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Once Upon a Spell #5
Zarina and the Djinn
Zarina has sacrificed years caring for her alcoholic father. While she works, he pawns her deceased mother's belongings and gambles away the family income. Her greatest dream is to leave the city behind, but loyalty to her father and brother keeps her at home. Then one night, she meets a kind stranger, a mysterious traveler whose eyes burn golden beneath the moonlight.
For the crimes of cruelty and narcissism, the Queen of the Djinn sentenced Joaidane to spend his immortal life in the body of a leper. Wearing an ugliness on the outside to match his vile soul, he travels the deserts seeking redemption. The full moon is his only reprieve, a time to be himself once more. Too bad no one can see him... until a young woman with a thirst for adventure crosses his path.
Although Zarina is the first person to see Joaidane's true appearance in three centuries--and may be the key to unraveling his curse--a pervasive evil festers in the city. Girls frequently disappear from their homes to sate the endless appetite of the corrupt royal family, and if Zarina isn't careful, she might be the next to join the sultan's growing harem.
For the crimes of cruelty and narcissism, the Queen of the Djinn sentenced Joaidane to spend his immortal life in the body of a leper. Wearing an ugliness on the outside to match his vile soul, he travels the deserts seeking redemption. The full moon is his only reprieve, a time to be himself once more. Too bad no one can see him... until a young woman with a thirst for adventure crosses his path.
Although Zarina is the first person to see Joaidane's true appearance in three centuries--and may be the key to unraveling his curse--a pervasive evil festers in the city. Girls frequently disappear from their homes to sate the endless appetite of the corrupt royal family, and if Zarina isn't careful, she might be the next to join the sultan's growing harem.
261 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 30, 2017
78 people are currently reading
517 people want to read
About the author
Vivienne Savage
90 books345 followersSign up at http://www.viviennesavage.com/newsletter to receive an exclusive, free novel.
Vivienne Savage is a resident of a small town in rural Texas. While she isn't writing fantasy or concocting ways for shapeshifters and humans to find their match, she raises two children and works as a nurse in a rural retirement home.
All works by Vivienne range from urban fantasy and sweet adult romance to spicy shifter fiction with an erotic kick. Visit her site to determine which series is best for you!
Official Site: viviennesavage.com
Facebook: facebook.com/savage.books
Twitter: twitter.com/msvsavage
Instagram: instagram.com/msvsavage
Email: vivi@viviennesavage.com
Vivienne Savage is a resident of a small town in rural Texas. While she isn't writing fantasy or concocting ways for shapeshifters and humans to find their match, she raises two children and works as a nurse in a rural retirement home.
All works by Vivienne range from urban fantasy and sweet adult romance to spicy shifter fiction with an erotic kick. Visit her site to determine which series is best for you!
Official Site: viviennesavage.com
Facebook: facebook.com/savage.books
Twitter: twitter.com/msvsavage
Instagram: instagram.com/msvsavage
Email: vivi@viviennesavage.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
January 12, 2020
I am hooked on the Once Upon A Spell series! Savage has essentially taken multiple fairy tales and created quite the world with them! There’s not just one tale going on either. With Zarina and Joidane, it was a little bit of Arabian Nights, echoes of the Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Rumpelstiltskin all wrapped in to one. With a little extra on casting;) The characters were vibrant and full of life and the romance was sweet with a bit of steamy action.
Basically, I am loving these stories immensely!
Basically, I am loving these stories immensely!
December 28, 2017
As usual, Vivienne Savage swept me away into a fairy tale. (Yes, a fairy tale with sexy times and language most folks wouldn't want their kids to read, hence the "Adult Fairy Tale" tag.)
I like that the characters had a lot of growing to do - Joidane moreso than Zarina. He was a bully and a brat at the beginning of the book, and I could imagine myself meting out the same punishment as his come-uppance. That is, if I had those magical powers. But he did learn and grow, and it wasn't just his desire for Zarina the spurred the change. Once he realized he had the power to change his ways, regardless of the outcome for him, he began to right some wrongs in the sleepy little town. (Okay, Naruk wasn't all that sleepy, given all the corruption and greed...)
Zarina wasn't the typical Savage heroine, in that she didn't get to be a kick-ass warrior woman, but she was strong in other ways. She was the glue that held her family together, and she endured the loss of her dreams to cover for her father's transgressions, and to make sure her brother was secure in his future. She put others before her own needs, time and again, and in the face of a lifetime of misery, she bore up and made the best of it.
When they got together, the strength of their love was enough to kick ass on some pretty sleazy characters. In short, I loved this book, too.
I like that the characters had a lot of growing to do - Joidane moreso than Zarina. He was a bully and a brat at the beginning of the book, and I could imagine myself meting out the same punishment as his come-uppance. That is, if I had those magical powers. But he did learn and grow, and it wasn't just his desire for Zarina the spurred the change. Once he realized he had the power to change his ways, regardless of the outcome for him, he began to right some wrongs in the sleepy little town. (Okay, Naruk wasn't all that sleepy, given all the corruption and greed...)
Zarina wasn't the typical Savage heroine, in that she didn't get to be a kick-ass warrior woman, but she was strong in other ways. She was the glue that held her family together, and she endured the loss of her dreams to cover for her father's transgressions, and to make sure her brother was secure in his future. She put others before her own needs, time and again, and in the face of a lifetime of misery, she bore up and made the best of it.
When they got together, the strength of their love was enough to kick ass on some pretty sleazy characters. In short, I loved this book, too.
February 16, 2018
I'm not sure what it was with this installment in the series but I kind of lost interest in parts of the story, maybe because I wanted the story to hurry and get to the good part. It was just ok for me. I was glad for the ending and the way everything turned out.
Would I recommend, sure I would. The whole series is good, just this one for me was a little slow.
I look forward to the next installment.
Would I recommend, sure I would. The whole series is good, just this one for me was a little slow.
I look forward to the next installment.
August 12, 2020
I’m not sure why it took me so long to get around to reading this book. It sat in my kindle for 2 years before I finally clicked it open today. And again I say, I really don’t know why I put off reading this for so long because it was wonderful! Just as all the other books of this series have been.
This is a retelling of Rumpelstiltskin with a dash of Arabian Nights. As the only child of Samiran the ifrit, and the grand enchantress Saifyya, ruler of Ankirith (whom we got to meet in book 3), Joaidane was a handsome and powerful enchanter who wanted for nothing. But he was too mischievous and loved to play jokes on the hapless villagers of Ankirith. Having lived in great comfort and spoiled by an overly indulgent mother, Joaidane was unable to see the sufferings his antics had wrought upon the people of Ankirith. After a prank gone too far, Yasmina, queen of the ifrit and aunt to Joaidane, decided to step in and teach him a lesson in the form of a curse that would strip him of both his good looks and his magic. Reduced to a powerless and frail beggar, Joaidane, cursed as Rumpelstiltskin, was cast out of Ankirith and doomed to roam the deserts of Samahara until he learnt to care for others more than himself.
While begging in the streets of the city of Naruk, where the seat of the sultanate is, Joaidane encountered Zarina, daughter of a spice merchant whose alcoholic and gambling ways have forced her and her brother, Kazim, to take over the running of their spice shop. Despite struggling to pay off her father’s debts, Zarina remains compassionate to the needy and is also the first person to look upon Joaidane with kindness, giving him a glimmer of hope that his curse might finally be broken.
This was a lovely and rather unusual retelling of Rumpelstiltskin, but one which I had enjoyed a lot. For some reason, “God Help the Outcasts” from the Hunchback of Notre Dame kept resounding in my mind as I was reading this. The writing is stellar as usual and I hope Vivienne Savage will come back with more fairy tale retellings.
Reviewed on 7 Aug 2020.
This is a retelling of Rumpelstiltskin with a dash of Arabian Nights. As the only child of Samiran the ifrit, and the grand enchantress Saifyya, ruler of Ankirith (whom we got to meet in book 3), Joaidane was a handsome and powerful enchanter who wanted for nothing. But he was too mischievous and loved to play jokes on the hapless villagers of Ankirith. Having lived in great comfort and spoiled by an overly indulgent mother, Joaidane was unable to see the sufferings his antics had wrought upon the people of Ankirith. After a prank gone too far, Yasmina, queen of the ifrit and aunt to Joaidane, decided to step in and teach him a lesson in the form of a curse that would strip him of both his good looks and his magic. Reduced to a powerless and frail beggar, Joaidane, cursed as Rumpelstiltskin, was cast out of Ankirith and doomed to roam the deserts of Samahara until he learnt to care for others more than himself.
While begging in the streets of the city of Naruk, where the seat of the sultanate is, Joaidane encountered Zarina, daughter of a spice merchant whose alcoholic and gambling ways have forced her and her brother, Kazim, to take over the running of their spice shop. Despite struggling to pay off her father’s debts, Zarina remains compassionate to the needy and is also the first person to look upon Joaidane with kindness, giving him a glimmer of hope that his curse might finally be broken.
This was a lovely and rather unusual retelling of Rumpelstiltskin, but one which I had enjoyed a lot. For some reason, “God Help the Outcasts” from the Hunchback of Notre Dame kept resounding in my mind as I was reading this. The writing is stellar as usual and I hope Vivienne Savage will come back with more fairy tale retellings.
Reviewed on 7 Aug 2020.
January 18, 2026
Zarina and the Djinn was one of those stories that quietly settled into my heart and stayed there. I loved this book far more than I expected to.
Zarina is a heroine shaped by responsibility rather than ambition, and that made her feel real. Her strength comes from endurance, sacrifice, and compassion, not bravado. Watching her navigate a life defined by duty while still yearning for something more was deeply moving.
Joaidane’s character arc is where this story truly shines. His growth from arrogance into humility and care felt earned, not rushed. The romance unfolds slowly and naturally, built on shared loneliness, understanding, and genuine emotional change rather than instant attraction.
The world itself feels imperfect and dangerous, which gives weight to the characters’ choices. I appreciated that love in this story doesn’t magically fix everything — it demands accountability, growth, and difficult decisions.
This book felt intimate, emotional, and sincere. It’s a story about being truly seen, choosing kindness over bitterness, and allowing love to transform you without erasing the past. A beautiful, quietly powerful read.
Zarina is a heroine shaped by responsibility rather than ambition, and that made her feel real. Her strength comes from endurance, sacrifice, and compassion, not bravado. Watching her navigate a life defined by duty while still yearning for something more was deeply moving.
Joaidane’s character arc is where this story truly shines. His growth from arrogance into humility and care felt earned, not rushed. The romance unfolds slowly and naturally, built on shared loneliness, understanding, and genuine emotional change rather than instant attraction.
The world itself feels imperfect and dangerous, which gives weight to the characters’ choices. I appreciated that love in this story doesn’t magically fix everything — it demands accountability, growth, and difficult decisions.
This book felt intimate, emotional, and sincere. It’s a story about being truly seen, choosing kindness over bitterness, and allowing love to transform you without erasing the past. A beautiful, quietly powerful read.
March 12, 2019
Rumpekstiltskin
I think I this has been my favorite one yet.
While this story is after we find out about Jodaine’s mother and fathers story in the series, it takes place before the entire series begins. We met his mother and father in Goldilocks and we read about Jodaine in Tinker Bell’s story. But this book is his story and takes place before all of series.
The author does a wonderful job of describing Zarina’s history and family problems and really gets you to root for her.
Format: Kindle unlimited
I think I this has been my favorite one yet.
While this story is after we find out about Jodaine’s mother and fathers story in the series, it takes place before the entire series begins. We met his mother and father in Goldilocks and we read about Jodaine in Tinker Bell’s story. But this book is his story and takes place before all of series.
The author does a wonderful job of describing Zarina’s history and family problems and really gets you to root for her.
Format: Kindle unlimited
February 26, 2019
3.5 Stars
Apart from the confusing prologue that was from Tinker Bell and the Pirate, Zarina and the Djinn is another entertaining instalment in the magical Once Upon a Spell series by Vivianne Savage. A twisted retelling of Rumpelstiltskin, weaved with Scheherazade of The Thousand and One Nights.
Apart from the confusing prologue that was from Tinker Bell and the Pirate, Zarina and the Djinn is another entertaining instalment in the magical Once Upon a Spell series by Vivianne Savage. A twisted retelling of Rumpelstiltskin, weaved with Scheherazade of The Thousand and One Nights.
December 3, 2017
A very different retelling
I loved this book it was very different from other Rumpelstiltskin retellings, it was also quite different from the other books In the series. I really enjoyed this book however I was confused over the prologue from Belle and the Pirate at the start. All in all I thought this book was a unique way to tell Rumplestiltskin.
I loved this book it was very different from other Rumpelstiltskin retellings, it was also quite different from the other books In the series. I really enjoyed this book however I was confused over the prologue from Belle and the Pirate at the start. All in all I thought this book was a unique way to tell Rumplestiltskin.
December 6, 2017
A wonderful twisted tale that caught my interest from the first page. I loved the characters and enjoyed their journey and lessons they learned.
This series is nothing like I expected not at all like the fairytales or retelling I’ve read but much better and unexpected.
I voluntarily reviewed an arc from the author.
This series is nothing like I expected not at all like the fairytales or retelling I’ve read but much better and unexpected.
I voluntarily reviewed an arc from the author.
December 8, 2017
What an enchanring story !
In a culture where marriages were normally arranged, you don't expect a love story like this one to occur. You also don't expect Rumpelstiltskin to be a Djinn in disguise. Zarina is an amazing heroine and her and Joadiane's story is an amazing one of kindness, respect, passion and love.
In a culture where marriages were normally arranged, you don't expect a love story like this one to occur. You also don't expect Rumpelstiltskin to be a Djinn in disguise. Zarina is an amazing heroine and her and Joadiane's story is an amazing one of kindness, respect, passion and love.
December 11, 2017
Absolutely magical!
I love Vivienne Savage 's series of adult Fairytale Romance. This was book 5 in the Once Upon a Spell series. Rumpelstilltskin was a beautifully written story about life lessons and the miss use of power. I highly recommend this book and series to any lover of fairy tales.
I love Vivienne Savage 's series of adult Fairytale Romance. This was book 5 in the Once Upon a Spell series. Rumpelstilltskin was a beautifully written story about life lessons and the miss use of power. I highly recommend this book and series to any lover of fairy tales.
December 28, 2017
I didn't enjoy this book as much as the others in the series. I feel like the story was slow going and lacked the adventure and action the other books offered. What little action there was came fast and abrupt. Don't get me wrong I enjoy a good curse, and man this one was a doozy. But I had to give this book 3 stars for my lack of interest at the beginning of the book.
July 8, 2020
Read this one slightly out of order. As always I like the characters and the twists added to the old tales. I find in these dark days I really have a very low tolerance for villains and collateral damage. This was a slightly shorter tale so there was less room for the painful bits. I also had the fun of seeing a bit of their happy ever after in the Rapunzel story that I just read. :)
January 8, 2018
Love reading this one
Another fabulous book! I read it in the “twisted” book and now hat I’ve read it in order I have a greater love for this series. The hardships, trials, and ending to this book is an amazing read and I can’t wait to continue the series.
Another fabulous book! I read it in the “twisted” book and now hat I’ve read it in order I have a greater love for this series. The hardships, trials, and ending to this book is an amazing read and I can’t wait to continue the series.
February 1, 2019
All the books in this story are emotional and feature a struggle before a happy conclusion. I barely remembered the main character's prior appearance or the fairy tale upon which this is based, but that didn't impede my enjoyment.
January 30, 2021
The best part about this series being a guilty pleasure read for me is that I don’t even need to explain why I like them. I’m not critiquing the writing or world building, I honestly don’t care they’re just fun to read and I’m a little sad I only have 3 left.
December 9, 2017
3.5 magical little stars
December 4, 2017
Love this book
It was great reading about a someone that’s not in the main story line but appears in the books. And who isn’t curious about Rumpstilkins ?
It was great reading about a someone that’s not in the main story line but appears in the books. And who isn’t curious about Rumpstilkins ?
December 4, 2017
Interesting but a bit slow and without as much action, suspense, excitement as in the previous books.
December 14, 2017
Great retelling with a twist. I really liked it.
September 8, 2018
A great adventure of loss, hope and l0ve
October 29, 2018
Excellent read!!)
This book was just as good as all the others. I have 1 more I have to read. I'm sure it will be just as good. Truly a great story!! A must read!!
This book was just as good as all the others. I have 1 more I have to read. I'm sure it will be just as good. Truly a great story!! A must read!!
March 4, 2019
A beautiful story of love and redemption. I'm in love with this story and this world the author group has created
April 25, 2019
Wonderful!
Such a lovely take on the story of Rumplestiltskin! The only thing to be wanted would've been the reunion with his parents! But soo wonderful none the less!
Such a lovely take on the story of Rumplestiltskin! The only thing to be wanted would've been the reunion with his parents! But soo wonderful none the less!
May 28, 2021
Beautiful story
This was a beautiful story. A twist to the fairytale I really enjoyed. Now I'm looking forward to the next in the series.
This was a beautiful story. A twist to the fairytale I really enjoyed. Now I'm looking forward to the next in the series.
June 5, 2022
I couldn't put this book down. It's my fave from this series yet!
January 16, 2024
Re tiernos
January 8, 2021
Joaidane lever med en förbannelse. Yasmina, drottningen av Ifrit, tröttnade på hans dåliga uppförande och dömde honom till att leva utan sina krafter och som gammal, ful och utstött - till dess att han blir älskad för den han är och att hans kärlek finner hans namn som förbannad: Rumpelstiltskin. Tre nätter per månad får han dock tillbaka sitt utseende och sina krafter. I Naruk möter han så Zarina.
Zarina driver stadens örtbutik med sin bror. Fadern är en suput och spelare - och säljer allt av värde i huset och butiken. Och en dag spelar han bort sin dotter, efter att ha sagt att hon kan spinna hö till guld.
***
Ännu en fantasy-romance med en saga som utgångspunkt. Ännu en svårsläppt bok fylld av spänning, kärlek, hetta och magi. Definitivt läsvärd! 🤗
Zarina driver stadens örtbutik med sin bror. Fadern är en suput och spelare - och säljer allt av värde i huset och butiken. Och en dag spelar han bort sin dotter, efter att ha sagt att hon kan spinna hö till guld.
***
Ännu en fantasy-romance med en saga som utgångspunkt. Ännu en svårsläppt bok fylld av spänning, kärlek, hetta och magi. Definitivt läsvärd! 🤗
December 7, 2017
Totally in love with this series! The VG team is just getting better and better! If you love fairy tales with a dash of magic then I can really recommend this series to you. Enjoy! Thanks for my copy.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews