#carrickhall

Once a Castle (Carrick Hall, #2) by Sarah Arthur 

Pub date - 2/11/25

While I read Once a Queen, I hadn’t read it in so long that I borrowed the audiobook from the library and listened before I started Once a Castle. 

I’ll reiterate from my review of the first title, that I am not religious in the slightest, but I loved the Narnia series to the degree that one of my children has the same same as one of the non-Pevensie characters. It’s a book series that I never understood was allegory, I just loved the stories, and Aslan. So a young person’s fantasy series so heavily affected by my favorite childhood series 

I enjoyed Once a Queen and I really enjoyed Once a Castle - I love that the series is so influenced by C.S. Lewis’s work and the result is a well written, engaging second story that’s suitable for 4th/5th grade and up. 

I probably would have read this as a bedtime story to my own kids when they were younger and as a now-retired homeschooler, I recommend this series for younger readers (in Christian families) who enjoy fantasy and magic. Great series for a read-aloud or family audiobook. 

Thank you to Waterbrook and NetGalley for the DRC