Review: Once Upon A Song by Nadine Bells

January 22, 2026

Synopsis:

Welcome to the Hôtel de Neige. Let yourself be swept away by its grandeur and glamor, but beware…the cold may swallow you whole.

When lonely waitress Ana lands a job as a singer at the prestigious Hôtel de Neige, she believes it to be the beginning of her fairytale. Yet she soon finds that in those eerie halls, the line between Cinderella story and Gothic nightmare blurs. Sinister dreams cause her to sleepwalk, a ballerina makes ominous threats, and a phantom in white haunts the hotel—and Ana.

As Ana discovers that the hotel’s last singer lost his life under mysterious circumstances, she needs to decide if happily-ever-after is worth it. She knows she cannot trust her secretive colleagues or the charming but elusive hotel manager, Dimitri. All Ana ever wanted was to belong, but at the Hôtel de Neige, that may mean never leaving again…

Review:

We meet Ana as her taxi breaks down in the snow on the way to an audition. Determined, she walks the rest of the way, only to be met with hostility upon arrival. With some help, she manages to audition—but Ana’s life has never been easy. Abandoned by her parents and raised in the foster system, she’s fought to survive and belong. This job feels like a fresh start.

After landing the role, things take a darker turn. She’s warned to leave while she can. Soon, Ana begins sleepwalking and dreaming of a terrifying woman. Something sinister lurks within the hotel, and no one will speak of it. Did Ana make the right choice by staying?

I felt for Ana, who was looking for something stable in her life and her initial fairy tale took a dark turn. A hotel in the middle of nowhere, a weird group of people and an owner that makes you want to hide each time she comes close, sounded like an interesting premise. It is chilling at times, but overall, the characters lacked depth and the interactions felt lackluster at times. I wanted a bit more. While enjoyable, it didn’t fully convince me.

🌙 Recension: Once Upon A Song by Nadine Bells
📚 Genre: Romance, Fantasy, Fiction
📅 Release Date: ‎January 23, 2026
📖 Publisher: Quill & Crow Publishing House
📗 available as Kindle
📱 Read as: Kindle
💸 I received an advance review copy for free by NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
🗣️ Language: English
📆 Pages: 250
⭐️ 3/5