Word to Dreams: Review/Giveaway for Fire & Ice by Michele Barrow-Belisle

Praise for Fire & Ice:

"It's like Lord of the Rings meets Harry Potter meets Alice in Wonderland mixed with some awesomeness." ~ Books To Get Lost In

Blurb/Synopsis:

Adventure wasn’t something Lorelei Alundra was interested in. Gifted with two otherworldly talents for singing and healing, she’s always shied away from her gifts and the spotlight, preferring quiet anonymity, over attention and fame. But when she meets the enigmatic Adrius, with his dark and dangerous mystique and eyes that peer into her soul, her uneventful life becomes irrevocably altered
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Adrius turns up in every one of her classes and knows more about her than any newcomer should. Including the condition of her mother who is suffering from a mysterious illness. Accepting his offer to help leads her into a terrifying and thrilling world, where Elves are even hotter than Legolas, and Faeries.... are nothing like Tinkerbell. Lose the butterfly wings and add a tattoo. The two magical beings are fire and ice opposites. One Lorelei can’t help falling for, and the other she's compelled to be with.

Now she’s trapped in their world, expected to prevent a war between witches and faeries, or forfeit her mother’s life. Nothing is what it seems. Not her family. Not the Fey. Not even Adrius, whose feelings for her balance precariously between danger and desire.

As secrets unravel and unsettling truths are revealed, Lorelei must fight to save much more than her mother’s life. One mistake could put the fate of his world— and her soul, in jeopardy.

But hey, no pressure… right.

Purchase Links:

MY REVIEW

First off I wish to thank the author for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Receiving such does not factor into my review and does not sway me in any way.

The cover of this book is truly lovely to look at. The contrast from what is there and what is hidden from our sight. Being a book about fae and such, it gives you a magical feel before you even read the first the page. And the tag line, “Sometimes opposites aren’t supposed to attract…” brings the mystery of what is about to be read to the forefront.

The main character, Lorelei, is a very insecure girl. So many times I wanted to tell her to drop the act and just let the claws fly. Put the jerks in their place and stop letting herself get walked over because she didn’t want to be who she was. I was disappointed that the author didn’t evolve her in the way, especially after everything she went through.

I loved the fantasy feel of it all, even though it could have used a bit more development with the story, characters and set, but all-in-all it read well. There were times that the story dragged, but then there were times when it flew at a thunderous pace. There is a situation where you wonder why she isn’t freaking out more than she does, I know that I would have, but you just go along with it and with the story.

There is black magic, anger, secrecy, potions, legends, love, death, healing powers and so much more wrapped into this book. There is instalove and I know that many readers don’t like that, but it really fit well in this book. And the boys, there’s going to be a few readers coming out of this with a new book boyfriend!

I recommend this to any reader who likes fae, Sidhe and the fantasy realm. I don’t read many books twice, you should see my tbr pile, but I can honestly say that I would read this one again and I hope that the author comes out with a followup.

Author Bio

Michele Barrow-Belisle is chocoholic author and artist living in southern Ontario, Canada with her super-sweet husband, brilliant son and a ridiculously affectionate cat. Often told by teachers to stop dreaming and get her head out of the clouds, Michele still spends much of her time lost in make-believe worlds, populated with fascinating and occasionally terrifying characters. Her passion for fantasy extends beyond her writing into her clay figure sculpt-ing, creating miniaturized replicas of the paranormal beings she writes about. Michele is as passionate about reading as she is about writing. When she’s not reading or writing, she can be found sculpting tiny fairy desserts in polymer clay. She also loves mocha lattes and watching fireflies at twilight. Did we mention she loves chocolate?