Bird of a Thousand Stories

Starred review from December 1, 2024
A teenager's mission to help distressed magical creatures takes her into dangerous places and deadly situations in this folk tale-infused sequel toOnce There Was (2023). The stakes rise considerably this time around: Over the course of encounters with eldritch supernatural beings and a reclusive Persian cousin of (as it turns out) uncertain reliability, Marjan Dastani, now 16, learns that a legendary bird that brings stories to the world is about to be reborn. As a hatchling, it will be vulnerable to foes--notably the Fells, a ruthless organization of magical animal traffickers that is, to Marjan's deep disgust, her main employer. Interspersing his chapters with fragmentary folk tales featuring orphans, quests, monsters, the titular bird, and hints of profound truths, Monsef sends his rousingly intense and sometimes difficult protagonist all over the map, from Berkeley to Istanbul, Rio de Janeiro, and remotest Finland. Hoping to find and protect the Bird, Marjan embarks on a headlong series of tests, betrayals, reversals, revelations, and confrontations. Better yet, along with dishing up a diverse human cast linked by refreshingly nuanced relationships, the author endows the supernatural being with subtle and surprising natures, abilities, and agendas. "The fae are fickle," says one character. "One day they sing you the sweetest song. The next day they eat your cat." Even jaded fantasy readers won't be able to help but be beguiled. Breathless adventures in richly imagined settings--an entrancing sequel. (source notes)(Fantasy. 10-14)

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January 1, 2025
Grades 6-9 The sequel to Once There Was starts off where the first book ended, not long after 16-year-old Marjan Dastani has solved her father's murder. Marjan is still living in Berkeley with her roommate, Malloryn, and has taken her father's place in working for the Fells, a secret society that heals mythical creatures around the world. However, the Fells are actually taking these mythical creatures away from their true caretakers and selling them to the highest bidder. When Marjan escapes the Fells with a charmed seed, she seeks out her reclusive Persian uncle to help her set things right. He tells her the fable of two orphans on a journey to find the Bird of a Thousand Stories in order to reunite with their family. Believing that it has returned, Marjan sets out in search of the bird--and to prevent the Fells from capturing and selling it. This adventurous sequel has themes of friendship and family, an empowering message of how all things are connected, and a healthy dose of folklore and mythology.

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