuing the story another night and in some cases forgetting things that occured prior and just guessing how to keep the story going. It's not a bad book it's just set up strangely.

Thank you very much again for allowing me the opportunity to read this book I really appreciate it.

This was a strong sequel in the Carrick Hall series, it had that element that I enjoyed the first book. It took the elements that I enjoyed and improved on it in this book. The characters were everything that I was looking for and enjoyed how they worked in this story. Sarah Arthur has a strong writing style and left me wanting to read more in this series.

Once a Castle is a spellbound adventure into a fantasy realm mirroring the worlds of JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis, rife with magic and whimsy, the second book of the Carrick Hall series is a whirlwind of adventure, taking readers into the world of Ternival that Sarah Arthur teased in the first book, Once a Queen.
I loved the first book in this series dearly and was honored to be able to read an advanced copy of this book, where I found myself craving more in Once a Queen, Once a Castle delivered. No longer craving and yearning for the magical world of Ternival, in Once a Castle the magic is thrust into the real world, and the promises made by the enchantress Mindra in the first book come to fruition.
While this novel deviates from the original in pacing and tone, we are thrust into the world years after Eva finds herself at Carrick Hall, we follow the younger characters now grown up as they embark on their own adventure in the magical world that the estate has such a strong connection to.
When Jack and Arash discover a castle on a hill and a giant asleep at its walls on the summer solstice, they realize the stories they grew up with might be. They are thrown into a journey neither of them are prepared for, along with Jack’s siblings, Lord Edward’s children Charles and Aurora, and Zhara a girl from Ternival.
The children need to find a way to get their friends back and stop Mindra from reclaiming the throne.

The entire time I was reading this I was enraptured. It is fast-paced and full of genuine real world struggles. The challenges plaguing these children back home are still prevalent in the mystical world they travel to, it’s not simply an escape like how it felt in Once a Queen. While it is whimsical and magical, there is real healing that takes place here. The layers that unravel as this story went on captivated me, and I gasped aloud multiple times.

If you liked Once a Queen, you will absolutely love Once a Castle. I mean that with my entire being.

5 star read from meeee. Yassss! I don't have the specific words to express how much I adored this book. What a masterpiece!

Once a Castle was a fabulous addition to the Carrick Halls series. I powered through this book in less than a day and was hooked from the start. I loved the nostalgic fairy tale feel, and it feels so "C. S. Lewis-y" to me that I can't help loving it. I highly, highly recommend to younger readers; it is so clean and safe and yet so enthralling. I was right in the world of Ternival with the characters, rooting for Arash and Elspeth and Tilly and Jack. I loved tha character development and the real family dynamics. Everyone missed real family dynamics in books, but this was done so well. I enjoyed the changed this marked from the first book, which was more whimsical, whereas this one was more fantasy and...somehow different. I also LOVE the cover! Well done, Sarah!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.