Once Upon A [Stolen] Time by Samreen Ahsan

Thank you to Samreen Ahsan for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Samreen Ahsan's Once Upon A [Stolen] Time was my first introduction to the author and I can say I am absolutely intrigued by her. When I first started reading, I was captured by the setting and time-traveling aspect. I had hoped for a kick ass heroine, a dark and tragic hero, and an amazing love story. What I got was a little bit different but I still enjoyed it nonetheless. 

Myra was a heroine I had a hard time connecting to. It felt like I was inside a sixteen-year old's teenage brain who constantly had her head in the clouds. She's very into princes, princesses, castles... you get the drift. Basically, she's enamored with fairy tales and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. I just didn't connect with her. Edward on the other hand... I was curious about. The premise of the hero living in an entirely different time period from the heroine was quite interesting and I wanted to know how the two could possibly end up together, especially when separated by time itself. I loved reading in Edward's point of view and I felt for this complex and tragic character.

"Once upon a time, in a distant land, there lived a beast that imprisoned his prey outside of time. He captured her, unraveled her, destroyed her and never let her go."

Like many others before me, I struggled with starting this book and had a hard time getting into it. But once the ball started rolling, so to speak, I became a lot more interested and invested in the mystery as well as Myra and Edward's romance. It felt real and I was moved by Edward especially in his affection for Myra.

"There were only two people in this time. Just me and him, as the world spun into a timeless abyss."

In the end, Samreen Ahsan's unique writing and sweet romance between Edward and Myra had me looking forward to the next book. It almost had a Beauty and the Beast feel to it, one of my favorite Disney movies and stories. While the book does end in a cliffhanger and we have no idea when Samreen will write the next one, this was still a very enjoyable read and I highly recommend it for the tortured hero and his romance with our contemporary heroine.

Rating: ★★★★☆