Twice Upon a Marigold

"Twice Upon a Marigold" by Jean Ferris is a satisfying sequel to "Once Upon a Marigold." In this sequel, the story shows what has become of the evil queen, Olympia, who lived as a good person named Angie during her time with Amnesia. Once she had recovered from her memory loss and gained two companions, she returns to the castle and takes control of it all until the heroes once again step in to save it all, including Olympia herself. This is a great book to read after reading "Once Upon a Marigold." :) It's a great fantasy book to read to escape from problems or just to read something different. Children AND adults will enjoy this book.

Mm, is it just me, or were several plot points completely dropped? I mean, I am half asleep, but did Edric's story just...disappear? Very strange. I was disappointed by the lack of resolution and the easy-ending. Disappearing Olympia? That wasn't a very good way to deal with her. I did highly like the role played by Angie, though. The characters were great this time around--Sleeping Beauty's half sister and Stan Lucasa (I just KNEW his name was an anagram, I can't believe I didn't figure that one out!), totally original, never saw them coming. While true, I did find the story a little shaky plotwise (well, at least until after the rebellion. Should have just ended with Olympia turning into Angie, no 'vanishings', etc), I still thought the writing was as classic Jean Ferris as ever. She's a genius, the way she writes her fairy tales in such a contemporarily ancient way, capable of blending two time periods seamlessly. one last note: Please tell me I'm not the only one who thought Marigold was surely expecting a child (grumpiness, references to Wendell taking her first child?) I mean, I know these things are usually highly predictable, and I thought this was a perfect subtle (but not too subtle) way to introduce the idea! *wants a miniMarigold* Rating: 4.5/5

this was a great way to finish the series up! i loved the first one and this one too. hopefully everyone agrees!

My students were excited to see a sequal to Once Upon A Marigold! I wish I could buy a whole class set! This is a great addition...hopefully, there will be a 3rd book!

I like to read what my children are reading because it gives us common ground for conversation and I like to know what's on their minds. Sometimes this can be tedious, i.e. reading fiction written for primary school kids. The Marigold series is not a tedious task for me. I thoroughly enjoy the engaging, witty writing, and the subtle lessons that resonate from the narratives are good seeds to plant. I highly recommend these books. Children and adults will enjoy them. My 10-year-old son has long been an avid reader, but with the Marigold series he briefly gave up his MP3 player during the morning ride to school. He read instead.