The Addison siblings and their friends discover there are portals connecting their English village and the magical fantasy realm of Ternival. The teens must make their way through enchantments, dark mysteries and mayhem to somehow save both realities from an evil witch.
Several years back, the very American Eva Joyce met the very British Frankie Addison.
Eva, you see, came to spend the summer at her grandmother’s home of Carrick Hall, a mansion that seemed to Eva’s eye to rise from the surrounding English countryside like an old, gray dragon.
It was here that Eva met Frankie, the caretaker’s grandson. The two young teens hit it off and spent that summer searching out secrets about the place.
As that season unfolded, Eva found herself wondering if Carrick Hall held far more, in fact, than she expected. Are there magical things afoot here: relics, tapestries, forgotten mysteries? Is that large glowing stag—the one that Eva’s seen step from a tapestry and walk the surrounding lawns—real, or just the stuff of her dreams? For that matter, did Eva herself really step one dark night into another, fantastic realm?
Some of those questions were answered by the end of Eva’s stay. But not all of them.
Now, years later, Eva and Frankie are older and both off at university. But the questions about Carrick Hall remain. And Franky’s younger siblings—Jack, Tilly, Georgie and Elspeth Addison—are poised to find answers they weren’t even looking for.
It all begins when the overly rambunctious Jack discovers a castle in the woods. But the castle’s sudden appearance overnight isn’t his biggest discovery. The truly shocking revelation is ushered in by an eye-watering stench. As Jack draws near the castle, he realizes that stench is emanating from a mountainous heap beside the castle … a heap that’s … breathing.
Jack, you see, has discovered a sleeping giant!
It turns out, there are rifts opening between worlds. But what’s on the others side?
There’s also a striking woman in a crimson cloak in the mix: Mindra, who wields amazing and evil powers. And there’s an army that stands against her, made up of sentient animals and magical beasts.
The Addison siblings and their friends are about to discover all of these things. And they will set off on an incredible journey that will transform their lives.
But what about Eva and Frankie?
Oh, they’ll be part of the tale as well. But it turns out, they’re in need of a bit of saving this go ‘round. Why? Because, well, it seems Eva and Frankie have been kidnapped and transformed into a pair of caged rodents.
Yes, there are indeed magical things afoot.
A father prays before a family meal.
Once a Castle is filled with the story elements that feel very akin to C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia stories. While not depicting a central, Christ-like character analogous to that beloved series’ Aslan the lion, this tale nevertheless points to biblical values.
Among them, we see the importance of sacrificing for others and not judging anyone based on outward appearance.
Characters are also encouraged to stand bravely against an ever-present evil. And the story explores the beneficial virtues of being honest and holding fast to hope in the midst of devastating failure and oppression.
An ethereal, glowing stag leads several people out of dangerous places to safety or help. Someone heals the injuries of several people with a hidden secret power. And we find out that a number of other characters have been blessed with secret abilities as well.
Magic is also used here to hurt and overwhelm the innocent. Large numbers of people are transformed into animals and then caged, for instance.
Magic incantations and woven tapestries are used as portals between the fantasy realm of Ternival—a place of Centaurs, giants and other magical creatures—and our human domain, called Tellus.
The story also focuses on magical items, including glowing gems and a crown, that will give immense power to anyone who possesses all the necessary elements.
There are, quite frankly, a lot of characters introduced in this story. Many of them are tweens and teens: the Addisons, teen friends Charles and Aurora, an ostracized teen boy named Arash, a Ternival girl named Zahra. When you add in the adults attached in one way or another to those kids—parents, grandparents, Ternival tribes and warriors and other caretakers—you end up with a lot of people to keep track of. That can sometimes be a heavy lift for a younger reader.
That said, the adults here all seem to be upright individuals who go out of their way to help the young people. And even when we meet some characters who don’t directly involve themselves with the good-vs-evil struggle in Ternival—such as the Dryads, a nature-connected race who observe the world’s turmoil without getting involved—they ultimately give aid the side of those fighting evil.
The story also introduces some elderly humans who step up with unexpected skillsets, suggesting that age can come with positive benefits. On a similar front, one of the teens who seems the most ditzy also becomes a very reliable person in the heat of a crisis. And even those kids who appear to be nothing but an anchor to the others show themselves to have the ability to be of great help once they make a positive choice and step forward to help.
The true villain here, however, proves herself to be all the things that the teens shouldn’t aspire to. She’s incredibly beautiful and powerful, but even her striking appearance becomes pale and plastic as the corruption of her spirit becomes more evident. She is concerned solely with power, and the pursuit of it eventually becomes her downfall.
Ultimately, the teens all learn solid lessons to one degree or another. They turn from the allure of grabbing the spotlight to become “lofty and self-sufficient” and, instead, look for ways to help others and work for the good of all. Because no matter their weakness, they can “still do something meaningful, however minor.”
There’s no foul language in the story mix, but one sentient animal character likes to use colorful language. For example, at one point he exclaims, “Enough of that whimbypoddled nonsense!” Elsewhere, he opines, “I thought we were about to get our whompers betoodled!” Etc.
This is, in essence, a war story. As such, it depicts battles between armed beast-people and sentient animals, giants and other deadly creatures. Characters get tossed about by great magical blasts.
A battling giant and centaur both go tumbling to their death down a massive crater that opens in the ground. And though we don’t see any truly bloody battles, we hear of giants storming a fortress and demolishing everything and everyone in it.
A young girl is accidentally hit by a car. She ends up with a broken wrist. That untended injury sends her into a debilitating fever. A car chase ends in both vehicles crashing.
We hear a little about some teens who are attracted to other teens, but the interactions are opposite sex and never openly addressed. Two twentysomething characters get engaged by the end of the story.
Have you ever wondered how you might react if you could step into a fantasy land filled with magic and giants? Would your choices be different?
What about this story situation? What do you think the Addison teens’ greatest strengths were? Did they work better together than on their own? Why or why not?
Charles looked at Arash and instantly didn’t like him. Why? What did this story say about that? Are there people who you judge just because of what they look like or what they wear? Take a look at John 7:24. What message is God giving us with this verse?
What was the strongest lesson that one of the teens in the story learned, in your opinion? Can you apply that lesson to something or someone in your life? What was your favorite part of this story?
Sarah Arthur’s Once a Castle is rife with Chronicles of Narnia vibes. As such, readers will encounter encouragement to push back against the ever-present evil of our world; sacrifice for others; and hold fast to virtues such as bravery, honesty, faith and love.
Some of the perilous and deadly moments here might be disturbing for some younger readers. But on the positive side, this sequel is an immersive tale that focuses on adventure and imagination.
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Book reviews cover the content, themes and worldviews of fiction books, not necessarily their literary merit, and equip parents to decide whether a book is appropriate for their children. The inclusion of a book’s review does not constitute an endorsement by Focus on the Family.
After spending more than two decades touring, directing, writing and producing for Christian theater and radio (most recently for Adventures in Odyssey, which he still contributes to), Bob joined the Plugged In staff to help us focus more heavily on video games. He is also one of our primary movie reviewers.
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