It sounded so good when i read the premise and requested it, BOY was i wrong.
Prologue - Poorly written and felt extremly random.
Character sheet? Wtf, what do we need that for?
No chemistry. Disliked the characters.
just NO.

Omg......... this book was amazing I flew threw the pages with Olympic speed I was hooked from the very first page. I found it full of twists and turns threw out and it kept me on the edge of my seat all the way threw  I would defiantly recommend this book if you like a good book to keep you reading threw the night hopefully you enjoy it as much as I did

*I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*

I went into reading this knowing that other reviewers had less than stellar feelings about it, but I hoped that perhaps it wasn't quite so bad. However, I feel quite generous giving it two stars, so take that how you will. It's not that the idea behind the story is bad, but the execution was poor.

The story has kind of a Beauty and the Beast feel to it, but it is strangely combined with a somewhat made-up version of Christianity because Ash, the main character, was given the Book by some random old man at a market when she was six. Then there are elves, changelings, and mages, so it feels like a fantasy. Except that sometimes it suddenly has bits and pieces of the real world in it that feel completely out of place, like a cell phone or blue jeans. It's a really odd mash-up of fantasy, Christianity, and real world. I know that can work, but it just didn't blend together well. Even the names just felt awkward--some were completely normal (Noah, Jessica, etc.), and others were quite unusual (Haon, Syn, etc.). (And yes, Noah and Haon are intentionally mirrored.) And I get that the author was trying to give Paola a bit of a Latin feel, but it just felt out of place to have her inserting a few Spanish words ("hombre," "chica," "mi amor,") and rolling all of her r's (does the author even speak Spanish?).

The writing itself was like what I would expect from a middle schooler (I'm sorry!). The wording in sentences was frequently redundant, and it was all very much tell-not-show. Characters' descriptions felt like they were copied and pasted from the character sheet provided at the front of the book; they interrupted the flow of the book and didn't fit in naturally, like the story was paused to describe what they looked like.

Ash (19) was supposed to be some kind of warrior-trained lady, but she often came across as a helpless, weak girl. It was pretty obvious who Fross (20) was, but that could have been overlooked if the book as a whole had been better. He was rough but kind. They weren't unlikeable characters, but better writing would have made them truly likable. Most of the other characters were rather one dimensional--overtly evil, girlish and silly, stoic, etc.

The ending was rather abrupt, not necessarily because of the event but because of how it was written. I think the plan was to write a sequel, in which Fross would uncover who plotted the attack at the beginning of the book, but I don't anticipate that there will be one. Some other things are left open as well, but more likely because the author forgot about them (Gill, anyone?).

Note: Nothing wrong except a poorly executed story and unfortunate writing.

I had high expectations for this book due to the synopsis. Unfortunately I couldn’t click with the book and had a difficult time connecting with the characters. Definitely going to give her another chance though!

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with this e-arc in exchange for an honest review...
When I read the description of the book, I was intrigued and didn't waste a moment's time in clicking the request button.
Little did I know that I'll be disappointed in it.
The description with the forced arranged marriage intrigued me,because being Asian, arrange marriage hit a cord with me. Although I'd like to mention that we or atleast my siblings and I have never been forced into a marriage that we didn't want.
That being said, this book didn't deliver and failed to live upto the expectations.
I couldn't relate, understand or connect with the protagonist or any of the other characters.
The world building as well as the story fell flat and I couldn't stop yawning the whole time I read it.
It had so much potential and it's sad that I didn't like it.

This had so much potential but unfortunately just didn't do it for me. I was really intrigued by the description. An arranged marriage that doesn't quite go to plan which results in some death and our MC seeking refuge with her betrothed. I was unaware untill the prologue that this was going to be a bit like a beauty and the beast retelling with humans, elfs and mages. I found it strange that in a book with this sort of fantasy element there was a helicopter as a getaway vehicle. It just felt so flat. It was only a short book but could have been fleshed out more which probably would have held my attention more. I found it a bit confusing in places and had to keep going back to reread what had happened especially with the prologue. I did like that the names were broken down to help with pronunciation. Unfortunately this just wasn't for me

"I could not finish this book. I love the concept but I did not click with the writing. The main character feels so passive and (sorry but) quite boring. I really wish I could have finished but I figured stopping was better than skimming especially after looking at a few reviews that did not bode well for the rest of the book.

I’m sorry. I wish it was more my style!"

**Disclaimer: I was given a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley.**
I really don't have a lot to say about this book. I didn't get along well with the writing, the plot fell very flat for me ( what I thought I was about to read and what I read didn't feel like the same book) I wasn't really a fan of the characters either.

Let's start from the beginning. I received a review copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This was Netgalley's description of the story: Fire and Ice is a fantasy young adult novel that follows a young woman on a big adventure, filled with love, mystery, and suspense. The protagonist Ash is forced into an arranged marriage, which does not turn out for the better, causing her to take refuge with the man she was supposed to marry. From there, she tries to find her parents' true murderers while surviving their attempts to find her. During this journey, she must fight her feelings for the man she believes to have killed her parents and his friends who accept her with open arms.

Sounds intriguing right? I sure was, hence why I requested it. I should have known something was wrong the moment I read the "Character Description Sheet" and the prologue. Idk why the author thought a character description sheet was necessary but if anything the dead just confused me. The prologue was so poorly written and made absolutely no sense that it made me nervous to continue with the story. The rest of the story was just the same. I have no idea how this story was actually published when it seems like there were never any reviews. There are so many run on sentences, thoughts that had no point and constant jumping around. For being a shorter story it was really bad to understand what was happening. I think this story could have potential but needs a lot more work and review.

If you look it up on Amazon, this is the books description: “Lying isn’t a good look for you. So leave it be,” Ash stated, voice trembling. She ripped her hands out of his and ran, not caring where she ended up. Fross watched her go and felt a single tear fall from his eye. He turned and stormed back toward the house. ". I would not recommend this book, until it has been reviewed more thoroughly.

This book just wasnt for me. I ended up unfortunately dnfing it. I think it might have been the writing that did it for me.

Fire & Ice
Author: Victoria R. Maybury
Genre: YA Fantasy
Rating: ⭐️ / 5
Reviewed: Maya

- PLEASE BE AWARE I DID NOT FINISH THIS BOOK -
From the very first paragraph, I really, really, disliked the writing. I only got up to the first chapter, but I couldn’t make myself read anymore. It all felt stunted and extremely forced. Nothing flowed and the descriptions felt really patronising. I was just really struggling to continue reading and I found myself reading pages but not taking in anything, and this was just the prologue. This is a really short review because I didn’t even get into the storyline or the first chapter. I would really like to hear your thoughts about this book when it gets published to see if you felt the same way as I did.

**Disclaimer: I was given a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley.**

Title Fire & Ice

Author Victoria R. Maybury

Description from Amazon

“Lying isn’t a good look for you. So leave it be,” Ash stated, voice trembling. She ripped her hands out of his and ran, not caring where she ended up.
Fross watched her go and felt a single tear fall from his eye. He turned and stormed back toward the house.

Release Date April 19, 2019

Initial Thoughts

The description on Amazon has absolutely nothing to do with the description on NetGalley – so, please see what I saw on NetGalley:

The protagonist Ash is forced into an arranged marriage, which does not turn out for the better, causing her to take refuge with the man she was supposed to marry. From there, she tries to find her parents’ true murderers while surviving their attempts to find her. During this journey, she must fight her feelings for the man she believes to have killed her parents and his friends who accept her with open arms.

Now this book, sounds interesting. If I had found this only on Amazon, I never would have picked it up. NetGalley pitches it with Beauty and the Beast kind of vibes and I’m all about that.

One Thing I Liked

The arranged marriage premise was really intriguing. I liked the concept behind this story.

Some Things I Wasn’t Crazy About

Every scene change started with the main character waking up. Why is she always sleeping?? What’s going on with her?
Religious undertones. I was extremely turned off by the very clear (and not mentioned in the description) nods to organized religion. This story is very obviously referencing conversion to Christianity and I found this to be very off-putting.
The story felt rushed. It was a shorter story but it lacked depth and development. I constantly felt confused by the events and actions of the characters. I had a hard time connecting with them or understanding their motivations.
The title. I felt like it had nothing to do with the story. It was never explained and honestly, it made no sense.

Series Value

I think there is series value here but honestly, I don’t know if I’d continue with this series. I think the story has a lot of potential and if it was fleshed out more, I’d give it another chance. If there was more development in the plot, I also think the religious elements would not have been so over bearing.

Final Thoughts

I was excited about the premise of this book but it was a huge letdown.

⭐️⭐️

Recommendations for Further Reading

Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin – if you are looking for a “forced marriage” trope with undertones of religious elements (that are really well done), check out this book. It has witches, snarky banter, and amazing reread value.
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas – if you liked that “Beauty and the Beast” vibe from this story, but again, are looking for more depth, try this series by Sarah J. Maas.

Fire and Ice is the shortest book I've read for a long time but that fact alone did not deter me. I'm a pretty 'anything goes' reader length wise but if you're writing a book this close to 100 pages (my ebook clocked it in at 86, with the story starting on page 80) you have to be a lot more deliberate with each individual word choice than someone writing a 500 page novel. Just as books upwards of 500 pages need to necessitate the length, books under 100 need a reason for being that short that isn't just 'I didn't have enough of a plot' or they end up feeling rushed. Fire and Ice was a whirlwind of a whole lot of nothing. Not only does it feel rushed, but the words it does choose to use are often redundant. Tone is non existent and every dialogue tag tells you exactly what the character is feeling (she said sarcastically. She thought dramatically). The verbiage is also weird at parts. MC Ash makes up with love interest Fross and a line later his dialogue tag is "demand" when he asks her to come see something with him which was whiplashy.

Let's talk about marketing. Although you can't tell from the description, this is a Beauty and the Beast retelling. I'm obsessed with fairy tales and have read every one I can get my hands on so while I love some Beauty and the Beast retellings, the fact that there are so many similar, unexplored fairytales in existence means that if you choose to retell Beauty and the Beast, it needs to be transformative. I suppose you could technically say Fire & Ice is transformative but the way that happens is something that 100% needs to be mentioned somewhere in the books description, tags, or marketing if it wants to stop blindsiding readers and getting negative reviews as a result because oh boy is it polarizing.

So anyways, Fire & Ice is literally just Beauty and Beast if it was about why Catholism superior religion.

Our MC flees an arranged marriage because she wants to marry for love and her parents and community reject her belief in The Creator who died for their evils to protect them all (He's referred to as He/Him throughout the book). The parents are part of an unnamed, 'evil' religion that supports arranged marriages and unbelievably harsh physical punishments. You know that scene all B&B retellings need to have where the Beast redeems himself by sacrificing something for the Beauty (in the disney film it would be when he let's Belle return to help her father)? Here that moment is reserved for Fross telling Ash he wants to convert to her religion. (We're not even going to talk about Fross's elf-servant who rolls her Rs and says "Chica" and "Mi Amor" despite Maybury doing everything in her power not to name her accent who calls herself unworthy of accepting the Creator).

I'm sure this book has an audience somewhere, but if you're going for such a clear route of religious extremism (yes, even if you swap the name of the religion and call Jesus Joshua and God the Creator, this is STILL religious extremism) make sure readers know before picking up your book or you're going to get a lot of negative criticism and angry readers.

There is just way too much going on in this book, and not in the ways there should be. There is no real effort at character or world development. These people, their lives, their thoughts, feelings, and motivations... they need to be developed to help a reader connect to and want to know more about the people in a story. Where this description fails from not enough effort, the plot fails from too much of it. There are so many things happening, that I as a reader became confused and couldn’t really follow the story well. Needs work!

I really wanted to like this book. There is definitely space for more Christian Fantasy authors. But, this book just needs a lot more work.

Let me start with what I liked. I thought that the author had an imaginative story line and world that would be appealing to many readers. She had a strong , independent female lead. All good!

Here is what needed improving--the book just made too many leaps. It was a fairly quick read, and that was because I didn't think that the world (or even what was happening in the book) was explained well enough. I get the feeling that the author has this whole world in her head and knows the intricacies of it--including the different types of people, etc. What she forgets is that her readers are new to the world and need things explained.

I really think this author has potential, and I hope that she develops her story a bit more. I am rooting for you!

Thanks NetGalley & publishers for a free e-ARC for my honest review.

A handsome but cruel man is waiting at a spring.He plans to make a house nearby. There comes a messenger from a king. The creator wants to meet him. Archer is frozen in age until he can learn to love. He also must destroy another in the future.

This book reads like a Beauty and The Beast retelling with a religious spin. While it was an interesting story and had a relatively decent plot, I did find the execution of the tale to be slightly lacking. C

I read this book in one sitting and wasn't very impressed to be honest. It was sort of worth reading but it felt very religious, focusing on Christianity with a smattering of beauty and the beast retelling. I loved Fross as a character but I don't why he fell in love with Ash? Ash, the main character is horrible, she's judgmental and brash and she doesn't get better. None of the characters had any character growth, they stayed 1 dimensional throughout the entire book. I didn't feel like the character descriptions and glossary in the beginning of the book was necessary, it was overly complicated and boring. The world building wasn't fleshed out enough for me to understand it. There really was no plot for this book. Any plot introduced in this book, is obviously getting saved for another book which I would consider reading to give this author another chance to grow. This author's style obviously just wasn't for me but maybe read this if you want to support debut authors and enjoy Beauty and the Beast retellings where women can be badass.